Dear Congressman Lampson,

I realize that you are a Tory Democrat trying to hold on to a seat that Tom DeLay drew up for himself, but I would like to raise a bit of heresy here in the hope that you might take it up come January.

I’m sure that you’ve noticed that along with all the recent troubles, the price of a barrel of oil has fallen back to room temperature; bringing the price at the pump down below three dollars a gallon.

Doubtless this seems like good news to hard strapped drivers, but I want to suggest that we enact legislation to keep the price from falling further.

This fall in prices will result in the resumption of our outsized appetite for energy at a time when our climate is pressured by carbon fuel emissions and our economy is taxed by our unsustainable trade imbalance.

If we institute a carbon tax to keep a floor under gas prices, we can damp demand while we reduce pressure on the environment, furthermore, we could dedicate any revenues to subsidize efforts to reduce energy use, develop renewable energy sources, and build mass transit systems.

This may sound like a hard sell in difficult times, but we are going to be facing many difficulties in the days ahead. I would be proud to see my congressman out leading on these issues.

Sincerely,

Charly Hoarse