No good deed goes unpunished!

For decades, Americans have been castigated for our love affair with the automobile. We were warned about our harmful impact on the environment and the dangers of increasing dependency on foreign oil. We blithely ignored pleas to carpool, use public transit, purchase more-fuel-efficient vehicles. Then the price at the pump went through the roof, and we changed our profligate habits--we actually began driving less, benefiting both the planet and our family budgets. Win/win! But now a federal commission urges a 50% hike in the gasoline tax to make up for the foreseeable revenue shortfall consequent to reduced consumption.