I would like to send my personal congratulations out to a.k.a. Adam Smith, who has illustrated the national debt more accurately than most with his post here.
As an aside, the story is an old one. People with green interests continue to obstruct the construction of an eight-lane highway connector in Asheville. Plans and studies have been going on for years. To the north, environmentalists were able to get a bridge made for wildlife to safely pass underneath. Dr. Doolittle was probably consulted to design the signs that would direct our furry friends.
More recently, a group of architects solicited input and came up with a great idea that captured the imagination of Asheville citizens. The only problem was, they had not subjected the plan to an engineering analysis. DOT representatives turned hot under the collar when city council ignored their appeals to laws of nature and principles of mechanics and dynamics.