http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irwin_Schiff

California State Water Project

Tennessee Valley Authority

Boulder Canyon Project Act

Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956

"Despite its many reforms over the years, the Reclamation Act has provided huge subsidies for project beneficiaries: while they had to pay for water, they were exempt from paying interest on the government?s investments. In addition, the legislation was amended to allow subsidized hydroelectricity to farmers and repayment periods were eventually stretched out to fifty years. "

http://cpluhna.nau.edu/Change/waterdevelopment5.htm

You can argue government waste all you want but the facts are that the infrastructure that business (in the local sense) depends on was financed with public revenues ... Today the profits by the use of this infrastructure, even for fee, is critical to the existence of private enterprise.

Sometimes the tail wags the dog.