The core of Al Gore's energy proposal is a carbon tax

When even John McCain tries to sound like he's agreeing with Al Gore, you wonder if my favorite ex-politician isn't on to something.

In the middle of his energy speech is the key proposal:

The (Annotated) Gore Energy Speech - Dot Earth - Climate Change and Sustainability - New York Times Blog

...I have long supported a sharp reduction in payroll taxes with the difference made up in CO2 taxes. We should tax what we burn, not what we earn...

Yep, that's the ticket.

It means gas prices don't go down though, and the price of electricity goes way up.

This is going to take a culture change comparable to what we need to reform America's lousy human development score.

If you have to tear off the top floor to add a new bathroom, you might as well add a new bedroom too. We need to do both changes together.