"The defenders of the cap-and-trade proposal, however, have advanced the proposition that strictly speaking, cap-and-trade is not just a tax, as its mechanism contains features not included in a conventional taxation system. In this they are correct. Cap-and-trade is not just a tax. It is worse than a tax. It is a modern version of tax farming.

Tax farming was a practice followed by the Persian and various other ancient empires. Here’s how it would work. Let’s say the king needed some money to finance a war, a monument to himself, or similar worthy endeavor. Rather than fuss with the administration needed to collect taxes directly, he would sell the right to tax a given province to some wealthy crony. This public-spirited individual would then deploy his gangs of hired thugs to loot the people of the province in question. The king would get ready cash for his project, while through the exercise of unrestrained rapacity, the tax-farmer crony would generally obtain an excellent return on his investment. Thus, everyone who counted would be happy."
http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/growing-cap-and-trade-on-the-tax-farm/

linked from instapundit

Zubrin also proposes his flex fueled solution.

Generally, I would prefer if people in general would simple make it a habit to ask for fuel flex cars, but the govt has already had so many mandates on how cars are made, and fuel flex law would better than many already in existence, so politicians could have and have done worse things.
But of course "Cap-and-Trade" is a scam that well heeled Dems desire make money from nothing- meaning from you suckers who vote for them.
But I think it's even worse than this because Cap-and-Trade breeds corruption, and with all the corruption we have presently, Cap-and-Trade can only dramatically increase it.