More BRACtion

Place this in the “I told you so” file:

No state funding is available to build road, bus and parking projects around Fort Meade to support the influx of thousands of new workers, the state’s transportation secretary told Anne Arundel County officials and lawmakers this week.

[…]

In all, county officials say they need $5 billion to build the transportation infrastructure to handle 22,000 workers coming to Fort Meade within five years. But state officials reiterated yesterday that without a $400 million annual increase to the Transportation Trust Fund, as called for last month by Gov. Martin O’Malley, they cannot afford to meet these demands and others around Maryland.

This is just another example of BRAC being used by local officials to latch onto the public mammary and suck for all they are worth.

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In short, Anne Arundel County Excutive John Leopold is saying that he needs $1 billion per year for 5 years to take care of his transportation needs. If you make the assumption that this estimate is made in good faith — I don’t, I’m assuming that Leopold is using BRAC as a way of elbowing his way to the trough — then you have to ask why Maryland campaigned so hard for these new jobs at Fort Meade and Aberdeen Proving Ground. Were these people morons?

Or were they working from the assumption that there was a magical federal money pot that was going to pay for their wants, needs, and desires?

Fortunately for Anne Arundel County, this number of jobs will not materialize. Fortunately for the taxpayers of Maryland, this request is so huge it will not be treated seriously.