No Free Lunch

I am sure I am not alone when I say that I watched the presidential
debates last week. Interesting format, I really enjoyed it.

One of the things that really intrigued me was Ron Paul's analysis of
the price of oil. You can find it here:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=NIwlKyz6LvU

Interesting stuff, isn't it? In fact, I have the chart Paul refers
to printed out and taped up near my desk. I like to look at it and
be reminded of how crazy things have gotten.

The other day, while driving the 45 miles to work and reflecting on
the facts presented in the charts, I had an idea: Why not charge
people a commuter tax? I mean, here we are, people like me who
commute tons of miles everyday, tearing up the roads, polluting the
environment, using up precious, non-replaceable fossil fuels. Why
should we think that we deserve a free lunch? As an uncle of mine
is fond of saying: "There's no such thing as a free lunch." It is true.

I thought I had hit on something, but, of course, I am a Johnny Come
Lately. Other places do it or have done it. You can find more
information about commuter taxes here, for a start:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commuter_tax

I guess (Surprise!) these taxes are not too popular. I wonder why?
The last time I checked, Americans are free to live and work where
they wish. If they CHOOSE to impact the world in a number of
different ways, why shouldn't they be prepared to pay for the privilege?

Maybe it's time for those of us who hit the road every day in the
course of doing our jobs and drive scores of miles to stand and take
one on the chin. In the end, it probably won't do any real good. The
gas will be burned and and the air polluted. Still, we can take some
small bit of satisfaction in knowing that we have paid for at least a
portion of our lunch.