You don’t need to have an economics degree to answer this question. You need not understand profit and losses. You could flunk every math test you ever took and still answer this question.

You do not have to be an expert - or even well read - on our energy situation. You can answer this question easily. And when you do, you will know you are smarter than lots of the birds that fill the seats of your Congress.

Here is the big question: Do you know of any instance when we taxed something and as a result got more of it?

I will state it in a different way: Do you know of any instance when a higher tax on something brought forth an increased supply of it?

If you do, I hope you will email me about it.

Apparently our congress people do think they know of something that increases when you tax it. Recently they fell a few votes short of increasing taxes on big oil companies. Many of them spoke proudly of their efforts to levy these taxes. They preened about how this would punish big oil.

Think about this now. Apply it in situations around you.

One of the easiest natural laws to understand is this: When you subsidize something, you get more of it. When you tax something, you get less of it.