NY Times: U.S. Allocates $354 Million to Reduce New York Traffic. The United States Department of Transportation announced today that it has allocated $354 million to help Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg finance his plan to reduce traffic in Manhattan by charging tolls to drivers entering the busiest parts of the borough.

The Times has missed the other obvious federal agenda: more surveillance capabilities. No government in our history has been more ardent to spy on citizens’ activities, and this grant — which will vastly increase surveillance in Manhattan — is surely aimed, at least in part, at precisely that objective no matter what officials are saying.

For the Times to ignore this obvious angle is surprising. Or negligent. Or both.

(Note: I’m a NY Times Co. shareholder.)