What a country!

Under the mass transit package finally ironed out by Gov. Rod "The Mod" Blagojevich and the Legislature, sales taxes will go up to fund Metra, Pace and the CTA, but senior citizens will get free passes to ride the rails or buses. Is that great, or what? Not that most of them in Lake County will be rushing to stand in line for their free transit passes. These geezers would rather clog the county's highways, especially during rush hours. But, hey, it was a nice gesture on the governor's part. Too bad seniors dislike him just as much as the rest of the state's citizens.

Then there's the federal stimulus package to kick-start a sagging economy. The president and Congress apparently have agreed to send most of us checks --- $600 for individuals, $1,200 for families who make less than deep six figures --- this spring. Once, again, what a nice gesture, except the above seniors' grandchildren will be stuck with the bill. Too bad most of the nation gives the president and Congress poor polling marks. Their polls numbers have allowed journalists to feel good about themselves, once again.

This economic stimulus package sort of reminds The Hound of President Nixon's "revenue sharing" plans of the early 1970s. Instead of keeping money in Americans' pockets, Nixon decided to "share" that revenue after it was sent to Washington, D.C., laundered and then sent back to governmental agencies to help us. Instead, many public officials built monuments to themselves.

So if you were an immigrant say, sitting in Gdansk and heard about free transit rides and checks, where would you rather be? Poland or the U.S.? What a country!