DEAR ABBY: I disagree with your answer to "Alan in Montesano, Wash.," regarding splitting the bill for the cabin to be shared by two couples and a single man. You said he should pay one-third of the costs.
Abby, this has happened to me many times on camping trips. The couples I go with usually think they should be counted as one unit, but I disagree. When you go to a movie, a ball game, or anywhere with an admission fee, the charge is per person, not per couple.
Couples eat twice as much as one person. They use up twice as much space and take twice as many showers as a single, so it stands to reason that they should pay twice as much as the single.
Using this logic, the bill should be divided by the number of individuals, not by marital status. Thus, if there are two couples and one single person staying in the one condo or cabin, costs should be split five ways. -- PAUL DUNN, ABINGTON, MASS.
DEAR PAUL: I give up -- I'm outnumbered. Most of my readers calculate the way you do. Read on for a sample of the barrage of arrows sent my way:
DEAR ABBY: Your answer to whether a couple should be counted as one or two was very unfair. Correct me if I'm wrong, but two people equal two individuals.
I am sick and tired of people getting special benefits just because they are married. As a single, I pay higher taxes and higher insurance rates. I also pay higher rates when I travel because discounts are based on double occupancy. I cannot even use the express lane on the freeway because I am only one person.
Don't get me wrong -- I do not resent my single status. I'm just tired of being penalized for it. -- AGREE WITH ALAN IN WASHINGTON