What do we think we're doing?

It had been a while since I'd called Andrew. Email had been taking its toll on personal communication.

"What's going on in Washington?" I asked.

"That's what I keep asking myself," he replied. For someone who had his eye on the White House, I thought this was a rather vague attitude.

"So what don't you understand?" I asked.

"Everyone keeps going on about reducing waste, reducing consumption, saving energy, cutting 'food miles' and leading a more basic life," he said.

"It's much the same here," I agreed. The potential banning of foie gras as had happened in Chicago was a frightening prospect.

"What do the people who propose this sort of thing think is going to drive economies, provide employment and put food on the table if we strangle business this way?" he asked.

"I'm glad someone else is asking that question," I said. "I was in London last week, and the British are talking about charging people for using the roads. Now, gas is already about $8.00 a gallon there, the trains are not only expensive, but full, so if people have to pay $5.00 just to drive to work - as well as pay for parking - then either they'll have to find other jobs, or they'll demand more money to pay to get to work."

"That won't be good for inflation," Andrew said, seeing the danger immediately.

"No, it won't. But the environmental lobby is almost as powerful as the disabled and gay lobbies now and few politicians have the nerve to speak against them."

"The lack of logic is worrying," Andrew agreed.

"The best joke is that the telephone company is now charging £4.50 per quarter as a payment processing charge - and the consumer organisatons are pretty laid back about it."

"Say, that's a pretty good idea," Andrew said. "We could charge everyone $10.00 for processing their income tax, and raise billions without puttng up taxes. Terrific!"