On my scooter ride out to Deep Creek Lake, MD, I went through Romney, WV, on Route 50.  There was, what I considered to be an unusual backup, going through the small town.  Come to find out, they had put in a stop light to serve, as it appears, only the exit from the local McDonalds.

I had nearly forgot about this until I read this article in the Washington Post online , “Kentucky town of Manchester illustrates national obesity crisis,” (sic).  There are 2100 people in the town and 9 fast food restaurants if you count the Wal-Mart.  I am surprised there is a Wal-Mart.  In a town that small, more people must be in the Wal-Mart than any other place in town at any given time!

Is having to have a dedicated stoplight at McDonald’s an indication of a problem?

According to the Washington Post article “IRS wants a cut of online sales on eBay, Craigslist,” dated 30 May, 2010, the IRS wants tax revenue it is considered owed from online sales.  The Post notes that “With an estimated $290 billion tax gap…it is politically easier to raise additional revenue from people who haven’t paid their fair share than by raising taxes.”

Doh!  It’s a Homer Simpson moment.  Let’s move away from television fantasy to the real world here.  A new law has been created to help close the tax gap but as the Post additionally notes, “although nobody knows precisely how much the new law will bring in, or how much it will cost to enforce, congressional staffers have estimated it will make only a very small dent in the total tax gap.”

Let’s get after  it then, eh?