The Big Dig is indeed a monument to O’Neill. It captures perfectly the costly big-government sloppiness for which he was the poster child. Only in the public sector, where market discipline is nonexistent and financial losses are the taxpayer’s problem, would such mismanagement be tolerated for so long. Only in the public sector, where political considerations far outweigh the bottom line, and where consumer satisfaction carries little weight, is such shoddiness and lack of oversight routine.
The Big Dig is indeed a public sector fiasco, but Jeff conveniently ignores the many private sector fiascos in history: Union Carbide in Bhopal, Enron, the Ford Exploder, just to name a few.
Jacoby conveniently ignores the names of the Big Big Dig List. Lots of Republicans on that list–and they were actually in charge of the project. His writing makes me think he views his job as a columnist as a chance to provide damage control for Romney and Healey. Because the last thing he wants readers of the Globe to realize is the Big Dig is what it is, in large part due to 16 years of Republican Governors.
a right wing apologist – the globe keeps him around to create a “fair and balance” image.
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Here is yet another example of Jacoby carrying water for the Right…
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http://smartmass.blogspot.com/2006/07/illegal-guantanamo-prisioners-games.html
of the hacktocracy. At least he stopped cribbing other people’s work. The only thing worse than reading what he writes and watching him spout his hacktacular nonsense. Gaack.