Originally Posted by
MikeyinBrooklyn
I neither see a direct connection nor understand the source of your anger.
Local public parks, in my opinion, are the function of local and state governments to maintain and provide, where they so choose. Local roads, in my opinion, also should not receive federal dollars. Interstate highways should, as a function of the federal government's constitutional function to manage interstate commerce. I reject entirely the notion that local [[and state) governments are there merely to be the branch office of the federal government, dispensing national money. While that is my argument for constitutional roles for various levels of government, it is also practical. When localities take money from the feds for projects, they can't afford them once the federal money shrinks or disappears. Moronic governors of California and Illinois in 2009-2010 applied a massive amount of federal stimulus money to fund their operations, and now have catastrophic budgetary problems. California actually has more unfunded mandates than Greece, where there is now a lot of commerce taking place with bartering. In other words- free money can cost you more than you can afford in the long run.