My best bet is for a robust, maybe token-based, validated email system that (gulp!) costs money like a stamp to send email. At a fraction of a penny per email, I don't think anyone should balk at having to pay a buck or two per month extra to clean things up. Maybe this is validated through ISPs, so it's more transparent to end users? Maybe our illustrious USPS could get savvy enough to make it happen and keep from going bankrupt?

A penny or two for an individual isn't a deal breaker -- think of what people pay for texting packages!

I like this scheme, though I'd modify it slightly -- let you send the first 500 or so emails for free, or only charge for email sent to more than, say, 50 or 100 people at once. That should let casual users off the hook and make commercial users carry the load (as it should be).

But it will never fly. Why? Because of what I call "legal spammers" -- ad agencies and online marketers who fill our inboxes with solicitations for actual products, whether or not we've asked for them. They've spent millions making sure most of the antispam laws on the books are toothless.

The other problem? When the spammers phish your account and suddenly you're on the hook for their marketing bills. Cringester J. L. B. is less than sympathetic to your plight, though: