Three cheers for transparency

Maybe you saw this little gem in this newspaper on Sunday.
It seems some, including former Salt Lake mayor Rocky Anderson, are upset that the Public Service Commission raised the price of natural gas for vehicles so that it reflects the actual cost. They would prefer to have Utah’s residential gas consumers subsidize natural-gas-vehicle users.
It’s all about saving the planet, apparently. And because humans are are so stupid, we can save the planet only if we’re sneaky about it.
First off, this wouldn’t even be an issue if gas was still $4 a gallon.
But more importantly, I’ll bet most natural gas customers didn’t even know they were subsidizing drivers every time they turned on a burner or set their thermostats.
I’m all for saving the planet, but if we want residential users to subsidize drivers, let’s pass a surcharge into law and do it the way republics should — through elected representatives.