New York City congestion pricing spitzed? - sex blow to central area toll

The fall of New York Governor Eliot Spitzer today could be a major blow to proposals for a central area toll in New York City. Spitzer was a major supporter of the congestion pricing plan and carried considerable political heft.

Spitzer was caught in a federal tax, money laundering and interstate prostitution case as a client of a $5k/hour call girl. He said today he had violated obligations to his family and "any sense of right and wrong."

Another politician might have survived it as a personal and family affair but Spitzer was a zealous prosecutor as a federal attorney and state attorney general and has an aggressively self-righteous stance. A preening scourge of wrongdoing Spitzer once prosecuted prostitution cases.

A New York Times report last week said the congestion pricing plan lacks the support it needs in the City Council. A tally the Times did of the 51 members found only 12 supporters to 20 who said they were opposed. 11 said they were undecided and 8 didn't respond.

Under a schedule set by a federal funding offer of $350m, the scheme has to be approved by the state legislature and the city council by March 31.

A spokesman for City Mayor Michael Bloomberg was quoted: “We’re in constant communications with members of the Council, and we’re working to address their issues and answer questions. We’re optimistic that at the end of the day, they’ll be with us.”

The article reported that the Mayor has been wining and dining council members and legislators working to get them onside.

Written before the prostitution story wrote it also mentioned the Governor as playing a major role in corralling state legislators on behalf of Mayor Bloomberg's toll initiative.

That's gone whooph today.

Natural justice at its most delicious (COMMENT)

We've never understood what's wrong with paying for sex, or why anyone finds it upsetting when it occurs in private, let alone why there should be laws against it.

How was the world made worse by Eliot Spitzer paying a young woman $5k or whatever for sex? On the contrary if he got pleasure and she got rich, didn't they they both benefit? No one was harmed so long as it was private.

Tens of thousands of these "escorts" and "escort services" flourish openly. Just google "escort." It's a harmless, indeed arguably it's a good personal service industry.

Silly laws against prostitution are usually disregarded by government when the transgression occurs in private premises.

Real cops have real crimes to pursue.

Still, Eliot Spitzer who inveighed against such "sin" and who took a large salary as an official expressing supposed disgust for it and prosecuting it, seeing his kind brought down by these stupid laws is natural justice at its most delicious. What a splendid end for a huge hypocrite.

TOLLROADSnews 2008-03-10