Pig Government

"If every single house was built with the garage facing the street, and the front door on the side, and nobody walking and meeting neighbors, people might say, 'Can't we tame this car a little bit?' I think our quality of life suffers if we have garage doors facing the street and front doors ensconced on the side. And I think the idea of quality of life could have a national grip," Rentschler said. "I think there is possibly a way to try to get to this quality-of-life issue to become a part of national transportation policy. It's laden with values, and it's difficult. But it's possible."

Coming from Rentschler, until now the official defender of the San Francisco Bay Area's legacy of bad transportation policy, those are remarkable words. Either he's experienced a religious conversion toward good government, or he is passing time with idle talk until the MTC and its federal patrons are ready for another great big Louisiana pork barbecue.