It Must Be Nice Being the President ....

It must be nice.

When unemployment is still above 10% (the 8.9% belies the true state - the unemployment rolls drops people off, or some people give up, or some people go from a living wage to any wage and end up knocked off the rolls), the US states are in desperate shape financially, over 50 million are without medical insurance, Iran is about to go nuclear, Israel is about to attack iran, Syria is on the verge of collapse (in part due to our interference and assistance), China is moving to enlarge its sphere of influence in Asia, Europe is collapsing, American jobs are leaving this country in numbers never seen before, and millions of poor and uneducated are pouring into the US ... and Obama needs another vacation.

It must be nice.

Back in the 1980's if Reagan's friends paid for their vacation - Reagan was a lackey for the rich.  If Bush went to his home / ranch - it was because he was the super-rich.  Reagan Bush - BAD.  Clinton had no home, so he cost the American people money everytime he went anywhere.  And Obama - its fine if the American people pay the millions so you can have a vacation.

DAILY MAIL

Saturday, Dec 03 2011

It must be nice being President... Obama to jet off to Hawaii for SEVENTEENDAY Christmas vacation

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 6:59 AM on 3rd December 2011

While most Americans are lucky to get a few weeks of holiday every year, it seems the country’s leader gets a little more freedom in the matter.

President Barack Obama has announced his Christmas vacation to Hawaii – for a staggering 17-day trip.

Obama, who visited the island just two weeks ago for an economic summit, will head to Honolulu on Saturday December 17 until Monday January 2.

The president, who was raised in Hawaii until he was six, will be joined by his wife Michelle and their daughters, Malia, 13, and Sasha, 10.

The White House travel office announced the president has no public events scheduled for the trip.

The President's family covers the cost of a private beach front residence in Kailua, Oahu, for their vacation - a ‘Winter White House’ that costs up to $3,500 a day, or $75,000 a month.

But the local and federal taxpayers help pay the bill for travel and security.

Last year the trip cost more than $1 million,according to the Hawaii Reporter.

Obama announced the trip during a campaign fundraiser on Oahu's Leeward Coast during his stay on the island last month.

THE HEFTY HOLIDAY BILL

Last year the Obama's Christmas trip to Hawaii cost more than $1 million.

He covered the cost of his family's accommodation, but the rest was covered by the taxpayers.

The bill to house Secret Service agents and Navy Seals in beach front accommodation stretched to $16,80.

A further hotel bill of $134,400 covered 24 White House staff staying in the Moana Hotel at a rate of $400 a day.

The estimate, by the Hawaii Reporter, also included $250,000 for local police overtime, $1 million for the president's own round trip flight to Hawaii on Air Force One, and $10,000 for a local ambulance to accompany the presidential motorcade.

‘It is great to be home, great to feel that Aloha spirit,’ he said.

‘And Michelle and the girls will be back shortly for Christmas vacation, as we do every year. We'll see if Washington gets its business done, so I can get here as well. But that's always a challenge.’

It follows an 11-day stay in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, earlier this year, which is also believed to have cost the U.S. taxpayer millions.

Next week, the president will be saving a few cents by hosting a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

Obama will speak with Harper at the White House about economic competitiveness, security and key global issues.

Harper has urged Obama to support an oil pipeline from western Canada to the U.S. Gulf Coast.

But the Obama administration said last month it was delaying a decision on the project until it can study new potential routes that would avoid environmentally sensitive areas in the Midwest. The decision is expected to be delayed until 2013.

Obama

Obama on Vacation

NO ONE denies that a President is entitled to time off.  NO ONE denies Barrack should have time to go golfing, time to go to Hyannis Port, time to go to Hawaii ... no ONE.  The question is how much time should he be taking.  Should is subjective.

Bush would play golf and the leftist media would place ads of Bush golfing while men died in Iraq.  Well, to be honest, more are dying today than died in 2008 if the numbers remain consistent (which they will not, but it is the point not the detail that is important).  He golfs more than Bush did.  Oh but he has stress - didn't Bush have stress?  Nah, he was always drunk (notice the slurred speech) - ah, but also notice the expenditures by the Obama's for alcohol - more than Bush probably spent in fifteen years of drinking - when he drank.

The difference is - people who have money, have a vacation home.  People who don't - when they have power - want the same thing but cannot afford it, so it comes out of the people's money.  Obama is living a life he would never have lived as a Senator in Illinois - of course he has stresses he would never have had either, but that is entirely his choice, to embark on that world, and understand how the people feel, how desperate they are.  He claimed he understood that desperation when he campaigned, and now he spends money on his vacations like the very rich he so attacked during his campaign - yet the left are asleep or ignoring these hypocrisies - and why?  Because ... simply because.  Because he is one of them, because he knows how to read (lots of fiction), because ....  They have no rational or logical reasons.  They simply pretend.

Expensive massages, top shelf vodka and five-star hotels: First Lady accused of spending $10m in public money on her vacations

By Tamara Abraham

24th August 2011

The Daily Mail



The Obamas' summer break on Martha's Vineyard has already been branded a PR disaster after the couple arrived four hours apart on separate government jets.

But according to new reports, this is the least of their extravagances.

White House sources today claimed that the First Lady has spent $10million of U.S. taxpayers' money on vacations alone in the past year.

Branding her 'disgusting' and 'a vacation junkie', they say the 47-year-old mother-of-two has been indulging in five-star hotels, where she splashes out on expensive massages and alcohol.

The 'top source' told the National Enquirer: 'It's disgusting. Michelle is taking advantage of her privileged position while the most hardworking Americans can barely afford a week or two off work.

'When it's all added up, she's spent more than $10million in taxpayers' money on her vacations.'

The First Lady is believed to have taken 42 days of holiday in the past year, including a $375,000 break in Spain and a four-day ski trip to Vail, Colorado, where she spent $2,000 a night on a suite at the Sebastian hotel.

And the first family's nine-day stay in Martha's Vineyard is also proving costly, with rental of the Blue Heron Farm property alone costing an estimated $50,000 a week.

The source continued: 'Michelle also enjoys drinking expensive booze during her trips. She favours martinis with top-shelf vodka and has a taste for rich sparking wines.

'The vacations are totally Michelle's idea. She's like a junkie. She can't schedule enough getaways, and she lives from one to the next - all the while sticking it to hardworking Americans.'

While the President and his wife do pay for some of their personal expenses from their own pocket, the website whitehousedossier.com says that the amount paid by the couple is 'dwarfed by the overall cost to the public'.

The magazine also reported that Mrs Obama, whose fashion choices are widely followed, had been going on 'wild shopping sprees', much to the distress of her husband, who, its sources reveal, is 'absolutely furious' at his wife's 'out-of-control spending'.

The President has already come under fire this week over his decision to take a family vacation while millions of Americans are out of work and countless more are financially strapped.

But the situation sparked further anger after he and his wife elected to fly separately to the Massachusetts retreat - despite travelling on the same day.

Mr Obama left the White House aboard Marine One on his way to Andrews Air Force base to hitch a lift aboard Air Force One - along with First Dog Bo.

After landing at Cape Cod Coast Guard Air Station, he then took a final helicopter to his holiday destination to complete the remarkable 500-mile journey.

His wife and daughters, who arrived just four hours earlier, were also travelling from Washington, but took a specially designed military aircraft.

They would also have had their own motorcade from the airport to the vacation residence.

FIRST LADY OF LUXURY TRAVEL: HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE OBAMAS' LAVISH GETAWAYS OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS

GIRLS' TRIP TO SPAIN: AUGUST 2010

The exact cost is unclear as Mrs Obama and her 40 friends footed many personal expenses, such as hotels and meals themselves.

But the U.S. taxpayer would have paid for the First Lady's 68-strong security detail, personal staff, and use of presidential jet Air Force Two.

Per diems for the secret service team runs at around $281 each - nearly $98,000 for the length of the summer break.

Use of Air Force Two, the Air Force version of a 757, comes in at $149,900 for the round trip. This does not include time on the ground.

Mrs Obama's personal staff, of which there are an unknown amount and might cost considerably more per day, should also be taken into account.

CHRISTMAS BREAK IN HAWAII: DECEMBER 2010

According to the Hawaii Reporter, the bill for the $1.5m trip included:

• $63,000 on an early flight bringing Mrs Obama and the children to Hawaii ahead of the President.

• $1,000,000 on Mr Obama’s return trip from Washington on Air Force One.

• $38,000 for the ‘Winter White House’ beach property rental.

• $16,000 to rent nearby homes for Secret Service and Navy Seals.

• $134,000 for 24 White House staff to stay at the Moana Hotel.

• $251,000 in police overtime.

• $10,000 for an ambulance to be on hand at all times

SKI TRIP TO VAIL: FEBRUARY 2011

Mrs Obama and her daughters stayed at the Sebastian hotel on Vail Mountain, where rooms cost more than $2,400 for multi-bedroom suites.

The family appear to have flown there on Air Force Two.

They were escorted to the resort by a motorcade of about a dozen vehicles, including 15 state and local law enforcement officers

SUMMER HOLIDAY ON MARTHA'S VINEYARD: AUGUST 2011

The Blue Heron Farm estate, where the Obama family are currently staying, rents for about $50,000 a week.

According to U.S. News and World Report, the Coast Guard is required to keep ships floating near the property, the presidential helicopter and jet remain at the ready and security agents will be on 24-hour duty.



 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Obama: Tee Time or Time off

3 Wars.  An Economy that is tilting toward the abyss.  The stock market collapsing, unemployment rising, the dollar dropping, Europe in a mudhole.  Russia and China vying to see who is a bigger threat to the US.  Al Qaida not gone away. 

More deaths in Afghanistan and Iraq than in the last two years of the Bush Administration.  Hundreds of millions spent in Libya bombing something for some reason no one has any idea about, not even the WH.

I suppose Bush is forcing B. H.  to go on vacation so often.

Economy woes got you down? Time for a Vineyard vacay!

By Gayle Fee and Laura Raposa with Megan Johnson
Inside Track
Friday, August 19, 2011
http://www.bostonherald.com



WEST TISBURY — While the stock market took another nosedive on repeat recession fears yesterday, President Obama landed on Martha’s Vineyard for 10 days of fun in the sun, hitting the summer playground of the rich and famous during worsening economic turmoil.

Air Force One touched down at Otis Air National Guard Base at about 6 p.m. last night, an hour behind schedule. The president boarded Marine One helicopter for the short hop to the Vineyard, then traveled by motorcade to Blue Heron Farm, his 28-acre hideaway on Tisbury Great Pond. First lady Michelle Obama and kids Sasha and Malia reportedly arrived on the island separately earlier in the day.

Like previous years, the president’s arrival was closed to the public. He landed in a back corner at Martha’s Vineyard Airport blocked from view by a wall of school buses.

The island’s latest First Tourist cuts a much lower profile than his Vineyard predecessor, Bill Clinton, who vacationed here six out of his eight years in office. When Bubba landed on The Rock he would be greeted by throngs of admirers, and handlers would stage a big tarmac lovefest, with invited guests lined up to greet him and the fam.

Obama, whose approval ratings are hovering at an all-time low, could probably use a little bucking up from the Vineyard faithful. But security concerns have put the kibosh on that.

Still, the president’s admirers were not deterred.

Several dozen families lined the motorcade route from the airport to Blue Heron Farm to cheer and wave to the prez, who traveled to the island with golf buddy Marvin Nicholson and first dog Bo last night. In front of Alley’s General Store in Chilmark more than 100 well-wishers waited more than an hour hoping for a glimpse of the commander in chief.

“It’s very exciting,” said Alessandro Decio of Milan, Italy, who was waving to the prez along with his wife and kids Maria, 10, Pietro, 13, and Eugenio, 15.

Alessandro, who was wearing an Obama “hope” T-shirt, said the fam, who are on a three-week U.S. vacation, are big fans.

“What can I say,” added his wife. “Our point of comparison is (scandal plagued Italian P.M. Silvio) Berlusconi!”

Fellow supporter Marwan Elmasri of Groton, Mass., said he wasn’t buying partisan criticism that the prez should have canceled his summer hols in deference to the economy.

“Why in the world shouldn’t he take a vacation?” said Marwan Elmasari. “We’re all on vacation!”

Last night a posse of Vineyard boldfacers, including Harvard profs Alan Dershowitz and Charles Ogletree; novelists Richard North Patterson and Pulitzer Prize winner Geraldine Brooks; Rose Styron, the widow of author William Styron, and her daughter Alexandra, author of “Reading My Father”; singer Kate Taylor; and DNC Chairwoman and U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Shultz turned out for a $100-a-head fund-raiser dubbed “Voices For Obama” at the Union Chapel in Oak Bluffs.

The event was followed by a $500- to $1,000-a-head private dinner at the summer home of Ron and Judy Davenport, the founders of Pittsburgh-based Sheridan Broadcasting and longtime Obama supporters.

Obama was not expected at the event last night. Like previous years, the president likely will low-key it during his summer break. And while aides are not thrilled about the prospect of him being photographed on the links while the nation simmers over the economy, the First Duffer is not expected to forgo his favorite pastime in deference to political concerns.

Word is, he may tee off today at Mink Meadows, a public course and the island’s least chi-chi golf club. It is also, coincidentally, the course with the most difficult vantage point for photographers.



 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Obama Rest and Relaxation

But this man just got back from a vacation in Rio and the Aztec and Mayan ruins, and he is off again. 

He is on vacation more than he is in the Oval Office.




Obama, family may visit Williamsburg this weekend




By Bill Bartel
The Virginian-Pilot
© April 8, 2011

If the federal budget stalemate doesn't get in the way, President Barack Obama is planning to visit Colonial Williamsburg this weekend with the first lady, Michelle, and their daughters, Malia and Sasha.

The White House said in a statement Thursday that it is a "long-planned family trip."

"The president's priority is working with members of Congress from both parties to avoid a government shutdown," the statement said. The family's plans will change if an agreement is not reached.

Obama is negotiating with Democrats and Republicans in Congress to pass a budget bill in time to avoid a shutdown at midnight Friday.

Jim Bradley, communications manager for Colonial Williamsburg, said he had not received any information about a presidential visit and referred information requests to the White House.

James Perry, public affairs officer for nearby Historic Jamestowne and the Yorktown Battlefield - collectively called the Colonial National Historical Park - also said officials had not received any information about a possible visit by the Obamas.

But if the government shuts down on Friday night, Perry said, no one will be visiting.

Should Congress not reach a spending deal, the National Park Service office told park managers, they are not to open on Saturday and must remain closed until funding is set.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Obama Vacation on Hold

Does it matter if he takes a Christmas vacation?  Nope.  Does it matter that he takes a week off here and there - nope.  Does it matter if he spends 2-3 hours per week playing basketball - nope.  Does it matter if he spends on average of 1-2 hours per week playing golf - nope.  I won't mention we are at war, two wars he is allowing to continue, two wars and an economy that is not turning around with 17-20% unemployment when the full figures are counted, increases in foreclosures, and skyrocketing gas prices - nope, doesn't matter.

But if none of that matters, why did liberals have apoplexy when Bush played golf or went to his ranch.




Congress and Obama likely to delay start of their holiday breaks




December 13, 2010
By the CNN Wire Staff

President Barack Obama will remain in Washington for as long as Congress stays in session, and that likely means later than the scheduled start of his Christmas break, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Monday.

Saturday is supposed to be the start of the Senate's Christmas recess and the day Obama and the first family head for Hawaii.

However, Gibbs told reporters that a Saturday departure appears unlikely.

"I think the Senate is going to be in longer than this week," he said, adding that Obama will stay in Washington for "as long as the Congress is here."





 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Obama Vacaton Time (again)

Obama may delay Hawaiian vacation over tax fight

By Ed Henry, CNN Senior White House Correspondent
December 1, 2010 5:25 a.m. EST




Washington (CNN) -- President Barack Obama is considering at least a short delay to the start of his holiday vacation in Hawaii so he can try to work out a deal with congressional Republicans on the Bush tax cuts that expire December 31, CNN has learned.

Two senior administration officials tell CNN the White House has been getting signals that the lame duck session of Congress could drag on past December 18, when the president is scheduled to depart for Hawaii.

Obama has privately said he is willing to stay in Washington until Christmas Eve if necessary to finish the contentious debate over taxes, the officials said.

While administration officials do not expect that Obama will have to stay in town until Christmas Eve, which he did last year because of health care reform, they believe there could be a delay of at least a couple of days.

The reason is that Democrats and Republicans have made little progress in the tax debate so far, and White House aides went into Tuesday's long-awaited "Slurpee Summit" believing that both parties will need a lot more negotiating time beyond this one meeting to come up with a compromise.

'Slurpee Summit' lands on RidicuList Senior Republican aides scoffed at the idea that a tax cut deal could not be worked out before December 17, suggesting that perhaps the White House talk of a vacation delay may just be a negotiating ploy to push Republicans into a quick compromise since they have vacations waiting for them as well.

"There is absolutely no need for that," a senior Republican aide said of a possible delay of an end to the lame-duck session. "Once they make a decision, it's done in a couple days. I hope it doesn't take the Democrats until Christmas to make up their minds."

At issue is whether the current tax rates should be extended just for families earning $250,000 or under per year, or should be extended to include Americans with income above $250,000 a year.

In the midterm election, Republicans hammered the message that failing to extend the Bush tax rates for wealthy Americans would hamper the already-slow economic recovery. Obama staked out the position that only the middle class tax rates should be extended because extending tax cuts will result in a huge drain on the federal treasury.

"The last thing we can afford to do right now is raise taxes on middle-class families," Obama said at an event in Kokomo, Indiana, on November 23. "If we allow these taxes to go up, the result would be that a lot of people most likely would spend less, and that means that the economy would grow less. So we ought to resolve this issue in the next couple of weeks so you've got the assurance that your taxes won't go up when that clock strikes midnight."

The president and his aides have also signaled since the election that he might be open to a compromise on a one-year or two-year extension on the tax rates for the wealthy if the tax rates for the middle class were permanently extended.

But in remarks on the Senate floor before Tuesday's summit meeting at the White House, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell took a hard line in suggesting that his party will accept only extending all of the tax rates, including those for the highest-paid Americans, without caveats.

"We've heard a lot of chatter here in Washington lately about the negotiations that are expected to take place on this looming tax hike in the weeks ahead -- on how to prevent it," McConnell said. "How about we start with this: the beginning and end of any negotiations shouldn't be what's good for any political party. It should be what's good for the economy and for the American people. And if we leave the politics aside, if we look at the facts, the answer here is simple: no tax hikes on anybody -- period."

Last year, Obama and his family remained in Washington until the Senate finally passed health care reform legislation on Christmas Eve. They left for Obama's home state of Hawaii a few hours later.

The president, first lady Michelle Obama and their two daughters are again planning to go to Hawaii for a vacation that will last until the beginning of January.





 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Bush v Obama: Vacations? or Just Another Way to Stay Connected

Democrats attacked Bush for always being away ... now Republicans are returning the favor, and the Democrats reply:  technology is amazing, we can get communications to him wherever he is.


The Washington Post reported today that Obama has taken nine vacations since taking office in 2008 for a total of 48 days. Some trips lasted just a day while others, like his Vineyard escape, lasted for a week-plus.


President Bush, by comparison, had taken 14 trips for a total of 115 days to his Crawford, Texas, ranch during the same period of his administration, the Post reported.

White House adviser John Brennan told UPI the president remains engaged, even while on vacation.

“Communication systems are very robust,” Brennan said. “We can move information at the speed of light. We can get to him very easily here.”












Obama

Obama, the Boy Scouts, and Ramadan

Obama did not attend the national Scouting Jamboree.  He had far more pressing matters to attend to (including I am sure a round of golf somewhere in that hectic schedule). 

However, his vacation can wait (wait, hasn't he been on vacataion a few times already this summer?) -


Obama to host Ramadan meal


By Elise Viebeck
The Hill
08/13/10


President Obama will host an iftar — the special evening meal observed during Ramadan — on Friday night in the White House dining room.

Obama participated in a similar gathering last year.

Celebrations like iftar dinners "remind us of the principles that we hold in common, and Islam's role in advancing justice, progress, tolerance and the dignity of all human beings," Obama wrote in a statement Wednesday.

"Ramadan is a celebration of a faith known for great diversity and racial equality ... a reminder that Islam has always been part of America and that American Muslims have made extraordinary contributions to our country."

The dinner comes amid a growing controversy over the proposed construction of an Islamic cultural center in downtown Manhattan, near the site of the World Trade Center. A CNN poll released Wednesday found that 68 percent of the public opposes the project.

Meanwhile, the White House — which has made great efforts to reach out to the Muslim community — has been silent on the issue.

"This is rightly a matter for New York City and the local community to decide," White House press secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters on Aug. 3.

Ramadan began on Wednesday and will end around Sept. 10.





 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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