In his June 16th, 2006 NYT op-ed piece (republished by the Flaming Grasshopper), Thomas Friedman argues for a GeoGreen 3rd US political party with a gasoline tax as its central platform, the proceeds of which would stabilize Social Security, fund clean mass transit, and alternative energy research, while simultaneously making alternative energy price competitive, spurring green economic growth, and creating the conditions for political reform in the Middle East by reducing the demand for oil.

While I don’t know if there’s much economic analysis behind the proposal Friedman spins, it certainly appeals to my sensibilities. I doubt it could offer such a panacea as Friedman proposes, but for my money, it’s still better vision than our current energy, transportation, social security, and foreign policies. I concur with Jeff McIntire-Strasberg on Sustainablog in that we really need a carbon tax rather than a gasoline tax, not only to spur the transition to alternative energy sources in sectors other than transportation but also to make sure that the alternatives to fossil fuels don’t also contribute to global warming.

Now if only we had instant run-off or some other non-“winner-take-all” voting system in place so that such third party would have a chance of making inroads without skewing the proportion of vote for the entrenched parties …