Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
After reading through a handful of articles about the lack of high school marching bands set to appear in the inaugural parade, it appears that the issue is that regional schools, the ones who actually could pull together a day-trip to DC in a couple of months, did not apply to participate, not that they backed out. Schools from beyond the Mid-Atlantic region face a huge challenge in getting 200 or more kids to DC with such a short time to prepare, so even if they do want to perform, the hurdles are likely to prove insurmountable without some major behind-the-scenes wrangling to provide travel and accommodations. A previous poster is absolutely correct when writing that these trips can take a year or more of concerted effort to coordinate. My high school band performed in the Macy's Day parade every four years for a couple of decades, and the boosters started working on the next trip the day the band returned from New York.
I really find it very difficult to believe that it will not be a celebratory event. Mr. Trump has far too many supporters for it not to be.
So far, all the news has been about who is NOT coming. You can scratch Jimmy Carter off that list. He intends to be there. But area hotels are still available for the night of Jan 19 at $250. That's little different from usual. Maybe interest will peak later than expected.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kevxu
As for the subway problems, I am not up to date on those.
The subway system was once the best in the nation, but it has no dedicated source of funding and has to beg for money annually from half a dozen different local jurisdictions. TEA Party types have managed to depress those appropriations to the point where the system cannot sustain itself, this to the point where running trains was no longer safe in the minds of the NTSB. On any given recent day, one-third to one-half of the 100-plus mile system has been either shut down completely for repairs or running sharply reduced schedules over shorter hours with major delays due to single-tracking. They were hoping to get an approval to suspend so-called SafeTrack work around Inauguration Day, but I don't know if that has happened yet. Actually depending on the subway next month may turn out to be a major crap-shoot for locals and out-of-towners alike.
this is supposed to be great debates where you answer a post with thoughtful replies not I know you are but what am I type answers
people wonder why trump is disliked, you hear a rational reasons why and then make fun and refuse to give it any credence, there's the problem. you don't have to agree but you should at least acknowledge and try to understand why the opposite view feels that way.
...............The subway system was once the best in the nation, but it has no dedicated source of funding and has to beg for money annually from half a dozen different local jurisdictions. TEA Party types have managed to depress those appropriations to the point where the system cannot sustain itself, this to the point where running trains was no longer safe in the minds of the NTSB.........
The Washington Metro passes through local jurisdictions which are overwhelmingly Democratic. Overwhelmingly.
But-but-but somehow, (that's my Obama imitation) the Tea Party wields enough power in Washington DC to take money away from the Metro and make it unsafe. The Tea Party. In Washington DC.
Couldn't be mismanagement. Couldn't be a poor business model. Has to be the Tea Party. Or Tea Party types, who are somehow in senior administrative positions in Washington DC.
After reading through a handful of articles about the lack of high school marching bands set to appear in the inaugural parade, it appears that the issue is that regional schools, the ones who actually could pull together a day-trip to DC in a couple of months, did not apply to participate, not that they backed out. Schools from beyond the Mid-Atlantic region face a huge challenge in getting 200 or more kids to DC with such a short time to prepare, so even if they do want to perform, the hurdles are likely to prove insurmountable without some major behind-the-scenes wrangling to provide travel and accommodations. A previous poster is absolutely correct when writing that these trips can take a year or more of concerted effort to coordinate. My high school band performed in the Macy's Day parade every four years for a couple of decades, and the boosters started working on the next trip the day the band returned from New York.
Which is exactly why I believe it's fake news.
These schools would have ALREADY booked hotels and travel, had permissions from parents, chaperones, etc. They would have been practicing for MONTHS for an event of this magnitude.
So far, all the news has been about who is NOT coming. You can scratch Jimmy Carter off that list. He intends to be there. But area hotels are still available for the night of Jan 19 at $250. That's little different from usual. Maybe interest will peak later than expected.
The subway system was once the best in the nation, but it has no dedicated source of funding and has to beg for money annually from half a dozen different local jurisdictions. TEA Party types have managed to depress those appropriations to the point where the system cannot sustain itself, this to the point where running trains was no longer safe in the minds of the NTSB. On any given recent day, one-third to one-half of the 100-plus mile system has been either shut down completely for repairs or running sharply reduced schedules over shorter hours with major delays due to single-tracking. They were hoping to get an approval to suspend so-called SafeTrack work around Inauguration Day, but I don't know if that has happened yet. Actually depending on the subway next month may turn out to be a major crap-shoot for locals and out-of-towners alike.
You're sort of wrong. The funding comes from DC, the Federal government, Virginia and Maryland. I find you describing Maryland as "Tea Party types" somewhat strange.
The safety issues have very little to do with funding and everything to do with the decades old lackadaisical attitude within Metro from the top to the bottom concerning every aspect of operating a railway system from maintenance to procedures to training. Every, single aspect. If Metro were a railroad heads would have rolled years ago from some of the practices.
Rail safety isn't rocket science, you just have to do it. Instead, inspections weren't done, reports were falsified, procedures weren't followed (running through a red signal for a railroad engineer draws a suspension, then termination if it happens again. Not Metro. Having three red signal violations in a week, as happened recently, usually results in a safety stand down and the FRA coming at you with both barrels. Not for Metro though). It's been a decades long circus there and now it's coming home.
These schools would have ALREADY booked hotels and travel, had permissions from parents, chaperones, etc. They would have been practicing for MONTHS for an event of this magnitude.
The Inaguaration has been in the works logistics wise for several months, who's coming, parade order, stuff like that.
And someone was right about the fundraising piece. The band where I taught would fund raise for a year for its performances at Disney and the kids would still have to come up with close to a grand each to go.
The Inaguaration has been in the works logistics wise for several months, who's coming, parade order, stuff like that.
And someone was right about the fundraising piece. The band where I taught would fund raise for a year for its performances at Disney and the kids would still have to come up with close to a grand each to go.
The question about bands is actually complicated.
My daughter is in a first rate high school marching band and I have seen this sort of thing firsthand. The band marched in the Rose Parade in Pasadena and was invited to march in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade next year.
These events do require extensive practice and preparation and typically bands apply to march in such events years in advance.
However, when permission is granted, the band has to do extensive fundraising and, more importantly, parents have to be willing to pay expenses. I can completely see a rebellion among a substantial number of parents when it comes to paying a $1,000 or so in expenses to march in this particular inaugural parade. If the band director can't get enough support from parents, the band will not be able to attend the parade. That can be a fairly "last minute" decision. The band director cannot do it all. There is generally a parents' committee that is involved in all of these types of decisions. The bottom line is that without parental support a band cannot do much at all.
the other question to the side of that coin if you find trump repulsive for his mocking the disabled, his vile comments about women. his disrespect for a POW, his bigotry towards people based on their race or religion. then yes you do not send your kids to honor a man you find repulsive.
Maybe a good time to have a booth with free coloring books and playdoh.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.