Michelle Obama's Vacation

[Will E Worm]

Michelle Obama's Africa Vacation Cost More Than $432,142

First lady Michelle Obama's family trip to South Africa and Botswana in June cost taxpayers well over $424,000, according to new accounting based on Air Force manifests obtained by Judicial Watch, a taxpayer watchdog group.

The use of Air Force aircraft alone for the June 21-27 trip cost $424,142, said the group, and that doesn't include the food, lodging, and ground transportation for the 21 family and staff members.

Charges for the Aircraft and Crew Alone Amount to $424,142

According to U.S. Department of Defense's published hourly rates for the C-32A aircraft used for the trip, Judicial Watch calculated the total cost to American taxpayers was $424,142 for use of the aircraft (34.8 flight hours x $12,188 per hour). (The C-32 is a specially configured military version of the Boeing 757.) Other expenses - meals (off the plane), transportation, security, various services, etc. - have yet to be disclosed.

The expense records also show $928.44 was spent for "bulk food" purchases on flight. Overall, during the trip, 192 meals were served for the 21 passengers on board.

Previously, Judicial Watch uncovered that the First Couple's 2009 "date night" trip to New York for dinner and a Broadway show cost taxpayers over $11,000in Secret Service costs alone.

Article

:nono: Champagne socialist

 

[Mayhem]

OK everyone........pony up a nickel.

 

[Facetious]

How many pairs of shoes did Imelda Omama buy at taxpayer expense?

I wonder if the aforementioned C-32 (757 commercial jet) was Nancy Pelosi's former magic carpet ride. :rofl2:

 

[Nester6]

Article

:nono: Champagne socialist

She'll get a permanent vacation back to Chicago in 13 months and we won't have to look at her anymore.

 

[Master Roshi]

how in the heck does the president or his first lady have time for any vacations, The US and world economy has been falling flat for years, well I guess since they are puppets and don't make any real decisions then they have all this time to travel at the expense of the tax payers

 

[Supafly]

I remember the Orange County Chopper episode where they built a bike for the 50th state. Watching her go for Paul Sr. is quite a sight to see

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20275559,00.html

I guess her best pick of vacation would be Jamaica or the Dominican Republic

Not that she has to watch her bank account shrinking, but the dicks around must intrigue her :nanner:

 

[MikeyK]

You can't really be outraged by this can you? It cost money anytime the president or first ladies goes somewhere. Special vehicles, special agents, etc. I guess you expect the first lady to travel budget airlines? Do you feel this way about all first ladies or just this one? Should this first lady sit in the back of the bus?

Champagne socialist? Talk radio bullshit.

You were probably also somehow outraged that she shopped at Target the other day.

 

[emceeemcee]

Do you feel this way about all first ladies or just this one?

you don't really need to ask that do You Mikey?

 

[MikeyK]

you don't really need to ask that do You Mikey?

No I don't. I already know the answer. People that get this worked up over these little things are always racist. They hate that a black family is in the white house.

 

[Mayhem]

No I don't. I already know the answer. People that get this worked up over these little things are always racist. They hate that a black family is in the white house.

Close, but not quite, IMO. The people getting worked up about this are conveniently choosing to ignore that corporations and companies of all stripes get huge tax deductions for the stupedist things. Golf trip to Aruba? Have a 30 minute meeting with someone and call it a fact finding mission. Bam. Tax deduction. Hire a masseuse get a tax deduction. Pick up donuts for your co-workers, write off your car and the gas you put in it. Entire tax-law firms exist soley for this purpose.

Without these bullshit deductions the Republican party and the industry giants that bankroll them would be gone in a year.

The First Lady is Americas first and foremost Goodwill Ambassador. Real value is gained from trips like this. And they know this. This is just bullshit sniping for the sake of bullshit sniping. Does anyone want to suggest that Nancy Reagan and the Bush wives didn't make as many, if not more trips exactly like this one? In each case, the trips are "written off" as goodwill missions. And I have no problem with it, regardless of party.

So don't act like this is something that the Obamas invented.

P.S. I was thinking about making this point as the second post in this thread, but I was hoping it would just die of its own accord.

 

[PlumpRump]

Close, but not quite, IMO. The people getting worked up about this are conveniently choosing to ignore that corporations and companies of all stripes get huge tax deductions for the stupedist things. Golf trip to Aruba? Have a 30 minute meeting with someone and call it a fact finding mission. Bam. Tax deduction. Hire a masseuse get a tax deduction. Pick up donuts for your co-workers, write off your car and the gas you put in it. Entire tax-law firms exist soley for this purpose.

There's a very big difference between tax breaks and using actually collected taxpayer dollars to fund a vacation. Stop trying to blur the line between the two. Even with the tax incentives/breaks afforded to corporations they are still using their own money to fund those activities, with tax relief (deserved or otherwise) on the back end. Completely different scenarios, with no correlation.

Without these bullshit deductions the Republican party and the industry giants that bankroll them would be gone in a year.

Yeah, the Republican party is the only party in the history of the world that has backing from large, multinational corporations. :1orglaugh

Apparently you've been "conveniently ignoring" the fact that corporate giants also donate to the Democratic party.

Here's a brief, far from complete, list of US retail CEOs who supported Obama in the 2008 Presidential election:
-Bill Gates, Co-founder of Microsoft
-Arthur Blank, Co-Founder of Home Depot
-Michael Eisner, CEO of Disney
-James Kimsey, AOL’s founding CEO
-James Sinegal, CEO of Costco
-Tom Stemberg, Founder and CEO of Staples, Inc.
-Craig Newmark, Founder Craigslist
-Alan Feldman, CEO of Midas
-Philip Marineau, CEO of Levi Strauss
-George Zimmer, founder and CEO of Men’s Wearhouse
-Terry Semel, CEO of Yahoo
-Howard Schultz, founder of Starbucks

I guess the aforementioned corporations don't get the tax breaks you mentioned because they aren't donating to the Republican party? Or maybe you just don't consider corporations such as Microsoft, Disney, AOL and Starbucks as "corporate giants?" Give me a break.

Also, in the 2008 election cycle, for the first time in a long time, granted, corporate donations to the Democratic party actually outweighed corporate donations to the Republican party:

So, knock it off with the "industry giants only bankroll Republicans" talk, because it simply isn't true. Especially lately.

The First Lady is Americas first and foremost Goodwill Ambassador.

According to a recent Gallup Poll "the current... data from Sub-Saharan Africa on approval of U.S. leadership, which rose from an already favorable level in 2008 (75%), to an even higher 87% in 2009 - making it the region with the most positive view of U.S. leadership in the world." http://www.gallup.com/poll/141683/global-leadership-project-african-relations.aspx Given this data, why then, are we wasting taxpayer dollars to foster good will in a region that already holds the most favorable view of US leadership in the entire world?

Real value is gained from trips like this.

I'm not pretending like other 1st ladies haven't taken similar trips or misappropriated taxpayer dollars, but what value, exactly, is being gained by Michelle Obama going on a private African safari with her 2 daughters, her mother, niece, nephew and makeup stylist to end her trip?

 

[Will E Worm]

She'll get a permanent vacation back to Chicago in 13 months and we won't have to look at her anymore.

I hope they leave America.

Do you feel this way about all first ladies or just this one? Should this first lady sit in the back of the bus?

She worked for the NAACP. It was a set up.

Champagne socialist? Talk radio bullshit.

Not at all.

You were probably also somehow outraged that she shopped at Target the other day.

She should stay out of Target.

No I don't. I already know the answer. People that get this worked up over these little things are always racist. They hate that a black family is in the white house.

That's not it at all. Look at what they said about Bush and his acations. Most were spent on his Ranch and not flying all over the world.
And, he wasn't telling people what to eat. While eating whatever he wanted.

Close, but not quite, IMO. The people getting worked up about this are conveniently choosing to ignore that corporations and companies of all stripes get huge tax deductions for the stupedist things. Golf trip to Aruba? Have a 30 minute meeting with someone and call it a fact finding mission. Bam. Tax deduction. Hire a masseuse get a tax deduction. Pick up donuts for your co-workers, write off your car and the gas you put in it. Entire tax-law firms exist soley for this purpose.

 

[Mayhem]

Again, I go back to my original point: Call the Treasury Dept. and demand your nickel back.

Stop trying to blur the line between the two.

I'm not the one blurring the line. It was blurry long before I was born.

Also, in the 2008 election cycle, for the first time in a long time, granted, corporate donations to the Democratic party actually outweighed corporate donations to the Republican party:

Is this surprising to you? He was quite the motivator, the 8-year Republican Messiah, Georgy II.

So, knock it off with the "industry giants only bankroll Republicans" talk, because it simply isn't true. Especially lately.

You guys get to be one-sided with your bullshit, I get to be one-sided with mine.

Given this data, why then, are we wasting taxpayer dollars to foster good will in a region that already holds the most favorable view of US leadership in the entire world?

Ignoring that region will get those polls reversed in a big hurry.

I'm not pretending like other 1st ladies haven't taken similar trips or misappropriated taxpayer dollars, but what value, exactly, is being gained by Michelle Obama going on a private African safari with her 2 daughters, her mother, niece, nephew and makeup stylist to end her trip?

I'm not pretending that this isn't a vacation. I'm saying to fuckin' get over it. This is how the system runs, this is how it has been running and it's how the system is going to run, no matter how many bar graphs you put up. She's the First Lady. The moment she steps out of the bedroom, she represents the US in a meaningful way.

You guys just go looking for stuff to bitch about and this thread is a sterling example. If an elected politician is rich, people complain. If a politician isn't, you complain about him/her using the perks that go along with the office. Make up your mind(s).

 

[yes yes yes]

No I don't. I already know the answer. People that get this worked up over these little things are always racist. They hate that a black family is in the white house.

Most but not all. :yesyes: :yesyes: :yesyes: :thumbsup:

 

[Moonchild22]

Show me a White House resident who didn't do this. These "stories" come out during every presidency. This one will blow over and people can explode about the next family, and act as if it's new.

 

[PlumpRump]

...I'm not the one blurring the line. It was blurry long before I was born.

You're perpetuating it. Corporations get tax breaks, politicians spend tax dollars. There's a difference.

Is this surprising to you? He was quite the motivator, the 8-year Republican Messiah, Georgy II.

Not particularly surprising, no. But you single out the Republican party as the sole benefactor of corporate donations, which is untrue.

You guys get to be one-sided with your bullshit, I get to be one-sided with mine.

You can't offer such a close minded approach while suggesting that others do differently without sounding silly.

Ignoring that region will get those polls reversed in a big hurry.

I don't consider $3b in aid, annually, to the region as "ignoring" it whatsoever.

I'm not pretending that this isn't a vacation. I'm saying to fuckin' get over it. This is how the system runs, this is how it has been running and it's how the system is going to run...

"Fuckin' get over it..." you mean like the way Democrats have "fuckin' gotten over" the misappropriations of the Bush administration? Yeah, that's been put to rest.

She's the First Lady. The moment she steps out of the bedroom, she represents the US in a meaningful way.

Meaningful? Every single time? Like her hockey PSA, for instance?

You guys just go looking for stuff to bitch about and this thread is a sterling example. If an elected politician is rich, people complain. If a politician isn't, you complain about him/her using the perks that go along with the office. Make up your mind(s).

I don't view questioning the effectiveness and potential wastefulness of government spending as a partisan thing. And how many politicians aren't rich these days anyway? That last part just doesn't make any sense to me at all.

 

[acenipplelicker]

outrageous

 

[mongo18]

you single out the Republican party as the sole benefactor of corporate donations, which is untrue.

This argument that both sides get corporate money so they're both equally guilty is bullshit. Yes, both parties receive that money, because that is the system that is in place and it's necessary for their survival. But democrats have been working to get corporate money out of politics, while republicans actively support it. There have been votes in the senate to overturn the citizens united decision, voted for unanimously by dems and independents, and opposed unanimously by republicans. I've said this multiple times in this forum, and I'll say it again plainly:

Democrats are against corporate money in politics. Republicans whole heartedly support corporate money in politics. The actions of both sides show this. Stop your fucking lies.

 

[zeeblofowl_1969]

She'll get a permanent vacation back to Chicago in 13 months and we won't have to look at her anymore.

Until she runs for president

 

[knowone]

Until she runs for president

I don't think so, Michelle has always said (when asked) that she was not interested in running for any political office. It would also be a conflict of interest problem once Barack gets appointed to the Supreme Court.