...worked themselves up to have a upper middle class life in a beautiful community, only to see it fucked 6 ways from Sunday by a rich guy on a massive ego trip.

I have a couple relatives who live in Great Falls, and while it certainly is home to a few massive houses, it's mostly home to a lot of people who make 6 figures. It's a lovely community. Back in the day, the community was planned by some European, who thought it would be a nice idea to follow a European model, where you can walk to the market and do your shopping. There's a beautiful bike path where people use it to commute to work. Nothing but the woods, and a very long bike path, no cars, no noise, no pollution. It's stunningly beautiful in the late spring.

The entire area sums up the very best of what Northern Virginia has to offer. Beautiful scenery. Locally owned wine shops and vineyards. Modest but well kept gulf coarses. Town homes with beautiful lay outs where neighbors still know each other by name.

And then you've got this schmuck who wants to fuck up the whole place because he's fucking obnoxious. And it's not like there's any shortage of places he could go to build his monstrosity. Hell, if he built a little further south in Loudon County, he could do it in a place where he wouldn't have any neighbor's suing him for building his piece of shit.

But seperating out my personal feelings on the matter, you can create jobs just as easily by taxing this obnoxious prick. More jobs I'd wager, since when the gov't spends the money on something like say infrastructure, the money would be more widely distributed, creating an increased number of jobs. It would also be distributed out to more places around the country, creating a greater stimulus to the economy as a whole, instead of just stimulating one small region.

and the same being built by taxpayer $$$.

First, the dollars being spent are the dollars of the guy who wants it. Lots of public projects get built simply because some Congressman or POTUS wrangled the money to pay back constituent votes. (Highway to Nowhere anybody?).

Secondly, the contractors doing the work have to actually compete to win the contract so the 10-15 million price tag is the "best price" as considered by the guy spending the money. (no bid contract anybody?)

Also, the 10-15 $million price tag is what the final price tag will be UNLESS the owner, (the guy actually paying the tab) approves a dime more. If it's higher, so what? It's his money.