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.
Saturday, Dec 03 2011
Obama
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.
Saturday, Dec 03 2011
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
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