Improve our fiscal health and encourage responsible growth by increasing taxes on "harmful" activities.

The true cost of many products is not what Americans pay. For many years, the cost of health care due to cigarette smoking was a burden shared by all. Some tax increases are helping by making smokers pay for their own problems, but many other changes need to be made. "Fair" taxes place burdens on those who use products and services. This country should be leading the technological charge to new, sustainable sources of energy by issuing grants and funding private industry. The biggest non-renewable energy users should pay the largest burden of this effort because they are causing more of the problem. Yes, many things will become more expensive in the short term, and issues need to be dealt with to ensure that the poor don't pay more than their share. But the long-term payoff is huge.