The Alaska bridge project that became the national symbol for pork-barrel spending is finally, definitely dead [1]. But while hundreds of millions have been saved, in one sense the damage has been done. The "bridge to nowhere" is the new $600 hammer, [2] except it has the advantage of actually being true. People are going to remember this bridge project for years, and even though it was never actually built, they'll always think of it as a prime example of why the government can't be trusted with their money.

And trust is the real problem. People have a real cynicism about how the government spends their money. In surveys, people say they think half of every tax dollar is wasted. [3] Every budget expert will tell you that's simply not true, but the fact that people believe it makes a huge difference on this issue. Research by the Facing Up partners shows people are willing to consider ways of dealing with the long-term budget problem [4], willing to consider changes in Medicare and Social Security -- but only if they feel the government is spending their money honestly and wisely. They won't make sacrifices to solve these problems if they think somebody else is getting a patently ridiculous pork-barrel project out of the deal.

The bright spot is that the bridge to nowhere and other earmark scandals also played their part in spurring ethics reform [4]. And let's hope that is this project's real legacy. Because the government's got to start regaining the public's trust on this issue, and they've got to start soon.