The hottest ticket in the nation

   WASHINGTON - Leave it to Americans to turn history into commerce.

   That's just what's happening online these days, as tickets to President-Elect Barack Obama's inauguration are retailing for $1,429 apiece on StubHub … even though the tickets don't even exist yet.

   Should this be happening? That's the question that the top inauguration organizer, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and others are asking.

   Feinstein said on Monday that she is planning to ask the EBays of the world to stop selling these tickets, which are supposed to be available for free through congressional offices.

   For now, though, the genius of the markets (or the madness of crowds) is at work again, meaning that a hoped-for, not-yet-printed ticket for Obama's inauguration is worth more than the laptop I'm typing on.

   Which raises the question: how much would you be willing to pay to see the inauguration of the nation's first African-American president?

   --- Jerry Zremski
 

Comments

[rhipp]

At the price for tickets to the inaugeration, only lobbyists will be able to attend the historic event!

[HapKlein]

I see the same electricity that accompanied John F. Kennedy’s inauguration. This could be another era of grace and hope that earlier we felt would be the legacy of JFK.

I have a recurring fear for this man who has so skillfully woven new threads into the American fabric. Beyond the curtain are elements of such pathological hatred that we all must be alert to it and turn them aside.

We must, each of us form a wall of protection to this magnificent dawn.

When you realize what this man accomplished and what he did you can be sure he will ensure many of his supporters will in the parade.
Is there some way we can hurry the inauguration? The corpse will be pretty stinky by January 19.

[AdelleX]

I always think that it's disgusting when opportunists and scalpers try to "cash in" on this sort of thing. NOBODY attending an American presidential inauguration (Republican, Democratic or otherwise) should have to pay a penny for their ticket -- and NOBODY should be allowed to sell inaugural tickets for a profit! This, of all things, should be an event "for the people."

Logistically, I'm not sure what the solution is... Maybe a limit to the number of tickets each person can take, and NO selling allowed on sites like Ebay, etc.? Or maybe there should be some sort of "lottery" wherein all interested parties can have an equal chance at getting a couple of free tickets...?

In any case, this is one "forum" where it seems downright UN-American for scalpers to try to turn a big profit. Particularly after this historic election (although I feel the same about *any* inauguration), the inauguration ought to be of, for and about ALL of the American people -- not just the rich ones who can afford the price of a $1,400 ticket. I'm sorry, but there are some things that simply should not be commodified. This great country, I fear, is dangerously close to choking on its own greed! As far as I'm concerned, any so-called "American" who would try to sell innaugural tickets to turn a huge profit ought to be tarred and feathered.

And any "American" who would aid and abet these profiteers by shelling out that sort of cash is, at best, a fool. People who have extra tickets ought to give them away (for free) to somebody who will use them. That would be the patriotic -- and truly American -- thing to do.

[AdelleX]

Well said, HapKlein!!

[Former Buffalonian]

You could not pay me enough to attend this farce! HapKlein, just exactly what has he accomplished? Besides hiring the right media people to hype him into the White House?

[Neil]

A better question for many of us might be: how much would you pay me?

[Buffalo Libertarian]

If people are stupid enough to buy what they can get for free if the act soon enough, let them.

[hatemenow]

Let's not forget JFK's great foreign policy. you know the Bay of Pigs and the Cuban Missle Crisis. JFK was a pretty face, great at giving speeches, for the "common man", but not a great President

[Former Buffalonian]

"JFK was a pretty face, great at giving speeches, for the "common man", but not a great President"

Sound like anyone else that's been in the news lately?

[HapKlein]

John F Kennedy the last President of the United States who had any demonstrable inteligence. He was articulate and represented the Greatest Generation all the way to receiving wounds and the purple heart during WWII.

He was the first President to confront and force the Soviet Union to back down and pull the missiles out of Cuba. He certainly did a lot more than one President who gets all sorts of credit for shouting at a wall.

JFK was betrayed by the CIA and the Joint chief's of Staff on the Bay of Pigs and if the current jerk had taken a page from that history book we would not still be firguring how to get out of Iraq with some grace.

And for the obviously unaware, grace and intelligence are the main ingredients of Obama just as they were of John F Kennedy.

[Walter]

Leave it to the always desperate Democrats, Liberals, Socialists and Marxists to be trying to sell Obama's Inaugeration tickets when they should be distributed for free.
This practice by Democrats, Liberals, Socialists and Marxists should be very familiar to New York state residents who have been supporting these same grifters for many years now.