Sandy Gholston“Sanford and Son” was one of my all-time favorite shows. I have some of the box sets and watch the reruns like it’s my job. But, I have to admit Demond Wilson, co-star of the show, had me shaking my head when he went on (of all places) Bill O’Reilly’s show on Fox News to criticize President Barack Obama for the cost of the inauguration.
Here is a transcript of O’Reilly introducing the segment (followed by the comments from Wilson):
“Recently, I spoke with Demond Wilson (the man who played Lamont Sanford, Fred G. Sanford’s son in the fantastic comedy from the 1970s) for an “Icon” segment about “Sanford & Son.” Mr. Wilson now does a lot of work with the poor and had some questions about all the money being spent on the inauguration.
DEMOND WILSON, ACTOR/ACTIVIST: “I want to know why $150 million is necessary of taxpayers’ money to have an inauguration. A hundred and fifty million dollars could have gone into the private sector and, with the condition that America is in right now, and done a lot more good than a celebration.”
I suppose that is true of you’re a Republican (or a hater … some might say those terms are synonymous, but that is another story) and the new president is a Democrat. Who knows where Wilson was when George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H. W. Bush, Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter were being inaugurated? But, to quote the immortal Fred G. Sanford, as he so often said to his son, “you big dummy!” I hear ya, Fred!
Fox News:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,481060,00.html
Does every criticism of Obama have to be coupled with a criticism of his unlamented predecessor?
When Obama and the Democrats behave as Republicans – squandering our money on lavish testimonials to their egos – they deserve to be condemned.
Good for Demond.
I know what Fred Sanford was talking about now.
“…Who knows where Wilson was when George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H. W. Bush, Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter were being inaugurated?…” Perhaps when you ask such a rhetorical question it would be a good idea to bolster it with facts. For example how much did those inaugurations cost? And what was our economy like at those times? More to the point, is there ANY comparison to an economy such as ours with 13 trillion in debt? Obama has earned the criticism he is receiving and Wilson is to be commended for daring to think.
No matter your party preference, a president who loves America would not waste millions on an inaurguration, knowing there are starving Americans on Americans streets. That said, guess there are no past, nor recent previous presidents who love America. You love what you GIVE to, you have no regard for what you TAKE from.