Not really sure why taxpayers are footing this bill on this honor, but apparently Congress feels they need to honor President Gerald Ford, a typical country club Republican. Ford had become symbolic of post presidential abuse of secret service officers, often reducing them to the role of caddies. Now he is being honored, despite never winning a presidential election. Remember Watergate resignations led to his presidency.
And as you will see, the the Congressman who honored him don't have much to say about him. From the Times Union.
House and Senate leaders dedicated the statue of the 38th president Tuesday. Ford was remembered as a man of integrity who helped the nation heal following the Watergate scandal.
House Speaker John Boehner (BAY'-nur) called Ford "the most uncommon of common men."
Ford is the only president in America's history who was not elected either president or vice president. He represented western Michigan in Congress before President Richard Nixon chose him to serve as vice president.
Ford became president when Nixon resigned in 1974 during the Watergate scandal.
Ford died in 2006 at the age of 93. Three of Ford's children attended the ceremony in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda.
Congressman Billy Long tweeted this about the statue: "President Ford's statue looks great from a distance but from here it looks like he's holding Alan Greenspan's famous briefcase/folder."
Of course Billy Long also claimed he was fed up of such frivolous government spending that would take your tax dollars to honor a man who did very little with his time in Washington with the exception of pardoning Nixon.
