Inauguration: Lifestyles of the Rich and Heartless

The Progress Report

by Christy Harvey, Judd Legum and Jonathan Baskin with Nico Pitney and
Mipe Okunseinde
www.progressreport.org

1/20/2005

Inauguration: Lifestyles of the Rich and Heartless

Due to $17 million worth of inaugural security -- paid for by the city
of Washington, D.C. -- the Progress Report is unable to access its
office. Never fear -- it takes a lot more than that to keep us down. We put
this list together for you ahead of time. Your regularly scheduled
Progress Report returns tomorrow.

A look at this week's festivities by the numbers:

$40 million:
(http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/ny-uscost0118,0,4726940.story?coll=ny-nation-big-pix)
Cost of Bush inaugural ball festivities, not counting security costs.

$2,000: (http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0119/p03s01-uspo.html) Amount
FDR spent on the inaugural in 1945...about $20,000 in today's dollars.

$20,000:
(http://www.ritzcarlton.com/hotels/washington_dc/overview/pressreleases/inaugural_amenities.html)
Cost of yellow roses purchased for inaugural festivities by D.C.'s Ritz
Carlton.

200:
(http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=544&u=/ap/20050114/ap_on_go_pr_wh/inaugural_price_tag_3&printer=1)
Number of Humvees outfitted with top-of-the-line armor for troops in
Iraq that could have been purchased with the amount of money blown on the
inauguration.

$10,000: (http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/news/local/10678137.htm)
Price of an inaugural package at the Fairmont Hotel, which includes a
Beluga caviar and Dom Perignon reception, a chauffeured Rolls Royce and
two actors posing as "faux" Secret Service agents, complete with black
sunglasses and cufflink walkie-talkies.

400: (http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0119/p03s01-uspo.html) Pounds of
lobster provided for "inaugural feeding frenzy" at the exclusive
Mandarin Oriental hotel.

3,000: (http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0119/p03s01-uspo.html) Number
of "Laura Bush Cowboy cookies" provided for "inaugural feeding frenzy"
at the Mandarin hotel.

$1: (http://kutv.com/topstories/topstories_story_014105652.html)
Amount per guest President Carter spent on snacks for guests at his
inaugural parties. To stick to a tight budget, he served pretzels, peanuts,
crackers and cheese and had cash bars.

22 million:
(http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=544&u=/ap/20050114/ap_on_go_pr_wh/inaugural_price_tag_3&printer=1)
Number of children in regions devastated by the tsunami who could have
received vaccinations and preventive health care with the amount of
money spent on the inauguration.

1,160,000: (http://www.worldonfire.ca/donations.html) Number of girls
who could be sent to school for a year in Afghanistan with the amount
of money lavished on the inauguration.

$15,000:
(http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4282216) The down payment to rent a fur coat paid by one gala attendee who
didn't want the hassle of schlepping her own through the airport.

$200,500:
(http://www.usatoday.com/travel/hotels/2005-01-06-inauguration_x.htm)
Price of a room package at D.C.'s Mandarin Oriental, including
presidential suite, chauffeured Mercedes limo and outfits from Neiman Marcus.

2,500: (http://news.bostonherald.com/politics/view.bg?articleid=63696)
Number of U.S. troops used to stand guard as President Bush takes his
oath of office

26,000:
(http://www.oregonlive.com/letters/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/editorial/1106139753241490.xml)
Number of Kevlar vests for U.S. soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan that
could be purchased for $40 million.

$290: (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4187023.stm) Bonus that
could go to each American solider serving in Iraq, if inauguration funds
were used for that purpose.

$6.3 million: (http://www.citizen.org/pressroom/release.cfm?ID=1860)
Amount contributed by the finance and investment industry, which works
out to be 25 percent of all the money collected.

$17 million: (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4187023.stm) Amount
of money the White House is forcing the cash-strapped city of
Washington, D.C., to pony up for inauguration security.

9: (http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0119/p03s01-uspo.html) Percentage
of D.C. residents who voted for Bush in 2004.

66: (http://abcnews.go.com/images/Politics/972a1BushPreInaugural.pdf)
Percentage of Americans who think this over-the-top inauguration should
have been scaled back.