The national debate over greenhouse gas reduction took on a Northwest flavor this week with the unveiling of a new ad starring Galloping Gertie, the original bridge across the Tacoma Narrows.
American Solutions for Winning the Future, a group led by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, launched the ad entitled "The Breaking Point" today. The ill-fated bridge serves as a metaphor for the troubled American economy.
As the bridge twists and turns in the wind, the narrator warns that the Waxman-Markey bill - which seeks to create a cap and trade system for carbon emissions - is a national energy tax that could push the American economy to its breaking point.
With a vote on the bill possible this week in Congress, the narrator urges viewers to call or write their congress person "before it's too late."
AWB President Don Brunell weighed in on cap and trade in a recent column, making a similar argument. Brunell called cap and trade a $650 billion tax on all Americans.
(He just didn't use Galloping Gertie to help make the case.)
