Funding Presidential Libraries

Cross-posted on MyDD

Say George Bush needs to raise half a billion dollars for his eventual presidential library and scholarly institute in Texas. In fact, he does, and that's the most a presidential library has ever cost -- Clinton's ran $165 million and George H.W. Bush's half that. The way the law stands now, anyone and everyone is welcome to anonymously chip into the kitty: Halliburton, the Saudi government, somebody looking for a pardon, whomever. Heck, a single donor could kick in every red cent needed for construction and his or her name need never appear anywhere in the public record. Think someone who's willing to help a sitting president erase what is in effect a huge debt is going to curry a little bit of favor? It's a giant backdoor into the president's good graces. Rep. Henry Waxman's been fed up with the way that presidential libraries are funded since when Clinton was passing the hat for his.

Today, at about 10:30 or so, Waxman's Oversight Committee will be hearing a bill that would amend the Presidential Libraries Act. He'd make it so that the name of every donor over $200 is disclosed and posted online in a timely fashion.

Webcast here.

•  Your link

  where you say "Webcast here" is incorrect.

  Watching it now, thanks.

  by bumblebums on Wed Feb 28, 2007 at 07:58:36 AM PDT

  •  Oops

    Fixed it. Thanks.

    by Nancy Scola on Wed Feb 28, 2007 at 08:01:44 AM PDT

•  Stop building Presidential libraries

  They're expensive mounments to vanity. Every Presidents should donate his papers to the Library of Congress, and they should all be held on file in a single large site, in an entirely utilitarian manner, without any special pomp.

  by LanceBoyle on Wed Feb 28, 2007 at 08:09:46 AM PDT

  •  If you're not watching...

    Celia Wexler is talking about the "hagiographic" nature of them right now.

    by Nancy Scola on Wed Feb 28, 2007 at 08:16:29 AM PDT

  •  I like Presidential libraries

    (or lieberrys, in the case of 43). But I think Waxman is correct in pushing for transparency in who donates to the funding of them.

    Go Waxman!

    by Jennifer Clare on Wed Feb 28, 2007 at 08:23:33 AM PDT

•  What ticks me off is reading

  horror stories about public Libraries in the US shutting down due to lack of funds. Or the Libraries in New Orleans that are still nothing but rubble and mold. Or the Federal libraries that are being cut back to the point they have become useless.

  Bush doesn't support libraries and Laura is a blight on my profession.

  by MsLibrarian on Wed Feb 28, 2007 at 08:32:13 AM PDT

•  Why a library for a President who can't read?

  Go Waxman!!
  

  by other72384 on Wed Feb 28, 2007 at 09:08:26 AM PDT

•  Seems to me...

  that Henry Waxman's time would be better spent investigating Haliburton, as well as alleged malfeasance related to government contracts in Iraq -- instead of Clinton & his library.

  by KnowVox on Wed Feb 28, 2007 at 09:09:42 AM PDT