Climate Change Bill

As iterations of the Waxman-Markey bill pass through the house and the senate, it's worthwhile to call to mind the words of two alternative environmentalists:

The kind of technological revolution called for by energy experts typically does not occur via regulatory fiat. We did not invent the Internet by taxing telegraphs nor the personal computer by limiting typewriters. Nor did the transition to the petroleum economy occur because we taxed, regulated, or ran out of whale oil. Those revolutions happened because we invented alternatives that were vastly superior to what they replaced and, in remarkably short order, became a good deal cheaper.

I disagree with the author's next paragraph, stating that government-funded R&D is the way forward. But they make a good point on taxing technologies. We'll see how this all unfolds...