With a bike path, at least some of us subjects get Something for our hard earned taxes even if its a pittance in comparison to what the leviathan takes in.
But i know what you mean.
As I understand it some 30% is skimmed right off the top before they even get around to wasting money on things that are only marginally related to transportation.
A few years back Carl Levin was seeking some $2 million in highway funds to save what was left of the partially demolished Tiger Stadium in Detroit. His justification for seeking transportation funding was that a bus stop would be included.