I mean, yes, that is bad… but the biennium budget for 2011-2013 was around $60 Billion, which means this project represented about half a percent of the overall budget. The current budget deficit is around $60 Million, but the kicker from 2024 was a record $5.6B in unexpected surplus.

The Oracle debacle is a good representation of why government contracting can be a mess, but I don’t think that project caused such a big long-term financial problem. Putting a toll on the I-5 bridge into/from WA is a massive issue, I agree with you there.

The entire thing feels manufactured by design to get people talking about Cracker Barrel.

For those who don’t know what this is from, it’s a 2021 Netflix special that came out during COVID lockdown called “Inside” by Bo Burnham.

If you haven’t watched it, go do that immediately. Also, a bit of a warning, it deals with some heavy concepts that were very relevant a year or so into lockdown. I rewatched it recently and had to fight off some PTSD feelings.