Can you believe that it costs a million dollars to build a dog run in New York City? A dog run--a fenced in area where dogs run around. A million dollars.

The city follows a time-consuming process for designing, bidding and contracting projects, even for something comparatively simple like a dog run. Labor union contracts as well as New York’s complex geography and infrastructure — including the fact that the city straddles several islands — can also significantly run up costs, experts said.

The Department of Parks and Recreation, in particular, has been criticized for inefficiencies in its management of contracts

By comparison, a 1.2-acre dog park that opened in 2007 in Essex County, N.J., includes subdivisions for big and small dogs, a stone-dust surface, play apparatus, dog-washing areas, water fountains and even “timeout areas” for overly rambunctious pets. Yet that project cost a relatively inexpensive $300,000, according to Essex County officials.

And believe me, Essex County is hardly a paragon of efficiency and cost cutting. We're talking about a fence, some landscaping, a bench, and a water fountain for dogs. Most normal municipalities should be able to do that for five figures.

But what do the liberal residents of Queens think about spending a million dollars on a dog run?

“We’d prefer not to spend a million dollars,” Ms. Kirby said. “But we trust our officials to come up with accurate estimates.

And that says it all. For liberals, government can be as inefficient and as wasteful as it wants to be. Regulations that increase costs dramatically must be for the good of the people. Labor unions who demand exhorbitant wages are completely justified. Because government is good, regardless of the cost, regardless of the result.

But here's the best part:

The Astoria dog run will be built on the footprint of a public basketball court under the bridge, formerly known as the Triborough Bridge, between 23rd and 24th Streets, officials said.

This million dollar dog run will be in constant shadow, under a noisy bridge. Who wants to live like this? What is wrong with the liberal mind that makes it so willing to live in a place with such a low standard of living?

This article was written by Ed Straker, senior writer of NewsMachete.com, the conservative news site.