Glorifying our fearless political leaders

Hey, they scammed the money, so they should get the glory.  We should name something after Al Capone.

Apparently there’s such a thing as the “Kay Bailey Hutchison Desalination Plant” in El Paso. It seems like an impressive facility and the kind of thing the West is going to need more of as the water runs dry. But what’s up with the name? The former senator isn’t dead — why is something named after her?

Hutchison helped secure more than $29 million in federal funds for the project, a partnership between the local water utility and Fort Bliss. The guaranteed supply of water from the plant eased concerns over whether enough was available for the thousands of troops transferred to the Army base.

Ahh, I see. So it’s like a philanthropist who gives the money to build a new hospital and has it named after himself. Except in that case it’s his money, not mine. Senator Byrd from West Virginia was obviously the master of this kind of thing, naming every second building in the state after himself because he was the one who scammed the money out of taxpayers from the rest of the country. Next thing you know, they’ll be naming the months of the year after themselves. Oh, wait, someone already did that.
As we drown under trillions in debt, this may seem like a small thing, but it’s not. The sense of entitlement of our political class is part of what’s gotten us into this mess. Legislation preventing any government property or any project supported by public funds from being named after any current or former politicians still living would at least send the message that this isn’t their money to dispose of as they will.