Santa Claus Comes to Idaho

least that’s what I think happened based on this story in the Statesman:

Idaho got a large cash infusion when President Bush signed an omnibus spending bill this week that includes dozens of earmarks for projects in the Treasure Valley and elsewhere.

The law includes millions for the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games in Idaho, money for a planned Boise detoxification center, and millions for a proposed air-traffic control tower at the Boise airport.

“Overall, we thought the spending package was a good package,” said Nikki Watts, spokeswoman for Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho. “We are very pleased. It’s important that Congress did its job.”

The story is breathtaking in its lack of context. You search through the story and you’ll find no mention of the fact that the bill is into the red onto these type of projects. No consideration that all of these projects are coming to us on a national credit card that the next generation (i.e. my generation) is going to have to pay for it. Nor is the most bizarre part of the story mentioned. We’re celebrating the fact that having paid billions in taxes, some of it is coming back to us in the form of government projects. Ho, ho, ho indeed.