With the economy limping along like a sick cockroach, taxpayers can take heart that their money is being well spent.
A new Capitol Visitors Center opened in D.C. this morning with a final price tag of $621 million, three times the original budget. Few are more excited about the new venue than Democrat Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada.
"My staff tells me not to say this, but I'm going to say it anyway," said Reid. "In the summer because of the heat and high humidity, you could literally smell the tourists coming into the Capitol. It may be descriptive but it's true."
And not only will his nose hairs no longer be curled by the fetid stench of the common people, there are facilities aplenty.
"We have many bathrooms here, as you can see," Reid added. "Souvenirs are available."