British Lawmaker Submits Reimbursement Request For 13 Cents

There's an Associated Press story in regards to a British lawmaker by the name of Rob Wilson. It seems Wilson drove his vehicle 352 yards, yes yards, to a gathering where he met with his constituents. He submitted a claim for 9 pence, which translates to 14 cents in the U.S. He's made other claims for short journeys including one request for reimbursement of the equivalent of 20 cents for using his car for government business.  Wilson said many of his trips are short but they add up he claims and hence he files for reimbursement for these small expenses. By the way, next week British lawmakers will see their pay increase from just a bit of $104,000 a year to the equivalent of $115,000.

His comment that "it adds up" struck a note with me. It does add up. In my case, or I should say my wife's case, the building of I-35 has cost her quite a bit of money. Before the freeway, a person could leave our house and go north and take a left and travel west and then angle up to Ellendale. However, with the freeway in the way, we have to go north and then go in the opposite direction to the east for a mile and then north and then head west. I did a little math work. It's two extra miles to Ellendale and two extra miles back from work. Four times five days would equal 20 extra miles each week for my wife to go to work. Twenty times 50 weeks is 1,000. Then 1,000 miles times 22 years is 22,000 extra miles she's driven to work in Ellendale. If she would have averaged 22 mpg that's 1,000 extra gallons of gas. Multiply that by the average price of gas and she has spent well more than $2,000 extra going to work and back because of I-35. I guess Mr. Wilson is right. It does add up. I guess Ben Franklin was right in saying "a penny saved is a penny earned."

Our neighbor works in Mankato. I think I'll bring this up to him. It's a nonelection year and the weather's been pretty good, we need something to complain about don't we?