In my last commentary, I described the upcoming Bush inaugural as a giant, ugly farce in which our President (yes, it does hurt just to type that) will, as many before him have, swear to support and defend our Constitution while having not the slightest intention of doing so, then adjourn to a grand spectacle of parades, parties and 9 balls. Oh... mustn't forget the fireworks.

I complained that much of the expense of the coronation will be borne through taxes... some directly, and through the cost of widespread security, so that fun-loving Republicans can party into the night in grand style. It should be a banner day for crime in areas surrounding Washington, as cops are pulled into the city for the magnificent procession.

Turns out now that it's much worse than I thought. Not only is this going to be the most expensive inauguration in history, but the administration has refused, for the first time, to reimburse the District of Columbia for their extra costs, suggesting that they instead take $11.9 million away from their homeland security money. That money had been earmarked for minor things like increasing hospital capacity, equipping firefighters with protective gear and building transit system command centers. 

The better-late-than-never word from the administration is that they're not going to spend any more money. After spending everything they could get their hands on, or assign to the magical deficit, it's now time to stop? Not to stop SPENDING, be assured, but to rather just spend the money of other folks instead.

The District of Columbia expects to spend $17.3 million for this re-inauguration, as compared with a mere $8 million for Bush's first coronation. I haven't seen a total cost for the grand farce, but inauguration officials say $40 million. Then there is the $66 million wasted on an extra day off for federal employees in the DC area, so the total is most certainly over $100 million. If you were to add in the inconvenience to all of the people in the area who won't participate but will suffer through the increased security hassles and traffic jams, it probably approaches the costs that New York and Boston suffered from the conventions of the D's and R's.

Massive deficits, an outrageously expensive war that will have accomplished NOTHING except destroying the whole nation of Iraq, a Social Security collapse looming just over the hill, and on, and on, and STILL the administration insists on this outrageous farcical celebration being foisted upon us.

Before you Democrats (progressives, socialists, liberals, whatever) get too outraged and indignant, take a moment to remind yourself that it is very likely that it would be no different if Kerry had been elected. This bloody pomp is typical of BOTH major parties, as was demonstrated in spades at their respective conventions. Those cost all of us dearly too.

Let me take this moment to refresh your memories. Together, those 2 conventions cost taxpayers 10's of millions and a hell of a lot of grief and television time. By contrast, as I wrote in Politics funded by theft, the Libertarian Party national convention was paid for entirely by donations and by those who attended. Not one thin dime of taxpayer money.

Ask yourself WHY two big parties, with voluminous cash to spend on campaigns, can get by with nailing American taxpayers for the cost of their celebrations, while the Libertarians are able and determined to foot their own bill? If you need some hints to come up with an answer, think "corrupt", "collusion", or "cooperative coercion". or "conniving, crooked cohorts creating carnage".

It's going to get worse, not better, until Americans get fed up and DO something about it. Continuing to settle for the lesser of two entrenched evils will not suffice. The self-aggrandizement of those two parties is one of their many payoffs for the special interests that support them. THAT is what the rest of us will be able to watch on January 20th.