Obama's inauguration...tad extravigant??

...At $130 it's four times MORE than Bush's 2004 (which at that time was the most costly inauguration in history at $55 million). Considering the economy, the bail outs, the unemployment...the talk of sacrifices by the American people in these times...

of trouble...Wouldn't it seem more leader-like to sacrifice a bit himself??

p

well it's not like he planned the thing. his planners did. why are you going to blame him for something someone else did... he's not even really president until AFTER the ceremony.

I don't believe he has no say in the matter...I'm sure had he said, NO...we're going to keep some of these costs down, we're not going to burden the taxpayers with an extravagant party during these bad times , that's precisely how it would be.

p

ok but seriously... he's the first black president. 1000000000 more people are going to be watching this year because of it's historical significance. the tax payers are just as much to blame for the economy sucking because too many people still live outside their means. besides... it's not like the money disappears when they use it. it goes to someone else thus stimulating the economy and causing cash flow. All our money is fake anyway.

Well, if Bush's inaguration cost $55 million 4 times would be $220 million. Adjusting for inflation it is only about double what was spent on Bush's event. Of course this wouldn't be the first time conservatives have trouble with basic math

I've read conflicting reports about who is paying for it. Some articles I read said it was funded by private donations while other articles said tax payers picked up the tab.

In any case it doesn't seem excessive to me.

I've also heard about the private contributors, and that Obama had his own fundraisers for the event.

I read that this isn't an apples-to-apples comparison.

The figure for Obama's inauguration includes the cost of security. The figure for Bush's inauguration ignores this cost.