Four years ago, because of the tsunami in Asia, we were told that George W. Bush’s Inauguration should be a sedate and understated affair since it would be unfair for us to use money for a “coronation” that we could instead have used to send tsunami relief overseas. Oh, and we were also told that the Bush Administration was being “stingy” in sending aid.

This was, of course, ridiculous. But now that we are in a severe recession, one would expect those who called for a sedate affair four years ago to cite financial reasons for having a sedate affair this year.

Alas, one would be disappointed. To be sure, this isn’t the world’s biggest deal with me. But it’s nice to remind ourselves just how hypocritical people can be; many–if not all–of the very same folks who decried an Inauguration extravaganza four years ago are either completely silent this year, or are cheering on the additional spending for Barack Obama’s Inauguration. But then, we all know the reason for that, don’t we?