Stuart Varney and I discuss the merits of a Carbon Tax on Fox News' Your World

[stevenleser]

Stuart Varney and I discuss the merits of a Carbon Tax. While a Carbon Tax is normally a regressive tax, can it be structured in a way that doesn't hurt the poor and middle class?

[DCBob]

1. Varney is a political hack masquerading as an economic analyst.

Well done Steve!

[stevenleser]

3. Thanks DCBob!

[AnnaLee]

2. Where does the excess payroll tax come from to fund a payroll tax "rebate"?

It's too late to rebate payroll taxes since they are needed for paygo and if the trust fund is "depleted" faster than current models, won't that just cause a problem for which the middle class and poor have no substitute. I suggest the people's taxes be kept separate from the general revenue shortfalls. It's time for the people who don't pay boo percent of their income to payroll taxes to pay back the principle and interest (bonds) on the borrowed payroll excess of the past. After all it was this excess revenue that was used as an excuse for tax cuts on the rich.

[stevenleser]

4. The full CBO article on offsetting a Carbon Tax' effect on low income households is here:

http://www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/cbofiles/attachments/11-13LowIncomeOptions.pdf

They outline a couple of different options including payroll tax rebate.

[AnnaLee]

6. I had hoped for more since it was CBO

But this is not a study that you link to. It is merely a set of unexamined suggestions. More of the same sort of kicking the can to the entitlements. Nothing addresses the effect this has on the health of the entitlements or the close alignment of "Leninist Strategy" type erosion of the link between the worker's money and the New Deal programs. I think it is essential to keep Social Security out of entanglement with the general fund deficit. I am sure that hard labor poor people don't want to trade off their retirement security for carbon tax rebates. I am double sure that retirees don't want to be left out of the rebates as discussed in the report and also find that the rebates end up being paid through reductions in their COLAs or benefits.

Where is the arithmetic?

[SkyDaddy7]

8. From what I know...

Listening to Dr. James Hanson & how this "carbon tax" has been implemented in other areas is it is a separate fund not connected to any other "entitlement"...100% of the tax money collected from major CO2 producers is then returned to the citizens in the form of a what Dr. Hanson calls "Green Checks"...This will in most cases offset the increased cost of energy.

Regardless, if we don't do something the poor & middle class will suffer far more than any issue with so-called entitlements...If we sit back & complain about the rise in cost & decide to do nothing then in 30-50yrs folks will wish all they had to worry about was entitlement funding.

Anthropogenic Climate Change is LITERALLY the most catastrophic issue humans have ever had to face! But this seems to lost on most people which is fucking INSANE!!

[AnnaLee]

9. Without a doubt. I was just struck about the convoluted funding question.

Let me pose an unrealistic question but I really don't know why it isn't posed for all survival of the species questions.

Why worry about money flows at all?

Seems strange when it isn't individual survival but potentially survival of all/most species.

[BeyondGeography]

5. Varney thinks it's cute that you worry about storms

Way to keep your cool. Great job.

[PossumSqueezins]

7. Fox News Should Have to Pay a Methane Tax

Bill Orally alone produces more hot gas than a Taco Bell on fire.

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