Tea Party Candidate Nixes Transit Center

Even as populist sentiment gains ground in the U.S., many cities still feel the sting of anti-government mentalities. The Atlantic looks at the case of Troy, Mich., where a recently elected Tea Party mayor is threatening to kill a proposed transit center. While the center will be completely paid for by the federal government, Mayor Janice Daniels says she's worried about operating expenses. The annual cost of the bus/train station? About $30K a year-not really much for a city of 80,000.

Some Troy locals say the city simply doesn't need the transit center. This thinking, as well as Daniels' anti-D.C. values, is reminiscent of Florida governor Rick Scott, who last year canceled his state's high-speed rail project, even though it was fully funded by the feds. Some argued the bullet train wouldn't be effective because the cities it planned to connect-Tampa and Orlando-have undeveloped transit systems. Instead of thinking of how to prepare Tampa and Orlando for the future, Scott ended any immediate impetus for improvement. Daniels is hoping to do the same thing.

Thanks to Neal Broverman