Really, they don't cost THAT much. It's just how the government hides money for other interest. Good example, the last city I lived in prior to this one. You go to a Hardware Store, the Graffiti Removal Can Stuff cost about $3 a can...the city pays $20 a can for that same stuff, same label, etc. My 10mpxl Camera..I paid er around $500 for, (I was mostly paying for the 28m - 420m Leica Zoom Lens), found out same camera...the county paid for 30 of them (when they only needed maybe 5) @ $2,500 a piece. And, I paid retail price.Posted by KiwiElf (here)
To put some perspective on that, the B2 Stealth Bomber ("Bat"/flying wing) cost 2.3 billion a piece (apparently) - "their" toys as well as their bases - cost a lot!Posted by foreverfan (here)
It's amazing what tax payers are on the hook for.
For contrast, compare the cost of a state-of-the-art cruise liner such as Oasis of the Sea or Queen Mary II at half this amount