That seems like quite an expensive party to me. Apparently Bush spent 50 million on the last one. I guess it seems weird because here in the Uk there is practically no ceremony at all. Some drunken cheering near downing street, and a bit of waving.
Given the US economy, is spending 150 million on this a good idea? I know that’s small beer by bailout standards…but still…
I agree, since the saving of $150M tax-payer money is a better start than wasting it on a big party. I guess it is probably worth it since the nationl pride/international image ect I dread to think how much money we’re going to spend on the olympics, when we are basically already beaten by China.
And can I just add, the british bank bail out cost £37Billion. This is a lot, but it is an investment, not a loss. The money is still in the treasury really, just in a risky place. However, because we own so much of the banks, and we are in a banking crisis; we are losing money on the share value(£13B so far).
It is similar to £23Billion on Housing and environment, which I’ll assume was spent on buying council houses. Their market value has dropped, but they are still an investment, not a loss.
Interesting below
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom_budget
Did that figure include the security measures taken, or just for the festivities? With 1.8 million people around the area, there were a whole lot of cops out there…I’m guessing those salaries ate up a lot of cash.
I think there were either 40,000 or 80,000 cops. But we are talking just one day. Even 80,000 cops 1 day salaries shouldn’t be that much surely? Thats $1,875 per cop per day at the high end number estimate.
But yes, the olympics is a far greater waste of money. Onkly the UK’s labour government could end up doing the Olympics during a global recession.
The olympics are either going to be the cheapest since 1904 or the most over bugdet yet, depending on the state of the economy. I saw Brown on the news saying that it was good to have an area of growth in the constuction industry during the reccession. By that, he should just pay everyone slightly more than last year…
PS Dispite Brown’s constant claims it is
it just isn’t.
Global growth is projected at 1% in 2009, according to the IMF.
Growth is only good if its actually spending on something useful. We could all dig whole and fill them in again, which would reduce unemployment, but it would achieve about as much as the olympics will 
It wasnt tax payer money, look up ur facts
NO! Im lazy, plus its the princliple that counts.
Where did this money come from? I’m lost!
donations, not specifically for the event itself but just donations resulting from obamas campaign fund raising operations.
To think guys, how much money we’re going to spend on the Olympics, when basically already beaten by China…