We Don’t Need No Homeland Security

It’s bad enough that President Bush’s inauguration will cost the taxpayers an estimated $44 million dollars. Certainly that money could be used for better purposes, such as law enforcement, education, or even homeland security. Mind you, I have no problem with President Bush, or any other president, having a set of lavish inauguration parties, as long as the taxpayers don’t get stuck with the bill. Have those rich Republican party supporters pay for it.

But now, we find out (via Steve Soto at The Left Coaster) that the cost of security at the inauguration parties will be paid for by the District of Columbia. And since the security costs amount to $17.3 million, and the District has $5.4 million available for security, that leaves $11.9 million unaccounted for. Where will that extra $11.9 million come from? It comes from money that the District had allocated to Homeland Security projects.

According to The Washington Post:

D.C. officials said yesterday that the Bush administration is refusing to reimburse the District for most of the costs associated with next week’s inauguration, breaking with precedent and forcing the city to divert $11.9 million from homeland security projects.

Federal officials have told the District that it should cover the expenses by using some of the $240 million in federal homeland security grants it has received in the past three years — money awarded to the city because it is among the places at highest risk of a terrorist attack.

Those homeland security funds would have been used for increasing hospital capacity, equipping firefighters with protective gear and building transit system command centers, all useful security improvements for a city that is among the places at highest risk of a terrorist attack. I guess the Bush Administration really doesn’t think we need those security improvements — having a lavish inauguration is more important.