Since everybody and their mother's complaining about gas prices of $40, $50 and more per tank, and offering plans for some relief, I thought I'd toss in my own little modest proposal.

Thematically, it's the same I put forth regarding the crush of health-care costs.

It's simple.

Unless or until elected officials take action to bring down obscene (compared to oil company profits) gas prices, let's stop allowing elected officials to charge their gas to us.

Oh, you didn't know or maybe forgot that you pay your honorables' gas bills? You do.

You pay for gas for members of Congress. You pay for gas for members of your Legislature.

In the U.S. House, close to a third of the 435 members lease cars, with no cap on costs - at your expense, gas included.

In the state House, about a dozen of the 203 members still hold unexpired private leases up to $650 a-month (a common practice recently ended as part of "reforms" following voter outcry over the '05 legislative pay grab). But all members have the option of leasing from a state fleet or driving their own cars and charging the gas to you.

And as is the case of their premium health-care coverage which, of course, you pay for (don't they deserve the best?), the fact that you pay provides a natural buffer between your life and theirs. They don't have to pay for gas, so how much incentive is there to knock costs down? They don't have to pay for health care, so why worry about its price?

They, in effect, live in a bubble of their own creation; on issues such as energy costs and health-care costs that, maybe, hit your house hard, they can take a float.

Maybe it's time to burst the bubble.

Instead of inane political pandering such as pushing for a summer "holiday" from the 18.4 cents per gallon federal gas tax (and, trust me, any day now some loudmouth populist state lawmaker will call for a break from all or some of the state 32.3 cents-per-gallon gas tax), lawmakers at all levels should start paying for their own gas.

You can help make this happen by calling your representative in Congress or Harrisburg and asking, (a) do they charge a car or gas to you now? And (b), will they stop doing so and/or introduce legislation to prevent anyone from doing so?

Philly members of Congress are Bob Brady (215-426-4616), Chaka Fattah (215-387-6404) and Allyson Schwartz (215-517-6572)

You can find your state representative by visiting www.legis.state.pa.us and entering your zip code.

Just imagine if members of Congress couldn't charge you $816 a-month for a Mercury Mariner sport utility, or $777 a-month for a Cadillac DeVille, as two New York representatives do, according to the New York Times - or charge you for gasoline.

Just imagine if state lawmakers couldn't get away with charging $10,500 for excess mileage on a Chevy Suburban, as a Western Pennsylvania lawmaker did a few years back.

Just imagine how fast health care gets addressed if lawmakers' health insurance (which includes coverage for life and fully-paid long-term care) gets suspended pending substantive action on health-care costs.

I've long believed that a fundamental reason that Congress and the Legislature can be blind to everyday burdens of the people who pay for their salaries, automatic annual raises, pensions, perks and benefits is a simple matter of disassociation.

And when it comes to gas prices, it'd be nice to see lawmakers get associated with the pump - spending part of their salary instead of part of yours.

Just an idea. *

Send e-mail to baerj@phillynews.com.

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