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Is the public paying for private schools tuition--no. Is security easier to manage in a private school--yes. Are the girls growing up in Texas vs. Washington DC? No. If my kids were living in DC, they'd be in private school too. When we lived in MO my kids attended private school, because the public schools were awful. Since we moved back to Nebraska, they're in public.
Sorry, but as someone pointed out above, this is a two year old article. It's like--hey! It's a slow news day so once again someone drags out ancient articles to whine and moan about the president because they don't have anything better to do with their time, and they don't have anything real to rant about. Carry on--just more of the usual here on CD.
yes, it might be a two year old article, however, I posted newer articles about the same thing, but I bet you didn't go in and read them, did you?
two years old or not, it is still disgraceful, and they continue to do it over and over and over again.....
Except that's not true. Besides ferrying back and forth between Crawford TX and DC on a very regular basis the First Family took trips to Mexico, Maine, Alaska, Wyoming and an African safari. The twins even took trips to Europe. Frankly, it's not a matter of great concern and these efforts to paint Michele Obama as some Marie Antoinette is ridiculous in context of how past Presidential families operated and traveled.
The only purpose here is throw some (old) meat to the perpetually outraged.
Great link. Golly Gosh--I wonder how many secret service agents had to go to CHINA--a communist country where security for the president would have to be tighter than almost any place on earth--so Dubya could go to the Olympics and chug a few?
I am so tired of this, while Americans are suffering, this goes one. Cut spending in Washington, Period. This is stealing from the American Taxpayer's!!!! How dare they???????
Obama Family's Pricey Vacations are Gaining International Attention
Photo: AP - President Barack Obama
BY MALIA ZIMMERMAN - President Barack Obama and his family are attracting international attention once again for their pricey vacation in Martha's Vineyard at a time when most Americans are suffering in a down economy. The London Daily Mail, one of the top news sources in Europe, was following up on criticisms that Obama’s extravagant vacations in places like Hawaii and Martha’s Vineyard are costing taxpayers millions of dollars.
"The Obamas' summer break on Martha's Vineyard has already been branded a PR disaster after the couple arrived four hours apart on separate government jets. But according to new reports, this is the least of their extravagances. ..
"White House sources today claimed that the First Lady has spent $10 million of U.S. taxpayers' money on vacations alone in the past year," the paper reports.
Boston Herald reports that GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney also attacked Obama's vacation plans today at a forum. "“You got 20 million people out of work right now, Mr. President — out of work, with part-time work or they stopped looking for work. You shouldn’t be on the Vineyard playing golf, you should be doing your job getting Americans back to work,†Romney said. Hawaii Reporter was cited in the international news report for investigation into the cost to taxpayers for President Barack Obama’s 2010 Hawaii Christmas vacation, which extended into January 2011.
Some of the cost estimates for the Hawaii trip included:
Obama’s round trip flight to Hawaii via Air Force One: $1 million (GAO estimates)
Mrs. Obama’s early flight to Hawaii: $63,000 (White House Dossier)
Housing in beachfront homes for Secret Service and Seals in Kailua ($1,200 a day for 14 days): $16,800
Costs for White House staff staying at Moana Hotel: $134,400 ($400 per day for 24 staff) – excluding meals and other room costs
Local police overtime: $250,000 (2009 costs reported by Honolulu Police Department)
Ambulance: $10,000 (City Spokesperson)
TOTAL COST: $1,474,200
UNKNOWN COSTS
Rental of office building in Kailua on canal
Security upgrades and additional phone lines to private homes where Obama and friends are staying
Costs for car rentals and fuel for White House staff staying at Moana Hotel
Surveillance before the President arrives
Travel costs for Secret Service and White House staff traveling ahead of the President
In addition, costs should have been added for the Hawaii trip for USAF C-17 cargo aircraft that transported the Presidential limos, helicopters and other support equipment. The flight time between Andrews Air Force Base and Hawaii is at about 20 hours roundtrip, with estimated operating cost of $7,000 per hour (GAO report) for a total of $140,000 per roundtrip. Sources say the United States Marine Corps provides a presidential helicopter, along with pilots and support crews for the test flights, which travel on another C-17 flight at $140,000 for a total of $280,000. Hawaii Reporter requested details on the cost of the President’s trip, but the White House would not release any figures, citing security concerns. A spokesperson maintains the costs are in line with other presidential vacations. Hawaii Reporter also sought to determine the taxpayer cost of all Hawaii vacations but never received any reply from four emails sent earlier this year to the U.S. General Services Administration, the agency that tracks these costs.
The London Daily Mail documents costs for other pricey vacations in addition to those in Martha's Vineyard and Hawaii.
"The First Lady is believed to have taken 42 days of holiday in the past year, including a $375,000 break in Spain and a four-day ski trip to Vail, Colorado, where she spent $2,000 a night on a suite at the Sebastian hotel.
"And the first family's nine-day stay in Martha's Vineyard is also proving costly, with rental of the Blue Heron Farm property alone costing an estimated $50,000 a week."
According to U.S. News and World Report, the Coast Guard has its ships around the property, and the staffing for the presidential helicopter and jet are always prepared for immediate orders.
The same was true for his vacation in Hawaii.
Read the full report: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2029615/Michelle-Obama-accused-spending-10m-public-money-vacations.html#ixzz1W7Ak8Sc3
Obama's home, if I am correct is in Chicago. Bush was also visiting his own property, which did not cost any money to rent and already had the accommodations for the staff. Bush also didn't waste time golfing with celebrities before major decisions needed to be made, nor did Laura Bush rack up millions in travel expenses for her and the Bush girls without President Bush even being there.
All Presidents take vacation time, and deserve it, but not on this scale.
The federal govt. aka "we the people" put a lot of money into Bush's home for security and communications purposes. I am sure that all those staff got per-diem allowances for being away from home, their home, as well.
Laura and her daughters (they were grown women, mind you) went on a few trips too.
Compared to other Presidents, sure his choice of vacation spots are lavish.
Then again, they (the Obamas) seem more yuppish than past Presidents so their destinations don't seem all that out of place.
They don't have a second home like past President's either.
They have a home in Chicago. And if that's a problem, well they have Rahmbo to visit. Of course, he'd probably charge more than Hawaii for an overnite...
I believe that what sticks in the "craw" of so many extremists on the political right in the country is not that a President is availing himself of employment benefits enjoyed by many of his predecessors, but that a President of mixed race, one with African blood in his veins and who has brown skin, is utilizing his benefits even though seemingly sparingly in contrast to some of his predecessors. I doubt these extremists raised similar whines during the terms of Presidents Reagan or Bush.
Great link. Golly Gosh--I wonder how many secret service agents had to go to CHINA--a communist country where security for the president would have to be tighter than almost any place on earth--so Dubya could go to the Olympics and chug a few?
You're kidding right?
Leaders of nations all over the world attended the Olympics. I can't believe y'all are on here criticizing Bush for supporting US athletes
Presidents take vacations, but the amount of money and nature of Obama's are on a scale not seen before.
For example a week or two before the sequester happened Obama was out golfing with Tiger Woods in Florida, but was only able to squeeze in a meeting on the semester at the last second which any competent person could tell you was not gonna get the deal done. Should Obama have been working on preventing sequester instead golfing with Tiger Woods? I'll let you be the judge.
Leaders of nations all over the world attended the Olympics. I can't believe y'all are on here criticizing Bush for supporting US athletes
Presidents take vacations, but the amount of money and nature of Obama's are on a scale not seen before.
For example a week or two before the sequester happened Obama was out golfing with Tiger Woods in Florida, but was only able to squeeze in a meeting on the semester at the last second which any competent person could tell you was not gonna get the deal done. Should Obama have been working on preventing sequester instead golfing with Tiger Woods? I'll let you be the judge.
Here's a counter example that happened while Bush was at the Olympics in Beijing, along with his father, who also required SS protection: Beijing Olympics: While Georgia burned George W Bush played volleyball - Telegraph
**Mr Bush, who engaged former Russian president Vladimir Putin about the Georgia conflict on the night of the opening ceremony, refused to answer questions about the crisis but was briefed throughout the day.
I don't want to get into a "tit for tat", but I don't think there's one thing Obama has done in this vein that other presidents haven't done as well. And any news reporter who wants to climb the career ladder can write a "Nero Fiddles While Rome Burns" article. And just where were you guys during the presidencies of ALL the former presidents?
Leaders of nations all over the world attended the Olympics. I can't believe y'all are on here criticizing Bush for supporting US athletes
Presidents take vacations, but the amount of money and nature of Obama's are on a scale not seen before.
For example a week or two before the sequester happened Obama was out golfing with Tiger Woods in Florida, but was only able to squeeze in a meeting on the semester at the last second which any competent person could tell you was not gonna get the deal done. Should Obama have been working on preventing sequester instead golfing with Tiger Woods? I'll let you be the judge.
And where was Mr. Bush when he received the memo stating that Bin Laden was determined to strike in the U.S.?
Where was he when Hurricane Katrina hit?
Every president takes vacations. Every president's family takes vacations.
No president took more vacations than Mr. Bush. And no president presided over more out-of-control spending and wreaked more havoc on the economy than Mr. Bush.
Y'all can whine all you want about the current president and his family, but, the facts are the facts, like them or not.
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