Former vice president Joe Biden livestreaming on a laptop in Washington on May 29. (Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post)

Regarding the July 15 front-page article “In new climate plan, Biden sets more-ambitious goals”:

Like most American economists and energy strategists, I’m bitterly disappointed that the proposed climate change strategy from former vice president Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, does not feature a carbon tax, or at least an emission cap-and-trade system. Instead, he’s offering more of the same second-best renewable-energy mandate, energy regulation and low-carbon research promotion options that former Democratic administrations and proponents of the Green New Deal have mistakenly promoted.  

Why, when professional analyses of alternative climate change mitigation strategies have convincingly demonstrated that a carbon tax is the most efficient and socially fair means to achieve our emission reduction goal, is he doing this?

I can only assume the main reason is abject fear of any proposal that involves the dreaded word “tax.” So, instead of giving people the facts on the clear net benefits of a carbon tax and working to persuade them of its merits, Mr. Biden is lamely proposing a set of measures that will cost energy consumers and most middle-income taxpayers more and achieve less than a carbon tax would. This is political cowardice.

Robin Broadfield, Washington

If we are to believe the Trump campaign that former vice president Joe Biden’s climate plan to “dramatically expand solar and wind energies” is a plan that “is more like a socialist manifesto . . . that will crush the middle class,” are we then a socialist economy considering that middle-class Americans benefited so much from the rise of the oil and gas industries in the mid-19th century? 

And if “Joe Biden’s entire career has been a gift to the Chinese Communist Party,” as President Trump said, as reported in the July 15 news article “Trump uses Rose Garden event for extended attack on Biden,” what are we to make of Mr. Trump, who benefited from Russia’s help in his 2016 election?

Seems like Mr. Trump is playing with the United States’ future. We need to innovate; this is where the jobs of the future are. Is the nation seriously considering another round of swindling by a serial bankruptist turned snake-oil vendor?

Christine Fortin, College Park

Read more letters to the editor.

Loading...