Bill Would Make It a Crime to Sell Inauguration Tickets

Susan Davis reports on Congress. Scoring a ticket to President-elect Barack Obama’s Jan. 20 inauguration ceremony will get even harder this week if Congress approves legislation introduced Monday by California Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein to make it a federal crime to sell inauguration tickets. “The inauguration of the president of the United States is one of the most important rituals in our democracy,” Feinstein said on the Senate floor Monday. “And the chance to witness this solemn event should not be bought and sold like tickets to a football game.” As chairwoman of the joint committee overseeing the inaugural ceremonies, Feinstein has already asked online sites like eBay and StubHub to ban the sale of tickets online. The companies are complying with the request. There are about 240,000 inaugural tickets available for Obama’s swearing-in, and they are free of charge. With as many as four million people expected to descend on Washington, D.C., in January to take part in ... (link)