through user-generated fees (for the most part, gas taxes) not subsidies. In fact, the Federal Highway system (unlike the deficit-riddled transit systems) more than pay for themselves: Absolutely wrong. The fuels tax is collected regardless of where the fuel is used. It is a consumption tax on gas, not a use tax on the federal highways. When I drive on surface streets (which I mostly do) the money is still collected to pay for highways. Thus, I subsidize the highways even when I am not using them. Were there tolls, the gas tax could be lowered or eliminated, and the cost of the roads charged to the users of the road. Even the Cato Institute ought to understand that principle. Whilst welcoming Phillip Blond's initiative to help build a trans-Atlantic consensus around distributist and communitarian ideas I know from previous involvement in conference organizing that it helps a conference to be more productive if discussion on issues are as focused as possible. This means pre-selection of issues, topics or objectives. This would be possible to do via the internet pre-conference if a website and moderators were willing to take on the challenge. It can also help if the focused issues can be contained within an overall theme that will link issues and provoke interest. So by way of illustration off the top of my head, it could be a re-examination of the use of capital since capital is a source of abuse as well as benefit. Such a theme might