Excellent column JK, except for a couple of misspellings, but I'd like to elaborate on the opposition to HOT lanes by the eco-anarchist, anti-progress "progressives." You see, one of the primary tenets of their centralized planning is "thou shalt build no new roadways." (Remember our last Governor, Democrat Roy Romer? TREX is the correction of his failed policy.) The result they seek from this policy is the one they get: gridlock. If driving your individual, personal automobile is less convenient or, dare they dream, even miserable, then maybe you'll FINALLY consider using their proletariat public transit system.

In a nutshell, the reason that "progressives" oppose the HOT lane approach is that it WORKS!

Barbra Streisand and I are both excellent spellers. I am shocked that you would make such an accusation.

At the risk of having my liberal license pulled I will weigh in as I always do in favor of HOT lanes. In contrast to many liberals I do not see this as subsidy for the rich, on the contrary I see it as them subsidising the rest of us, they who are willing pay more so that those who are not may enjoy similiar for less. Note that I said similar, not exactly equal. This is the same system that charges last minute business travelers and first class airline passengers a premium so that I may purchase a $199 super saver fare. The aircraft costs a fixed amound to operate, I only get a low fare if someone else is paying a high one. But alas I have to board at a different time and move to the back of the aircraft. (Yikes! calling Rosa Parks!) In my mind none of it is discrimination as long as everyone's money is the same shade of green.

Good point: who is subsiding whom here?

The egalitarianistas have gotten so out of hand that New Yorkers have scrubbed a monument to the Firefighters because they don't like to single out a rescue worker over the other tragic deaths.

Peggy Noonan points out that some were there and ran down, the NYFD went there and ran up the stairs. We all have to be the same though, It's like Vonnegut's "Harrison Bergeron."

Exactly, who is subsidising whom? To use the Lexus analogy, the Totyota Motor Company can afford a smaller profit margin on the Corolla, partly due to higher margins on higher cost products such as the Lexus. Not to mention the technology transfer like you mentioned with your 20 year old VCR. Try to find any automobile in any price range in 1983 with the standard features of today's Corolla.