Is anyone having an Inaugural Party? Menu/recipes here

http://inaugural.senate.gov/documents/doc-2009-recipes.pdf

My friend is having a bon voyage party this Saturday that's been in the planning for two years. Lotsa beer and wine and probably stuff for the grill. Oh, plus fireworks.

Gee, an inaugural party? I feel sorry for anyone who's never had a party.

Personally, it's more of a "good riddance" party than an inaugural party. And I'm looking forward to it.

Lots of money being wasted on this party.....given how people are hurting right now, it would have been more appropriate and considerate to keep it less than low-key. It would have set better with the populace.

Hold it at Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza? I'm a member of the populace, and I think many other members are clamoring to see the inauguration for the first Black president. It's supposed to be one of the largest ever, which proves its popularity. Ritual does have its place. Besides, the money spent would barely show up on the federal budget.

Lots of money being wasted on this party.....given how people are hurting right now, it would have been more appropriate and considerate to keep it less than low-key. It would have set better with the populace.

I believe the expense for this party will be much like the expense for the gowns that show up on the red carpet at the Oscars. Pretty much donated by those who want to be part of the event. If not, as a member of the proletariat, populace, plebian class, I think any amount of money spent for this party is not too much -- so, I definitely don't consider it a waste. I, for one, am glad to say I lived to see it!! And I am spending every penny I can afford just to be in the area to breathe the air.

I have two friends in Albuquerque who will be attending the inauguration--one was officially invited to the inauguration. Her 20-year-old son didn't want to go, so she invited a friend to go along with her. The son will surely regret his decision someday. The other friend is flying to Chicago to drive with her parents to D.C. to be part of the throngs. I'll watch it from my couch.

I believe the expense for this party will be much like the expense for the gowns that show up on the red carpet at the Oscars. Pretty much donated by those who want to be part of the event.

So who is donating the money to cover the massive bill for security? Georgio Armani or Ralph Lauren?

The same people who donated security for the Bush inaugurations.

Jo Ann said:

I am spending every penny I can afford just to be in the area to breathe the air.

Look for me! I'll be half of the middle-aged white couple crying during the speech...

So who is donating the money to cover the massive bill for security? Georgio Armani or Ralph Lauren?

I didn't see massive security on the party menu! But, I've got an idea, why don't we add a special tax on those who make such a bill necessary?! We can add it to hand gun sales!

[Jenise]

So who is donating the money to cover the massive bill for security? Georgio Armani or Ralph Lauren?

I didn't see massive security on the party menu! But, I've got an idea, why don't we add a special tax on those who make such a bill necessary?! We can add it to hand gun sales!

I like the way you think!

Lots of money being wasted on this party.....given how people are hurting right now, it would have been more appropriate and considerate to keep it less than low-key. It would have set better with the populace.

Word is out...this inauguration (or coronation) will cost over $150 million. To put this in perspective: George Bush II ($45M) and Bill Clinton ($33M).

Goes with the record amounts spent on his campaign. Change you can believe in!

The same people who donated security for the Bush inaugurations.

L.L. Bean?

[Jenise]

Lots of money being wasted on this party.....given how people are hurting right now, it would have been more appropriate and considerate to keep it less than low-key. It would have set better with the populace.

Word is out...this inauguration (or coronation) will cost over $150 million. To put this in perspective: George Bush II ($45M) and Bill Clinton ($33M).

And you have that as fact?

According to ABC News, you're wrong. http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/Inauguration/story?id=426152

And according to the next website I looked after that one, in order, when I googled "inaugural spendding", up popped somoene discussing the prospect that Obama's inaugural would cost $45 mil vs. Bush's $40 mil.

Point is, there are a zillion numbers floating around and the the numbers estimating the cost of Obama's inaugural are nowhere close to your numbers. For that matter, neither are the costs attributed to Bush's inagural, but that's a minor exxageration compared to your Obama numbers. I'm just curious, what expertise do you have that mainstream news sources don't?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldne ... -110m.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/ja ... ation-cost
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/12/20/ ... price.tag/ (costs to the city of DC alone are more than $50MM)
http://www.associatedcontent.com/articl ... ed_to.html
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,479955,00.html (they agree with ABC's $50MM)
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politic ... ve_ev.html

So I guess the answer is, most expensive in history, but how expensive depends on how you do the accounting and who does it.

Jenise - no reason to jump all over me. I am just quoting the news. I had my information from the Guardian article that Stuart provided a link to.

Here's an excerpt from the NY Daily News:

Obama’s inaugural committee is in the midst of raising roughly $45 million in private funds, exceeding the $42.3 million President Bush spent in 2005. In 1993, Clinton spent $33 million when Democrats returned to the White House for the first time in 12 years.

As in previous years, the costs borne by the taxpayers, for security and emergency medical services, far surpasses the privately funded events.

The federal government has budgeted $49 million for this year’s inauguration, more than triple what taxpayers spent at Bush’s first inauguration in 2001, according to the Office of Management and Budget.

Earlier this year, the District of Columbia, Virginia, Maryland and the Washington transit authority sent a request to federal lawmakers for more than $75 million to cover a variety of inaugural costs ranging from security to transportation.

Jenise is not jumping on you; you'd know the difference if she did. Your comparisons might not be parallel. Do the Bush vs Obama examples both contain transit authority figures?

As a side point, it may sound corny but to some extent this is not 'Obama's' inauguration as much as it is a ceremony (and festival) for the entire country. Or at least for the millions of people coming to DC.

Also, whatever the figure, much of it is going to the solid middle income and lower income people working over this long weekend. Unlike the bailouts that got guzzled up in jetfuel costs.

Also, whatever the figure, much of it is going to the solid middle income and lower income people working over this long weekend.

Good point. With all of those visitors, the event should be a windfall for the panhandlers.

the event should be a windfall for the panhandlers.

If they don't freeze to death first!

[Robin Garr]

As a side point, it may sound corny but to some extent this is not 'Obama's' inauguration as much as it is a ceremony (and festival) for the entire country. Or at least for the millions of people coming to DC.

Also, whatever the figure, much of it is going to the solid middle income and lower income people working over this long weekend. Unlike the bailouts that got guzzled up in jetfuel costs.

Well said ... and it should be added that the costs of security are likely exacerbated by concerns about the Klan, Aryan Nation and other delightful far-right wingnuts who could likely form a much more immediate threat to this president than Al Qaeda in ths hills of Pakistan.