So much for the magic of “public-private partnerships.”

Back in early 2021 then New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a new app that he said would provide a “secure and streamlined” way for people to attend live events and attend restaurants without carrying around a vaccine card.

It would be built by IBM, and it would cost $2.5 million. Then after Cuomo resigned in disgrace, his successor, Kathy Hochul boasted that the ap would have a “transformative impact on our economy.”

Then the price skyrocketed to $17 million a few months later. And then to $30 million and the latest cost estimate is $64 million.

The app was hardly ever deployed – does anyone use it? – and when it was made available, it only became a further excuse for the government to discriminate against the non-vaccinated.

The Albany Times Union notes that IBM and its consultants Boston Consulting Group and Deloitte made millions. Now they want people to use it so the government can know who has had their booster shots – the first, the second, the third…

Folks, this is a case study in what happens when you mix big government with big business.