[karmonhardan]

I honestly prefer this to the American version, "The governor owns a bunch of real estate that would benefit more from road upgrades than two major rail projects that have been in the works for decades, so he tries to cancel the latter - succeeding with one, delaying the other by 5 years, funneling state funds to Induced DemandLand, and forefeiting hundreds of millions of dollars in free federal grants."

If you're in Maryland, please vote Alsobrooks for Senate.

[potato3732842]

One powerful man's corruption is at least understandable, albeit not excusable.

I find it harder to put up with when entire neighborhoods successfully lobby for that kind of crap to the detriment of an entire region and then play it off as though it's some sort of win. What really makes my blood boil is when they so thoroughly market their accomplishments like it's some sort of win that their narrative becomes the prevailing narrative.

[lo_zamoyski]

I find that people who are vocal about such stuff fall into extremes. I guess that's true of extremes in general. They tend to be the noisiest. (The converse isn't necessarily true, of course.)

On the one hand, you have NIMBYs who will block good development for arbitrary and self-destructive reasons, or selfishly support such measures, as long as they're in other neighborhoods.

On the other hand, you have people who redefine "NIMBY" to mean "things I don't like" and use it as a bludgeon to bully and intimidate. So, if a neighborhood doesn't want a loud outdoor concert venue built in the middle of it, then people from other neighborhoods who want the concern venue will call those who refuse in the neighborhood in question NIMBYs. This is ironic, given that they themselves are behaving exactly like NIMBYs: build the concert venue, but not in my backyard!

[trimethylpurine]

You speak as if this is just an American issue. If you voted for the railway, whichever governor leads that charge will be part owner in the construction company, the rail company, and the law firm that defends them. And the only reason you'd know that it was possible to vote for him is because the rail company paid for his campaign.

That's business as usual everywhere in the world.