The cost of the Reagan centennial

Eager for stimulus news, I have tried to obsessively follow the release of Congressional Budget Office cost estimates. And I see that the CBO released a bunch of new estimates last night, though they had nothing to do with the stimulus package. There was, for instance, a cost estimate of House concurrent resolution 37 (pdf) -- a resolution "authorizing the use of the Capitol grounds for the Greater Washington Soap Box Derby." The CBO estimates that this would "result in no significant cost to the federal government." Who knew?

One cost estimate that I thought was interesting, however, was for H.R. 131 (pdf) -- which would would "establish a commission to plan, develop, and coordinate the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of former President Ronald Reagan on February 6, 2011." Setting up this commission will apparently cost the federal government $1 million. How would Ronald Reagan feel about that?

I also see that H.R. 131 was sponsored by Rep. Elton Gallegly, who voted against what he rather creatively called the "Non-Stimulus Act," arguing that it went light on tax cuts "in order to increase government spending."

This article available online at:

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2009/02/the-cost-of-the-reagan-centennial/831/