Ghost projects and ghost values

A friend sent me this letter which reflects what I think is the widespread feeling employees paying income taxes must be feeling now:

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"I've been an employee for all my life and I have been a good taxpayer, my income taxes withheld from the source, and always computed properly. When I finally get my Income Tax Report and see the total amount I had paid annually, I think of what the amount could have given my family. But I tell myself, that's life, we pay taxes so our government can move to make life easier for us. But with what's happening now — the ghost flood control projects, the apparent connivance of government employees with contractors, and the billions that have literally gone down the drain with the floodwaters, I feel not only sad, but so angry, is this where my taxes go?"

We've been bombarded with grim news these past few weeks - and not just about disasters caused by rain and flood. The more disturbing flood is moral in nature: a flood of dishonesty, greed, and the abandonment of basic values like honesty, integrity, and modesty.

The unearthing of substandard flood control projects had already stirred public frustration. But things worsened when the confirmation of ghost flood control projects came to light — projects that were awarded, funded, and paid for, yet were never built. The implications were staggering.