You may have read that Little Rock City Director Erma Hendrix wants a raise in directors’ $12,000 annual pay. Doesn’t sound like she’ll muster a majority vote for the proposition.

But reader Robert Johnston examines her claim that she spends $12,000 a year in gasoline on constituent work. He concludes she is either a) exaggerating or b) spending too much time in her car. I’ve adapted his figures a bit — in her favor:

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Let’s say that $12,000 bought about 5,000 gallons of gas at almost an average $2.50 per gallon. Let’s say her gas-guzzler gets 15 mpg in town. That’s 75,000 miles of in-town driving, or almost 1,500 miles per week. Say she averages 20 mph for ALL of those miles (She has to stop for stop signs and such, right?). We’re talking about 70 hours per week of drive times. That’s 10 hours every single day, 365 days a year. Even at 30 mph, that’s 50 hours per week, or better than seven hours per day.

Ms. Hendrix ought to apply for Teamster membership.

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