Mamdani's Fare-Free Buses Wouldn't Be NYC's First Wasteful Public Transit Boondoggle
A previous pilot program found free access slowed down buses in New York City, which already has the slowest buses in the nation.
City Spending
Could New York Go Bankrupt Again?
Financial historian and attorney Richard E. Farley explains how political games, union power, and creative accounting tanked New York City in 1975—and why it could happen again.
New York City Should Not Run a Grocery Store
If you think “everything-bagel liberalism” makes transit and affordable housing projects expensive, wait till you see what it does to the price of literal everything bagels.
Chicago Mayor Johnson's Budget Betrayal Would Raise Taxes on Small Businesses
A proposed alcohol tax hike will hit immigrant-owned liquor stores while city spending on nonessential projects remains high.
California Stopped San Francisco's $1.7 Million Toilet. The City Can't Build Something Cheaper.
"Why isn't there a toilet here? I just don't get it. Nobody does," one resident told The New York Times last week. "It's yet another example of the city that can't."
Homeless Encampments Cost These Cities Tens of Thousands of Dollars Per Tent
L.A., Portland, and other cities are spending millions to house homeless people in outdoor "safe sleeping" sites.
Atlanta Plans To Blow $230 Million on 2-Mile Extension of Useless Streetcar
That's more than $21,000 per foot. And the tab doesn't include operating costs, which taxpayers will also heavily subsidize.
NYC May Force Rich People To Pay Higher Parking Fines Than the Poor
A pilot proposal to levy civil fines based on income is being considered by the City Council.
San Francisco's Got Problems. There's No Need To Exaggerate Them for Political Reasons.
If you don't like San Francisco, that's fine, but don't tell tall tales about it.
Problems With Mass Transit Won't Be Solved With More Money
The transit systems we're supposed to hop aboard ultimately operate as jobs programs for government workers.
San Francisco Wants To Spend $1.7 Million on a Single Public Toilet
Local officials argue that the eye-popping sum is necessary due to rising construction costs, but experts disagree.
Don't Believe the People Blaming Crime on Defunded Police
Plus: the pandemic baby bump, how government is killing starter homes, and more...
Field of Welfare: How COVID Funds Might Build a Money-Losing Ballpark in a Cornfield
Is there a single movie more tied up with lousy government policy than Field of Dreams?
D.C. Spent $2.5 Million in Pandemic Relief Funds on Parking Cops
Plus: A "right" to avoid shaming and shunning? A win for private property rights in Tennessee. And more...
Government Officials Hunger for More Revenue Through Food Taxes
Inflation isn't the only reason some folks may be paying more for dining and groceries.
Voters Don't Want To Pay for Your Dumb Stadium
In Albuquerque, Augusta, and Denver, plans to borrow and spend on stadiums got soundly defeated on Election Day.
Is Your Hometown Balancing Its Budget by Fining Everybody It Can? Here's How To Find Out.
Governing puts together a database of cities and towns addicted to money from fines and forfeitures.
HQ2: How Amazon Made Governments Do Their Bidding for Free
It wasn't just about financial breaks and subsidies. Cities gave up all sorts of data the giant can use for its own market advantages.
Stockton's 'Basic Income' Plan Diverts City From Its Real Duties
The city wants to spend a grant it got giving residents $500 a month for two years.
4 Incredibly Dumb Ways the Government Is Spending Your Money to Punish People for Having Sex
And making a mess of civil liberties and people's lives in the process
Cincinnati Streetcar Is Exactly the Spectacular Shitshow Everyone Expected It To Be
Bomb threats, broken ticket kiosks, and contract disputes with streetcar managers have plagued Cincinnati Bell Connector's opening week.
San Francisco Politicians Don't Like the Deal They Made to Host the Super Bowl and Want to Blame the NFL
Politicians who voted to bring the Super Bowl to the Bay Area now want the NFL to pay for it.
City-Run Broadband Internet Is a Disaster in the Making
These projects aren't fiscally responsible, but the FCC has given them a thumbs up.
Who Should Pay to Fix Cracked L.A. Sidewalks? You!
City official suggests pushing cost of city mismanagement on property owners.
Gov. Brown Signs Bill Mandating 'Prevailing Wages' for Charter City Projects
Or they'll lose state funding
Send a New York City Criminal to College Instead and Save Money
The Big Apple pays a ton to keep its inmates locked down, and some are trying to disguise where the real costs are
A Tale of Two Detroits: What Union Leaders See Vs. What History Shows
The loss of jobs and development is the symptom, not the disease
Los Angeles Considering Free Citywide Wi-Fi
Starbucks can look forward to telling hundreds of aspiring screenwriters to go home already
