May we please move on?

I realize that President Obama's inauguration was one week ago. So why is it that today I opened the newspaper to the editorial section and still find people complaining about the cost of this inauguration in a time of recession? Further more, are these people serious? Do they really need someone to break it down to them? Please let me know if you disagree with me but here's my take on the situation.

The 56th inauguration attracted the largest crowds in history, estimated at just over one million people in attendance. 8,000 police officers from all over the country as well as 10,000 National Guard troops were flown in to assist with crowd control. This is a necessary cost for the safety of the citizens who wanted to be a part of this historic event. I agree that some of the security costs incurred by the whistle-stop train trip could have been scaled back but at the same time it was a wonderful way to reach out to every day people who do not have the means of seeing the inauguration in person.

As you've noticed, we are in a recession, which is the original cry for the spending. Generally, one would think that with a recession would come deflated costs since no one is spending as much. Unfortunately, costs are still inflated, not dropping fast enough. Therefore, all the costs for an inauguration in 2009 are going to be exponentially higher than they were in 2005. Not to mention, media outlets keep throwing out figures of $42-70 million from 2005. This is wrong! After the cost of security and transportation, which no one seems to be factoring in, Bush spent close to $115 million.

Please note that a majority of the $150 million+ spent on this event was paid for with private funds. The inaugural balls were paid for entirely from these private funds. You can't stop wealthy donors (read: celebrities) from spending their money in a recession.

So please, may we just move on and focus on the 70,000 jobs across the country that were lost yesterday and pray that Obama has picked the right people to seat his cabinet that can help to save our country and our world?