Cuban: Cancel inaugural excess

[vinnieponte]

Mavericks owner calls on Bush to donate funds to tsunami relief


10:20 PM CST on Thursday, January 6, 2005


By COLLEEN McCAIN NELSON / The Dallas Morning News



Dear Mr. President: Please cancel your inaugural festivities and give the money to tsunami victims. Sincerely, Mark Cuban.

The Dallas Mavericks owner is urging readers of his Web log ( blogmaverick.com) to contact politicians and tell them to get their priorities straight. In an emphatic missive on his Web site, Mr. Cuban criticizes Congress for making what he calls frivolous expenditures and chastises everyone involved with elaborate inaugural events.


AP
Security is tight around the Capitol where the inauguration will take place Jan 20. "Mr. President, it's time to show that leadership. It's time to set an example," wrote Mr. Cuban, who declined to comment further on the subject. "Cancel all but the most basic inauguration requirements."

President Bush will be inaugurated Jan. 20. That week, he will be feted with the customary black-tie balls, a parade and an assortment of star-powered events. The price tag: about $40 million.

The days-long celebration is paid for with private donations – not public dollars.

Even before tsunamis struck Southeast Asia, inaugural organizers said they would be mindful of world events, and they planned to pay tribute to the nation's military.

Tracey Schmitt, spokeswoman for the presidential inaugural committee, said the event recognizes the country's history.

"A week celebrating the ideals that make our nation unique will not detract from the outpouring of relief President Bush has called for for the victims of this disaster," she said. "The inauguration celebrates the best things about our country."

Mr. Cuban writes that $40 million "can go a long way. Instead of shaking hands all night and being driven from party to party, send them a thank you card letting them know that the corporate and individual donations that had been earmarked for fun was now going to help more people than they could ever imagine."

Some readers of his blog noted that Mr. Cuban has made some pricey purchases and has outfitted his NBA team with top-of-the-line amenities.

Still, Mr. Cuban is not the only person who has suggested that lavish balls could appear unseemly right now. So far, such complaints have been limited to a low-grade rumble, as newspapers across the country have published letters to the editor, and bloggers on both sides of the issue have debated the merits of inaugural fanfare.

Critics said that Mr. Bush was slow to respond to the tsunamis and that he initially offered a contribution that some deemed stingy. He has now pledged $350 million in federal aid.

The president's father, former President George Bush, has dismissed questions about a scaled-down celebration, saying, "I don't think it will help anything in Sri Lanka if the balls were, you know, peeled back in terms of the inauguration."

[dude1394]

I read this and posted to cubes. Pretty interesting that the libs are taking it up as a "cause". Seeing as how if this actually occurred who would be hurt? Dubya? Nope, all of the caterers, carpenters, policemen, security, muscians, cooks, waiters, chauffeurs, taxi-drivers that would get work becuase of this "horrible" celebration.

Really arrogant for a billionaire to be telling someone not to spend money. Maybe cubes could sell his personal plane and give it to the children. typical of someone who has gotten theirs and wants to tell everyone else what to do with thiers. Certainly typical of dems who are partisan about any and everything.

[kg_veteran]

I read this blog entry. What a sad, illogical attempt to make look Bush look bad.

Cuban would be much better served using whatever influence it is that he has to get wealthy private individuals and corporations to donate money to this cause.

[#1MavsFan]

He has a valid point. Spending 40million dollors on a "inagural party" while millions of people severly need the money after experiencing a horrific disaster goes to show that you dont care much about them. Also Bush donated 10,000 dollors of his personal funds than turned around and bought a suit that cost more than 10k, another amazing example of Bush's "leadership".

[Usually Lurkin]

I wonder how many parties Cuban has cancelled (or vinnieponte has cancelled, or #1mavsfan) in order to give money to people that are more needy.

[u2sarajevo]

Originally posted by: #1MavsFan
He has a valid point. Spending 40million dollors on a "inagural party" while millions of people severly need the money after experiencing a horrific disaster goes to show that you dont care much about them. Also Bush donated 10,000 dollors of his personal funds than turned around and bought a suit that cost more than 10k, another amazing example of Bush's "leadership".

I think Cuban should wheel the Mavs around in a bus to road games and put the players up in the road cities roach motel and donate all the savings to the Tsunami relief fund.

I gave $70.00 to the Tsunami relief, and then turned around and spent $119.95 on a video capture device for my computer.

This criticism on how much people give to relief efforts is laughable.

The only truism in all of this critiquing going on is that if you don't like Bush, you are going to slam him.... no matter how much he gives of his personal money to relief efforts.

[Mavdog]

Everyone should read the blog entry. The idea that Cuban expressed wasn't just about the tsunami victims, there's a lot more to it. he would like to see a new political mindset emerge. The cancellation of the festivities was just the symbolism of the leadership cuban wants to see from bush.

I expect that Cuban will not see anything close to what he seeks.

It's really humorous to watch and see how the level of donations has been used. First it was a question about being "stingy" and now it's a constant one upmanship of largess. The bottom line is the victims are getting help.

[u2sarajevo]

Well then I disagree with Cuban even more then. The feat of being elected the leader of the greatest nation in the World should be celebrated largely.

Now, if we win the Championship, I would expect Cuban to pass out blowers and party hats and nothing else for celebrating a Championship.

[dude1394]

I posted to cubes on it because it's basically symbolism over substance which is silly. From what I remember he was railing about government spending in general, especially pork-barrel spending. Puxatwany Phil museum and the like. Then he points it at dubya to "make the difference" in that culture of governement wasteful spending by canceling the inaguration. Leadership "starts from the top" he says.

Well there are a lot of things that are wrong with that post.
- First is the naiviete of it. So bush basically cancels the inaguration and cubes thinks he then would tell $40 million dollars worth of doners, nah...decided to take you money and bait and switch it for my own personal cause. I know I told you it was to pay for a big party, but I just decided to give it away instead. Thanks, see you next time. I would imagine as a donor, I'd call my lawyer up immediately to get my million bucks back. Cubes would to by the way.
- Next is cubes setting himself up as the arbiter of what should/should not be spent. I know he doesn't think so but the folks in Puxatawnee might think it kind of cool that a museum was created. It helped them preserve culture and some of their history. You can debate whether governement dollars are spent there or not, but who is he (or I) to decide what should/should not be built. That's why they have a congress.
- I think that cubes knows how our government works, but actually the prez doesn't control the purse strings, congress does. Bush doesn't "run" the government in the same sense that a CEO does. His example is mostly irrelevant to the congress and all of the individual decisions made by those congressmen. With respect to dollars bush is all hat and no cattle. He can veto spending bills but obviously his opponents (and supporters) will decry him as hurting the children everwhere.

Now if cubes wants to raise taxes he should just say so and not try to dance around it.

[MavKikiNYC]

I think that Cuban should impose a tsunami surcharge on all tickets sold to Mavs games, and then donate the proceeds.

Think globally, act locally.

[Epitome22]

Where did Cubes imply that he wanted to raise taxes?

His point is the same one I made earlier, a 40 million dollar inauguration party is the worst of excess, especially in light of recent tragedy.

[mavsman55]

Is it just me, or wouldn't there be much more effective events to cancel that would help out the tsunami victims much more? (the DNC, perhaps?)

We can help out in other ways than cancelling a party.

[dude1394]

We could cut an aide from each congressman and senator. Let's see that would be what about 400 - 500 folks at ~70K each.. Shoot that works out nicely to 35million. perfect.

[Usually Lurkin]

I wonder how much was spent on the People's Choice awards last night?
has anyone suggested cacelling the Oscars? Why a big ceremony, why not just email a list of winners - that'd be free, and we could feed the poor.
Or cancelling this year's Spring movie season so that the millions that would be spent promoting big name flops could be better spent?

What about that stupid super bowl? That's just a bunch of people spending money to have fun. If the total monies that will be spent on all the average schmoeses superbowl watch parties were to be collectively donated to tsunami relief, Shri Lanka would be the next super-power.

Why not cancel valentines, or birthday parties for the next year?

[u2sarajevo]

The reason people slam Bush for something like this is because they feel an innate need to because of their contempt for him.

It's symbolism over substance that rules the day for the liberals..... as they protest the local company for it's environmental abuses as they drive away from the protest in their clunker jalopys that spew toxins into the environment.

Ignore them. They won't go away, but at least it won't make you wonder if people just don't want to see the Forest... That they just want to focus on that Tree for some reason.

[Dooby]

Originally posted by: dude1394
We could cut an aide from each congressman and senator. Let's see that would be what about 400 - 500 folks at ~70K each.. Shoot that works out nicely to 35million. perfect.

Most staffers make a LOT LESS than $70k a year. And that would be 536 folks, btw.

[kg_veteran]

Originally posted by: Epitome22
Where did Cubes imply that he wanted to raise taxes?

His point is the same one I made earlier, a 40 million dollar inauguration party is the worst of excess, especially in light of recent tragedy.

There's no logical connection between the two things.

[dude1394]

Originally posted by: Dooby

Most staffers make a LOT LESS than $70k a year. And that would be 536 folks, btw.

Ah doob, you have to take into account benefits man... It's probably more like 100K

[kingrex]

Cuban makes a good point, but he does fail to point out some of his own conscpicous consumption (e.g. The Benefactor).

[madape]

I'm going to be taking the dollars that I'd normally spend on Mavericks tickets and merchandise and diverting them to worthy causes... like the feed madape's belly full of beer fund. Belly sure is needy this year.

All contributions are welcome, by the way.