Boston Globe: Things you could buy with $40 million

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2005/01/13/some_now_question_cost_of_inauguration/

Some now question cost of inauguration

By Will Lester, Associated Press Writer | January 13, 2005

WASHINGTON -- President Bush's second inauguration will cost tens of millions of dollars -- $40 million alone in private donations for the balls, parade and other invitation-only parties. With that kind of money, what could you buy?

--200 armored Humvees with the best armor for troops in Iraq.

--Vaccinations and preventive health care for 22 million children in regions devastated by the tsunami.

--A down payment on the nation's deficit, which hit a record-breaking $412 billion last year.

--Two years' salary for the Mets' new center fielder Carlos Beltran, or all of pitcher Randy Johnson's contract extension with the New York Yankees.

Weeks ago, the inauguration and its accompanying costs were considered a given, an historic ceremony with all the pomp, pageantry and celebrations that the nation had come to expect every four years. But a recent confluence of events -- the tsunami natural disaster, Bush's warning about Social Security finances and the $5 billion-a-month price tag for the war in Iraq -- have many Americans now wondering why spend the money the second time around.

[BlueJazz]

1. You know....I can rather understand the pomp and stuff....

...the first time around but after that it's so uninteresting and wasteful.

I mean, when I got the Network Engineer job at Kodak (Years ago) I celebrated some but 2 years later when I was renewed, I didn't make that big a deal out of it.

[lostnfound]

2. It could ALMOST buy you 2 Kenneth Starr witchhunts

Two for one deal, investigate 1 brief quasi-affair with a White House intern + 1 non-affair -- a small investment in some Arkansas land -- trumped up into a massive quasi-scandal with a whole lot of hot air -- yours for the low, low price of $47 Million.

For guys that love money so much, Republicans sure like to waste it.