I did some contract work for a federal agency in Ottawa about 15 years ago. One day in the coffee room I heard a bunch of consultants reminiscing about what a great project the gun registry had been. Coming from Alberta, where that project was a notorious and spectacular failure ($1B for a CRUD app that was years late and didn't work), at first I was shocked. But it was fascinating to get a window into how the other half lives! They were nostalgic for the gravy train. I'm glad I didn't say anything, but it was a learning experience in how one person's boondoggle is someone else's windfall.