The government seems to be taking early action when it comes to the Presidential Inauguration Tickets craze going on out there.
The official press release http://inaugural.senate.gov/
CNN coverage on this issue.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif, the senator overseeing Barack Obama's swearing-in ceremony said Monday she's writing to Internet sites like eBay asking them not to sell scalped inauguration tickets. The senator also said she's crafting a bill that would make a federal crime of selling tickets to the historic event Jan. 20. Link to source
OFFICIAL STATEMENT BY THE GOVT.Taxpayer dollars are used to run the Inauguration event, and consequently, any arguments bringing up "capitalism" just fall flat. Oh wait, did I hear whining about bailouts? Two wrongs don't make one right. Unscrupulous elements should just not be allowed to get in the way and speculate on items which people should be getting from their representatives in a straightforward manner. Of course, there might be (allegations of) favoritism coming into play, (e.g. people making donations to the party of the local rep might get better chances) but at least the chance to see this event will go to people who were more interested in this man's rise from the beginning.
The public should also be aware that no website or other ticket outlet actually has inaugural swearing-in tickets to sell, regardless of what they may claim. Tickets will not be distributed to Congressional offices until the week before the inauguration and will require in-person pick-up.[Source]
The official press release http://inaugural.senate.gov/
CNN coverage on this issue.
