The Official Inauguration Thread.....

[bobsticks]

Me done.


srry

[Smokey]

I'll wait 'til our great philosopher, Mr. sticks gets everything he needs to, off his chest.

Hope you brought a sleeping bag

[Auricauricle]

I like the Echoes quote, Tex!

[JSE]

I do believe I said that part of it was paid for by his supporters.

Nope you said the "whole" inauguration celebration.

The cost above & beyond the regular inauguration expenses has been borne by his supporters. And as far as the extra security, I sure as hell expect my tax dollars to be spent there. Among other things, that's what taxes are for: security, police, and peace of mind. And I seriously doubt anyone in their right mind would expect us to skimp on security on this of all days. If something had happened, we would be looking at another 9/11-type embarrassment, even if it did come from within our own borders this time. It doesn't matter who's the next president, the security has to be adequate. Now quit your whining.:

No whining here. Just amazed at how the extravagance of this inauguration has seemed to get a pass when this country is in a horrific financial mess. What kind of message has this sent? Granted I guess most don't seem to care. Typical.

I wonder if any of that "Wall Street" money donated buy Obama supporters trickled down from bailing their pathetic asses out?

Or are you just pissed 'cause your guy didn't win? Well, tough. Live with it. And live with the fact that the vast majority of the people in this country don't agree with you, either.

Do you even know who "my guy" was? I did not want either of the candidates in office. I thought they were both bad for this country in terms of their political beliefs. Try again.

The "Vast" Majority? Might want to check the numbers again their flier. Maybe a simple majority but not a vast one.

And as far as liberals being big spenders, which is what you're fishing for, I seriously doubt you can make such a claim after these past 8 years of the worst spending, waste, and corruption we have ever had in a president's term.

So let's just give Obama a pass huh? Bush did it so now it's our turn!

I don't like government spending whether it's a product of Bush, Clinton, Obama, Oprah.


My point is this. Obama campaigned on change. So far in his pre inauguration days and today, nothing seems to have changed. DC business as usual. I hope he does well. I really do. I hope he is the best president we have ever had. He is my president and I will support him as such. Of course that does mean I have to always agree with him.

[Rich-n-Texas]

I'm just glad nobody got shot, and one news report said no one got arrested either. THAT's progress.

[Rich-n-Texas]

Now for the "it's all about me" post...

Do all the upcoming "changes" mean I'm going to get laid this year?

[Rich-n-Texas]

I like the Echoes quote, Tex!

Me too. A milestone in Pink Floyd's time on our good earth.

[Rich-n-Texas]

A wittle twouble wiff de oaff of office doe.

[JSE]

Now for the "it's all about me" post...

Do all the upcoming "changes" mean I'm going to get laid this year?

Change not "Miracle", Rich.

Just kidding, SugarBeats seems to like ya.

[Rich-n-Texas]

GM's got her eating out of his hand.

[02audionoob]

Change not "Miracle", Rich.

I typed that exact same response and decided I didn't know Rich well enough to engage.

[Rich-n-Texas]

Hmmm... Seems as though my reputation preceeds me.

[JSE]

I typed that exact same response and decided I didn't know Rich well enough to engage.

Yeah, Rich knows me well enough to know I'm kidding...........................................

[Rich-n-Texas]

Like I said in the other thread Cartman, make sure you hear the snap when you open your bottles of shiner.

(It already tastes like monkey piss, but I'm just sayin'.)

[JSE]

Like I said in the other thread Cartman, make sure you hear the snap when you open your bottles of shiner.

(It already tastes like monkey piss, but I'm just sayin'.)

Watch your mouth! Monkey piss? Them's fightin' words!


JSE takes a six pack of Dundee Honey Brown off the paint shaker machine, packs it and sends it to Rich.

[Sugar Beats]

GM's got her eating out of his hand.

Now wait just a minute Rich! That's not entirely true! Only sometimes.
You haven't even tried! Where's your effort man!


I'm just glad nobody got shot, and one news report said no one got arrested either. THAT's progress.

I agree w/ that. My dad was a Secret Service agent for a very long time. There were times when he was off doing his duty, protecting the Pres. and I can recall things were worrisome. Wasn't always sure he was going to make it home.

Also I echo what FA said earlier...
He appears, to me, to be a man of logic, reason, cool-headedness and, as my husband put it, class. I hope that time proves me right.

And I think time will tell.

[Pat D]

Either you are drunk or you just don't what the hell you are talking about.

Only part of the inauguration was paid for by Obama's supporters. About $125 million is being spent by the Fed. Who do you think is paying for all the added security in terms of police, fire, secret service, FBI, municiple services, waste services, etc? Not Obama! We are.

Get a clue!

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

So, how much did the Bush inaugurations cost? How much was spent by the federal government?

The figures some of the media bandy about for the Bush inauguration in 2005 do not include the costs of security and transportation, whereas the figures for Obama's inauguration (a much bigger event, BTW) do include them. This is hardly fair. Here's a report from 2005:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...2005Jan19.html

Here is some comment on the way the media are handling the Obama inauguration expenses.

http://mediamatters.org/items/200901180003

So it does not seem that the expenses for Obama's inauguration are out of line with precedent.

[JSE]

So, how much did the Bush inaugurations cost? How much was spent by the federal government?

The figures some of the media bandy about for the Bush inauguration in 2005 do not include the costs of security and transportation, whereas the figures for Obama's inauguration (a much bigger event, BTW) do include them. This is hardly fair. Here's a report from 2005:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...2005Jan19.html

Here is some comment on the way the media are handling the Obama inauguration expenses.

http://mediamatters.org/items/200901180003

So it does not seem that the expenses for Obama's inauguration are out of line with precedent.

Bush was also not being inaugurated during the worst economic disaster since the great depression. Obama has made our economic woes his #1 priority. Am I the only one who thinks the money spent on "this" inauguration seems to be excessive during this time? Regardless of who had been elected, if that person has spent this kind of money with our economy in the tank, I would still be blasting him/her. Obama said in several of his recent speeches Americans are going to have to tighten up their belts and make some sacrifices to get through these bad economic times. Well, he has started out by setting a great example.

Again, DC business as usual.

[Rich-n-Texas]

GM's got her eating out of his hand.

Now wait just a minute Rich! That's not entirely true! Only sometimes.
You haven't even tried! Where's your effort man!

Ain't no way I'm eating outta GM's hand! No way no how!

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

I was thinking of SirTtT and this post this morning.

.

FA, thanks for the thought. I spent the entire day with my boys watching the festivities. Looking at that crowd was so moving. Seeing people from all races together crying and celebrating was very moving for me. This is the kind of America I like to see, an America that has not looked like this for a long time. My son Jerry commented that watching the inauguration was like watching the inclusive take the baton from the exclusive. He kept commenting that he wanted to kick the helicopter Bush was in, so it would hurry up and fly away! I just wish my God parents could have been alive to see this. My God mother was in the march at Selma. She was just a very young girl at the time, and I remembered her telling me how scared she was because they didn't know what was going to happen to them. Her stories about southern life used to anger me to no end, but I am thankful that God knew exactly the right time for my birth. I would have been killed if I was around back then.

Both of my sons were happy to see an African American President, but they said they will be really joyous when they see a Latino American President. I told them no doubt we will in my lifetime.

[Sugar Beats]

Ain't no way I'm eating outta GM's hand! No way no how!

That's funny Rich, GM already told me you had...

more than once too.

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

Bush was also not being inaugurated during the worst economic disaster since the great depression. Obama has made our economic woes his #1 priority. Am I the only one who thinks the money spent on "this" inauguration seems to be excessive during this time? Regardless of who had been elected, if that person has spent this kind of money with our economy in the tank, I would still be blasting him/her. Obama said in several of his recent speeches Americans are going to have to tighten up their belts and make some sacrifices to get through these bad economic times. Well, he has started out by setting a great example.

Again, DC business as usual.

JSE, I do not know if you heard about the drubbing Carter got for trying to be thrifty during an inauguration. His wife got body slammed for wearing a previously worn dress to the ball. When it comes to these kinds of historical moments, I am less worried about the cost of a one time event, than I am about the greed and selfishness of the American CEO.

[Feanor]

Bush was also not being inaugurated during the worst economic disaster since the great depression. Obama has made our economic woes his #1 priority. Am I the only one who thinks the money spent on "this" inauguration seems to be excessive during this time? Regardless of who had been elected, if that person has spent this kind of money with our economy in the tank, I would still be blasting him/her. Obama said in several of his recent speeches Americans are going to have to tighten up their belts and make some sacrifices to get through these bad economic times. Well, he has started out by setting a great example.

Again, DC business as usual.

Maybe I'm more perverse than people give me credit for. Watching the Inauguration, (I has home sick with a cold -- really), I was brought to mind of the Nuremburg Rally of 1934.

The country in question was still in the mist of the Great Depression, yet a great deal as spend on the Rally; I dare say a great deal more in real-dollar terms than was spent on the 2009 Inauguration. Yet nobody made a fuss about the cost.

By the way, they made a movie of it: check it out some time.

... Triumph of the Will; available from Amazon ...

[nightflier]

Well Obama did more in his first few hours in office than Bush did the whole of last week, and it's not like he wasn't in a mad rush to get some last minute stuff crammed in. In any case, I think Obama's off to a pretty good start. Even the stock market seems to have rebounded. I'm going to guess that all the Obama-supporting investors were a little too busy partying yesterday to keep the market from sliding, but today they're back in.

Jse,

I also said in the same post "Aside from the regular ceremony expenses, not a penny more came from the taxpayers." My point was that his supporters paid for the lion's share of it. And let's not even try to pin this slander on the Obamas. Barak whore a suit he owns, his kids wore new clothes from, of all places Target, and his wife wore a dress that cost less than $1K. Granted, that's not small change, but compared to the extravagant dresses worn by previous first ladies on inauguration day - Nancy wore a $25K dress that she then never wore again - I think it's fair to say that the Obamas themselves certainly aren't extravagant.

I listened to a few minutes of the conservative talk show hosts this morning (until I almost puked), and they've been harping on how Obama didn't say the oath properly and how he plays Basketball with his body guards or how he can't dance. Let's put aside a minute the question of whether that's a racially-loaded attack. But I don't give a flyin' hoot if he can dunk or dances like a muppet, I care about whether the man can balance a checkbook, can obey the law, can end our wars, and can move people with his speeches, things Bush & McCain were seriously deficient in. Check, check, check, and... check for Obama. But somehow the American media, even the big newspapers seemed to focus on little things.

It's interesting to see how, in contrast to that, the international media is printing long articles about what Obama is going to say about Israel's alleged war crimes, who will replace the American troops in Iraq, and what the details of his economic stimulus package will be. Yesterday I was deeply proud to be an American but today I am reminded of the chasm that Bush's legacy has created between us and the rest of the world. Yesterday I was humbled by the significance of a black man becoming president, but today I am cowed by the enormity of the civil rights mandate he has before him. Yesterday I danced in my living room to the music of Stevie Wonder, but today I still hear the misguided message of 3 Doors Down, and so many others who just don't get that war is not the answer. Yesterday I hugged, joked and bantered with fellow Republican friends, but today I remember why I have disagreed with them on so much.

Anyhow, there's a lot of work still to be done, and not just by the new guy in charge. I like his message of service and I expect that this will help get our country moving again.

[nightflier]

Am I the only one who thinks the money spent on "this" inauguration seems to be excessive during this time?

Yup.

Again, DC business as usual.

Not by a long shot. I certainly don't remember the mall looking like that when Bush stole the presidency... even the first time.