I do not live in New York, and it may be a long time before I ever have a chance to visit there, but this still really pisses me off.
NEW YORK (PIX11)— In a City Council hearing Thursday, president of the national 9/11 memorial announced that they could charge an entrance fee of around $20.
President and CEO of the National September 11 Memorial Museum, Joe Daniels, said that when the memorial opens in September 2012, it needs to create enough income to maintain itself. While admission fees could reach $20, relatives of victims will always have free entrance.
Daniels said the memorial foundation is searching for other ways to finance the museum. If an alternate solution is not found, the result will be high admission fees that are equal to those of other museums in New York City.
Disgraceful.
Can we not afford to fully fund the 9/11 memorial? Is that really something we want to allow free-market forces to decide if it's a success or failure?
If the president of the memorial appeals for federal funding, will he be denied because we're "broke?" Will he be told that the deficit takes priority? Will he be told that the cost of funding the memorial will have to be offset by spending cuts in other areas, like the victims of the F5 tornado which hit Joplin, Missouri?
When the Republican's swing their budget-cutting machete, funding for memorials, monuments, national parks, and public recreational facilities are one of the first things to take a hit. Is all of that worth another tax cut for the super-rich?