By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth
Do today’s inaugural events resemble change or more of the same? Call me crazy, but while I wish President Obama all the best, I cannot for the life of me understand $175 million dollars being spent on his inauguration during this time of financial crisis. This is not change, but it is just more of the same on steroids…On election day I vowed to lend my support to the new administration for as long as it was earned. I stated that we all must now hope for great things from our new President, but we must also hold him accountable to uphold the standards of the office he holds and the country he represents. Not to be a party-pooper, but it’s time for my first accountability call…
My hope is that in the case of today’s celebration that one day does not make a trend. President Obama is clearly charismatic and affable. In fact, I even found myself starting to like him as I watched him interact with his family, the Bush family, the troops, volunteers and the like. I also understand that today’s historic event is deserving of celebration, and don’t begrudge him that. However, I believe the excesses of this inauguration are not in good form. At a time when our nation and its people are suffering from economic turmoil largely due to unprecedented financial excess, is this really the time to spend well more than 2 times what President’s Bush and Clinton combined spent on their inaugurations?
Wouldn’t it have been better form for President Obama to cut spending on his inauguration and lead by example? Wouldn’t it have been more inspiring if he had instructed the large list of corporate and financial donors to make contributions to charity and those in need in lieu of contributing to the inauguration gala?
I’m not going to belabor the point any further other than to say that I hope President Obama uses more wisdom and discretion in how he handles matters after the events of this inauguration day have passed…
