Everybody loves a park. This past year, taxpayers and legislators voted to put up real money to show their affection.

The next four years may alter the state-federal relationship for decades to come.

Last winter, when Elian Gonzalez went to visit Walt Disney World in Orange County, Florida, county workers got a chance to see what a media pile-on looks like. Turns out, it was just a preview.

We Americans profess not to like nepotism very much, but when we see it on a grand enough scale, we're intrigued. We're not bothered by a presidential election in which both of the candidates owe every political triumph in life to the exploits of their fathers. We can get used to the idea of the president's brother as attorney general, or the president's wife as chief domestic policy adviser.

If competitors such as Ford and GM can build a joint e-market, non- competing governments should be able to do so, too.