I'm of two minds about Obama's $170 million inaugural. On the one hand, I think we should celebrate Obama's historic election – and 2 million people in DC today agree with me. On the other hand, we're in a bad recession, and many people are hurting, not popping champagne and dancing.
But if authorities in DC, Virginia, and Maryland did not spend money to accommodate these unprecedented crowds, and chaos and trouble ensued, would that be a good exercise in fiscal austerity?
I dunno, you decide.
What Recession? The $170 Million Inauguration
By Scott Mayerowitz
January 19, 2009 | ABC NEWS Business Unit
Obama capped donations at $50,000 per person, which is still more than 10 times what individuals could give to his campaign, but a lot less than the $250,000 cap President Bush had at his last inauguration. Contributions from corporations, labor unions, political action committees and registered lobbyists are not being accepted by Obama.
The inauguration team is also posting all donations of $200 or more on the Internet almost as quickly as they are coming in. The law only requires it to disclose the information 90 days after the actual swearing-in.
Turnout by the general public for the swearing-in ceremony alone is likely to exceed 2 million. Transportation officials estimate that roughly 10,000 charter buses will enter the District with approximately 500,000 riders alone, a number which nearly matches the city's population."
The emergency managers for the three jurisdictions said they expect this to be the most complex and challenging inaugural in history.
"The mass of attendees expected will challenge fire, law enforcement, emergency medical and mass transit capabilities," the governors and mayor wrote. "Moreover, the high volume of buses/traffic, weather factor and other threats will create additional demands."
No comments:
Post a Comment