Carbon Frenzy

Dubbed by the media, Carbon Sunday, the start of the "Carbon Tax" was greeted with an absolute blitz of comments, media stunts, bad music and drama.
Q&A last night on ABC TV showed all these aspects with Simon Sheikh, from Getup, collapsing on stage (later reported to be well again and out of hospital thankfully).
Sophie Mirabella nearly had another shoe thrown at her from my couch, stopped only by the gift of a comment she made when discussing the Parental Leave "Levy".
"Is the Coalition's parental leave policy a tax? NOOOO of course not, it is a levy (Audience guffaws)." Further statements such as
"you are being quite mischievous Tony" when directed by Tony Jones to answer the chief thrust of the question and 
"I don't think any objective analysis can compare an economy wide carbon tax....with an economically important levy" 
How she could be so morally & intellectually disingenuous to argue about the Carbon Tax and simultaneously argue her party's Parental Leave position is beyond me! No wonder the population have so little regard for politicians of all persuasions.
It was also good to see Ross Garnaut weighing in with the international comparisons to show that Australia is not acting alone, and is not acting with a cost that is disproportionate to our "contribution" to the problem.
How anyone can argue that a levy on pollution is bad for the country eventually is also beyond me. 
We have had CFC changes due to the Ozone Hole, cleaning scubbers on Coal Fired Power Stations due to Acid Rain and the economy hasn't faltered, stopped, died or any other hysterical response. And now the "Carbon Tax" to reduce carbon pollution.
The Australia Institute published the following graphic on the Carbon "Levy" to put it into perspective!
Lets hope the Australian population is not, as Joe Hilderbrand's program calls us, Dumb, Drunk and Racist.

Australia Institute Carbon Tax effect