Building Instead of Stealing

Comparing a $600 million development in Dallas to $61 billion sent to Ukraine

For months the Trammell Crow Company has been doing the site preparation for a major development in my neighborhood here in Dallas. Every morning I walk past it, and stop to observe the skilled men working on their machines. Over the next three years, it will provide thousands with high-paying jobs. The scale of the project is astounding. The following photograph of the excavation for the underground parking lot scarcely does justice to the immensity of it.

The following is an artist’s rendering of what the three buildings of the final development will look like.

This is the business of building something that will augment and enhance Dallas—a city that is dedicated to building businesses and providing gainful employment.

Today, as I was walking past the development with my brother, he too marveled at the scale of the project. He asked what appeared to be a site manager about the approximate construction budget, and the man replied, “about $600 million.”

“Does that seem like a lot of money to you?” my brother asked.

“It certainly does!” the man exclaimed.

“Do you know how many of these developments we could build in our American cities for the $61 billion our Congress just sent to Ukraine?” my brother asked.

“Ten?” the man replied.

“Not ten, one hundred and two,” my brother said.

I wonder what the US and Ukrainian governments will have to show for the $61 billion. Where exactly will the money go?