The Golden Ticket Meets Supply and Demand

Photo: Witheyes

The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies wants the January 20 Obama inauguration to be “one of the most accessible in U.S. history.”
But the the laws of supply and demand are making accessibility hard for the average citizen.
To get a free ticket to the inauguration ceremony, you either need to know someone (a senator or representative from your state, the president-elect, the vice president-elect, etc.), or you need a lot of money: ticket brokers are asking as much as $20,095 for a single ticket, reports CNN.
Tickets along the parade route, meanwhile, where Biden and Obama will walk between the White House and the Capitol, were only $25 apiece, but they went “blazingly fast,” reports the BBC, and if you want one now, you’ll likely pay a dear price.
Even if you do secure a ticket, you’ll likely encounter overpriced and scarce transportation and hotel rooms: some area hotels have as much as quadrupled their prices, reports the Boston Globe.
Some would-be inauguration attendees are even canceling their trips due to concerns about travel and expenses, reports FOXNews.com, and Washington’s officials have reduced the estimated number of inauguration attendees from four to five million to two million.
If you were given a ticket, would it be worth your while (and money) to go? Or if you’re one of the people who does have a ticket, what’s your survival plan?