Washington D.C. continues to whine about the $12 Million it will cost to secure the city for the inauguration. D.C. officials claim that hosting the inauguration is an unfunded mandate and that they should be reimbursed from federal taxpayer dollars. The Bush Administration points out that D.C. already gets federal funding for security as part of their homeland security grant.

Perhaps what is most hilarious is that Mayor-for-life and crackhead Marion Berry along with the rest of the ultra liberal D.C. City Council are threatening to boycott the parade if Bush doesn't pony up. That's right, Bush would keep the $12 Million and not have to put up with the D.C. City Council. (Where's the down side?)

At first I thought that Bush probably should throw some bucks their way. After all, it is his party. But then I changed my mind. Hosting the inauguration is a bit like hosting the Super Bowl. This party is bringing days of celebration to D.C. Thousands of people will be flowing into the city, packing hotel rooms, parking garages, and restaurants. D.C. will reap plenty of financial reward from parking and traffic tickets alone. Not to mention all the sales and use taxes. Any city in America should be thrilled to host an inauguration. If D.C. is going to make such a big stink over it, why not take the show on the road?

But then D.C. historically tries to have it both ways. They bitch about the presence of the government like it's some huge burden. They claim to have to put up with all the traffic, noise, pollution, and added stress of having all these offices located inside the District, and not getting anything in return. D.C. has long wanted to implement a commuter tax because of, they claim, all the people from Maryland and Virginia who use D.C. services but don't pay for them.

But then as soon as the government tries to open new agency offices in Maryland or Virginia instead of the District, D.C. whines about them not putting everything downtown. They wouldn't want to miss out on their chance to extort more money from the federal largesse. The security for the inauguration appears to be just another extortion.