No-Good-Deed-Goes-Unpunished Department: Low Gas Prices Bad for Environment

September 25th, 2006 1:34 PM

A liberal is someone who will always be able to find the dark lining, so long as it's a Republican sun that's shining.  And so here's the latest dispatch from the No-Good-Deed-Goes Unpunished Directorate of the Department of Dark Linings:

Energy prices are down, maybe heading even lower . . . and that's bad.

So writes HuffPoster Raymond Learsy today.  He begins by citing that irrefutable authority, Al Gore, for the proposition that "we are near the tipping point of climatic catastrophe." He next bemoans that "never or at least rarely ever, has there been a serious discussion on curtailing the availability of gasoline."  By all means, I'd encourage Democrats everywhere to run on that platform!

Learsy claims that "constricting gasoline consumption is now becoming urgent." He was thus pleased by the recent high price of gasoline, and now that gas prices are falling sharply he laments that this will "encourage greater consumption, and in turn result in greater CO2 emissions."

Not to fear: Learsy has a 'remedy' for the grievous ill of lower prices for the American consumer - some combination of vouchers, an emissions tax or "perhaps a straight rationing program."  Are you listening, Nancy Pelosi?  Go for it!

Learsy ends with a plea to Al Gore to run for president - "the only one I see out there who has enough passion and commitment on this issue." 

I can see the bumper stickers now: "Liked Carter? You'll Love Gore!"