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Editor's note: The following column first appeared in The Washington Times.

Watch out -- as the new year approaches the powers-that-be always unleash a new hoard of laws, rules and regulations. Already, we're seeing another Orwellian idea re-emerge from its musty cave: The notion that drivers should pay an additional tax (they'll call it a fee) based on how many miles you drive.

Causing a stir as far back as in 2001 when Oregon noticed that more fuel-efficient cars would impact gas tax revenue, politicians began to scramble to figure out how to use your driving as an excuse to take whatever money you have left in your wallet.

At least 18 states are now considering bills to do just this, and Oregon has initiated a pilot program. CBS News reports, "The Oregon pilot programs seeks to demonstrate whether a per-mile tax is a practical possibility. The state is finding 5,000 volunteers to pay 1.5-cents-per-mile tax instead of the 30 cents-per-gallon gas tax. Devices will report their mileage to the state.

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Other states are trying smaller pilot projects, including Nevada, Washington, Minnesota and California. The U.S. Senate passed a bill calling for a $90 million pilot project involving 10,000 cars. But the House leadership killed the bill after complaints from rural lawmakers that such a tax would unfairly penalize their constituents, who tend to drive farther than city drivers."

It's not http://www.blackplanet.com/your_page/blog/view_posting.html?pid=2739417&profile_id=65404450&profile_name=tiresomenominee96&user_id=65404450&username=tiresomenominee96 how far people go, but when and where."

You think? One of the more silly claims is a mileage fee would replace the gas tax. Jonathan Gruber must have assured someone that we're stupid. We all know, once a tax is implemented, it is never removed.

It also seems, once politicians get their hands on our money, there is no restriction or common sense used on how to spend it. Before we hike taxes and use mandatory, constant monitoring of the individual to apply that tax, how about eliminating the wasteful spending of politicians?

The Government Accountability Office has just released a report stating that eliminating unnecessary duplication within various departments could save hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Information Week reminds us of Sen. Tom Coburn's "Wastebook 2014": "Some examples of wasteful spending in Coburn's report include more than $8,000 that the DOD spent on helicopter parts, which actually cost less than $500; Department of Justice's (DOJ) Criminal Division paying $544,338 for a premium LinkedIn account; and the National Science Foundation's (NSF) $202,000 investment to study why Wikipedia is sexist."

In a story titled, "The outrage of wasteful government spending," Newsday reports Medicare is considered "a "high risk program" because an estimated $44 billion of its 2012 payouts were improper."

These are just a few examples, but are an important reminder of the sea of government corruption and incompetence in which we are all drowning. Now these very same people spend a great deal of their time figuring out how to take more of our money and freedom.

The new year of 2015 could be one in which the citizen could accomplish a great deal. At the top of our "to do" list should be a reminder to make sure our state and federal representatives know tracking and taxing us like a government-owned beast of burden is unequivocally unacceptable.

Tammy Bruce is a radio talk-show host, New York Times best-selling author and Fox News political contributor.

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2014/12/29/tax-per-mile-americans-should-not-allow-gps-tracking-cars-trucks.html