Of all the things that are aiming to bring down Bush, the Transportation bill is the most petty in my mind but possibly the most deadly. Like the old adage goes, "Never get between a legislator and a piece of asphault."
However it seems that Bush and the Republicans don't think that applies to New York and show their love of New York only extends to the exploitation level, not to the point of actually helping the state improve its infrastructure foundation upon which any hope of any economic revival might launch from. Yesterday the House took up its version of the transportation bill which will give New York State $15.8 billion over the next six years. The number is $1.6 billion less then what state official were hoping for and will leave NY $150 million short per year on highway projects alone.
The Senate bill is a little more promising giving NY the $17.4 billion it is hoping for, but in the end, the bill might be more posionous due to a proposal buried into the bill. This proposal would require the federal government to give states a larger percentage of their federal gas tax receipts. This is a stark change from the current formula which rewards areas like NYC which have an extensive public transit system, shifting the reward to places which are heavily reliant on cars, inefficient cars to be precise.
This sense of equality, not surprisingly, doesn't extend to other sources of tax revenue. In total, New York State sends $20 billion more to the feds than it receives back in aid. The new gas tax proposal is another step in a long journey of squeezing economically productive and efficient states, which happen to be heavily Democratic, to subsidize projects in more rural, Republican leaning ones (see Idaho for a prime example).
However, New York leaders have a plan: sell their soul to the devil.
New Yorkers have not lost hope completely, noting that Mr. Pataki and Mr. Bloomberg have courted powerful Washington Republicans like Senator Richard C. Shelby of Alabama, who is chairman of the Banking OCmmittee. That included raising money for Mr. Shelby, who will have a strong say in the final bill the two houses agree upon.
Hmmmm, it seems that Pataki and Bloomberg have forgotten that powerful Republicans don't give a shit about New York and its plight. We are the home of the Yankees and all that is typified in the stereotype of "rich urban elitist liberalism". This is seriously a deal with the devil that could have dire consequences. There are two outcomes which I see:
(1) Shelby et al prove my above assertion and New York get screwed out of many billions of dollars in transit money. This not only upsets NY residents because they get no money, but also of the total disregard the national GOP has for NY hopefully inching the state party on to the path of irrelevence. And as an added bonus, it might be that Vito Fossella (R-NY) will get screwed by this outcome. Vito is the rep from Staten Island and is NYC's only Republican. If he fails to deliever on this bill, it would make a good opposition bit for Frank Barbaro.
(2) The bill passes and NY gets the money it wants. However, the fundraising for wingers such as Shelby becomes a hot button campaign issue in the '05 mayoral race and the '06 gubenatorial race (assuming Pataki wants to take on Spitzer). Just trot out the favors the two have granted to the radical right and it might turn many swing voters off to the prospect of anyother four years of selling out.
I can only hope.
