SOME YEARS, thousands would gather in the northern New Jersey town of Clark to watch the lighting of a 40-foot evergreen tree and a menorah that stretched more than six feet wide, in addition to the arrival of Santa Claus.
But this year, Pisapia put up a sign: “Tree and Menorah Lighting Ceremony Canceled This Year Due to Lack of Community Support.”
He and other residents in the town of 15,000 who organized the event weren’t able to raise the $8,000 needed to pay for electricity and other costs, in part because corporate donations were down.
“Every place I’ve gone in the last week or so, it’s been the main topic of conversation throughout the town,” Pisapia said.
Clark is just one of a number of communities nationwide going without holiday decorations this year because municipalities can’t afford them and donations are down.
Many cities are experiencing their worst fiscal conditions since the recession of the early 1980s, said Chris Hoene, a research manager with the National League of Cities.
http://msnbc.com/news/998826.asp?0cv=CB20The Junior media stunt to Iraq cost at least $50,000,000.00, I'm sure but probably well over $100,000,000.00. Let's have some Media Whore analysis of what that money could have done spent in our own country!!!!
The money people are donating out of their pockets is going to be felt in a decline of some other consumer spending area!