Alice Barnes pleads for oxygen

The irrepressible Alice Barnes got an e-mail regarding a proposal to tax California bicyclists over the age of 16 at a rate of $5 per year because, in the writer's rather caustic view, the two-wheel set is not paying its fair share to use public streets.

San Bruno's ever-alert Alice was not amused. So she responded in her own typically dry fashion, in part: "While we are at it, let's tax those pesky pedestrians like myself, double for the mobility impaired. Maybe, then, we can get enough police to ticket those motorists who run stop signs. We could even reduce taxes folks pay at the gas pump. Of course, I think pedestrians should get free oxygen bottles so we can walk on the sidewalks alongside vehicles warming up in the morning."

Ah, Ms. Barnes, ever a breath of delightful fresh North County air (no pun intended) during the holidays.