It's an empty threat, and one that conservatives use on everything from environmental protection, to taxing the wealthy (they'll move away!), to raising the minimum wage. It's an argument that has no factual basis. Our unemployment might possibly reach 10 percent in the next six months. I don't think we can blame excess governmental regulation - in this particular case, at least.

But let's humor Mr. Holtz-Eakin and assume that we will lose jobs because we enforce the Clean Air Act. If we really believe in the "fundamentals of the American economy," i.e. the American worker, and the entrepreneurial spirit of American small business, those job losses would be very short-term. Shouldn't Mr. Holtz-Eakin have faith that the affected sectors of the economy will show their innovative spirit and find ways to grow while complying with the law?

The fact is that we're going to have to face up the the facts sooner or later, and those facts are that we can not continue to emit carbon dioxide at our current rate, law or no law. Unless, of course, we all want to move to Northern Canada, where the weather should be quite temperate, perhaps downright tropical. Enforcing the Clean Air Act will allow us to be more competitive with other countries, who are currently kicking our collective tail in the "green economy," when we finally do wake up and smell the ozone.

But here's the secret: enforcing environmental regulations can actually create jobs! Remember all those manufacturing jobs we used to have, the ones that paid so well and had benefits? Well, they can come back. First step is to actually have a forward-looking environmental policy.