'Dear Mr. President:' (Inauguration Party Excess)

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/01/12/opinion/garver/main666408.shtml

Like millions of Americans, I was moved by your appeal to open my heart and wallet at this time and think about the victims of the tsunami in Southeast Asia. Now I'm appealing to you to hold a more modest inauguration celebration so that money can be used for a more appropriate cause.

Currently, the celebration is estimated at a cost of between $40 and $50 million. It's scheduled to go on for four days, and will include nine official balls, countless "unofficial parties," and a parade. I know the dollar isn't worth what it once was, and the price of those little hot dogs keeps going up, but a four-day, $50-million party? Considering what's going on in the world, these plans make Marie Antoinette's "Let them eat cake" attitude seem like the height of sensitivity.

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And that's all I'm asking. I'm not suggesting that you cancel it. Celebrate. Have a party. Have a big party. Get all dressed up and dance at the elegant ball. Have some ribs at the Texas Black Tie and Boots Ball. But don't have a four-day "coronation" that says to the world, "champagne and caviar are more important to us than human lives." Cut back on the party and ask those guys to give their big money to something that's really important — just as you asked all Americans.

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Charity balls instead of self-indulgent balls seem like a pretty good idea at this time. Think of what could be done with that $50 million if you convinced those sponsors to spend their money on more meaningful things than paté and limos. How many parentless victims of the tsunami could be saved with that money? How much body armor could be provided for our soldiers with that money? How many soldiers' families who are having a tough time financially could be helped?