> In explaining the difference between an asset and an expense, my intermediate accounting professor used the following example. He asked, when you go into a grocery store and buy beer, what is the beer you receive? An asset or an expense? They answer, it's an asset. After you drink it, it is an expense. > So what does this example have to do with the Biden administration's plan to invest in the nation's infrastructure? Plenty. With a little further information, it is the basis for understanding what Congress and the president's administration can't seem to understand — government does not make investments. In fact, with very few exceptions, government departments do not record depreciation of anything owned. This is because governmental accounting does not follow Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). From the ways in which they handle budgets, you might say, Congress doesn't even apply simple mathematics.