On the Money Trail: Inauguration Perks Go To the Rich
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/MoneyTrail/story?id=6680531&page=1
What Recession? The $170 Million Inauguration
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/Inauguration/Story?id=6665946&page=1
Not even days after the president was sworn into office, did social classes get a fresh new taste of what being "one" is like. Or did they? After reading these two articles, I was terribly filled with contrasting emotions that threw some hope out of the window for the greatest change this nation potentially could have had. Not saying I don't feel as if it's not going to change now; however, I feel like some potential was overlooked.
At the Inaugural ceremony, the atmosphere of joy and hope outweighed the presence of separation. Yet, "...[A] clutch of Obama's top donors could watch from a heated tent near the performers, courtesy of the president-elect's Inaugural Committee." Other not as wealthy classes had to watch out in the cold, far away from the big performances. Ironically, many Americans were out to watch a speech on unifying our nation, and what they got seemed to be a great speech yet hypocritical actions. Obama has such a way with words and charisma which set scale to how high his goals and desires for this country will go. What I don't necessarily get is how he wants to get across his message that we are one, when at the inauguration, the people were segregated. Not from race, religion, sex, orientation, but they were segregated by financial income/worth. So just because those people donated much more money to Obama, they are superior?
Position yourself in the crowd of many thousands of other American's different race, age, size, shape, sex, hair color, etc. What brings us all together? The fact that we are Americans, and we all deserve the same opportunities as any other American today. We are here for hope, to better America for ourselves, our children, and all others. However, while you sit out in the cold, the only thing separating you and the person at the front of the stage is money. Now I thought we were one? How is that we are one when you have the upper class, who yes have donated money to the inauguration, but other than money are no different than you or anyone else. Many, many people donated money; but if you didn't donate atleast a couple of 10 thousands, then don't even think about being seated next to them.
Another issue was the total cost of the whole weekend. The bill still not totalled, already outweighed that of Clinton and Bush's. Thought we were in a recession? Don't get me wrong; I am proud to say I witnessed a huge historic change, but it just seems a little bit controversial. I'll just have hope until I see some changes in this beautiful melting pot nation, we call America. It would be a shame to see such a strong plan ruined by pushing everything under the rug and only talking a good game out of the situation. Just have faith, cause YES WE CAN!
After reading this post, I tend to disagree with the argument. The people who sat next to him should have been the people who donated the most. First of all, it is just like a sporting event. The more money you pay, the better seat you get. You would not expect to sit in the upper deck if you paid thousands of dollars. Secondly, Obama wanted to be seated next to his donors, so they could continue to donate money to his presidency. If he had not given them those seats, the donors would have been upset and possibly cut off their funds. I don't think in any way were they trying to separate the social classes. I think the people who paid very little will agree that if you pay more, you should get a better seat.
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