Carbon Tax + Carbon Price Mechanism announced

So, I wake up this morning and after opening The Age newspaper on line I'm confronted again with Mr Abbot's take on why Labor lost in the recent NSW election. Look, if the sun fell out of the sky, Abbot would blame it on Labor's proposed Carbon Tax.

Cartoon by Cathy Wilcox. http://www.nationaltimes.com.au/photogallery/opinion/cartoons/cathy-wilcox-20090909-fhd6.html?selectedImage=2

I'm beginning to believe (laughing out loud to myself, or LOLTM if you prefer) that the carbon tax has become the new evil, which is such a blessing since I tire of smokers being the scape-goat for all the ills of the world.  But perhaps there's a link here. We just hate the idea of dirt, any dirt, anything that makes us feel dirty. And our carbon footprint, virtually invisible, conjures up ideas that we are leaving some utterly filthy mark on what might otherwise be perceived as a clean surface. So, each of us, whatever the size of our foot, step gently now, our carbon footprint clearly labeled on our bills, and our conscious effort to understand the impact of each of our  activities etched clearly in our minds. Apparently using my computer generates about 100g of CO2 per hour. The horror of it all!  How could this be so, it appears such a clean machine. And on that subject (well, not really, but it's something I just thought about) what is this obsession with 'white' teeth, 'whiter than white' washing, 'skin whitening', 'white' bathroom surfaces, cleaning, cleaning. Is it a matter of 'cleanliness is next to godliness'?

I'm still trying to wrap my head around how reducing CO2 emissions in Australia is going to change overall world emissions. China and America are the main culprits, producing roughly 19% each of the world total, whereas Australia only produces 1.47% (reference: World Resources Institute).

Regardless, the broad architecture of the carbon price mechanism as outlined by the Multi-Party Climate Change Committee for Australia is now available.
The Multi-Party Climate Change Committee comprises: Chair: The Prime Minister Julia Gillard. Deputy Chair: Wayne Swan, Deputy Prime Minister and Greg Combet, Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency. Co-Deputy Chair: Australian Greens Senator Christine Milne. Member: Mr Tony Windsor. Independent Experts:  Professor Ross Garnaut, Professor Will Steffen, Mr Rod Sims and Ms Patricia Faulkner. Members of the public and interested parties who wish to provide input on the carbon price mechanism approach should contact: MPCCC@climatechange.gov.au, or write to: The Multi-Party Climate Change Committee Secretariat, GPO Box 854, Canberra ACT 2601. Australia.