If one needs an example of waste and government, just take a look at the Big Dig highway project in Boston. The taxpayer nightmare that earned the name the “Big Pig” finally comes to completion on December 31, at the end of 2007.
The Associated Press noted: “After a history marked by engineering triumphs, tunnel leaks, epic traffic jams, last year's death of a motorist crushed by falling concrete and a price tag that soared from $2.6 billion to $14.8 billion, there's little appetite for celebration.” That’s a staggering cost overrun – even for government!
But there’s more. Planning for the Big Dig began in 1982 – a quarter century ago. Construction got started in 1991 – sixteen years past. Oh yes, and a big chunk (about two-thirds) of the costs were covered by federal taxpayers. So, even if you never drive in Boston, you paid for it.
If this two-mile underground road made sense, then it seems pretty clear that drivers in the Boston area should have paid for it, not taxpayers across the nation.
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