Posted on 08/12/2011 11:45:55 AM PDT by COUNTrecount
First Lady Michelle Obama over the last year has spent a total of 42 days on vacation, or a little more than one out of every nine days, according to a White House Dossier analysis of her travel.
Her vacations, the cost of which are mostly borne by taxpayers, include trips to Panama City, Fla., Martha’s Vineyard, Hawaii, South Africa, Latin America, Vail, Colo., and her visit this week to her brother in Corvallis, Ore.
The total does not include a nine day sojourn in Martha’s Vineyard that the Obamas will enjoy this month. Nor does it include a trip she made to Ireland and Great Britain in May, which I’m counting as official travel.
The total vacation time would have been slightly higher had the Obamas gone as planned for an April weekend in Williamsburg, Va. The trip was cancelled due to an extended stalemate between President Obama and Congress over the budget.
Mrs. Obama’s extensive vacation travel comes while many America citizens find themselves out of work or having trouble making ends meet as the economic recovery stalls.
Taxpayers pick up most of the cost of transporting the first lady and her extensive entourage – including Secret Service and her staff – to her various destinations. While she may in some cases pay some of the tab for her personal expenses and travel, the amount is dwarfed by the overall cost to the public.
On trips she makes with the president, though, the costs are only somewhat greater that then they would have been had he travelled alone.
Mrs. Obama’s vacations began in August 2010 with a two day weekend trip to Panama City, Fla., where the Obamas stayed overnight at a Gulf of Mexico hotel in a symbolic effort to show that the Gulf area was safe for travel in the wake of the disastrous BP oil spill.
Next up was what has become an annual pilgrimage to ritzy Martha’s Vineyard, where the Obamas stayed 10 days and dined at several exorbitantly priced restaurants.
In December 2010, with President Obama delayed because Congress was still in town, Mrs. Obama decided to leave without him for their annual Hawaiian vacation, racking up at least $63,000 in additional costs because she travelled alone.
Since the president arrived late, he decided to leave Hawaii in January two days later than scheduled – resulting in a 17 day vacation for the first lady.
Mrs. Obama went right back out on vacation the following month, taking a four day skiing trip in February of this year to Vail, Colo.
In March, Mrs. Obama travelled to Latin America for a five day trip. I’m counting two days of this as vacation, though, because she took her children and her mother along, performed some sightseeing, and went to the beach.
The first lady went to southern Africa in June for six days in what was partially an official visit. Since Mrs. Obama took her mother, her children and their cousins along, since the trip was billed in advance as having personal significance for her, and since the travel included several tourist destinations and a safari, I’m counting half of the journey as vacation, or three days.
Finally, Mrs, Obama took her mother and one of her children to visit her brother in Corvallis, Ore. this week. The trip was not announced by the White House and appears to have lasted four days.
No problem. She be usin Obama’s stash.
That should tell you all you need to know about how unpopular she is.
What’s the running total of days out of the office for King Putt?
Go easy on her. Telling people what they’re allowed to eat is hard work.
The really amazing thing is that Better Homes and Gardens has a spread with MO on the cover along with a story showing her gardening in ridiculous false eyelashes and a boob belt, and the garden is perfect.
We grow food, and had we left our garden for 42 days, it would be burned up. She must be a wizard, or witch.
Me thinks Her Royal (and Substantial) Hind-Ass feels entitled to it since she and her illegal alien husband are bigger grifters than the Clintons ever were.
...a vacation from WHAT?????????
The list, ping
Let me know if you would like to be on or off the ping list
“Let’s Hear it for the Rainbow Tour...”
That’s
What
This
Has
Been
All
About—one
Great
Ride
For
The
Affirmative
Action
Beneficiaries.
Exactly
How
This
Usually
Plays
Out,
Just
Writ
Large.
I bet if she ran the corporate world, the people working for her wold not get any time off if any ! Vacation for me, not for thee !
Did you say spread?
I’ve heard what we’re seeing as “soft separation”.
It was the trip to Panama City last year with her husband that cost me my job.
Poor woman. Let’s give her all the vacation time she needs starting 1/20/13...
I wonder whether Mrs. Obama has had to battle some extra weight during these past 42 weeks of vacation.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.