$40 Million for a Mule

Fireworks, parades, and nine individual balls will be part of W's upcoming inauguration. Total cost of these events is $40 million. This is all coming from private donors and I'm sure every presidential inauguration costs entirely too much money. But it is excessive and to me highlights who W is and who he really benefits. He is not the "everyman" that he and his handlers work so hard to portray him as. He is in office because he comes from an elite echelon of connections and privilege. His policies benefit big business under the guise of fighting for the working man. And now, the president of all 50 U.S. states is charging the taxpayers of D.C., who voted overwhelmingly against him, to foot the bill for his inauguration security.

Mary got me a good book, What's the Matter with Kansas, that has me all fired up about the reasons the heartland embraces conservatism with such gusto. Check it out.