It seems somewhat incongruous that we are holding a party, that some estimate will cost $150 million, at a time like no other since the Great Depression.

But that’s what we will be doing Saturday through Tuesday while unemployment is up, the stock market down, banks are failing along with retail stores and States are facing deficit spending.

President-elect Barack Obama’s inauguration, from yesterday’s train ride from Philadelphia to Washington, a concert tonight, services, dinners,  another concert tomorrow, to the inauguration itself and the parade on Tuesday and some 10 official inaugural balls that evening, is expected to break spending records of the 43 previous inaugurations of our presidents.

Now Obama, being the first Afro-American President in our history, deserves a party and the long overdue celebration by our people of our common values.

The question, however, is whether it should be as extravagant as its going to be during these times of a global economic meltdown.

In contrast, Democrats four years ago called upon President George W. Bush to be frugal in his spending; however, no such demands were made on Obama.  They noted in a letter to Bush that in 1945 President Roosevelt held his inaugural at the White House, making a short speech and served guests cold chicken salad and a plain pound cake.

Some 3 million people are expected to descend on Washington for the gala Obama celebrations.  Obama’s inaugural committee raised more than $41 million for events, a small portion of the estimated $150 million it is expected to cost in addition to an undisclosed cost for security, which is paid for by we the taxpayer.

The committee is paying for 10 stadium-style screens to broadcast the inauguration ceremony on the National Mall.  Thousands of portable toilets are being brought in for what one supplier called in an AP story, “the largest temporary restroom event in the history of the United States.”

Obama promised us spending to get us out of the worst recession since the Great Depression, why not start with a party for him the likes of which we have never seen before?