What Recession?

[jonny.illuminati]

this is a little annoying...

i just saw this article on ABC.com ... hmmm... kind of messed up... don't get me wrong, i'm not down on Barack, but really? spending all this cash and freaking closing all of the roads and not honoring monthly passes on metro and trains making people buy "special" tickets for public transportation on the special days...


What Recession? The $170 Million Inauguration
Obama's Inauguration Has Been Financed Partially by Bailed-Out Wall Street Executives

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/Inaug...6665946&page=1

[OliX]

I told you all he's the Antichrist.

I bet whatever you want that he'll lead you all in to war with Iran and bring the red dragon (China) and possibly start third world war.
Did you hear about NPL? Remember how Hitler hypnotized whole nation by using NPL.Obama used it to win election and he used it again in Germany. Why did he had a speech in Germany at all?

[Amelia G]

To have an opinion on this, I think one would have to know how much is generally spent on an inauguration in modern times. To the extent that the article mentions the 2005 inaugural event had a budget of $42.3 million and this one has a budget of $45, that doesn't sound particularly different to me. On the second page of the article, it actually states that Obama capped his inaugural donations at $50k, while the previous inaugural let people donate as much as $250k.

I know the news media made a big fuss about the presidential children going to Sidwell Friends, even though almost all presidential families within living memory have had some member attend there. Is private school in DC expensive? Sure. But it is not news that it is expensive.

So I guess my question is what was spent on the inaugurations of the other presidents we have had in living memory? And not just the two cherry-picked in the ABC article, I'd want to know what the, adjusted for inflation, both public and private cost for each inaugural from living memory was and what the people got from it.

[karyn]

on 2001 inauguration

from fox

Among the dozens of $250,000 donors are Home Depot, Bank of America Corp., Bristol-Myers Squibb and Ford Motor Co. Kevin Sheridan, a spokesman for the committee, said the fund-raisers were confident they would reach their goals. Sales of inaugural memorabilia, another source of revenue, have been even better than in 2001, he said.

[jonny.illuminati]

To have an opinion on this, I think one would have to know how much is generally spent on an inauguration in modern times. To the extent that the article mentions the 2005 inaugural event had a budget of $42.3 million and this one has a budget of $45, that doesn't sound particularly different to me. On the second page of the article, it actually states that Obama capped his inaugural donations at $50k, while the previous inaugural let people donate as much as $250k.

I know the news media made a big fuss about the presidential children going to Sidwell Friends, even though almost all presidential families within living memory have had some member attend there. Is private school in DC expensive? Sure. But it is not news that it is expensive.

So I guess my question is what was spent on the inaugurations of the other presidents we have had in living memory? And not just the two cherry-picked in the ABC article, I'd want to know what the, adjusted for inflation, both public and private cost for each inaugural from living memory was and what the people got from it.

part of the problem i have is "bail out" companies making donations... plus the chaos created where I live...

[jonny.illuminati]

plus total cost needs to be taken into account... i'm not just worried about who is donating what... total cost... impact on workers in the area (non-government)... unprecedented road closures etc...

[Morning Glory]

well it would seem that if there wasn't a recession that so many companies wouldn't be going under. Maybe if all they did was get bailed out and it was business as usual, then I could buy it. But that's a pretty ridiculous and massive conspiracy to dupe over the middle class, when really, there is none needed to accomplish that, they have been doing so just fine for some time right out in the open.

[jonny.illuminati]

110 million plus of this 170 is coming from taxpayer money... security etc...

[Jax]

Obama is no different than picking a republican.

No matter what he does to screw Americans, everyone is going to go along with it like a flock of sheep, cause you know...change and all.

[jonny.illuminati]

i'm not mad at Obama over this... he is just along for the ride like all presidents are...

it's the whole political mess... and taxpayer money...

[Mr Karl]

oh well, it is only money, and they do print it every day...............it's funny, up here lot's of people are taking the day off to watch the rituals.

[ForrestBlack]

110 million plus of this 170 is coming from taxpayer money... security etc...

I would really have to see a reasonable comparison to make a judgment. How much does D.C. spend on extra security when they have pro-choice vs. right to life marches? How much do they spend on extra security for the Fourth of July? A lot of news is really reporting on business as usual as if it were a total outrage and they don't seem to be reporting on the totally outrageous things that actually are costing us billions.

I'm happy D.C. is throwing a huge party for all the world to see. I think it's important for fixing our global reputation if we can demonstrate that we are as a people very happy (even if not 100% satisfied) with our new leadership and that we are at the very least somewhat optimistic and excited about the potential for good to come of it.

[ForrestBlack]

Here is a really interesting deconstruction of the false financial comparisons and just plain bad reporting on this 'story'.

http://mediamatters.org/columns/200901170003

The numbers being reported for the comparative Bush inauguration don't even include security costs.

[Mr Karl]

you know, I have no idea how we go about putting our prime minister in office...............

[Morning Glory]

Obama is no different than picking a republican..

neither is john mccain, whom I seem to recall you supporting. So why is it OK for him, but mindless pandering for the obama crowd?

Don't get me wrong, I think they both suck and of course it's fundamentally a one party system, but that doesn't mean that there isn't still differences between individuals, just like obama is not john kerry, and john mccain isn't george bush.
maybe I'm getting ass fucked either way, but that doesn't mean I'm going to be indifferent as to whether or not I'm getting donkey punched in addition, know what I mean?

[Raza]

Feeding politicians is considered a solid investment by some layers of big business. They expect respectable returns somehow, I'm sure.

[Mindgames]

Feeding politicians is considered a solid investment by some layers of big business. They expect respectable returns somehow, I'm sure.

Why would you want to buy your own choice of legislation when donating to a British politician buys you a peerage? Donating to a Russian politician buys you a city and everyone in it, and donating to an Iraqi politician buys you another day without being shot.

If I'm going to give someone a bajillion in used notes, I expect to get something that sounds good over dinner. You have no idea how forced it sounds to drop "You know that law banning lesbian redheads from owning lawnmowers? That was me." into conversations....

[jonny.illuminati]

Here is a really interesting deconstruction of the false financial comparisons and just plain bad reporting on this 'story'.

http://mediamatters.org/columns/200901170003

The numbers being reported for the comparative Bush inauguration don't even include security costs.

once again....

this is not about Barack and Joe...

i am smart enough to separate the apples from oranges... the final pricetag for both Bush's and Barack's (since he keeps sending me email signed "Barack" that's what i'm going to call him... were friends apparently) will be about the same... difference in my mind is the current economy. I know that the numbers are skewed... hell i spent 20 years in the military and personally provided security to 2 presidents in war zones... i know the game and always read the news with an eye for political slant depending on who is reporting... i even worked in an agency that helped feed stories to all of the major news networks that might have been inaccurate... (always loved watching CNN/BBC/FOX/ and MSNBC report on my "hand fed through a source" BullShit...

Media has become a biased for profit share holder game... hard to find anything without a slant nowadays (but that is a whole different story)

My wife and i both donated enough money to be invited to inauguration events (not enough to get a personal letter mind you, but enough to get an invite to one of the few balls that Barack will actually be at... complete with an autopen signature from our future president) so i am not really anti-Barack... i want things to change in america!

i'm more concerned about the cost to taxpayers in our current economy... my state (Maryland) and my town are spending a lot on this... MD doesn't have the money to provide the additional services nor does Virginia... 40 cops from my town "volunteered" to go to DC to help... let me translate that for you (one of the cops is my friend) the city volunteered them and some didn't want to do it but were forced to... no overtime for our cops...

we bailed out a bunch of banks and wall street companies and now they are giving money to the inauguration committee? hell just give me the money! But that's ok because those same executives who were bailed out once are getting another bailout package (gotta pay for those executive perks somehow) and can cover their donations with new taxpayer money...

a new president in the times we are living should have found a modest way to celebrate and freaking fed the homeless in DC and Baltimore and Chicago with the extra money... hell California could use some of that money since they might start handing out IOUs for welfare, student grants and state tax refunds... WTF can you buy with an IOU? If you are a welfare recipient and you pay your landlord with an IUO and then he can't pay his mortgage then he loses his property and that creates more foreclosures and banking woes...

i'm just talking about being responsible... we don't need an expensive party to celebrate history, we need a new direction for the country! I stand behind my new Commander in Chief because that is what old soldiers do... but please can we get down to the "fixing" part and maybe party later?

**feel free to rip apart my rant... just realize i didn't mean it as an Obama attack, more like a financially irresponsible complaint...

[Cafe_Post_Mortem]

How much did you change things on your first day at the job?

This is a fairly standard procedure and difficult to change, partly because it is what is expected. How do you change that before you are even in office?

As far as the bankers donating, the last I heard they were not excepting donations from companies, just individuals. While the individuals are likely plundering the companies it is at least a layer of difference.

Some people think the money is a waste, others think it is needed, but it is not unusual. Besides, most of the time people can not buy tickets t a historic event as most of them are just inflicted on us.

That my take anyway.

[Morning Glory]

well I think MG pretty much summed it up for why businesses give money to politicians. Now that doesn't mean that they are necessarily corrupt or biased, but it also doesn't mean that they are going to give it back either- even if they wanted to, that would be burning bridges and bad form.

There's another difference in the ball game which is between an "progressive" and a "radical." Being the former means that you play the game with all it's bullshit until you see an opening where you can put in your own effort and maybe make a few changes. The other one means that you do the right thing and try to make a real change, which means not to put up with bullshit politics. Unfortunately there are too many people that are corrupt and the rest of them are "progressive" and they don't want to rock that boat, or at least stick their necks out for you, and you won't be popular in DC. In fact, you'll be the goddamn anti-christ.

[Jax]

neither is john mccain, whom I seem to recall you supporting. So why is it OK for him, but mindless pandering for the obama crowd?

Don't get me wrong, I think they both suck and of course it's fundamentally a one party system, but that doesn't mean that there isn't still differences between individuals, just like obama is not john kerry, and john mccain isn't george bush.
maybe I'm getting ass fucked either way, but that doesn't mean I'm going to be indifferent as to whether or not I'm getting donkey punched in addition, know what I mean?

But Mccain is a republican. Lol.

From what Ive heard, Obamas keeping with a lot of what Bush has set in place. You know, like not bringin the troops home from Iraq until the goal date Bush set for 2010. Wasnt that a major platform Obama ran on? Bringing the troops home?

And quite frankly, I hate politics. I didnt want either candidate. It was just interesting rooting for the guy noone wanted;]

[Raza]

Why would you want to buy your own choice of legislation when donating to a British politician buys you a peerage? Donating to a Russian politician buys you a city and everyone in it, and donating to an Iraqi politician buys you another day without being shot.

If I'm going to give someone a bajillion in used notes, I expect to get something that sounds good over dinner. You have no idea how forced it sounds to drop "You know that law banning lesbian redheads from owning lawnmowers? That was me." into conversations....

[nathanmbailey]

Funny thing is, my unit is already scheduled to go to back to Iraq in August of 2010... Something tells me that goal isn't going to be met...

[Jax]

That sucks. This *war* isnt going to be over for a very long time.

[nathanmbailey]

Even if it did end, I'd just end up in Afghanistan.

[Amelia G]

once again....

this is not about Barack and Joe...

i am smart enough to separate the apples from oranges... the final pricetag for both Bush's and Barack's (since he keeps sending me email signed "Barack" that's what i'm going to call him... were friends apparently) will be about the same... difference in my mind is the current economy. I know that the numbers are skewed... hell i spent 20 years in the military and personally provided security to 2 presidents in war zones... i know the game and always read the news with an eye for political slant depending on who is reporting... i even worked in an agency that helped feed stories to all of the major news networks that might have been inaccurate... (always loved watching CNN/BBC/FOX/ and MSNBC report on my "hand fed through a source" BullShit...

Media has become a biased for profit share holder game... hard to find anything without a slant nowadays (but that is a whole different story)

My wife and i both donated enough money to be invited to inauguration events (not enough to get a personal letter mind you, but enough to get an invite to one of the few balls that Barack will actually be at... complete with an autopen signature from our future president) so i am not really anti-Barack... i want things to change in america!

i'm more concerned about the cost to taxpayers in our current economy... my state (Maryland) and my town are spending a lot on this... MD doesn't have the money to provide the additional services nor does Virginia... 40 cops from my town "volunteered" to go to DC to help... let me translate that for you (one of the cops is my friend) the city volunteered them and some didn't want to do it but were forced to... no overtime for our cops...

we bailed out a bunch of banks and wall street companies and now they are giving money to the inauguration committee? hell just give me the money! But that's ok because those same executives who were bailed out once are getting another bailout package (gotta pay for those executive perks somehow) and can cover their donations with new taxpayer money...

a new president in the times we are living should have found a modest way to celebrate and freaking fed the homeless in DC and Baltimore and Chicago with the extra money... hell California could use some of that money since they might start handing out IOUs for welfare, student grants and state tax refunds... WTF can you buy with an IOU? If you are a welfare recipient and you pay your landlord with an IUO and then he can't pay his mortgage then he loses his property and that creates more foreclosures and banking woes...

i'm just talking about being responsible... we don't need an expensive party to celebrate history, we need a new direction for the country! I stand behind my new Commander in Chief because that is what old soldiers do... but please can we get down to the "fixing" part and maybe party later?

**feel free to rip apart my rant... just realize i didn't mean it as an Obama attack, more like a financially irresponsible complaint...

I'm a lot more stressed out about giving hundreds of billions to a bunch of bankers, who won't even report what they are doing with the money.

Tens of millions to make America look better on the world stage is kinda chump change in government budget terms.

Hundreds of billions being given in a bipartisan fashion to bunch of banks who are royally screwing their customers? That is an issue for our economy.

[Morning Glory]

It was just interesting rooting for the guy noone wanted;]

Rudi Giuliani?

[jonny.illuminati]

I'm a lot more stressed out about giving hundreds of billions to a bunch of bankers, who won't even report what they are doing with the money.

Tens of millions to make America look better on the world stage is kinda chump change in government budget terms.

Hundreds of billions being given in a bipartisan fashion to bunch of banks who are royally screwing their customers? That is an issue for our economy.

totally and completely agree!

i have to find the newspaper article where the reporter talked to a bank exec and asked him what they were doing with the money and the bank guy said "we don't really track money like that"... are you kidding me? you're a bank! you make a living tracking money!



i am hopeful!

[jonny.illuminati]

But Mccain is a republican. Lol.

From what Ive heard, Obamas keeping with a lot of what Bush has set in place. You know, like not bringin the troops home from Iraq until the goal date Bush set for 2010. Wasnt that a major platform Obama ran on? Bringing the troops home?

And quite frankly, I hate politics. I didnt want either candidate. It was just interesting rooting for the guy noone wanted;]

and closing GITMO, but now that is delayed...

most of the BUSH "evil incarnate" administration security policies are being left in place by the new "savior of america" president... including that crazy illegal wiretapping stuff and some other interesting things... sort of status quo... but i'm all for tighter security in america so i'm being supportive of keeping current evil policies ... hell even the ACLU has already attacked Obama and he wasn't even in office yet...

there is a lot to do in the fist 100 days and the next few years so i for one am going to try to only be slightly cynical and negative... but i am hoping for the best!

[Jax]

Rudi Giuliani?

Gore! Wait did he run this time?

I dont really pay attention unless I read it on yahoo.

[thegreendevil76]

[QUOTE=jonny.illuminati]this is a little annoying...

i just saw this article on *******... hmmm... kind of messed up... don't get me wrong, i'm not down on Barack, but really? spending all this cash and freaking closing all of the roads and not honoring monthly passes on metro and trains making people buy "special" tickets for public transportation on the special days...


What Recession? The $170 Million Inauguration
Obama's Inauguration Has Been Financed Partially by Bailed-Out Wall Street Executives

DC Metro system has always been pretty useless and overpriced so this is really no shock. When it was under a buck for a token to get anywhere in NY, Chicago, or Boston, DC Metro had a complicated fare schedule with variations for time of day and destination. The trains stopped running really early, too. I can remember getting a good bit of exercise as a teenager running to the station from the old 9:30 Club so I wasn't left hitch-hiking home. On the plus side it is very clean ( I have never seen a homeless guy screaming for Charlene while fucking an old plastic trash bag on DC's trains, but I sure have on NYC'S!) becauase of the cost and the Metro Transit cops, who I'm pretty sure will throw you onto the third rail if you are caught eating or drinking on the platform.

As far as the cost for the event...I agree that we needed the show to repair our image, but much of the real cost comes from the fact that there were A LOT more people attending this year, requiring extra security to manage the crowds Fortunately, the city and surrounding suburbs are enjoying a windfall of tourist dollars from the feeding, housing, and retail spending of a couple million attendees.

[Velvet-Tongue]

Its over. Please. No more.

[Amelia G]

[QUOTE=thegreendevil76]

this is a little annoying...

i just saw this article on *******... hmmm... kind of messed up... don't get me wrong, i'm not down on Barack, but really? spending all this cash and freaking closing all of the roads and not honoring monthly passes on metro and trains making people buy "special" tickets for public transportation on the special days...


What Recession? The $170 Million Inauguration
Obama's Inauguration Has Been Financed Partially by Bailed-Out Wall Street Executives

DC Metro system has always been pretty useless and overpriced so this is really no shock. When it was under a buck for a token to get anywhere in NY, Chicago, or Boston, DC Metro had a complicated fare schedule with variations for time of day and destination. The trains stopped running really early, too. I can remember getting a good bit of exercise as a teenager running to the station from the old 9:30 Club so I wasn't left hitch-hiking home. On the plus side it is very clean ( I have never seen a homeless guy screaming for Charlene while fucking an old plastic trash bag on DC's trains, but I sure have on NYC'S!) becauase of the cost and the Metro Transit cops, who I'm pretty sure will throw you onto the third rail if you are caught eating or drinking on the platform.

As far as the cost for the event...I agree that we needed the show to repair our image, but much of the real cost comes from the fact that there were A LOT more people attending this year, requiring extra security to manage the crowds Fortunately, the city and surrounding suburbs are enjoying a windfall of tourist dollars from the feeding, housing, and retail spending of a couple million attendees.

I lived in the DC area for a number of years and it is the only non-European place I ever lived where I took the train pretty much at all and the only place period I ever lived anywhere where I regularly took the train. I owned a car for much of the time I lived there too. The DC Metro is (or at least was) clean and safe and well-lit. My only beef with it was that you couldn't eat on it and I like to eat sorta constantly in small amounts. But I think that rule did help keep it non-gross. I never got thrown on the third rail, but I think it was like a $300 fine, which seemed like impossible wealth at the time. Now, I might just take my chances if it is the same. The only thing which would have improved it would have been running it later at night.

[Ajax Knucklebones]

You want to know what scared me right off the bat about Obama? That his pre-president staff was all big into delaying the analog to digital transition because they didn't think poor people know enough about it. It scares me because, PLEASE, with all the shit going on with the economy, THIS is one of their big projects that they see as important and also, for fucks sake, for the last 12 months, every fuckin' day, they flash the message about the switch in February of analog to digital. How could ANYBODY not know it's coming up? The only people who wouldn't know is the people that don't watch T.V. in the first place.

I don't know why this freaks me out. I guess it's just because this shit seems so trivial yet, for some reason his committee focused on it right away. There is so much more bigger fish to fry.

I know Obama means "change"...I just hope it's "change" with a purpose, rather than just pushing your power around to show you're gettin' shit done... No matter how inconsequential that shit is.

[TheDeathKnight]

The big reason the republicans lost this election, is because Bush and the other republican leaders did not admit they fucked up. With both the war, and the economy...

So people felt like they had to vote for a democrat, because the decisions of the last republican administration did not work out very well for a lot of Americans. We see soldiers coming home missing limbs, we see people losing jobs, and people are not happy about it.

I am not saying that Obama will change business as usual in Washington. But he has promised to do things differently, and I am pretty sure he will.
Will that work out? Who knows. But people are sick of the crappy decisions of the Bush administration. So it's time to let someone else have a shot at it... Simple as that.

[Buster Friendly]

The big reason the republicans lost this election, is because Bush and the other republican leaders did not admit they fucked up. With both the war, and the economy...

.

Well, that and McCain let his campaign be run by a pack of clowns, while Obama ran a slick ass, tight one. You know.

[thegreendevil76]

I don't think the Republicans even really wanted to win this election. McCain was a pretty good choice for the Republican party (if they ran him 8 years ago) because they needed a moderate candidate that could play well with others. Then instead of acting like the man he has been for his whole career, he starts kowtowing to the far right. Why? What were they going to do...vote Democrat? Also it just alienated all the middle-of-the-road voters who would be interested in his economic policies and he didn't do enough to seperate/distinguish himself from Bush. The only thing he had in his favor over Obama was a lot of experience. He might have ridden that to the White House, but then they dug up Sarah Palin. You guys already know that story so I'll just say that she was a huge fucking train wreck turned albatross around McCain's neck. It just seems to me that the McCain campaign intentionally shot themselves in their collective feet at every turn. Maybe they didn't want to be there when the economy really implodes? Sure would be nice for them if they could take this as a rebuilding term and blame Obama when shit gets worse.

[Mr Karl]

oh well, as long as it's interesting..................one day we've got to find out wich consperacy theory is the right one

[Ajax Knucklebones]

oh well, as long as it's interesting..................one day we've got to find out wich consperacy theory is the right one

That would be great. I still want to find out if it's true that JFK landed on moon, met up with some aliens, bigfoot, and the loch ness monster and conspired with them to have "Muslims" fly into the twin towers.

I think it's all true. I read it on the computer.

[Mr Karl]

the computer never lies................it told me so