One of my classes was canceled in honor of inauguration day, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Jan. 20 becomes a national holiday. Those of you reading a hard copy of this article probably didn’t make it to Washington, D.C., but you can still enjoy the today’s events. From your television, you can witness the results of a $150 million inauguration budget, which may be the most expensive United States inauguration to date.

Unlike President George W. Bush, President-elect Barack Obama is not considered responsible for the deteriorating economy or unpopular war, but he is not being financially cautious as he begins his first term. I understand the need for high level security in D.C. on Inauguration Day, but Obama’s inauguration cost is more than triple Bush’s inauguration budget, and Obama is allowing this to happen during an economic crisis. This is no way to begin his presidency, and it’s especially deceptive of him to hide behind these high costs by hosting a “”green”” inauguration, which is not that green to begin with. Instead of replacing paper towels with air dryers in bathrooms, the Presidential Inauguration Committee should have limited the amount of attendees leaving behind a carbon footprint. “”Green means not doing it in the first place,”” said Christopher C. Horner, senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute. “”It doesn’t mean buying a (carbon offset) certificate to wave around and paper one’s conscience with.”” Regardless of the United States’s progression, most Obama supporters will be too lost in maudlin emotion to notice the hypocrisy of today.

-ÿLaura Donovan is a creative writing junior.