Good newspapers make this connection...

When expenditures don't match revenues these types of stories should write themselves.

(Chris Moran, ChronBlog, 02/18/10)

Radack's crew is putting the finishing touches on a $2.3 million soapbox derby park.

(snip)

It started out as a $300,000 idea early in the decade. But the vision expanded to include a hillside amphitheater, and cost overruns added more to the bill.

(Chris Moran, ChronBlog, 02/19/10)

Harris County will have to spend about $53 million less in the coming year because declining property values are projected to shrink its tax collections, according to a preliminary budget report released Friday.

During hearings last month, department heads said worst-case scenarios could mean layoffs, less mosquito spraying, tax office closures and fewer resources to serve a still-growing county population.

Because, in today's Texas Republican world, legacy-building projects take precedence over good government. This would be harder to pass off had Houston something resembling real media.


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