Party with a Cost…

Record-breaking, (wallet-breaking), monumental, (exponential): All describing the cost of President-elect Barack Obama’s inauguration gala.

“Unemployment is up. The stock market is down. Let’s party,” describes Associated Press . The cost of the even is expected to break records, some estimating it’s price to reach as high as $150 million.

The new President’s inaugural committee has aided the expense with the collection of nearly $41 million - this amount to be used to cover “events ranging from a Philadelphia-to-Washington train ride to a megastar concert with Beyonce, U2, and Bruce Springsteen.”

Transportation is sucking up the majority of the cash, (that and security), costs of both reportedly being ‘absorbed by U.S. taxpayers’.

Inauguration celebrations have come a long way: Roosevelt’s having held his in 1945 at the White House with a simple speech and plain pound cake.  During World War I, President Wilson had no parties, “saying such festivities would be undignified.”

Is this blowout inauguration par-TAY ‘undignified’?  What other options could  future President’s employ to celebrate their coming into office?