Quite a few small businesses & hourly wage earners will BENEFIT from the $2 million Clinton wedding

[wndycty]

However, I see DUers and some progressives complaining about the price tag, are you kidding me?

1) President and Secretary Clinton have made a lot of their own money and they are entitled to spend it as they wish.

2) The Clinton's have been VERY GENEROUS with their money as it relates to charitable giving.

3) The Clinton's, especially President Clinton, have been very generous with their time as it relates to supporting worthy causes and raising money for charity, political candidates and other worthy causes.

4) As I said in the title that $2 million that they are spending is going to mean a lot to small businesses and hourly wage workers. When you spend $2 million you don't shoot it into then air. You hire contractors, you buy goods and services all of which helps working people. In addition to the $2 million they are spending, the local economy will get a boost from the 400 guests, the media covering the event and the curiosity seekers.

Also, that $2 million investment is going to result in increased ad sales and issues sold for newspapers and magazines.

[Cirque du So-What]

1. Both of the Clintons have done things over the years that anger me greatly

but the amount of money they spend on their daughter's wedding is not among them. Some people attempt to manufacture drama from nothing at all.

[TheCowsCameHome]

2. What they do or don't do regarding Chelsea's wedding doesn't interest me in the least

That's their business. I don't even know when or where the wedding is to be held.

Good luck to the newlyweds.

[bread_and_roses]

3. Oligarchy is Oligarchy

whatever your name is. And defenses of Oligarchy ring as hollow.

The Clinton's probably are not rich enough to be real Oligarchs, just Oligarch wanna-bees. I don't know anything about their personal finances, this is the first I've read about the wedding, and I don't really care - but I find defenses of gross excess amusing.

And if you parse out your arguments above, they are exactly the same as those used to defend the Robber Baron's, or a Wall Street gazillionaire today.

[wndycty]

4. You are right, the Clintons should just keep their money, don't spend, keep it out of the economy. .

. . .pass it down to Chelsea make sure she doesn't spend it, keep it of the economy, who will then pass it down to her children and make sure they keep it out of the economy and so on.

Additionally, while like to bemoan the "Oligarchy" it should be pointed out that if this was in fact that neither Obama or Clinton would have been elected president. Both started out with humble beginnings.

[Go2Peace]

14. You misrepresent the previous post

He/She is simply recognizing what is a disconnect that inadvertantly endorses the very same value system of excess that is a large component of causing sufferring for the common man.

By the way, as for the comments about Oligarchy, many Oligarchs have come from humble beginnings, such as the Oligarchs that grew out of Russia. The corruption that can come with power and vast amounts of money is something that can affect people that come from any financial class.

[wndycty]

15. I'm not misrepresenting shit. . .

. . .by the way tell me again how the Clinton family, which is living the American dream is part of an Oligarchy. LOL

[Go2Peace]

20. What Dream are you talking about? The Rich and Famous 1980's myth?

You sound young. Hate to break it to you, but that myth that the "American Dream" is that everyone can have a shot at the life of luxury if they only work hard enough or do it right, that was a construct of the REAGAN years, and it is part of the myth that is destroying the country.

I doubt I can convince you though, you sound like you bought it hook line and sinker. It's a false reality. America was not about that, it was about an honest wage for an honest day's work and doing our best to provide everyone the chance for a decent (not rich), life.

Those two "American Dream"s are mutually exclusive. You cannot have both. That is really all the debate about the extravagance of the Clinton wedding is about.

[Go2Peace]

12. +1 ,

[Saturday]

5. I agree with you. Let them spend it and get that money circulating.

As things go in this world I don't think 2 million is over the top either.

ETA At least they didn't do a "destination" wedding. It's being spent here.

[left coaster]

6. How much did Dumbo and Laura spend on Jenna's wedding?

Personally I think lavish weddings are a waste of money.. however it's no one's business but the Clinton's, whether they spend $2 mill on Chelsea's wedding or not..

Let the bucks soak into the local economy, I say! Good for America, etc. etc..

[lynne]

8. Jenna's wedding estimated at $100,000. but what does that have to do with this?

Why is everything compared to what Bush did? I just don't get this Bush-comparison obsession.

Personally, I have no problem with people spending their hard earned money as it will stimulate the local economy providing that the services purchased and used are local and not shipped in from "the big city".

[wndycty]

9. I think left coaster was just saying that no one cared how much the Bush's spent

I don't think he or she was doing a comparison.

[east texas lib]

10. Around 100,000 give or take, according to these guys...

celebs.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474978388815 They must have Wal-Marted it.;)

[east texas lib]

7. Just the well heeled doing what they sometimes do...

Jobs with pay generally come from people with money.Just another day.

[madamesilverspurs]

11. Not surprised by the complaints.

I don't agree with them, but they are the norm these days. Hell's bells, if you posted an article on DU about some gazillionaire giving everyone 100K the first fifteen responses would be pissing and unreccing.

Hope the Clintons enjoy the day they've been thinking of since the day Chelsea was born.


-

[Juche]

13. How much do those hourly workers make?

My impression is most service jobs pay $10 or less an hour without benefits. So that $2 million dollars is not going to make low level employees rich any more than Wal-marts $250 billion a year in sales is making their low level employees rich.

If the money somehow is spent helping 1,000 people get roughly $2,000 each, that'd be one thing. But I am sure what will happen is a handful of wealthy, powerful people and companies will get most of the money, and all the laborers will earn poverty wages.

It is their money to spend as they want, but this is what happens when all the income goes to the top. People spend $2 million on weddings while millions of people see their lives fall apart because their $1300/month unemployment checks stop coming.

[PassingFair]

16. I thought this sort of trickle-down nonsense went out with Louis the 16th...

Apparently not.

[boppers]

17. So, was the WPA "trickle down", too?

Is paying people wages always "trickle down"?

[PassingFair]

18. The WPA was a "bubble-up".

Quite different, and MUCH more effective.

[Go2Peace]

21. Amazing how the Reagan Myths have infected even liberal thought isn't it?

[JI7]

22. trickle down is all about giving welfare to wealthy large corporations

this isn't the same thing at all

[Beacool]

19. Frankly, it's nobody's business how much money the Clintons choose to spend on Chelsea's wedding.

She's their only daughter and they are not asking anyone for a loan to pay for it. In April I went to a wedding in FL for the only child (also a daughter) of a good friend of mine. The wedding cost around $100K. They could afford it and it gave plenty of business to some lucky florist, caterer, photographer, hotel, etc. In this depressed economy, these businesses need all the help they can get.

;-)

[girl_interrupted]

23. Next they will be wanting the Obamas to go shopping at Walmart

to buy all their clothes and everything else they need. No more designer dresses & jewelry for Michelle. One pair of Michele's earrings cost $11,000, alone. Not exactly chump change. Guess they will have to cut out all those State Dinners, too.

People with money buy expensive things.....what else is new?

The Clinton's have given over 10 million in charity & paid 33 million in taxes from the 2007 figures. I'd say they have given quite a lot of themselves. Bill Clinton's foundation alone, has raised over 25 million.

And now they can't spend what they want on their daughter's wedding?


If it's not coming out of your wallet, who cares?



And as for helping the economy here in NY, it sure does. People are making money left and right over this wedding and at a time when jobs are hard to find...its a blessing.

So turn green with envy or whine, no matter, it's their money, their daughter & their business & I wish them all a lifetime of happiness.

[Beacool]

24. Exactly.

If it's their money, I don't care how anyone spends it. The Clintons are very generous with theirs and have given millions to charity.

One thing though, Bill's foundation has raised much more than 25M. They surpassed the billion dollar mark some time ago.

:hi: