The huge billboard where the northbound Dan Ryan merges into the Kennedy near 18th Street got my attention first. The photograph of Michelle Obama was outstanding! I admit it, I took my eyes off the road to read what the sign said. “Becoming Michelle Obama – An Intimate Evening.” Maybe it’s just me, but juxtaposing “intimate” with an event held at the United Center has to be an oxymoron.
Admittedly, I have not been to the United Center for a lot of things. The last time was a couple of years ago when I went to see Bette Midler in concert. I’m sure the tickets my future son-in-law bought cost him a pretty penny, but we were still up in the nosebleed section.
I went to the United Center website and priced the tickets to be sure what I was hearing was true. The cheapest ticket, as I write this column, was about $123 going up to $2,000 plus.
I’m a bit confused. You see, becoming Michelle Obama doesn’t seem like a subject for people who can pay that kind of price range for tickets. They aren’t the ones who need to hear an inspirational message. They will be idol worshippers! As I discussed the event with one of my friends, she had the best advice: Michelle should be charging $5 and speak to those who truly need to hear what she has to say. For to speak the truth, she is not famous for anything she’s done. She has ridden her husband’s coattail to glory.
I don’t know how blind Michelle Obama is to what’s going on in Chicago. But I’ve driven the South Side over the last couple of days, and it looks horrible. If nothing else, it is the people who are suffering, those who see no future, those who have no vision. Those are the ones who need to hear an inspirational message, who need an intimate evening with the woman whose husband was put in office with their vote. Without those people, she never would be the Michelle Obama we know today. Without them, she would still be a dowdy housewife, living in Hyde Park whose “kitchens” needed to be touched up!
I’ve read where 10% of the ticket sales are going to charity. When does that 10% get tabulated? You see, accountants can take a hit Hollywood movie that makes millions and claim, when all was said and done, that the movie didn’t make a dime. I’m sure the same pencil pushers will be on this book tour claiming, after subtracting all the expenses, that the charity might get $10,000. And what charity is the money going to? Hopefully it won’t be the Obama Foundation.
I know I can’t afford to go hear her speak, so it’s going to be interesting to see what other paraphernalia is being sold to go along with the high-priced tickets. What about the cost to park? Will there be Michelle Obama T-shirts? I’m sure the book will be available for sale, but for those kind of prices, darn it, a copy of the book should come with the seat!
Barack Obama once said that a rising tide should raise all ships. It is obvious that his family is benefiting from that rising tide more than the people who voted for him! His campaign promise of “A Change You Can Believe In” has come to fruition! Sadly, those who were the least fortunate but made it possible for him to get there don’t get anything out the deal.
