Calling into The Sue Jeffers Show on KTLK-FM in Minneapolis on Saturday, state senate candidate Norann Dillon shared an astute analogy for the hidden cost of state's accepting federal money. The topic at hand was Minnesota's expanding light rail system, the construction of which is highly subsidized by federal grants. Acknowledging the tendency of state legislators to regard available federal dollars as "free money," Dillon compared a more common transaction. It's the reason my kids are always so impressed when they see the new mobile phones come out and they say, "Oh look! They're free!" Well, there's a reason why....