Posted on 01/13/2005 7:20:49 PM PST by alessandrofiaschi
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?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.