District Should Not Pay For Bush Inauguration Security

There are a lot of us who are not very excited about the upcoming inaugural celebration that will bring President Bush into office for another four years. However, the celebration is special because it is the first post 9/11 inaugural celebration. Right now, the D.C. government isn't very excited either because, thanks to this being the first inauguration since 9/11, there is a need for extra security; a need that carries a $12 million price tag that the federal government has passed on to D.C.

Since D.C. is not considered a state, and therefore, does not get the same rights as other states such as representation in the senate. D.C. has a shadow senator. They carry the duties of any regular senator but, they are not paid and do not have full-voting rights when it comes to passing legislation. It's a well-known fact that D.C. residents have never been happy about this, hence the license plates that read: "taxation without representation."

The federal government also controls many aspects of D.C. government including its budget. So when the federal government realized they didn't have enough money in their inaugural budget for extra security, they passed the cost on to D.C.'s homeland security budget. So once again, the federal government has played D.C. as a result of their statehood status.

Even worse, is the fact that the inaugural celebration is held in D.C. every four years only because D.C. is our nation's capital. No one ever officially voted to hold the celebration in D.C. each year. As a result, merchants lose money because they must close their stores early in anticipation of heavy traffic. Let's not forget to mention where the extra security is coming from: the D.C. Metropolitan Police force.

To say all of this is unfair would be an understatement considering the millions of dollars left over from the Bush campaign. That money is going back to Bush, not back into the city's homeland security budget.

We believe all of this would ultimately be solved if the federal government would simply give D.C. its deserved statehood, that way D.C. government officials can have more say as to where there money goes. In the meantime, they should just give the money back, it's a financial burden every year and this year's need for extra security will make it an even bigger burden. Its not D.C.'s fault that this year's inauguration is the most expensive in the celebration's 200-year history, why should they have to foot the bill.

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