Now do the math
Posted on 03/11/2013 8:28:52 AM PDT by Kaslin
As Carol touched on yesterday, while the White House keeps its doors closed to the people under the guise of "devastating sequestration," First Lady Michelle Obama is preparing for her glitzy 50th birthday party with performances by Adele and Beyonce. Although the party is being touted as private and therefore paid for by the Obamas, taxpayers will still have to foot the bill for secret service and other accommodations at the White House for the event. Meanwhile, President Obama just held a fancy dinner for Republicans just six blocks away from the White House and of course he took his massive motorcade to get there.
Charles Cooke over at NRO has tallied up the total for the Obamas' cost of living in the White House: $1.4 billion per year.
The executive mansion is not in that much trouble, of course. It’s certainly not in sufficiently dire straits for Air Force One ($181,757 per hour) to be grounded, or to see the executive chef ($100,000 per year) furloughed, or to cut back on the hours of the three full-time White House calligraphers ($277,050 per year for the trio), or to limit the invaluable work of the chief of staff to the president’s dog ($102,000 per year), or to trim his ridiculous motorcade ($2.2 million). If Ellen DeGeneres wants another dancercize session or Spain holds another clothing sale, the first family will be there before you can say “citizen executive.” Fear ye not, serfs: Austerity may be the word of the week, but the president is by no means in any danger of being forced to live like the president of a republic instead of like a king.
The current annual cost of the White House — just in household expenses, not the policy operations for which it exists — is $1.4 billion: Annually, presidential vacations cost $20 million (the low estimate for one presidential vacation to Hawaii is $4 million, but the true cost is probably five times that); the first family’s yearly health-care costs are $7 million; more than $6 million is spent on the White House grounds each year. Transporting the president cost $346 million last year. But as Michelle Obama might say, America is basically a downright mean sort of place, so the tours will just have to go. One hopes at least that the calligraphers were recruited to sign the docents’ pink slips.
So there you have it folks. While the White House has given out talking points to every federal agency telling them to make sequester as painful as possible through canceling meat inspections, forcing long delays at the airport and releasing thousands of criminal illegal aliens into the streets of America, the Obamas are planning their next vacation at the expense of the American people.
Last week Sean Hannity and Eric Bolling of Fox News offered to pay for at least one week of White House tours, a cost of $74,000. No word yet on whether the White House will take them up on their offer.
Now do the math
The Obama's sure aren't suffering from sequester---their teen daughter was just spotted at Buddakan---a pricey NYC restaurtant---scoffing up rock shrimp, edamame dumplings, short ribs, lobster fried rice........replete w/ five Secret Service guards dining nearby.....as her father denied students her age access to the people's house---the WH.
Buddakan.
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As Bob Woordward pointed out----Sequester was requested by Obama and has been law for over 18 months. Every Federal manager knew it was a possibility. Faced with the possibility of a sequester, competent govt insiders would have made contingency plans.
(Cackle) Chicken Little Obama is getting more desperate by the minute---his stupid sequester scare tactics are mounting: he freed thousands of illegal criminals and he's now canceling tours of the White House.....trying to show "the sky is falling" cause he didnt get another trillion dollars from Congrtess.
Part of the Obama Team's Dumb and Dumber political strategy----to punish eighth graders visiting the WH from Illinois, instead of slapping down federal trough swillers----like employees of the Agriculture Dept who will attend a California conference sipping "exceptional local wines" and sampling "tasty dishes" prepared by "special guest chefs."
The Obama's are not suffering from sequester, either---golfing, vacaying, w/ Secret Service guards always nearby.
In a telling irony---he sent five Secret Service agents to guard his daughter at a pricey NYC restaurant---while he closed down WH tours b/c of sequester---tours which are monitored by SS agents.
Course, Ohaha thinks Americans will blame Repubs for the closed tours.
[[presidential vacations cost $20 million]]
While a senior citizen or a dissabled person has to eek by on around as little as $600 per month and then be told by their government that ‘because there was ‘no cost of living increase’ you will NOT be gettign a measely 3% cost of living increase this year- or any year for that matter’ (when the REALITY is that practically EVERYTHING has risen nearly 3 tiems what they were just 4 years ag0- but by golly there’s been no ‘cost of living increase’
Yeah- the preiz really ‘feels their pain’ as he’s throwing aroudn $20 JUST FOR HIS VACATIONS- Cripes!
[[In a telling irony-—he sent five Secret Service agents to guard his daughter at a pricey NYC restaurant]]
Whiel he just got doen orderign htem ilitary to ‘Stand Down’ when it came to tryign to mount a rescue for the ambassador Stevens in libya- and hten went to bed with orders not to be disturbed whiel the situation played out apparently- Yeah- He ‘really loves this country’ folks-
That pic of the WH offers further ironic proof that the WHITE House is slowly has evolved into the PINK House, soon to become the RED House.
Seriously doubt this is a “private” party, paid for by the obamas. These kind never spend their own money, much the same as mafia dons.
Ok in Obama math
$$$$$$$ + $$$$$$ = King
I love the dripping sarcasm of this article.
The tone-deaf First Lady, Michelle Obama, is preparing for a celebrity-studded 50th birthday party with performances by Adele and Beyonce as thousands of school children planning spring trips to Washington find their White House tours cancelled. Although the party is private and said to be paid for by the Obamas, taxpayers will foot the bill for secret service and plenty of other accommodations at the White House. It is likely that “donations” will be solicited for the champagne, caviar, and cake with reimbursement from the government coffers coming at another time and place. Wouldn’t it be delicious if thousands of unemployed and other hardworking Americans living in reduced circumstances surrounded the White House on the night of the gala and flung birthday cake over the fence as a historical reminder of Marie Antoinette’s excesses? Would it matter anymore?
[[Wouldn’t it be delicious if thousands of unemployed and other hardworking Americans living in reduced circumstances surrounded the White House on the night of the gala and flung birthday cake over the fence as a historical reminder of Marie Antoinette’s excesses? Would it matter anymore?]]
It sure would, but I doubt America has that kind of spirit any longer- the left has broken the will of the people it seems- A clear message liek the one you stated woudl be perfect- but I doubt it will happen-
[[Seriously doubt this is a “private” party, paid for by the obamas.]]
It’s not a private party- thsi is what dear leader meant hwen he said ‘everyone (excludign himself and family and firends of course) must ‘share the pain’- We must all go without whiel he and his get to party to the tune of billions of dollars
they’ve got drones for that.
I might warn that if someone gets caught throwing anything over the White House fence they face a long time in jail if they aren’t shot.
It would be great to see thousands line up on the sidewalk the old street that used to be Pa. Ave. and in Lafayette Square though.
One estimate was that the tours actually cost $18,000 a week, or about a quarter of what the White House claims.
It would create a problem for Obama if some veterans threw their medals over the fence—he couldn’t appoint them all as Secretary of State.
I'd love to see a breakdown on those costs. It seems a bit high for four people who haven't had any major surgery that I've read about.
Funny how we didn't hear about glitzy birthday parties during the Bush tenure. And Jenna Bush's marriage was a classy low key affair in Waco.
The fact that anyone still supports these grifters proves liberalism is a mental illness. I won’t ask because I don’t speak to liberals, but if I did they’d say “Bush did it, too.” They’ve learned to lie to themselves.
Crossing Adele off my list of “used to likes”.
Hello newbie. It is probably higher than that, given they have people on call at all times, just for them, and probably travel with an operating room.
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