Anyone else Pissed Off at the 95 Million dollar pricetag for the Inauguration ? | |
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Anonymous Coward User ID: 306964 United States 01/14/2009 10:33 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | [link to www.politico.com] Big donors foot inaugural bill Barack Obama has boasted that his inauguration will be funded by the same small donors who propelled his presidential campaign to victory, but a new analysis shows the inaugural bill is being footed primarily by big-dollar contributors, including many from Wall Street. In fact, nearly 80 percent of the $35.3 million raised by Obama’s inaugural committee can be traced to just 211 individual bundlers, according to an analysis by the non-partisan watchdog group Public Citizen. One Wall Street bundler steered the $300,000 maximum to committee, Louis Susman, a top Citigroup executive, the report found. “No doubt many donors give simply because they want to be part of history,” said Craig Holman, a campaign finance lobbyist for Public Citizen. “But donors and bundlers who represent special interests with business pending before the government and who dole out five-figure checks to the inaugural committee usually want a seat at the table with the new administration.” Though the federal government is pitching in $10 million towards the cost of Obama’s inauguration, his team is planning festivities that could cost as much as $50 million. The privately raised funds will go towards opening up the inauguration so more can participate in it, said inauguration spokeswoman Linda Douglass. The cash will pay for Jumbotrons and audio systems on the mall that will allow the expected massive crowds to watch the proceedings, as well as low-cost or free inaugural balls or concerts. There are almost no limits on inaugural fundraising and Douglass pointed out that Obama is voluntarily disclosing contributions in almost real time, barring contributions from corporations, lobbyists, political action committees and unions and capping individual contributions at $50,000 a person, and bundled contributions at $300,000 per bundler. Other Wall Street bundlers who contributed include: * Mark Gilbert, a senior executive at Lehman Brothers: $185,000 * Robert Wolf, CEO of UBS Americas: $100,000 * Jennifer Scully, a vice president at Goldman Sachs: $100,000 * Bruce Heyman, a manager at Goldman Sachs: $50,000 Bundlers are major fundraisers who corral checks from friends and associates and deliver them to a campaign or committee en masse. Though Obama’s presidential campaign also had its share of bundlers – many of whom are also bundling for the inauguration – the campaign boasted that more than half of the record-shattering $662 million it raised came from small donors. Those donors don’t appear to have had as large an impact on inaugural fundraising, which is typically harder to do than campaign fundraising. It’s difficult to gauge their impact precisely, since Obama’s inauguration web site is not listing donors who gave less than $200, but of the 5,632 reported contributions to the inaugural committee, only 113 came in at $200. Douglass said internal figures show that nearly 200,000 people have contributed to the inaugural committee and that the average donation is $34. |
Mr. Predictor Senior Forum Moderator User ID: 287257 United States 01/14/2009 10:33 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | get all the anti-change hate out of your system after 1/21/09 it may not be tolerated "If there is a new fascism, it won't come from skinheads and punks; it will come from people who eat granola and think they know how the world should be." - Brian Eno |
georgebushworstprezever User ID: 565924 United States 01/14/2009 10:35 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | |
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Anonymous Coward User ID: 304071 Australia 01/14/2009 10:41 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | I'm totally pissed. I work as a tax slave, the govt is printing moneythat my grandkids will have to pay and Washington is blowing 95 million on the inauguration. I'm speechless. Quoting: The Analog GuyLet's say somebody earns $50,000 per year, and they pay $25,000 per year to the government for tax. $95,000,000 is only 3,800 years of tax for one person. Or put it another way, 4000 taxpayers worked for a year to pay for this one day party. |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 593223 United States 01/14/2009 10:41 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Fuck you with a 12 inch cock you complaining cock suckers. Bush and every Prez has had an inauguration - just cause you are pussy whining mamas boys who were fucking assholes when you were spoiled kids - now you complain? oh but it isn't cause your President is Black or Democratic, is it? what fucking hypocritical assholes! go fuck yourselves and whine some more wha wha wha! |
The Analog Guy (OP) User ID: 593226 United States 01/14/2009 10:43 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | 35 million raised privately leaves still 60mil short. I say burn all of your bridges while you still have control of the flame. We are like flies crawling across the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel: We cannot see what angels and gods lie underneath the threshold of our perceptions. We do not live in reality; we live in our paradigms, our habituated perceptions, our illusions; the illusions we share through culture we call reality, but the true historical reality of our condition is invisible to us.” |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 520854 United States 01/14/2009 10:44 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | The real point here is Obama needs to reestablish consumer, investor confidence. He should be showing people that he is going to cut where he can. The money here is trivial compared to the budget, but it would send the right message to scale it down. By not doing so he is sending the wrong message. |
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Anonymous Coward User ID: 592726 United States 01/14/2009 10:46 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | and who is paying for the Mrs Obama to redo the White House with an Interior Designer of the Hollywood stars Quoting: Anonymous Coward 170917is that being paid for by the taxpayers too??? It always is! If something happened to a million people during the inauguration, people would blame the Gov for not having the foresight to have protection. I'm not for increased Gov spending, but sometimes they can't win for losing. |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 520854 United States 01/14/2009 10:46 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Fuck you with a 12 inch cock you complaining cock suckers. Quoting: Anonymous Coward 593223Bush and every Prez has had an inauguration - just cause you are pussy whining mamas boys who were fucking assholes when you were spoiled kids - now you complain? oh but it isn't cause your President is Black or Democratic, is it? what fucking hypocritical assholes! go fuck yourselves and whine some more wha wha wha! No it's because the economy is collapsing. DC should be setting an example. Shows how clueless our leaders are. |
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The Analog Guy (OP) User ID: 501469 United States 01/14/2009 11:10 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Fuck you with a 12 inch cock you complaining cock suckers. Quoting: Anonymous Coward 520854Bush and every Prez has had an inauguration - just cause you are pussy whining mamas boys who were fucking assholes when you were spoiled kids - now you complain? oh but it isn't cause your President is Black or Democratic, is it? what fucking hypocritical assholes! go fuck yourselves and whine some more wha wha wha! No it's because the economy is collapsing. DC should be setting an example. Shows how clueless our leaders are. That's my point entirely. We have an economy on the ropes and it would set a really good example if our commander in chief would set an example of frugality. I say burn all of your bridges while you still have control of the flame. We are like flies crawling across the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel: We cannot see what angels and gods lie underneath the threshold of our perceptions. We do not live in reality; we live in our paradigms, our habituated perceptions, our illusions; the illusions we share through culture we call reality, but the true historical reality of our condition is invisible to us.” |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 586552 United States 01/14/2009 11:11 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | What you all need to realize is that in 30 years that 90 million dollars will be equal to 1 million. Inflation. It lets you spend now and pay less later. As long as the interest rate on said loan is lower than the rate of inflation. They will just inflate it away. |
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The Analog Guy (OP) User ID: 501469 United States 01/14/2009 11:19 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | What you all need to realize is that in 30 years that 90 million dollars will be equal to 1 million. Inflation. It lets you spend now and pay less later. As long as the interest rate on said loan is lower than the rate of inflation. They will just inflate it away. Quoting: Anonymous Coward 586552True, but this reasoning is why we're in the mess we're in today. I say burn all of your bridges while you still have control of the flame. We are like flies crawling across the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel: We cannot see what angels and gods lie underneath the threshold of our perceptions. We do not live in reality; we live in our paradigms, our habituated perceptions, our illusions; the illusions we share through culture we call reality, but the true historical reality of our condition is invisible to us.” |
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Anonymous Coward User ID: 487397 United States 01/16/2009 04:53 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | I don't get why they don't drive the guy to the Supreme Ct bldg, swear 'im in and broadcast it on CSPAN. Mission Accomplished. WTF? They are still treating it like this is 1820 and to prove it happened you have to have a parade & whatnot. It's stupid. |
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