[FreePaul]

...the Big Dig is still a colossal failure in my opinion.

You can't be serious. It achieved it purpose magnificently. Put billions of dollars in the hands of Massachusetts politicians. Your traffic problems were never a consideration.

[Iwo Jima]

"You can't be serious. It achieved it purpose magnificently. Put billions of dollars in the hands of Massachusetts politicians. Your traffic problems were never a consideration.

You alone have grasped the essential point to be made. Those who consider events such as these "failures" fail to comprehend the essential nature of modern day government.

The true objective of 90% of government at all levels is to take money from one group (taxpayers) and transfer it to another group (politically well-connected persons of all kinds). Once the money transfer has occurred, the objective has been achieved. Ergo, there can be no failure of a government project.

This is true not just of "boondoggles" but also of proper acts of a constitutionally limited government such as defense and police function. Properly understood in this manner, the government schools, the war on drugs, social security, Medicare, and the war in Iraq are immense successes. And that will remain true regardless of results. Johnny can't read, drugs are as rampant as ever, social security and Medicare are bankrupting us, the war in Iraq has hit a serious snag -- all is meaningless because actually achieving the purported objective was never envisioned at all.