Al Gore's challenge to have America produce 100 percent of its electricity without a single molecule of carbon is a ploy for bigger government. Gore is calling for higher taxes and government subsidies for alternative energy "solutions" that will come at a huge cost to consumers.

That's the ultimate goal for global warming alarmists -- make energy much more expensive so Americans use less. Gore's own Alliance for Climate Protection estimated a zero-carbon energy plan would cost as much as $3 trillion. While Gore might believe energy producers should be forced to pick up the tab, we know that businesses don't pay taxes -- people do, in the form of lost jobs or higher prices.

A vibrant economy that isn't hamstrung by high taxes and regulations is the best way to develop viable alternative energies. Big government bureaucrats shouldn't pick winners and losers in the energy game.

Gore wants the government to dictate our energy policy. According to recent polls, nearly 2 out of 3 Americans favor expanding nuclear power, and nearly 3 out of 4 favor off-shore drilling. Gore firmly opposes both solutions. He thinks the government should decide what is good for Americans, rather than Americans deciding themselves.

The consequences of government-directed energy policies are well known -- remember gas lines in the 1970s and higher food prices courtesy of subsidized ethanol? We cannot allow these policies to destroy our economy because doing so will destroy the best tool available to us -- the free market.

Alan Cobb

Americans for Prosperity-Kansas, Topeka