This New England

Even as many public services have been slashed --- including public libraries --- the practice of special taxpayer-funded deals -- ''earmarks'' -- for the powerful continue.

Consider $22 million in your federal tax money headed for the palatial Kennedy Presidential Library, in South Boston. Congress looks to soon approve spending the money to help pay for a two-story, 30,000-square-foot addition to be built on the north side of the institution, which is a paean to the glories of the president in particular and the Kennedy family in general.

Hopefully, the Chinese will continue buying our debt so that this works.

The idea of the grandiose presidential library only dates from recent decades, with the rise of the Imperial Presidency.

It's undemocratic and based on a combination of the public's increasing love of celebrity, usually over substance, and sycophancy (a quality required for employment at such a place).

Such libraries -- and especially the Kennedy Library --- are temples to familial self-promotion, where virtually nary a critical word is heard about the near-divine person being honored.

The pyramids -- those gigantic monuments to the divine pharoahs -- come to mind.

And now the taxpayers will have to scrape up some more money to pay for it -- even as public libraries, especially in places with a lot of poor people, close or cut back their hours elsewhere.

Still, it's good news for the construction, electrical and other trade-union workers in the Boston area. They need the work these days.

There are some new skyscrapers (one 52 stories!) planned for downtown Boston, but work on them probably won't get going until long after the Kennedy Library project is finished. I have a feeling that will be expedited at the urging of the Obama administration.

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The perils of drink.

-- Photo by Lydia Whitcomb

 Tags  $22 million Kennedy Presidential Library

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