akmk, The oil companies have not only paid all the bills here for 40 years, But have also footed the bill for huge state and local government expansion. Regulatory agencies along with government bureaucracies have grown and matured well funded for 4 decades on oil company money. We have had really poor leadership and what we have now is not sustainable. We wanted more of the golden eggs so we subsidized the goose to drill more, but now that the eggs aren't as valuable the big government folks want to eat the goose. akmk you are right about our irresponsible big government porkulous spending.