I am willing to be that many of the corporations and individuals helping to foot the bill for the inauguration love fests are also leading donors to the private relief efforts.
IMNSHO Inaugurations are important. I believe a big role of the President is that of master motivator. Reagan's greatest accomplishment was getting Americans to believe in themselves again. Leading up to RR was Nixon and the CREEP and all of their shenanigans. Then Ford and his WHIP campaign to Whip Inflation Now with buttons. Then Carter and us seemingly as a nation being held hostage by the Iranians. (At least in that day they weren't into beheading hostages) Then riding high on his horse was Reagan. Confident, almost aristocratic. American was energized. Clinton, in many of the same ways motivated America with his youthfulness, something we hadn't seen since Kennedy.
So let's put on the western hats and boots and have a shindig in Washington and propel W into his second term.