Although nobody “wants” to pay more for gas,I agree the gas tax is an important component of any strategic shift to an alternative energy society/economy.

The fact that people don’t like it, is the reason why it’s so important.

First the tax creates some of the money for investment, and simultaneously creates an incentive to adopt the output created by the investment. It is a self reinforcing mechanism, a positive feedback loop. This is necessary in a major transition and why you also need gov’t intervention.

Just look at how the drop in oil prices has been devastating to the alt energy industry, because they can only be funded by the private sector if there is a “spread” or if there is value to the alternative. Just getting cleaner air and saving our planets finite resources for future generations is not enough for humans unfortunately.

Also if folks knew that what they are paying is not going to fund terrorists but is the best investment we can make for our future, it could be spun to pass. Especially with Obama in office.

The devil is in the details of course, but if we are serious about the shift… the tax idea should be debated and researched further.

In regards the size of investment… If America or really the world wants to dig itself out of the hole that it’s currently in, and drive the world to the next level it needs to produce something extraordinary. Something that everyone wants and needs. A renewable source of energy would fit that description. If we want this to happen anytime soon it has to be funded, like we mean it and it has to be a worldwide initiative. We’re all in this together.

The side benefit of a true shift to alt energy is that it should also unwind tensions with the middle east. While THEY have what WE need for survival(oil), there will never be peace, we will kill each other to control it. By shifting to alt energy, they lose leverage, we in turn don’t feel threatened and screw with them…tension should decrease. Diffusing the negative feedback loop.

Anyway we need to save the oil, because we’ll still need it for some time even if we find solutions for basic electricity and personal transport. As there are some things that still would require fossil fuels and it’s not a finite resource.

Although nobody “wants” to pay more for gas,I agree the gas tax is an important component of any strategic shift to an alternative energy society/economy.

The fact that people don’t like it, is the reason why it’s so important.

First the tax creates some of the money for investment, and simultaneously creates an incentive to adopt the output created by the investment. It is a self reinforcing mechanism, a positive feedback loop. This is necessary in a major transition and why you also need gov’t intervention.

Just look at how the drop in oil prices has been devastating to the alt energy industry, because they can only be funded by the private sector if there is a “spread” or if there is value to the alternative. Just getting cleaner air and saving our planets finite resources for future generations is not enough for humans unfortunately.

Also if folks knew that what they are paying is not going to fund terrorists but is the best investment we can make for our future, it could be spun to pass. Especially with Obama in office.

The devil is in the details of course, but if we are serious about the shift… the tax idea should be debated and researched further.

In regards the size of investment… If America or really the world wants to dig itself out of the hole that it’s currently in, and drive the world to the next level it needs to produce something extraordinary. Something that everyone wants and needs. A renewable source of energy would fit that description. If we want this to happen anytime soon it has to be funded, like we mean it and it has to be a worldwide initiative. We’re all in this together.

The side benefit of a true shift to alt energy is that it should also unwind tensions with the middle east. While THEY have what WE need for survival(oil), there will never be peace, we will kill each other to control it. By shifting to alt energy, they lose leverage, we in turn don’t feel threatened and screw with them…tension should decrease. Diffusing the negative feedback loop.

Anyway we need to save the oil, because we’ll still need it for some time even if we find solutions for basic electricity and personal transport. As there are some things that still would require fossil fuels and it’s not a finite resource.