Why the hell do they keep calling it the $40 million inauguration when it's going to cost at least twice that? Just giving the DC area federal employees the day off is going to cost $66 million for christsakes. So three years of Homeland Security and this is what we've got to show for it. The president can have a big ass ostentacious party and his friends can feel safe. Here's a few of his friends.

Corporations and trade associations giving $250,000 to become inaugural "underwriters" include:

Altria Corporate Services (parent company of Philip Morris USA)

American Financial (Carl Lindner, owner of the Cincinnati Reds and chairman of Great American Insurance Group and American Financial Group, also gave $1.9 million to pro-Bush groups. His son held a $1.7 million fund-raiser for Bush's re-election campaign.)

Ameriquest Capital Corp. (While unlimited by law, Bush has held his inaugural committee donors to a maximum of $250,000. Still, some have exceeded that with contributions from both a company and its subsidiaries. Marriott Hotels has contributed $750,000 under three corporate names, and Ameriquest Capital Corp. and its subsidiaries have donated $750,000.)



Argent Mortgage Co.

AT&T

Bank of America Corp. (privatizing Social Security is what they want)

Bristol-Myers Squibb (Bush is against letting us get affordable drugs from Canada, they like that)

ChevronTexaco (wants to drill for oil in Alaska)

Cinergy Corp.

Corporate Capital

Exxon Mobil Corp.

First Data Corp.

Ford Motor Co.

Golden Eagle Industries

Hunt Consolidated

Kojaian Ventures

Long Beach Acceptance Corp.

Marriott International (loves Boy Blunders' guestworker proposal)

Marriott Vacation Club International

National Association of Home Builders

New Energy Corp.

Occidental Petroleum Corp.

Rooney Holdings Inc.

Sallie Mae Inc. ("Student-loan debt collectors have power that would make a mobster envious," )

Southern Co.

Stephens Group Inc.

Strongbow Technologies

The Home Depot

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co.

Time Warner

Town and Country Credit

United Parcel Service

United Technologies

UST Inc.

The medical and pharmaceutical industry has donated at least $1 million.

Bush also will start with the lowest approval rating of a second-term president in a half-century, at 52 percent.