I wonder at what point the following progression of scenarios crosses from an area where my expectation is reasonable into an area where my expectation is unreasonable:

1. I walk into a restaurant and pay $5.99 for the day’s special. I expect to be served the food and to be able to eat the food.

2. Two friends and I pay $65 each for tickets to a professional basketball game. I expect to be allowed to sit in the seat listed on my ticket and to get to watch the entire game.

3. My family pays $250,000 for a home. I expect that my family and I will be able to live in the home.

4. My community implements a one-time tax to pay for a new playground, and I pay the tax. I expect that my family will be able to use the new playground.

5. My state government implements an ongoing tax part of which is used to build and maintain roads, and I pay the tax. I expect to be able to use the roads.

6. My national government implements an ongoing tax part of which is used to fund the conduct of research, and I pay the tax. I expect to be able to see and use the results of the research.

7. My national government implements an ongoing tax part of which is used to create educational materials, and I pay the tax. I expect to be able to use the educational materials.

In the current system there is a point around (6) where a change occurs and I am expected to pay twice for the same good or service. For example, say my taxes are used by NSF to fund research, and the results of this research are published in an expensive academic journal. After having paid once for the research to be conducted, now I’m supposed to pay again to subscribe to the journal to find out what the results were? It’s like paying for a pizza only to be told that the original fee was to have the pizza made and baked, put that I’ll have to pay again (and substantially more this time!) if I want to be able to eat the pizza.

Why is the pay-twice model ok for 6 and 7, but not acceptable for 1 or 2? It isn’t. If I pay for a good or service, I’m entitled to it. If taxpayers pay to support research or the creation of educational materials, we are entitled to use those results and resources.

With the unfortunate passing of Congressman Tom Lantos, parts of Silicon Valley and San Francisco will be holding a special election in June to send a replacement to Congress. Given the area, it would be great to have someone who is both tech- and policy-aware fill the seat — and it looks like that just might happen. Lawrence Lessig has apparently bought ‘change-congress.com.’ A ‘Draft Lessig’ group is forming on Facebook, featuring some of Lessig’s old co-workers at Harvard and Jimmy Wales, among others. No word from Lessig himself yet, but he’s been increasingly vocal about politics of late. If it happens, it would be a huge step forward for the representation of technology in Washington.”

Please, PLEASE, join the Lessig for Congress Facebook group and do whatever else you can to make this happen.