Sunday, January 04, 2009

The $5 Inaugural Lottery

Those who didn't win Super Bowl tickets in the NFL drawing for fans can still come up winners for the inauguration, an e-mail from the Obama team tells us:

"Ten supporters and their guests will be selected to come to Washington, D.C. for several days of inaugural events. You could be chosen to fly to Washington, attend the welcome ceremony, the Inaugural parade, the swearing-in, and an official Inaugural ball."

A donation of $5 or more is suggested but, to avoid legalities about a lottery, entrants can write about "what this inauguration means to you" instead--like those contests when I was a kid for which you had to compose an ode to Wheaties in 25 words or less, accompanied by a box top "or a reasonable facsimile."

"In the past," the Obama e-mail says, "inaugurations have been funded by lobbyists and corporations making six-figure contributions. Like our campaign, this inauguration is going to be different...

"Barack and Joe will run their administration without the influence of big money from Washington lobbyists or special interests. Funding the Inauguration this way is another example of the change you helped bring to Washington."

Sorry I won't be able to make it on January 20th but, for those who can, there's a form on the Obama web site. No box top required.

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