ah, finally we agree on something :D

My, he certainly has some very generous friends. I'm quite sure they do not expect anything in return ......

And what do these things have to do with private American citizens choosing to use their own, personal money to celebrate their newly elected President? Yes, they're all terribly tragic examples, but they have no relevance regarding citizens contributing their own money to whatever, or whomever, they choose. Granted, I personally would send whatever charitable contributions I could afford to aid survivors in Asia right now, as I don't believe it would be the honorable choice to send it to foot the bill for a party, but whichever choice I made would be my choice, and anyone becoming infuriated by it would simply be misplacing their anger and emotions.




If you (generic you) don't favor President Bush, then don't send him a contribution. If you don't agree with those who do, then that is your right. But what right does anyone have to tell others how they can spend their own, hard earned money?

If you truly care about your cause, put your energies into furthering it. Trying to tear apart the cause of others only undermines your own.

This is what I see as the real issue in this situation. I don't automatically assume that President Bush is being bought, and I haven't seen any facts or anything other than mere speculation to question his honor. (No, Michael Moore is not a trustworthy, solid source.) But it does concern me just how many favors $40 or $50 million in contributions may buy.

The 40 million dollars is largely made up of corporate donations that the Bush Administration solicited. I'm (generic "I") not "telling" anyone how to spend their hard-earned money. Throw a party. Nephythys is absolutely right in that I'd have thrown a party if Bush lost the election. But it's certainly within my rights to criticize wasteful expenditures by the government. I don't care if it's tax money or private donations, it's still incredibly wasteful spending by our government when a war that the Bush administrastion created has caused so much damage and financial need. It's obscene that a catastrophe of the magnitude of the tsunami disaster can't have every last penny and ounce of manpower from the world because of that war. I posted real links to real information current as of 1/21/05. None of them were Michael Moore.

You can throw a really amazing party for a couple hundred thousand dollars. I mean an AMAZING party. 40 million dollars is in another universe, it's the kind of money that can change worlds for people. And it was squandered.

How was it squandered? It paid people here for services- for entertainment, catering, decorations. It was money spent on the equipment, the industries that run these events for their living. It was used to pay salaries- and in turn will be used to pay for benefits, and costs of livng for the people who worked to make these events happen. From the balloons down the the napkins-

(I'm babbling a bit- but I am sure you know what I mean) and in turn- some of that money may leave those pockets and go to some of the very causes you espouse- you don't know.

It is very well and good to give to those causes- it is noble to donate to help those far away, but it is not a bad thing to spread that money domestically.

(good to hear you say I was right) :D

And how is the planet going to pay for all this, anyway ?

Did any of you gripe when Clinton spent similar amounts on his fiestas? Or was there no suffering in the world back in the 90's? What about the hundreds of millions wasted on the campaigns themselves? That could probably go to better uses as well. Of course, the money isn't simply cast into an evil cauldran and set aflame, all the while, the evil overlord Bush dances about it laughing at his plans for the demise of the world...as many of you silly hippies seem to believe. It goes straight into the American economy. Not an entirely bad thing in my mind. Ridiculously extravagent, perhaps. But it still fuels the beautiful machine of free economy and democracy...that many silly hippies think is an evil thing these days that they and only they should be allowed to experience. F the rest of the world.

Y'know, I'd really dig it if you could lay off the "silly hippies" jive.

I'm not talking about curing all the world's ills. I'm talking about a self-congratulatory "wartime president" (his words, not mine) soliciting funds to throw parties while the residents of a country he started a war in are being killed by their "liberators."
Do you think that life has returned to normal in any of the countries hit by the tsunamis? It hasn't. It won't for a very long time. Homes have been destroyed. Entire villages have been washed away. There is no topsoil left for farming. There is no livestock left to raise. Thousands and thousands of bodies lie where the waves left them because there aren't enough people left to bury them. 10s of thousands of children have been orphaned. On and on and on.
This is the largest disaster to occur in most of our lifetimes. The neighbor's house is on fire, but we called 911. Isn't that enough? We're a little busy right now, because Timmy's having a party tonight. In fact, because we're so proud of him for being elected ASB president, we're having several parties. The PTA has given us money, the School Board has given us money, And, get this, we got the entire Drama Club and Band budgets! One little problem, though. Since we're having the parties AT the school, we need the school to pick up the tab for the security guards (you know how kids like to drink at these thigs :wink, wink:) Oh, look. The neighbors are out in the yard with a garden hose. Good for them!

Darling, you wern't even alive when there WERE "silly hippies".