[StBernard] Morning Bell: A Capitol Travesty

[Westley Annis]

	The Heritage Foundation 
	THE MORNING BELL
	TUESDAY, DEC. 2, 2008 
	A Capitol Travesty 
	Like everything else that comes out of Congress, the initial
intentions were
	good: to build a visitors center that shields citizens from extreme
heat and
	humidity and provides greater security for people working in or
visiting the
	U.S. Capitol. But what began as a $265 million project in 2000
ballooned into a
	$621 million boondoggle that finally opens today
	<http://theheritagefoundation.cmail2.com/t/y/l/dlmdy/tkljdtldh/r>  .
Like
	far too many legislative proposals that pass through its chambers,
Congress
	could not help but add its own priorities. Even though not included
	 in the
	original design, the structure now features new offices for
lawmakers, a
	theater, media studios and even a tunnel to the Library of Congress
	<http://theheritagefoundation.cmail2.com/t/y/l/dlmdy/tkljdtldh/y> .
This
	all-too-familiar runaway Washington spending is not even the worst
part of the
	final product. That honor goes to the violence the center's
	"educational" exhibits do to the Constitution.
	
	<snipped>
	
	What will be a shame is if it is **required** that all visitors 
	go through this underground visitors' center.  
	
	One of the best photo ops for a visitor/tourist is to get a picture
	of someone standing on the steps with the dome of the Capitol
	behind them.  I hope it will be optional to use the visitors'
center.
	
	JY