Grassroots efforts vs. top-down policies (revisited)

Oops! I didn't clarify myself well enough. To better clarify:
Ideas that are not our own--what I mean is that the ideas (especially for energy use) are top-down policies, not coming from the majority of people...at least that is what I feel is being said when I hear so many people argue against these top-down policies like taxes.
How does driving my car affect kids in Boston--we have fallen into the trap of expecting exact proof, we argue against strong correlations. It's the prove it syndrom. Science only finds correlations, not proof, isn't that what we learned from Lisa's class?
Okay, please read the rest of the blog with this revised comments in mind. Sorry for the confusion. K