On Reagan Passing....

[NinjaPoodle]

Originally posted by Steeltrap
Great column. I wonder if Mr. Vitello will get hate mail from the apologists. I hope not.

I hope not too. It's an excellent column.

[ladygreek]

As anyone else heard that the funeral plan costs the tax payers $6 million?

[msn4med1975]

I heard it was up to 2.5 million before the day of the actual service so I wouldn't be surprised.

Originally posted by ladygreek
As anyone else heard that the funeral plan costs the tax payers $6 million?

That takes into account the "cost" of having all federal employees not work that day. The actual funeral itself cost nowhere near that much.

[Munchkin03]

Originally posted by Ginger
That takes into account the "cost" of having all federal employees not work that day. The actual funeral itself cost nowhere near that much.

No, you're wrong.

According to the LA Times, the actual funeral (including transport and security detail) cost $7 million. So, yeah...the funeral DID cost that much. Don't forget: the services happened in two places ON THE SAME DAY, completely across the country from each other; there was a week during which RR lay in state in California as well as in DC. That's not cheap, especially when you realize that DC basically HAS to shut down for a major event because of its infrastructure.

Most sources that aren't on the far left or far right are calculating the $423 million the Office of Personnel Management estimates that it costs to pay all of the government employees as something that would have been paid regardless of whether or not they worked that day; California's state employee payroll is about $59 million.

[abaici]

PLANNED: A U.S. postage stamp honoring the late President Ronald Reagan will be issued next year, the postal service has announced. Policy is that Americans cannot be placed on a stamp until 10 years after their deaths have passed, but this dictum does not apply to chief executives, who may be honored on the next birthday following their passing. Reagan's birthday was Feb. 6.

[ladygreek]

Originally posted by Ginger
That takes into account the "cost" of having all federal employees not work that day. The actual funeral itself cost nowhere near that much.

No. Actually, I heard the toal cost was close to $1 billion is you included the "cost" of federal and state employees being off that day.