Your Tax Dollars At Work

The Civil War devastated this country. In four short years (1861 - 1865), 3/4 of a million Americans were killed and unknown numbers of properties were laid waste.The cost of the war is estimated to have been around $6.6 billion.

Four years is a blink of the eye and $6.6 billion is chump change compared to The Big Dig. It is the most expensive highway project in the history of the planet. Not only that, it, like the Civil War, has a death toll:

Ceiling of Boston Traffic Tunnel Collapses, Killing Woman
By The Associated Press

BOSTON (AP) -- A woman was killed when part of the ceiling in a Big Dig tunnel fell on a car in South Boston, and a man believed to be the driver was taken to a hospital with minor injuries, authorities said.

The $14 billion Big Dig highway project, which buried Interstate 93 beneath downtown and extended the Massachusetts Turnpike to Logan Airport, has been criticized for construction problems and cost overruns that state officials have said did not compromise safety.

State Police Trooper Kara England said the tunnel was shut down until state safety engineers could assess its condition after the 11 p.m. incident. Authorities later also closed the connector's westbound side. (link)

The Big Dig may go down in history as not only the most wasteful goverment (state/federal) project ever, but the most expensive to be abandoned as well.

$14 billion and its coming apart ... And it's killing us ... One by one ...