Two recent items about the cost of driving caught my eye.

An article by Tom Pelton, reprinted locally on July 6 from the Baltimore Sun, was about the joys and costs of vegetable oil diesel fuel: "Vegetable oil is cheap fuel, but with a hitch." Even if you get the oil free from your favorite Chinese takeout and filter it yourself, it seems you are not ready to turn the ignition switch.

Fuel tax regulations in some states, such as Maryland, require even folks driving on grease thrown away by fast-food restaurants, to get a special fuel license, obtain a $1,000 bond from an insurance company, file monthly forms and pay the same 24-cents-per-gallon tax as drivers using (regular) diesel.

Nothing like being penalized for trying to help the environment.

The second was a notice from the Internal Revenue Service about new tax deductible rates for mileage driven to reflect higher costs of using your car. Business mileage has been raised to 58.5 cents per mile, perhaps to reflect the bigger cars business people drive.

Medical or moving mileage is 27 cents per mile, while charitable mileage is 14 cents per mile.

Boy, I need one of those cars that costs only 14 cents per mile to drive. My wife and I have a van that only gets 19 mpg. At $4 per gallon, that's more than 21 cents per mile just for gas.

No wonder Meals-on-Wheels can't get drivers anymore.

Harvey Versteeg

Augusta