Michelle Obama spends $600,000 to redecorate white house dining room

[Wayland Woman]

Originally Posted by pghquest

So the items did cost a lot, but you argued that they didnt anyways?

Just let it go, Pghquest. It's been well established in this thread that: 1) the tax payers didn't pay a dime for the redecorating; 2) after 17 years, the room was in need of a redo; 3) nothing is ever purged from the White House. It goes in storage if not in use, and 4) every decision in the room had to be approved by a committee overseeing the White House preservation.

[WeHa]

I'm sure there was plenty of oversight and the FLOTUS involvement was probably more along the lines explaining her vision and then choosing items from a large group that are already okayed by the committee to save time.

[moionfire]

Originally Posted by pghquest

So they didnt spend $600K redoing the White House dining room?

She spent money from donations that come from a white house trust. A white house trust that has existed for a couple of decades. Let it go. How someone spends donations for the white-house or any building/house is none of your business. You didn't pay for it.

[banjomike]

Originally Posted by pghquest

So the items did cost a lot, but you argued that they didnt anyways?

Since all the First Ladies have done some renovation, what's your point?
Do you want all the heavily used public spaces of the White House becoming threadbare, stained, worn, and shabby?

We are not talking about a McMansion in the suburbs here. The White House is a national symbol as important as our flag, to our citizens and to all other nations in the world alike.

It is also the place where critical decisions in all matters are made daily. Redecorating may seem to be a trifling matter to you, but you have never had to sit in a critical meeting in the White House on a couch with broken springs poking you painfully in the butt for 6 straight hours. Little things like than can easily change history.

Even more importantly, any foreign leader who has never been to the United States will get a first impression of our entire nation when he walks into the White House. They all walk in with expectations, and the appearance of their surroundings can influence all their thoughts that will follow. Leadership never travels alone, either. A leader's spouse's impressions are just as important, as are all those quiet advisors who shadow them. Those folks are very keenly noticing all the details of their surroundings, as it's always the details that tell the real big picture in any situation.

Things like color, scale, pattern and design affect any human's moods, thoughts, and actions. Expert decorators all know how to use a setting to create a specific mentality very well, and mentality can make a huge difference in a critical outcome.

It's all a hell of a lot more important than just looking pretty.

[phetaroi]

Let's get real. The purpose of this thread was to bash the Obamas again. Unfortunately, those pouring gasoline on the fire didn't have all the facts (such as that every First Lady for years, of either party, has used this funding to upgrade the White House). The bash imploded on them due to ignorance.