What's wrong, in one easy lesson

Senator Barbara Boxer has announced that come the new session of Congress in January, she intends to introduce a "streamlined" version of her climate change bill.

Boxer also stated that she would introduce a bill to provide $15 billion a year in support for a clean energy program that supports wind, solar, geothermal and other renewable energy sources. ....

Such a bill would represent a huge increase in the amount of money dedicated to clean energy, and there remains the question of how Congress will raise the money.

We are now spending $250 billion a year for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. None of our Serious Thinkers say "How will we pay for this?" We commit to $700 billion to bail out the financiers. No Serious Thinkers worry about raising the cash.

But suggest spending $15 billion a year on renewable energy and heading off climate disaster, and they slump in their chairs and with their hands over their eyes, rock back and forth and moan "Where will we ever get the money? Dear God, how will we ever come up with the money?"