Posted on 01/13/2005 7:20:49 PM PST by alessandrofiaschi
WASHINGTON - President Bush's second inauguration will cost tens of millions of dollars — $40 million alone in private donations for the balls, parade and other invitation-only parties. With that kind of money, what could you buy?
_200 armored Humvees with the best armor for troops in Iraq.
_Vaccinations and preventive health care for 22 million children in regions devastated by the tsunami.
_A down payment on the nation's deficit, which hit a record-breaking $412 billion last year.
_Two years' salary for the Mets' new center fielder Carlos Beltran, or all of pitcher Randy Johnson's contract extension with the New York Yankees.
Weeks ago, the inauguration and its accompanying costs were considered a given, an historic ceremony with all the pomp, pageantry and celebrations that the nation had come to expect every four years.
But a recent confluence of events — the tsunami natural disaster, Bush's warning about Social Security finances and the $5 billion-a-month price tag for the war in Iraq — have many Americans now wondering why spend the money the second time around.
While the Presidential Inaugural Committee hopes to raise $40 million in private donations for the balls, parades and candlelight dinners for high-roller donors, millions of government dollars will be spent on construction of the platform and stands at the Capitol, police overtime, military personnel and the tightest security for the first post-Sept. 11 inaugural.
The questions have come from Bush supporters and opponents: Do we need to spend this money on what seems so extravagant?
New York Rep. Anthony Weiner, a Democrat, suggested inaugural parties should be scaled back, citing as a precedent Roosevelt's inauguration during World War II.
"President Roosevelt held his 1945 inaugural at the White House, making a short speech and serving guests cold chicken salad and plain pound cake," according to a letter from Weiner and Rep. Jim McDermott, voting record), D-Wash. "During World War I, President Wilson did not have any parties at his 1917 inaugural, saying that such festivities would be undignified."
Lawmakers representing the Washington area have complained to the White House about the District of Columbia not getting enough federal help to cover the estimated $17.3 million security costs of the inaugural.
Organizers of the inaugural defended the celebration.
"The inauguration of a United States president is one of America's greatest traditions, a tradition that transcends partisan politics," said Tracey Schmitt, a spokeswoman for the Presidential Inaugural Committee. "Our theme is celebrating freedom and honoring service."
She cited the Commander in Chief inaugural ball that offers free tickets to service members back from Afghanistan and Iraq and their family members. That ball is one of nine; the other eight require a ticket.
"Every inaugural there's a really good reason given why you should spend whatever donors are sending in on something else," said Rich Galen, a veteran Republican activist, saying many of the complaints come from the losers of the election.
Billionaire Mark Cuban, owner of the National Basketball Association's Dallas Mavericks, voted for Bush — twice. Cuban knows a thing or two about big spending, once starring in ABC's reality TV show, "The Benefactor," in which 16 contenders tried to pass his test for success and win $1 million.
Cuban questioned spending all that money on the inaugural.
"As a country, we face huge deficits. We face a declining economy. We have service people dying. We face responsibilities to help those suffering from the ... devastation of the tsunamis," he wrote on his blog, a Web journal.
Cuban challenged Bush to set an example: "Start by canceling your inauguration parties and festivities."
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EDITOR'S NOTE: Will Lester covers polling and politics for The Associated Press.
The money isn't going down a rat hole. It's going primarily towards wages for people most of whom make less than $50k a year. Isn't that good?
We could cancel the whole of the NBA season and save billions of dollars instead of $40 million for the inaugural. Why not suggest that instead? Is a basketball season all that important during wartime? Well, why not?
Did anyone in the criticism brain trust try to figure out how much money will be spent by all of us folks flying, driving, eating sleeping in D.C. that week? what about all the money the black tie & boots ticket sales generate on ebay? hey, isn't that what Al Gore invented the Internet for anyway? dimwit demoncrats.
Choosing the leader of our country for four years after the use of our vote in freedom is what we are celebrating when a President is sworn in.
We treat it as something special because it is, and if we stop treating the Presidency as special, then it will lose influence and power.
The Presidential Inauguration should have a budget set by law, $500,000 dollars is a good number. This should include everything including security. Everything above that figure should come out of the President's or private pockets. If the President or his supporters wants to have a large parade that's fine as long as our tax dollars don't have to pay for it. If he wants to a private ceremony from the press office and hand out chicken sandwich's that's fine too.
As Conservatives we're supposed to be trying to cut taxes and reduce the deficit. We don't need a Royal Coronation.
What did they say in 1996, I wonder?
What a load of crap. I don't think second term presidents should have inaugurations again, period (they've ALREADY been sworn in, right?) but this isn't about the money. It's about raining on a parade, which is about the only talent Rats have.
Not only is it private, discretionary funds - think of the jobs and economic boost it creates!
Who takes home the money to pay for food on their table?
The money doesn't get burned up -- it goes to people who earned it.
We the taxpayers earned it and it should be spent as frugally as possible. Security costs outside of the immediate White House grounds should be paid from private pockets.
I actually LIKE when they play the 'if we didn't spend on a then we'd spend it on b' game now. If the money wasn't spent on the inauguration, we could spend it on...
hundreds of thousands of big anvils to drop on Tom Daschle.
Al Sharpton and Teddy Kennedy's liposuction.
Bill Clinton's sexual addiction therapy, and subsequent gender reassignment.
Hillary Clinton's personal consultation with Carlos the Jackal.
Barbra Streisand's 'to the pain' treatment (thank you, Princess Bride!).
Janeane Garofalo's dual kneecap replacement surgery.
Al Franken's exploratory surgery (someone MUST be able to find his brain under that thick skull) and follow-up Stooge-slapping, er, therapeutic massage.
That's right. Besides, the 40 millions comes from big industries and lobbies, just like it was for Clinton and so on. There is a problem in this system, and the Government should prevent to waste tax money...
Bye. (Great home page!)
Gee... not one post of "Bush's fault!" :-)
He is responsible for the Tsunami's disaster in this moment... /s
Oh, come on... as EVIL a man as he is, certainly he can be blamed for two things at once! ha ha ha.
D.C. estimates that they will spend $17.3 million. But how much money is the affair bringing into the city. Consider just what FReepers will be spending to attend the inaugural.
Cities spend more than this to host bowl games...and can justify the benefits of doing so. D.C. is just bitching because we're inaugurating a Republican president. If it were John F. Kerry taking the oath of office, this subject wouldn't even have come up -- from D.C., the AP or anybody in the media.
And, with all due respect, you might be guilty of "thinking small" -- and putting too much stock in the media's opinion.
Uhhhh, for me MEDIA means BIAS. Ok?
Bye.
What do you think would be the result if you asked our military if they mind us having these inauguration festivities?
I asked my daughter's boyfriend about it and he was most emphatic that THIS President, their Commander in Chief, deserved the biggest party that could be put on.
He said that he didn't know of any soldier that didn't feel the same way.
Besides, the theme of this inauguration is honoring our armed forces or something like that.
Trust me, those who are fighting on our behalf are going to be honored more than the President. He'll see to that.
500,000? What a nutty figure.
That wouldn't even pay for basic security even for a very subdued event.
Where in the world would you come up with such a silly amount?
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