The King and Queen of America livin' it up on the US tax payer

I wanted to end the year with a year-end- review but it seems that everyone does that anyway, so if you want to re-hash the good the bad and the ugly for the US in 2010 you’ll have to look elsewhere.  So instead, I thought I would focus on the most recent political news and like so many other news worthy items this one comes from President Obama and his wife Michele, the King and Queen of America.

It is no news to anyone that the US economy has suffered the worst recession since the great depression.  Americans have lost their jobs in record numbers.  As of this post the true unemployment number is teetering on 17%, not the 9.5% the government keeps talking about. Those lucky Americans who still have a job have been forced to cut back, to scrimp and save every penny just to pay the bills. 

While the rest of us are trying to live within our reduced budgets the federal government is trillions in debt and the Obama administration has spent more money in two years that all US presidents before combined.

Obama has told us that we must cut back our American lifestyles; we need to turn down our thermostat in the winter and turn it up in the winter.  We need to stop driving gas guzzling cars and drive less, eat less and spend less on travel and vacation. Yet, our president has spent more time and money vacationing at the tax payers expense than any other president in US history!

According to an article December 31, 2010  by BY MALIA ZIMMERMAN in the Hawaii Reporter Obama will have spent about $1,500,000 for his family Christmas vacation in Hawii. Her article states;

“With estimates secured from a host of professionals, city officials and law enforcement, Hawaii Reporter estimates costs to taxpayers will at least include:

• Mrs. Obama’s early flight to Hawaii: $63,000 (White House Dossier)
• Obama’s round trip flight to Hawaii: $1 million (GAO estimates)
• 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
• 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
• Costs for car rentals and fuel for White House staff staying at Moana Hotel (Secret Service imports most of the cars used here to escort the president)
• Surveillance before the president arrives
• Travel costs for Secret Service and White House staff traveling ahead of the President

·         Editor’s note per a reader – add another $280,000: Hawaii Reporter was informed that we left out a major expense from this report. The cost of transporting the Presidential limos, helicopters and other support equipment on a USAF C-17 cargo aircraft. The flight time between Andrews AFB and Hawaii is about 10 hours at approximately $7,000 per hour operating cost.  Round trip, this would be at least $140,000 per aircraft.  (Sometimes there are more than one aircraft for the support equipment). In addition to the limousines and supporting equipment, the United States Marine Corps provides at least one Presidential Helicopter that is also transported to the site via a C-17.  Add another round trip for a C-17 per helicopter, along with the cost of pilots, support crews, and test flights for the helicopter.  The helicopter is brought along on every Presidential trip even if there are no plans for use, it is kept on standby for the duration of the trip. Hawaii Reporter’s estimate came up at least $280,000 short due to the omission of the C-17 use. “

The Obama’s are hypocrites who snub the rest of us as nothing more than their royal subjects whom they will treat as they please. Mr. Obama has vacationed a total of 5 months during his first two years in office, all at the expense of the US tax payer.  But, don’t forget about her majesty Michelle who along with 40 of her closest friends bilked the US tax payer out of $250,000 for a European vacation to Spain where she also wined and dined with the King and Queen of Spain.

In an article published Thursday August 5^th, 2010 in the NEW YORK DAILY NEWS entitled “Material girl Michelle Obama is a modern-day Marie Antoinette on a glitzy Spanish vacation” Andrea Tantaros writes about Michelle’s outrageous and taxpayer costly vacation to Spain.

“But while most of the country is pinching pennies and downsizing summer sojourns - or forgoing them altogether - the Obama’s don't seem to be heeding their own advice. While many of us are struggling, the First Lady is spending the next few days in a five-star hotel on the chic Costa del Sol in southern Spain with 40 of her "closest friends."

The only thing the Obama’s paid for was their “personal expenses” this did not included food, transportation or lodging. So how much did this vacation cost the US taxpayer?  Over $250,000!  ($146,000 round-trip cost for the U.S. Air Force 757 aircraft, not counting ground time; about $95,000 in hotel costs for an estimated 70 security personnel -- Secret Service and military -- who get a $273-a-day government per diem, plus costs for the dozen or so cars in her motorcade).

But without question the biggest expense of the year for his majesty was the outrageous waste of time and taxpayer money for his 10-day trip to India at a cost over $200,000,000, per day! This cost included five hundred seven rooms at the Taj Mahal, 40 airplanes and 34 war ships including an aircraft carrier. The Pentagon's press secretary, Geoff Morrell, told reporters. He would not divulge how much was being spent, due to security concerns but insisted it was similar to those of previous presidents. Can someone tell me what security concerns there are about how much the president spent on his vacation…excuse me trip to India? 

The only security concern I could see would be for the president’s re-election when the American people saw how much of their money he spent for a waste of time and money event that had NOTHING to do with US security or foreign relations with India!  What an insult to the American public to assume that we are ignorant to believe that the cost of this unnecessary trip could in any way be justified!

The bottom line, in the worst economy since the great depression when the real unemployment rates are hovering in the 18% range our president and first lady have shown complete and total disdain for our country and the millions of hard working Americans many of which are struggling to survive or have lost their job, their home, the car and grapple just to put bread on the table.

This first couple has acted if they rule over the American people as a royal monarchy.  What they don’t understand or care about is that the last time the American people got fed up with a monarchy they tossed tea from the monarch’s ships in to the Boston harbor. And started a revolt that ended the monarchy.  And that is exactly what is happening in America today with brave patriots (thank you Tea Party members) who have said enough is enough!

Obama may thumb his nose at his critics (most of the American people) and Michele Antoinette, excuse me, Obama may espouse “let them eat cake” but his reign is coming to an end. With the help of divine providence in about two years we can serve them both a slice of cake albeit very thin do to the increased cost of sugar, flower and eggs that truly impact the rest of America!