Governor Jerry Brown and the Democratic super majority legislature have swept through a new gas tax of 12 cents a gallon to be effective November 1st. Argh! Every time the price of gas went down in the last few years, I threw a little party in my car and spent that extra $1.20 I got back toasting the oil companies for the gift. Now with the Golden Bear’s bite, they are heading back up and I am not happy.

On the other hand, the gas taxes that pay for our roads, bridges etc. haven’t gone up for 23 years. The potholes are growing, the bridges need repair and we have been fiddling along with Nero as Rome burns.

So, I’m personally very sad that I’ll be paying 12 cents a gallon more at the pump. As a citizen, I’m looking forward to the repairs of our infrastructure.

How much is this like the way we run our businesses and our lives? We know we should be saving for inevitable breakdowns and upgrades, car repairs, house repairs, retirement, etc. and while we may save some, we don’t save enough. We live in hope that the repair won’t be too bad, and old age won’t include retirement or bad health. Really?

Start putting away 25% more or whatever more you can contribute to yourself and your business, so when that new tax starts on November 1, you can join my pity party with a smug little smile on your face, knowing that this time you are ahead of the game.

 

photo courtesy of [email protected]