The finger-pointing began almost immediately -- and with good reason. A mere few inches of snow had shut down Atlanta, forcing children to spend the night at schools, stranding drivers on interstates and making the city a laughingstock to the country. Why did this happen? Who's to blame? And, more importantly, could this happen elsewhere? Perhaps. Unlike Boston and New York, with their long-established infrastructures and diverse mass transit systems, Atlanta resembles the new American city. It's not just a city but also a region; a metro area that claims its outlying suburbs as its own -- as do Orlando and Dallas and Charlotte. It spans 28 counties sprawled over an area the size of Massachusetts.
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Atlanta doesn't have a diverse transit system
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The city's mayor doesn't call all the shots
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The state, not the city, is responsible for treating interstate roads
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The governor said he was caught off guard by the storm's path
"They need to have in Atlanta the same type of government you have in @placeholder, where the mayor controls the city and everything around that city, and the mayor can make decisions on road closures; he has emergency powers as when schools close," he said.