Congestion Pricing- Aftermath

Congestion Pricing (the plan to charge drivers from outside of Manhattan's business district $8 for driving south of 60th Street) died in the both the State Assembly and State Senate. Mayor Bloomberg's delusion that if it were brought to the floor for a vote from the full Assembly and State Senate and would pass, is on the cusp of insanity.

If in reality there was such groundswell of a desire to throw a regressive tax on themselves the constituents of the Assembly Majority and the Senate Majority wouldn't those sitting in the majority want to record the vote even if the congestion pricing plan eventually lost? How much confidence does Bloomberg have in the MTA? These are the same people that contiually announce that they have operating budget surpluses, but cannot seem to make ends meet to get get service improvements, projects done, or avoid a union strike (come on! Peter Kalikow must have an IQ of a cocker spaniel to brag about supluses while trying to give away the West Side Rail Yards to the Jets for a song and all a couple months before TWU's contract was due to be renegotiated in 2005.) The only thing that Bloomberg had a right to complain about is that the State Legislature should have figure out how to keep $330 million of the $340 million from the Federal DOT that were supposed to go towards transit improvements without the congestion pricing (or get by implementing drastically waterdown version of the congestion like charging only livery cabs at 2 in the morning.)