Thrown Under The Bus

Photo by El Pres

You may have heard talk of an increase in DMV fees to balance the budget. As a general rule, I don't think that's good, because fees are, essentially a regressive tax (that is, they fall more heavily on poor people, because they constitute a larger portion of their income). At least, though, it is a slight disincentive to driving - or that's what I told myself (probably not so, since in most parts of CT, lamentably, driving is not optional). But now, according to a legislator I was talking to today, the legislature has struck a deal to preserve the regressive part while eliminating the threatened-with-veto, slight-disincentive-to-driving part: we are spared a DMV fee increase and instead we get . . . a bus fare increase. Awesome. Now we don't have to worry about the rich not paying their fair share, BECAUSE THEY DON'T TAKE THE GODDAMN BUS AT ALL. Good work, legislature - a regressive tax that will be paid exclusively by the poor.