Well, that is exactly the nature of government projects. They always waste some people's money and buy the political/financial support of others. Either you think it's "appropriate" or you think it's "a shame". I don't see how you can view it as both. You can pretend that if only the right people were involved, then everything would be rosy; but pretending is all you'd be doing.

And, I strongly disagree with the implication that political support, and a plausible argument that a state interest exists, automatically justifies state action.

Democracy is the least-bad way to organize limited, coercive political power. It's not a magic ingredient that turns moral crimes into civic virtue.

In many areas of the U.S. there would be political support for outlawing homosexual activity. There are also arguments that can be made that there is a state interest in enforcing such restrictions (public health, local standards of decency, etc.) This only goes to show that there are many areas of life that should be beyond the reach of political institutions (with or without public support).

Gang rape isn't justified because the majority of participants favor it. Likewise for grand theft.

Gil