[mreid]

When I lived in London, they implemented something called a "congestion zone" in certain areas of the city during certain high commuting times. They painted double red lines and placed signs around to let you know when you were in one of these areas. At the time, it was £8 (about $15) a day. You paid via the Internet and they used traffic cams and mobile vans to read plates and enforce the charge. It was supposed to discourage travel in those areas, thus reducing congestion. Amost everyone I knew who commuted received a ticket in the mail at some point and most admitted they were guilty. This black box would have certainly made enforcement much easier. However, the amount of government bureaucracy, complexity, and cost was ridiculous. It never paid for itself, the charge was eventually doubled, and it was yet another big government move in the land of the nanny state. I hear some politicians here want to do the same thing.

My point is that history shows that when something is introduced with a single intention, politicians later see all sorts of handy uses for it and next thing you know, the minor encrouchment on our freedom becomes full repression. This is a scary thing and must be fought.