Rain, Traffic, and Taxes

This week has been a difficult week for travel around the area.

Wednesday there was a terrible accident on a major highway near me which closed the road during the morning rush hour and the resulting regional traffic disaster changed my normal 15 minute commute into an hour and forty-five minutes of excitement on the highway. I did enjoy watching the sunrise during my extended commute--but I admit my backside began to hurt a bit from just sitting in traffic idling at about 4 mph on four lane highways where the average speed is normally closer to 70 mph. 

And then, later in the week, the rains came.

Traffic in our region simply fails to move when the rain comes. My commute on Thursday and Friday was tortuous. I mean--really hard, long, slow, and painful. Thank goodness for Sirus Radio in my vehicle or I am sure I would go crazy listening for traffic reports trying to find a way around the mess--etxcept, there isn't any.

We needed the rain. I believe it had been over a month, maybe closer to mid-August since we has seen any appreciable rainfall. Of course, it really didn't need to come all at once.

At least the governor is happy about the rain. He hadn't had the opportunity to tax anything new in a while. And I am serious. Since the governor has been in office there have been 32 new taxes or significant fee increases totaling $2.3 billion!!! And we actually do have a Rain Tax!

At least someone is happy about the rain and the misery it can cause. I have to take more water out of my pool after closing it to keep the level down where I want it for the winter. 

The commute will always be bad during rainy weather, but to tax me on top of that? 

Well, as Benjamin Franklin said:

In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.

And maybe rain.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD