On Dec. 8, the U.S. Conference of Mayors released a list of more than 11,000 projects it wants to build. “Talk about a dream scenario,” wrote Joshua Zumbrun at Forbes.com. “Build all those projects, do it with federal money, say you’re rescuing the economy with the spending and, since it’s not your local taxpayers’ money, don’t even stress too much about whether or not the project’s cost effective.”

Miami’s the city hoping to get the most from the federal gravy train. Mayor Manny Diaz has identified more than 450 projects with a total price tag of $3.4 billion that he’d be happy to see the federal government build. He estimates the projects would “generate” some 55,000 jobs -- which is about $60,000 per job. Nice work, if you can get it.

And really, why shouldn’t the federal government build a road and lay fiber optic cable to your front door? After all, Washington is already willing to pony up to allow you to watch television.

Any American household can apply to the “TV converter box coupon program,” and Uncle Sam will send it a credit-card sized coupon good for $40 off the purchase price of a digital converter box. These boxes sell for about $60, so Washington is willing to pay two-thirds of the cost of upgrading your old, over-the-air analog set to digital. (All analog signals are set to go off the air in February.) Hurry, though. There’s a limit of two cards per household.

During the Kennedy administration, when most people watched their president on flickering black-and-white televisions, it would have seemed silly to say that the government would help Americans buy new TVs.

At the dawn of the Obama administration, what’s amazing -- and worrying -- is that we’ve come so far, in the wrong direction.