Last week I had the experience of flying across America nonstop on a beautiful and clear day. As I gazed down upon our great land I saw that it is time to revisit one of those New Deal projects that has been pretty much forgotten-- The Map Boundary Works Project (MBWP).

This was a project that employed thousands of Americans during the worst years of the Great Depression. They drew big black lines where state boundaries existed. From the air it was easy to see political divisions, and on the ground it helped solve several boundary disputes and allowed law enforcement officers to know exactly where their jurisdictions began and ended. There was, of course, no effort to draw black boundaries where water formed state lines (that would be just plain silly), but otherwise every border was eventually drawn into the soil across all 48 states. I'm not sure how they did it or what technology was used.

Well today it is sad to see almost all of these lines have faded. I could see faint traces of a few between South Dakota and Minnesota, and the Ohio State Legislature maintains a short strip with Indiana for historical interest and curious tourists. I have fond memories of my parents proudly showing me about a quarter mile of the line between Washington and Idaho, not far from Spokane, when I was a child in the 1950s. Today that line, like almost all the others, has vanished due to the elements or encroaching development.

With the 2008 election coming up, I think it would be a good idea to ask the candidates about the possibility of bringing back this project and then vote accordingly.