Obama Inauguration Cost Estimated to Reach $160 Million
Should "Hope" and "Change" Start with a Tightening of the Purse Strings?
Associated Content's own Donna Porter prepared an exhaustive "Inauguration Events Schedule 2009, Updates and Must-See TV" article that ensures anyone who is not capital bound will enjoy this historic moment in time along those who have the privilege of seeing it live. The Obama inauguration event promises to be spectacular, but so does an Obama inauguration cost analysis.
CNN reports that 2.5 million visitors will come to Washington for inauguration day, and Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton has formally appealed to Congress to make available some $15 million in addition to the money already allocated for the event. If you keep in mind that this will bring Congress' spending for Washington's national events and demonstrations to a whopping $30 million for 2009, this princely sum is lifting some eyebrows.
Mayor Fenty is on record estimating that the Obama inauguration cost for his city will likely reach $50 million. In contrast, the Washington Times reports that for the second Bush inauguration - Inauguration Day 2005 - only about 300,000 people attended and the cost for the city was $17.3 million. Sure, all the festivities added up to about $40 million, but the lion's share was paid for by private donors, not the tax payer.
The Brits, as reported by the Guardian, claim that the Obama inauguration cost is actually $150 million, but one can only hope that this is a misprint. Then again, considering that it is based on a New York Daily News estimation of $160 million, an unease should settle over Congress when it comes to breaking it to taxpayers that their money was burned up for a grand party.
Even so, the spokesperson for the congressional committee on inaugural ceremonies, Carole Florman, is quoted as saying that "we're always very budget conscious. But we're sending a message to the entire world about our peaceful transition of power, and you don't want it to look like a schlock affair. It needs to be appropriate to the magnitude of events that it is."
Should "hope" and "change" perhaps start with a tightening of the purse strings?
Sources: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1385469/inauguration_events_schedule_2009_updates.html?cat=8; http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/12/20/inauguration.price.tag/; http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/nov/20/15-million-for-inauguration-less-than-cost-for-bus/; http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2009/01/13/2009-01-13_obamas_inauguration_is_most_expensive_ev.html
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11 Comments
Post a CommentSorry to say readers who like to critisize the American citizens who put their OWN money into the events and preperation of this event, but you ight as well yell at your fellow American for putting in their dollar. Where do you think the money comes from? If you don't like it then try to tell all the other people who volunteered in invested their own money that they are stupid. And so what if people are talking about it and the costs. Your kids or grandkids will know about in the future either way.
Sad, really sad. People are losing their jobs right and left and all he wants to do is party. GW Bush was skewered for his 50M cost and now hardly a peep about this cost. Talk about a double standard.
See? "Nothing" has changed. Typical bureaucratic and wasteful spending will continue.
Some change. Our people are having trouble feeding their families and heating their homes and losing jobs right and left, but hey lets spend $160 mill on a hollywood style party. It is an inauguration not a coronation.?. So what does the media cover? What people will wear and what the first family will eat. This is truly disgusting and I dare say a sign of the true Obama (clueless about the little guy) and the things to come.
People you should get use to this. This is the first in what will become a daily event. Obama and the democrats are the masters of "Do What I say not as I do" Their hero Ted Kennedy and the other nut jobs have been screwing America for personal gain for years and years. If this was John McCain spending this CNN would be talking about nothing else instead they are doing nothing but kissing is arse. Face we are totaly screwed for the next 4 years. This will be the greatest Obamanation we have ever witnessed and the liberal media is 100% to blame.
$160 million? OMG! With massive layoffs announced yesterday and a deficit of over a trillion dollars this is an obscene waste of money. Skip the train ride photo op. Take the oath and get to work.
ridiculous.. that money could be used to stimulate the crappy economy...
This amount of money on the inaugural is ironic. At least Sarah Palin's clothes, which supposedly costed $150,000, will last her more than one day!
Wow, I guess we have nothing better to spend money on.
This is disheartening and spending a lavish amount of money that could be better spent elsewhere is flagrant disregard to the plight of the people. If people thought Imelda Marcos went overboard with her stash of shoes, then they should take pause and read the bottom line on these festivities and the ultimate cost to taxpayers. It kind of makes dressing down auto company execs for their private jets a bit hypocritical, don'tcha think? Obama should have gone more low key and those sponsoring events should have scaled them back at the very least.