Red herring. Lest anybody forget, Bloomberg's proposal IS NOT BEING CONSIDERED. It was ALREADY REJECTED.

What is being considered is the proposal of a Commission MANDATED BY THE STATE LEGISLATURE at the behest of the NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY.

Anything else is propaganda, and an attempt to avoid responsibility for the consequences. They are voting, or not voting, on the recommendations of their own commission, including:

1. Changing the boundaries.
2. No internal toll.
3. All money for the existing MTA capital plan, none for discretionary NYC projects.
4. Bonded against and spent up front, not a pilot project as in Bloomberg's original proposal.

Aside from the bonding part, I though the commission's proposal was better to start. BUT IT IS NOT BLOOMBERG'S PROPOSAL!

Whether this speaks more about the political tone-deafness and high-handedness of Bloomberg, or about Albany legislators' pathetic need to be coddled and inability to address an issue on its merits alone (as opposed to purely political considerations), I couldn't say.

If the plan isn't good enough, here's to making enough concessions to mollify the assembly idiots (make it a pilot plan, cave in on the EIS).