Inauguration Costs vs. Homeland Security

I heard on KGO last night (Bernie Ward) that Washington D.C. will have to pay about $8 million dollars into the inauguration budget for President Bush. In the last inauguration, Washington D.C. was reimbursed their costs. But not this time. Where will they get the $8 million, you ask? The White House suggested that they take it out of their Homeland Security budget. This money would have gone to firefighters and first responders in the Washington D.C. area.

This is amazing! Will this story get ANY play??? Probably not. How can the Bush Administration sleep at night knowing that their little celebration will take money from Homeland Security? Where are their priorities?

This is disgusting.

-Paige

at least two stories about this up. but discrepencies on the numbers. not that it changes how disgusting it is. i spit on you *.

for this thread...couldn't find it so I posted.

I heard that it was $8 million

-P

knowing that their nihilistic plan is running perfectly according to schedule.

If one assumes that the purpose of PNAC is to destroy the world as it has been known, then nothing * does is a surprise or is incomprehensible.

D.C. officials said yesterday that the Bush administration is refusing to reimburse the District for most of the costs associated with next week's inauguration, breaking with precedent and forcing the city to divert $11.9 million from homeland security projects.

Federal officials have told the District that it should cover the expenses by using some of the $240 million in federal homeland security grants it has received in the past three years -- money awarded to the city because it is among the places at highest risk of a terrorist attack.

But that grant money is earmarked for other security needs, Mayor Anthony A. Williams (D) said in a Dec. 27 letter to Office of Management and Budget Director Joshua B. Bolten and Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge. Williams's office released the letter yesterday.

Williams estimated that the city's costs for the inauguration will total $17.3 million, most of it related to security. City officials said they can use an unspent $5.4 million from an annual federal fund that reimburses the District for costs incurred because of its status as the capital. But that leaves $11.9 million not covered, they said.

"We want to make this the best possible event, but not at the expense of D.C. taxpayers and other homeland security priorities," said Gregory M. McCarthy, the mayor's deputy chief of staff. "This is the first time there hasn't been a direct appropriation for the inauguration."

A spokesman for Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va.), chairman of the House Government Reform Committee, which oversees the District, agreed with the mayor's stance. He called the Bush administration's position "simply not acceptable."

"It's an unfunded mandate of the most odious kind. How can the District be asked to take funds from important homeland security projects to pay for this instead?" said Davis spokesman David Marin.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A63896-2005Jan10?language=printer or http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6810085

don't expect this will get any play. DC is for all intents and purposes a colony with the right of giving a Democrat it's three EV every four years

when one is a colonial, one gets fucked by the gubmint. we're used to it.

by the way, one of the discrepancies in the numbers comes from paying out of town police officers. Overtime for DC cops alone is expected to hit 2.5 million, and another 2.5 for out of towners. Nice to know I'm paying the salary and overtime for cops from Peoria.

and don't tell me about the ;economic impact' of the inaguration, either (not you, others have made this arguement) it wil be minimal on DC, once the higher administrative costs are figured in and the two days of non-work by everyone in town. Plus many, if not most of the attendees will be staying outside DC proper, so that benefit goes to Virginia and Maryland.