Attacking the inauguration and cost: The latest scheme of the left to smear President Bush:

Yes, all figures indicate that the $40 million being spent on this year's Presidential inaugration surpasses that of Clinton's second term, in which he spent roughly $30 million (about $35 million when adjusted to today's inflation). Yet it's a tad unfair to complain about this world crisis or that, and how we spend our money, when one looks at the events at this time eight years ago.

In January 1997, 47,000 American troops were in both Haiti and Bosnia keeping the peace as well as those who maintained a constant presence in Iraq. Also by that time, North Korea was facing severe famine which ended up killing about 2.5 million people over a three year period. Why weren't people calling for Mr. Clinton to scale back his inauguration so we could feed the starving people in North Korea?

Regardless, the argument is a sham. Most of the inauguration money comes from private donations, not the taxpayer's wallets, so it makes no sense to call for anyone to relocate the funds for purposes for which federal monies are already allocated... in large part, it's not our money, nor is it the government's with which to do what it wishes.

In contrast, money spent for tsunami victims by the US is expected to reach $1 billion or more by the time all is said and done. The US has always been the number one donor to global crises, surpassing many combined nations in its charitable giving (that's about what you can call it, because we don't owe a lot of people anything). And that doesn't include private charities and donations. And here's something else you should realize: the money alloted for international disaster relief has more than doubled since the Clinton administration.... so who's being frivolous and stingy? The next closest nation in charitable spending is Japan, who just barely gives over half what we do.

This is a lot of hubbub over 1/200 of a billion dollars, and that much less as a percentage of our GDP. It's a mosquito in the wind, and I'll be looking forward to all those faces turned in shame and envy to protest the inauguration... because envy is all that this is, nothing more. Just another hurdle in the mental rehabilitation process of the PEST pseudo-disorder...