Getting a little return

In looking over the financial specifics of the new SAFETEA-LU bill, it is interesting to note the amount of return for some of the non-donor states. Alaska, by virtue of the "Bridge to Nowhere" and other earmarks, gets a 524.12 % rate of return on its contribution in FY 2005. Wow! The District of Columbia, which isn't even a state, gets a 423.13 % return. Rhode Island, the nation's smallest state, gets a 220.02 % return. North and South Dakota, which no one would ever accuse of being high-traffic states, get a 209.84 % and 214.93 % return respectively. Montana, which is also in that category, gets a 219.23 % return. No donor state gets less than a 90.50 % return. But I'm betting that's a small consolation to states like California, Texas, New Jersey and Indiana. Your comment?