Congress promised to stop imposing mandates on states and localities without paying for them. But the temptation is irresistible.

Want to drive in Manhattan at rush hour? You'll have to pay for it if Sam Schwartz gets his way.

Which city of 100,000 or more population has the greatest concentration of million-dollar homes? Star-studded Los Angeles? Nope. Chicago and its famous Gold Coast? Nah. Swanky New York? Not even close.

I remember being taught in the fourth grade that one of the few really noble elements of human nature was the willingness to put aside differences in time of crisis. It's no fairy tale, either; we've all seen it dozens of times. A river floods, or a city is devastated by an earthquake or terrorists strike without warning--and all of a sudden there's a feeling of common purpose and a suspension of petty bickering.

It's a simple fact: Some communities just stink.