A US Senator is urging websites like eBay not to accept for sale touted tickets for Barack Obama's swearing-in as president.

Dianne Feinstein is running the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies and is hoping to get a bill passed which would make such ticket touting a federal crime.

Tickets for the inauguration are supposed to be free and will be given to 240,000 people

Feinstein is writing to eBay, Craig's List and other sites in order to get them to stop any resale of tickets.

All of which should reassure any Republican diehards who think the Obama presidency will mean the death of rugged individualism and and free market capitalism in the US.

The swearing-in should happen 20 January 2009 and will be themed - "A New Birth of Freedom", in commemoration of 200 years since the birth of Abraham Lincoln. ®

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