U.S. Neo-Con calls for revenue-neutral gasoline tax

I can't resist bringing attention to this article appearing next week in the neo-conservative journal, "The Weekly Standard". Columnist Charles Krauthammer calls for a "net-zero gas tax", in a rather detailed piece subtitled, "a once-in-a-generation chance". It's ironic, but utterly unsurprising to me, how neo-conservatives (albeit thinking neo-cons) are favouring a policy so close to what Stephen Harper and his supporters tried so hard to trash (Stéphane Dion's Green Shift) this past summer in Canada and during the Canadian election campaign.

When conservatives, liberals, economists, and environmentalists are all pushing for the same thing, you gotta believe there's some validity to it.

Update Dec. 29, 2008: James Hansen calls on Obama to implement a revenue neutral carbon tax at Guardian.co.uk
Update Jan 1, 2009: Financial Times of London uses its first issue of the new year to call on Obama to implement a revenue-neutral carbon tax.
Update Jan 1, 2009: Whoa, so does the Boston Globe in its New Year's wishes.
And even this from an AP story today:

Charles Whittington, chairman of the American Trucking Associations, which supports a fuel tax increase as long as the money goes to highway projects, said Congress may decide to disguise a fuel tax hike as a surcharge to combat climate change.

Transportation is responsible for about a third of all U.S. carbon emissions created by burning fossil fuels. Traffic congestion wastes an estimated 2.9 billion gallons of fuel a year. Less congestion would reduce greenhouse gases and dependence on foreign oil.

"Instead of calling it a gas tax, call it a carbon tax," Whittington said. "As long as we label it as something else we may have the momentum and acceptance to move forward."

Wow - this coming from truckers, the same people who, in Canada, opposed the Green Shift, even with some special provisions for the industry.