Less than two weeks before oil began jetting from the ocean floor in the Gulf of Mexico, a state-commissioned report proclaimed the risk of drilling was extremely minimal.

It said a major spill should be expected only once every 100 years.

Even then, the report said, we might be talking about 1,000 barrels — approximately the amount of oil currently spewing into the Gulf every hour or two.

You might laugh at the report — if you hadn't spent $200,000 to create it.

Actually, State Rep. Dean Cannon decided you should spend it.