It is estimated that Ronald Reagans funeral costs $650 million dollars. Quite the chunk of money if you ask me. Granted he was the 40th president of the United States but c'mon. Was it really necessary?

The media of course airing it on all local channels where I live had nothing to show except a car driving down the highway and shots of a plane in the sky for how long? Do we need to see such things as that? I feel it was only necessary to show the funeral itself and not all the useless stuff before hand. I was interested in seeing the funeral aspect but not all the other crap that was not needed. I don't have cable television so I had no choice if I cared to watch television. All in all why in the world was any of this necessary for taxpayers?

Originally posted by I See You
All in all why in the world was any of this necessary for taxpayers?

Yes, I believe it was. For those that loved this man, it was a healing process.

I'm sure others complained about the JFK state funeral and Johnson's also.

Further, I believe there is much more than $650 million wasted on worthless programs per year in the US. That money I would question far more than how much was spent on a President's funeral.

I think your cost numbers are extremely flawed. Please provide support.

Even if the numbers are correct, which I doubt, I think the funeral was totally appropriate. This was to honor the man who brought the cold war to an end without firing a single shot. Gorby's interview about
Reagan really summed it all up.

sosuemetoo

Yes many things are wasted at that expense or more. I'm sure Reagan was loved. Many people die everyday and they are loved just as much as Reagan by his loved ones. No difference. I didn't dislike him at all...I just thought the expense was quite high. No bitterness here it's only $2.00 from my pocket.


Valhall

Front page of Rochester Democrat and Chronicle of yesterdays paper. Figure all federal and state employees having the day off and all the other expenses. My cost was correct.

I think that the coverage was a bit overkill, but --

It wasn't just about Reagan's death. It was like the death of an era. An era where the president could be folksy & smile a lot & there was no major terrorist attack yet on our soil. The US'll never get that innocence back again. And so I think that when Reagan finally died, that point was really driven home to the American people, and they mourned not just for him but probably even more for a part of their past.

Also, I was a little kid when Reagan was in office so watching this funeral & people like Thatcher & Bush Sr. be so old--I felt so old!!!!