Is There Something Smaller than a Baby Step?

…a mouse step? A Barbie step?

The D.C. metro system announced today that even though Inauguration Day is a holiday (and therefore fares are usually reduced and parking is free) they're debating considering the possibility of maybe, just maybe, charging peak rates and the usual cost for parking on a day when up to 4 million people are expected to pour into the D.C. area.

Holy supply and demand! This is actually decently rational behavior for a public transit system. Worried about a swell of users in a limited system? Most public systems simply brace themselves, run a couple of additional trains, and hope that no one gets pushed onto the tracks from a crowded platform. 

The price increase is so small it probably isn't enough to discourage many users. But at least the system will recoup more of the costs of carrying all the Obamaphiles, rather than passing on the costs to those of us who will be hiding in the suburbs somewhere, watching Obama's lips turn blue on HDTV.

Bonus: The city is also letting bars stay open until 4:00 a.m. If this is what Obama's America is like, perhaps I was wrong about the man.