Commuting with the Devil.

The MTA sent out a press release last week, announcing that commuters sure did love those bridges and tunnels. They'd even taken a survey to prove it.

But about halfway through the release, there was this little aside:

"MTA Bridges and Tunnels has been running a pilot program on behalf of the E-ZPass Interagency Group's 21 member agencies to test the use of E-ZPass in non-toll applications."

That's right, they want to make it possible for you to use your E-ZPass not just to make paying tolls easier, but to pay for parking, gas and fast food as well. In fact, you can already use your E-ZPass at two Long Island McDonald's and for parking at all three area airports.

Commuters sure did like that idea, too. In fact, they liked it so much that it got us thinking. Why stop there? Why not be able to use your E-ZPass to pay for motels, or beer at those drive-through places? And why just fast food? Why not any food? What about clothing? Or anything else you might like?

Of course, carrying yet one more card around would be a pain, so here's an idea: Combine your E-ZPass with your bank card, your MetroCard, your credit cards and your driver's license. It'd be a simple thing to do with smart card technology. Imagine the convenience of only needing one small simple electronic card that could do everything for you! They could even equip it with a GPS chip, in case you get lost.

While we're at it, we might want to do a little rewrite on Revelation 13:16-17?"He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his windshield, so that no one could buy or drive unless he had the mark."