Check out a scary fiscal portent

The federal government has been so busy writing checks for make-work projects, bank bailouts and union-controlled automakers using borrowed money that some Cassandras have begun to worry that its credit is eroding. Could the following story, reported by The Washington Post, be an omen?

The federal Interior Department's Inspector General has been on leave so he can help monitor federal stimulus spending. His office, having fallen behind schedule, recently agreed it was at fault in not meeting deadlines in the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) for responding to a document request from PEER, the "Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility" watchdog group.

So it sent PEER a check for $1,789 to cover attorney fees and costs in settlement of a lawsuit alleging a violation of FOIA.

Unfortunately, the check bounced.

The explanation, according to the Post, is that it was drawn on a bank account that had been closed.

A new check is in the mail.

This time drawn on a Chinese bank?