Notable: October 7, 2016

• Clinton and Kaine, Struggling on Taxes, By David Leonhardt, The New York Times, OCT. 7, 2016 [Clinton and Kaine are flubbing the tax issue. "Many listeners will emerge from these exchanges believing that Trump wants to cut taxes more for most people than Clinton does. In fact, nearly all of Trump’s tax cut would go to the affluent, while Clinton has proposed a series of (still mostly vague) tax credits for the non-rich. ... The first step for Clinton and Kaine is to go beyond the platitudes of their tax proposals so far and offer details — enough to allow independent analysts to score them. The second step is speaking about their plan in the direct language of politics, rather than mixing the more technical language of white papers with jokes about Trump."]
• Canada’s Trudeau Steps Up on Climate Change, By THE EDITORIAL BOARD, The New York Times, OCT. 7, 2016 [Trudeau has done the sensible thing, the textbook thing: "The plan will allow each of Canada’s 10 provinces and three territories to choose its own method of carbon pricing, whether a direct tax on emissions or a cap-and-trade system under which governments put a ceiling on emissions and allow utilities, manufacturing plants, fuel distributors and others to buy and sell permits to emit greenhouse gases. Whatever system the provinces and territories choose, they must establish a price by 2018, starting at a minimum of 10 Canadian dollars per ton of carbon (about $7.60 in American dollars) and rising to at least 50 Canadian dollars in 2022. They can use the revenue generated to lower other taxes or invest in renewable energy and other climate projects. The federal government will impose fines on provinces that fail to act." The politically savvy strategy against any opponents who point to rising energy costs is to return all revenues from the taxes -- and all government revenue from pollution permit auctions -- back to the people. That will silence all complaints, as has happened in British Columbia.]
• What About the Planet?, By Paul Krugman, The New York Times, OCT. 7, 2016 ["Our two major political parties are at odds on many issues, but nowhere is the gap bigger or more consequential than on climate. ... There is, quite simply, no other issue this important, and letting it slide would be almost criminally irresponsible."]