Kelly: 9/11 Museum entry fee raises questions

[deminks]

http://www.northjersey.com/columnists/kelly/Kelly_911_Museum_entry_fee_raises_questions.html?c=y&page=1

By MIKE KELLY
RECORD COLUMNIST

First came the 9/11 attacks and the price in lives lost. Now comes the price tag to remember them and the dilemma of finding a peaceful way to resolve the sticker shock.

The announcement by the 9/11 Museum to charge a $24-per-person admission fee was greeted on Friday by the equivalent of a loud and mournful groan.

But, despite criticism that the price was too high, no major political figure on either side of the Hudson River stepped forward to try to block it — or even resolve the nettlesome quandary over museum finances, which has simmered for years beneath attempts to preserve the legacy of the 9/11 attacks.

(snip)

What seems to be evolving is that the 9/11 Museum, while clearly a national landmark, will continue to be run by a non-profit foundation until politicians figure out whether the government should play a role in its administration.

But the ticket price announcement re-focused attention on the operation of that foundation — in particular the fact that its president, Joseph Daniels, and its director, Alice Greenwald, are each paid more than $354,000 in salaries and benefits. In addition, another 10 top foundation staffers each receive salary-benefits packages valued from $185,364 to $291,096, according to the 2012 financial figures posted on the museum’s website. The figures are the most recent to be made public by the museum.


(end snip)

Wow, another 911 cash cow. Maybe they'll put the Port Authority in charge. /sarcasm off.

[Fumesucker]

1. The Invisible Hand

[onehandle]

2. Pass. The Natural History Museum is a 'suggested fee.' Spend your time there

Many more free and suggested fee museums in NYC. We've been to most.

http://www.ny.com/museums/free.html

[defacto7]

3. It should be free

and open to the public as a service. Those salaries way too high. Yes it's expensive to live in the city but not to the price of $354,000 a year adding up to millions a year for the whole administrative staff. That's taking advantage of a tragedy. It should be a national monument.

[Jesus Malverde]

4. I suspect the museum experience will be similar to the Oklahoma bombing museum.

Designed to connect with you emotionally, but utterly devoid of facts.

One can tour the OKC museum and never hear the names Carol Elizabeth Howe, Andreas Strassmeir, Elohim city or FBI informant Robert Millar

They didn't even mention Fortier.

The OKC Memorial is sadly lacking.

[Politicalboi]

5. Do they show the video tape where

The bomb experts took out other explosive devices that McVeigh could have easily planted in a secure federal building? I like how that was NEVER talked about again. How does one plant bombs in a cctv federal building. Kind of like being able to fly a plane into our biggest DEFENSE building with only ONE working camera. Who would believe that.

[jberryhill]

7. The shit some people believe

During the recovery/rescue effort after the Murrah bombing, several dummy bombs used by the ATF for training were found, and caused a brief alarm and evacuation. Once it was determined what they were, the rescue/recovery effort continued. Yes, the event is preserved in contemporaneous reports, but you don't hear much about it because it was no big fucking deal. It lives on in the minds of people who cannot wrap their heads around the notion that initial perceptions and reports are not always accurate, and those who spin tales based on that odd habit of mind.

[davidpdx]

6. To pay those 12 individual's salaries

it takes a minimum of 106,735 tickets per year to be sold. Actually it would be slightly more as I used the minimum salary range for the other 10 foundation staffers. In reality it's probably closer to 120,000-140,000. That is about 10,000-12,000 a month just for those staffers. Outrageous!

[Dorian Gray]

8. I'm pissed

I haven't been to the site, nor will I go to the museum. (Most NYers don't.) I drive past the site all the time and am reminded and remember. I don't need to or want to pay 24 bucks for that "privilege."

[KG]

9. seems a monument to failure is a also fail.

go usa.