presidential inauguration :: RunningForums.com

phillycat wrote:

I don't think that people who have the means, such as those who are contributing to W's party, do enough to help others right here at home. I'm making a generalization obviously, but wouldn't it be great if we lived in a society where "keeping up with the Jones" meant how much charity and volunteer work you did?

That's the bottom line right there, PC, but again, who are we to tell anyone else (private I mean, not the government) how to spend their money? If you think back to a simpler age, rich men's wives DID see it as a symbol of status to become involved in many philanthropic organizations. When did that change, and why? I agree, people who have the money "should" do more to help others that don't, but people "should" do a lot of things differently. Where does one start to make that change?

genie wrote:

I have an idea! Give ME all of their $$$ and I'll show them how it's done! Mr. Green

phillycat wrote:

I have an idea! Give ME all of their $$$ and I'll show them how it's done! Mr. Green

I sense a large increase in chocolate stock prices shortly after that happens Wink

cherylpf wrote:

Even still though, reading about the WWII "war effort" and the sacrifices that were made country wide in the name of patriotism and support of our troops and the war, it would have been considered ostentatious to have a lavish party and drop $10,000, gift or no, on a party dress while the boys were still overseas fighting. Its a very different war, economy, political environment, etc, that we're in right now, however, I wish more of that mentality were present today, just respect. I'm probably reading too much into it all.

Interesting article
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=615&e=8&u=/nm/bush_cost_dc

Quote:

Political scientist George Edwards of Texas A & M University said he didn't fault the president's supporters for indulging in a little splendor but said the huge donations feed a cynical view of the influence of special interests.

Quote:

Donors to the inaugural celebrations include corporations such as Ford Motor Co., Marathon Oil and Northrop Grumman as well as lobby groups like the American Bankers Association and the National Association of Home Builders.

Quote:

Washington officials are upset that the federal government has told them to use homeland security grants to pay costs associated with the inauguration. Mayor Anthony Williams estimated the inauguration would cost the cash-strapped city about $17.3 million.

That is interesting, I wonder how much proportionally speaking to today's figures $1.6M back in 1965 is:

Quote:

President Lyndon Johnson did not eschew pageantry in 1965, racking up a $1.6 million bill for inaugural festivities despite the Vietnam War, historian Robert Dallek noted.

genie wrote:

That is interesting, I wonder how much proportionally speaking to today's figures $1.6M back in 1965 is:

Quote:

President Lyndon Johnson did not eschew pageantry in 1965, racking up a $1.6 million bill for inaugural festivities despite the Vietnam War, historian Robert Dallek noted.

What cost $1,600,000 in 1965 would cost $9,345,600 in 2003 based on CPI inflation figures. I used this one http://www1.jsc.nasa.gov/bu2/inflateCPI.html

genie wrote:

That is interesting, I wonder how much proportionally speaking to today's figures $1.6M back in 1965 is:

Quote:

President Lyndon Johnson did not eschew pageantry in 1965, racking up a $1.6 million bill for inaugural festivities despite the Vietnam War, historian Robert Dallek noted.

a better reference would have been 1969 with Nixon.
In 1965 the war was far less controversial and the US was so much less involved.

By mid 1965, troop levels were 180,000
the gulf of Tonkin Resolution was passed in 1964 on 07 August

the election of 1968 was a vote on the war basically.
by 1969 it peaked at 543,000 and declined significantly afterwards

source

a lot of estimates, but wow.

Quote:

60 agencies with command centers with each at least 3 people (I guess): 60 * 3 * $600 = $108,000
Overtime expenses 2000 Washington D.C. police officers: $8.800.000
Overtime and other expenses for 1,000 police officers from other districts: $2.700.000
3000 additional law enforcement officers needed on the 20th: 3000 * $500 = $1,500,000
7200 US troops: 7200 * $400 = $2,880,000
All kinds of emergency teams on standby (biohazard, radiation, hospitals, public works,...): $2,500,000
Several hundred surveillance camera's. Let's say one man can monitor 20. Let's put the number of camera's at 400. That makes 20 mandays. And we should include the tapes (they start filming the day before, max 3 hour per tape, that's 8 tapes per camera = 3200 tapes at $2 = $6,400): 20 * $400 + $6,400 = $14,400
24 dogs with man for three whole days (bombsniffing starts early): 24 * 3 * $800 = $57,600
At least two helicopters with two people in it in the air constantly: 2 * $10,000 + 2 * 2 * $1,000 = $24,000
Harbor patrols. 2 * $10,000 + 2 * 3 * $500 = $26,000
Fighter planes 2 * $20,000 = $40,000
Removing streetlights and welding manholes (and undoing it all): 20 workers * 2 * $200 = $8,000
Setting up and removing 12 entry points for the public: 12 * $1,000 = $12,000
Building viewing stands: $3,000,000
Develop special license tags: $43,260
Cleaning the streets after the festivities: $100,000
Press conference by Homeland Security and "Showing around" by Homeland security (wild guess): $10,000
Closing some metro stations for one day. Planning, instructing and informing people: $10,000
January 16th dress rehearsal with 4000 servicemembers: 4,000 * $300 = $1,200,000
Construction project to spruce up the West Front of the Capitol (where the ceremony will take place $2.800.000
2 people preparing the event starting a year ago (see defenselink): 2 * 200 * $500 = $200,000
Preparing and planning all this. Let's say 1 planner for every 100 people active and that each planner spends at least 10 days planning (conservative estimate). Planners are more expensive. Total people mentioned before 180+6000+7200+700+20+20+4+6+4 = 14134. That makes 140 planners: 140 * 10 * $600 = $840,000
Let's say one manager for every 20 planners (=7) and one overall manager (very expensive). These should start earlier. Let's say 20 days each: 7 * 20 * $1,500 + 1 * 20 * $2,000 = $250,000
Support staff (you can't do without them). One for the managers (20 days) and 5 for the planners (10 days): 1*20 * $300 + 5 * 10 * $300 = $21,000
Public relations officer (20 days): 20 * $600 = $12,000
Software special for this occasion. Wild (but very conservative) guess: $100,000
Computers special for this occasion. Wild (but again very conservative) guess: $50,000
Regular amount of money made available for the formal part of the inauguration (swearing in): $1,250,000

That makes a grand total of: $29,056,260.

rtpd113 wrote:

I am NOT being sarcastic. That is a point I am making, I think the federal level law enforcement is too large. For example, DEA, ATF and the FBI all do drug investigations.

HOLY CRAP! Joe and I agree on something political. (No, I am not being sarcastic either. It's nice sometimes to find common ground.) Mr. Green

oh the irony Shocked

I have an invite to the inauguration Mr. Green

sitting on my kitchen counter

I got a x-mas card last month

do you think my hubby's giving money to the cause Mad

runaroundsue wrote:

oh the irony Shocked

I have an invite to the inauguration Mr. Green

sitting on my kitchen counter

I got a x-mas card last month

do you think my hubby's giving money to the cause Mad

He must be. My roomie did and he got a Christmas card too. Mr. Green

cherylpf wrote:

What cost $1,600,000 in 1965 would cost $9,345,600 in 2003 based on CPI inflation figures. I used this one http://www1.jsc.nasa.gov/bu2/inflateCPI.html

That's interesting, but not exactly what I was asking. It's like, back in our parents or grandparents' day, making $25/week was living high. Making that now is poverty. Minimum wage when I was 16 was somewhere around $3.10/hour, I think. Now it's what.....5 something? I think what I was trying to say is, a million dollars back in 1965 was probably a lot more Shocked

than it is now. For me it's still Shocked

but to the president or similar high level gov'mint officials or Hollyweirdoes, that's nothing. Some of those knotheads get paid that for one episode of a sitcom. I bet they didn't back in 1965. That's really where I was going so I bet if you look at it from that proportion, it's a lot greater disparity.

Also, consider that this is post-911 days too, where heightened security alone is going to cost millions of dollars more than what Clinton needed during pre-911, or Reagan needed in the 80's, or Nixon, not to pick on Clinton per se.......so that in itself, if you add it to the cost of Clinton's parties, would up the ante out of necessity. I'm not saying there AREN'T some extravagances that are not needed, I bet there are, but if you use Clinton's $29M as a benchmark, you have to account for added security, and from Po Po's totals down there, the costs are substantial.

Did anyone hear Tom Ridge yesterday?

He said that (and I'm paraphrasing) anyone, for any reason, trying to disrupt the inauguration in any way would be met with the strongest force possible.

Of course that means internal dissenters chanting anti-Bush slogans far more than international terrorists.

Once again: You're either with W, or agin' him. And if you're agin' him in any way, watch the flurk out, 'cause they're comin' to get ya!!!

So one could get arrested for turning one's back on Bush during the parade? Great. The judges will love having to waste time on that litigation.

RexRacer wrote:

Apparently there is going to be a Bush protest here on campus. They are going to meet here at the Bell Tower then march to City Hall. Let's see if it still happens with the recent snowfall!

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