Should the WTC 9/11 Museum Charge Admission Fee? [POLL]

Everything has its price – and in some cases that price may be excessive.

That’s the feeling of critics of the plan to charge a $24 admission fee to peruse the 9/11 Museum at the newly constructed World Trade Center – which is set to open in mid-May.

If the price seems exorbitant, it actually is in line with some other well-visited attractions; such as the Statue of Liberty, Museum of Modern Art, and the observation deck of the Empire State Building – all in the 20 to 30 dollar price range.

The reason for the cost is due to the foundation’s having set a budget of $63 million dollars to run the facility; and as of now, all the funding will be derived from donations and admissions fees.

That is, unless there’s another source of funding.

According to this story from nj.com:

National 9/11 Memorial and Museum President Joe Daniels said today that tickets would go on sale for the museum in March for the spring opening.
Daniels said he didn't think the price was excessive, though he acknowledged that, "it's not an inexpensive trip for a family to come here." He said that if federal, state or city funding does emerge, the foundation would consider lowering the entrance fee.

To me it still has the ring of a “for-profit” venture.

And when I think back to that day in September of 2001 and the fact that 2,800 people lost their lives there; it seem sacrilegious to be charging a fee to what is the final resting home of those lost souls.

However, nothing comes cheap – not even preserving the memory of lost lives and, to a certain extent, lost innocence.