Billionaire Mark Cuban asks President Bush to cancel inauguration parties

January 4, 2005

Mark Cuban, the billionaire owner of the National Basketball Association's Dallas Mavericks, has asked U.S. President George W. Bush to cancel the inauguration parties that are planned in his honor and redirect the cost to aid for Tsunami victims.

"It’s up to President Bush to set an example," Cuban said in his web blog. "Could there be anything more confusing and shocking than to read that our country was offering $35m in aid to the areas affected by the tsunamis, but that the cost of inauguration parties would be about $40m?"

"Does anyone else think that this is wrong?" he said.

The U.S. administration has since raised its aid pledge to $350 million, and sent a contingent of up to 1,200 Marines along with a carrier group to provide assistance to the affected areas.

But many reader comments posted to Cuban's blog agree with him and say that the United States is still not doing enough to help. Other bloggers have accused Cuban of politicizing the Tsunami disaster relief efforts.

Rex Hammock, publisher of Rexblog.com, wrote that Cuban's statement is unfairly political and takes focus away from the victims.

"Why not call for the cancellation of the NBA season and take all the dollars advertisers have committed for broadcasting it and send those funds to tsunami relief?" Hammock said. "What, the advertisers won't do that? Have you asked?"