THIS IS RETARDED so now that our new year and new President is off to a new start, I believe it's time to start saving more.
NEWS FLASH Obama!!! WE ARE IN AN ECONOMIC CRISIS.
Ok, for those who didn't read the article from the link above, Obama inauguration is estimated to cost $150 million! By comparison, George W. Bush was given a hard time for the $42.3 million cost of his inauguration .... but that number, as Media Matters points out, did not include security.
So again, now that he is off to "saving our country" from it's economic woes, we had all better hunker down because this does not bode well for me or you...
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11 comments:
Scott follow the facts bro or at least get another side to this story before making statements like "...this does not bode well for me or you..."
The number you are getting in this article is a media estimate (they didn't count receipts). They also included the cost of security, traffic and crowd control for a historic and record turn out number of people.
There are a bunch of sites that myth bust this news article.
New York Times article published one week before the controversy erupted over the cost of Obama's inauguration, the newspaper reported that in 2005, "the federal government and the District of Columbia spent a combined $115.5 million, most of it for security, the swearing-in ceremony, cleanup and for a holiday for federal workers"
That was for the 2005 inauguration bringing the total for bush up to 157 million dollars (after the 42 million he raised).
I am not making a definitive statement if this spending is right or wrong but I will say at least compare apples to apples and be fair in your judgment. If you can't do that then I ask that you at least be a skeptic any time the media makes a statement about money, statistics, and facts. Don't trust what you read (from either side of the fence) until there is strong proof to back it up.
This news article has a stench of right wing agenda all over it.
True true my brother...
Either way, the amount seems exorbitant (for Bush or Obama) but especially because of the huge national deficit and the state of the economy. Couldn't they have tried to cut back? His slogan was "change we can believe in," and we'll see what happens...
I am still very wary of his presidency...
Yes the numbers are probably skewed and right wing media, but rarely is their such a thing as "right-wing media," so this is one of those rare events of that... (waiting for rebuttal, blah blah blah, there is lots of examples I know, but the media tends to be liberal, that's all I'm saying)
To be honest I don't know which budget the inauguration comes out of. I am sure business will be good for the area though with all the extra tourism and attendance.
I think it is ok to be wary of those in power (especially our president). We need to hold them accountable, yes, even Obama. He works for the people and I will have my eye very closely on his presidency as well. The only thing I ask is that you be fair in your judgments.
I have never made it any secret that I dislike the media with a passion. I don't care if they have a liberal or righ-wing agenda. Both sides have their pets from Fox to CNN, from radio talking heads to Hollywood. What bugs me the most is that common citizens like us rely on them to be the watchdogs of our government. We cannot be in every place at every moment so we rely on good news and journalism to get us the data and facts we can rely on to make well informed decisions. THEY are not doing that and it pisses me off. Headline news has turned into an editorial page and I hate them for it.
You do have a good point in saying that we as Americans (including our government) need to start tightening the belt.
One last thing. I actually enjoyed this post. I like being challenged to think.
I wanted to add that I don't know how much Obama was responsible for the spending at his inauguration (but I can see why we need to spend a lot of security). I am sure there are many who would not want to see him as prez.
Last comment, I think one of the first things to watch for with Obama as president is to see if he can stand up to his own party (while trying to pass his economic stimulus package). Already Congress wants to add pork belly to his proposal and he told them he would not accept that. He may have to make some concessions, but I will be watching how he stands up to them and still maintains a working relationship.
Enough has been said on the matter.
Here's an interesting link with some of the itemized expenditures and who is footing the bill.
Even if the taxpayers were footing the bill for this...to compare it to what Bush cost us for his inauguration is pretty irrelevant.
Obama could double the cost of the inauguration, change reelection laws, be reelected to 6 terms and still probably not cost us (the taxpayers) what the Bush Administration has cost us in his 8 years.
Oops, I forgot the link:
http://www.tampabays10.com/news/columnist/story.aspx?storyid=98442&catid=79
Nice TJ, thanks for the links.
All I am saying is, change means change. It doesn't mean go a little higher...
"Inauguration Day 2005 attracted about 300,000 people, which would likely put this year's cost well beyond the $17.3 million spent in 2005."
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/nov/20/15-million-for-inauguration-less-than-cost-for-bus/
Numerous sources are reporting that security is prepping to be ready for as many as 2 million people (the record for a inauguration is 1.2 million for Lyndon B Johnson).
300,000 to 2 million...it isn't Wal-Mart, they probably aren't getting a volume discount.
Sorry, I guess I just don't get the hoopla. You have the first African-American President in history coming in to office after one of the least popular Presidents in history on the heels of one of the worst decades that under-40 something Americans can remember.
We want hope, we want change, and if we spend a few million in the process to kick it off with a bang, so be it...
Plus if you read the link I sent, private donations are paying nearly 1/3 of the cost and law enforment/security costs are nearly $125 million of the total figure.
It's not like he's taken out full page ads in all the major newspapers and said that the first 2 million attendees get their choice between a free Lambourghini or Ferrari.
If you want him to cut costs, he'd simply have to cancel the inauguration.
Thanks for the data TJ, definitely clears things up
No problem. You knew you were going to rile Chris and I up on this. Mission accomplished.
We knew it too but still can't help ourselves...lol...
Yeah, thanks Scott for sucking me back into the blogosphere getting my feathers all ruffled. Cheers
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