Golden Pen: Establish Gas-Price Scale
With all the attention on gas prices, we should remove all displayed prices from stations and let the drivers set the price. When an engine is installed at the factory, a chip could be placed in the tank filler neck near the cap. This chip would designate the engine size. At the service station, a chip is installed on the filler nozzle that reads the engine size and sets the price on the pump. A 5-liter engine would be $5 a gallon; a 1.8-liter engine would be $1.80 a gallon. At registration time, a simple inspection would ensure the chip has not been tampered with. IRS deductions could be made for commercial applications that really need those engines. Why should people who practice economy pay for the poor choices some people make? Let the 500-horsepower trip to Zip Trip for a six-pack and a bag of chips really mean something.
Carl Heldt
Spokane
Question: Does Carl have a good idea here?