Re: Obama Inauguration Committee Opens Doors Door To Unlimited Corporate Donations...
A solid chunk of the tab for the 57th inauguration next month will be picked up by loyal supporters and other private donors, as it has been for years. In 2009, Obama raised $53 million in private money for his inauguration, when a record 1.8 million people braved the winter chill to see him take his place in history as America's first black president.
The official activities will span three days,
starting with a National Day of Service on Jan. 19 and culminating on Jan. 21 with the swearing-in, the parade and the balls. Last time, it was four days of events.
As for those inaugural balls, there won't be as many.
There were 10 official balls four years ago, but this time around a source close to the inaugural planning says there will be fewer balls,
though no final number has been decided yet.
Unlike four years ago, he now is accepting money from corporations to help pay for the festivities, and there are no limits on those donations. In 2009, the presidential inaugural committee capped individual donations at $50,000. Lobbyists and political action committees will still be banned from making donations.
Besides the balls and the traditional parade, private money also would pay for items such as giant TV screens on the mall for the swearing-in and thousands of portable toilets.
The other gigantic part of the tab is all the security. That's picked up by taxpayers, but it's harder to put a complete dollar figure on security. The Secret Service says it doesn't discuss those costs. In 2009, the federal government reimbursed the District of Columbia $44 million for the inauguration. That was just for city costs, not Secret Service or military personnel.
The district's reimbursement included about $24 million paid to the Metropolitan Police Department, which hosted about 4,000 officers from surrounding jurisdictions. It also covered some $7 million for communications, call centers, fire and emergency medical services support costs. An additional $3 million was spent on repaving Pennsylvania Avenue for the parade, as well as for bus and traffic operations.
For this inaugural, some public money has already been set aside.
—The Architect of the Capitol has $4.2 million to spruce up the Capitol grounds for the swearing-in ceremony on the west front. That money also pays for the inaugural platform under construction, along with bleachers, and barricades.
—Nearly $2 million has been approved for U.S. Capitol Police.
—$1.2 million has been budgeted for the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, which stages the day's activities on the Capitol grounds, including the traditional inaugural luncheon for the president and vice president. The menu at the luncheon four years ago featured seafood stew, duck, sour cherry chutney and apple cinnamon spongecake......snip~
Big price for inaugural pomp; much private money - Yahoo! News
But the Tickets are free for anyone that would to attend! How do you like the Nation not knowing what it cost for Secret Service and the Military just for a Presidents re-election. Is there some reason we need to waste money over a Re-election of the Same Man to the Same Office? Better yet how does the left like spening all this money for Pomp and Ceremony?
Waste not, but only for a minute or two.....Right?