Krugman on Public Works

The closing paragraph in Paul Krugman's The New York Times column today - - Cannibalize The Future.  Public works and the politicians who hate them - -

"America used to be a country that thought big about the future.  Major public projects from the Erie Canal to the Interstate Highway System, used to be a well-understood component of our national greatness.  Nowadays, however, the only big projects politicians are willing to undertake - with expense no object - seem to be wars.  Funny how that works."