Show me the money

To see how various federal government economic initiatives compare in size, check out the graphic at the bottom of http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200905/map-federal-reserve (click to enlarge and then zoom in).

[One good thing about all of this new federal spending is that it takes Boston’s Big Dig project out of the penalty box.  Having cost $15 billion and taken years longer than expected, the Big Dig was formerly one of the first things that came to mind when people wanted an example of government waste.  Now that $15 billion looks like a bargain.  The taxpayers actually got something for their money, i.e., an additional tunnel to Logan Airport and a cosmetically improved downtown.]