Make levees a priority

Congress has money galore for all sorts of marginal projects -- for fiber optic networks, wood utilization research, and conservancy of the old Tiger Stadium in Detroit, to name a few. The watchdog group Citizens Against Government Waste identified $19.6 billion in pork in the 2009 fiscal budget.

And yet, when it comes to the repair and upgrade of river levees -- essential to public safety and the economic well-being of our nation -- the government's broke.

Metro-east leaders just found out that the promised 65 percent federal match to help repair our levees might not be available until 2044. Wow. The government abruptly raised the standards for the levees, threatened to decertify them if they are not brought into compliance, but now won't help pay for the work. This is what's meant by an unfunded mandate.

Metro-east residents don't expect a free ride. We are paying an additional quarter-cent sales tax to provide the local share of the project. But we do expect the federal government to keep its word and use our tax dollars to help pay for crucial public works -- now, not decades from now.

Our area political leaders have to sort this out. Just don't ask metro-east residents for a higher local tax.