Gora has badly mishandled the complaints about liberal professors using their classes as soapboxes for blantently stupid causes. People have been laughing at her. She has also been fairly heavy handed on personnel matters. In a sense, Gora indulges in false charity here. Not a dime came out of her pocket. Good publicity, sure, why would anyone spend a dime, let alone $150,000 of taxpayer money for a stupid change of command ceremony? Get real.

Bush just spent $40+ million on his and the guard didnt even change.

"President Bush really lost an opportunity when he could've made a similar statement during his inauguration. He could've directed corporations to send money for the troops, schools, and charities, instead of for the parties."

Oh my word, it's a Republican saying exactly the same things I read on all the pages I visit! And I'm agreeing with PTB! The world is ending!!!

By the way, while there's no reason that Bush had to do what you describe, it would have been a wonderful gesture, and I think would have gone over far better with the troops than holding a ball for a couple thousand of them. Nothing would have forced him to do it, no tradition or anything, but it would have been admirable.

On the other hand, is doing the normal thing and not doing the exceptional thing reason for criticism?

While I too think the inaugural could've been cheaper, it's worth remembering that Bush's was 25% cheaper than Clinton's when adjusting for inflation.

...Bush's was 25% cheaper than Clinton's when adjusting for inflation.

I don't seem to recall a $400B budget deficit running concurrent with either of Clinton's inaugurals though.

Irrelevant. The inaugural was paid for with private funds. Even if you think the sponsors would have directed their funds into the US Treasury instead (I can hear the hysterical laughter now), that would not have made even a scratch in the deficit. ($40M = 0.01% of $400B)

Irrelevant.

Exactly. What is the relavancy of doing a cost comparison between the Clinton and Bush inaugural celebrations except for a quick "gotcha"?

By the way, wouldn't it be nice if we cancelled the Oscars, the Emmys, the Tonys, the Kennedy Center Honors, etc. this year and directed those millions of dollars to the troops, the tsunami victims, and other charities?

At least Bush's ego was stroked. Now, let's find another country to invade!

You know, I usually don't get liberal trolls on my site, and the fact that the comment before this one annoyed me just about as much as any comment Leon posts on my page did bring a smile to my face. At least I'm fairly even-handed in disliking the trolls.

If Gora did anything at all for Ball State what was it? Let's say we get a new President at IUPUI. What % of $150,000 should taxpayers allocate for doing whatever that $150,000 was to accomplish for BSU for IUPUI? The cockles of my heart would be warmed were the Trustees of Ball State each asked to resign by Mitch. I appreciate your initial heart warmth but when your brain engages the waste that the Trustees were ready to permit some other portion of your anatomy ought to get hot.