PROBABLY THE ONLY THING RALPH NADER AND I AGREE ON

So apparently, there's something on which I not only agree with the left-leaning Canadian candidate for prime minister, but also with Ralph Nader. And that's a tax on carbon. Because $4 a gallon gasoline finally woke us up to the slowly boiling pot we're in, and made rational the kinds of decisions we should've been making all along, whether personal (carpool, ride your bike to work, don't buy a gas guzzler) or corporate (invest in transit, cut down on bulky packaging, encourage density). President-elect Obama, you have your own popularity, the opportunity that economic crisis brings, and global awareness of the earth's fragility on your side; make this happen! (Thanks to Greg Mankiw's blog for the link.)