I am confused. Although I thought it seemed extravagant, I knew that a new ballroom costing $200 million was already in the works when it was announced that some wealthy donors pledged to cover all of the costs. I have never been to a ball, or even a dinner, where so many people attended an event that it would need 22,000 square feet and 40 foot high ceilings. (But, hey, I'm from Billings and still impressed when I enter the vast space of the Metra).

But now I read that the cost is more like $600 million and more than half of it will be paid by us the taxpayers. Wow, will there be that many state dinners, that many balls, that many Ultimate Fighting Championships held. I am sure that our congressmen from Montana will be on top of this and report back to us on all of details.

We elected them to how our tax dollars are being spent...even those of us who don't much care for the brutality that took place on the South Lawn of the white House.

Joan McCracken,

Billings