Anger mounts over Michelle Obama's 5-day Spanish holiday

reply to post by lpowell0627


Did you ever consider that we were losing A LOT more jobs when Obama took office than we are now? No, of course not. How about that the GDP is up a good $150B this year? Perhaps you might give our President a bit of a....reprieve...when it comes to the hard-work he's put in.
Not to mention, the focus of this thread started out, with criticizing Michelle Obama , and how terribly lavish she was with her spending. Once some of the posters realized that "oh....you mean they paid with PERSONAL money, and taxpayers only paid for Security Detail and Travel costs", than the issue became that Obama had taken TOO MANY VACATIONS.....

Yet you have Bush, who used Air-force one 77 times for personal trips, yet you didn't hear anyone getting their knickers in a twist. (Besides maybe Michael Moore).

It's like I said in my first post....This only becomes an issue when one party is in power and the other wants to make an issue of a NON-ISSUE.

PLEASE STOP THE HYPOCRISY!

Originally posted by TheBandit795
reply to post by centurion1211

 

Which presidency since Woodrow Wilson's administration has worked???

As far as I know, no one has successfully gotten rid of the Federal Reserve, so I'll say as long as International Bankers are ripping you all off, no administration cares.

Except that we are discussing the current administration, not Woodrow Wilson's or any other presidency.

This administration and these hard times for many Americans, and how going on at least 8 extravagant vacations is perhaps not the message to you'd want to send to the people that put you in office.

Granted, the obama's are free to go where they want and spend what they want - no question about it.

The question - once again - is the message it sends.

this is in regards to wcitizens post of Obamas profit regarding the oil spill


This is apparently Obama's public disclosure.
Note his retirement holdings include Vanguard(x2) which is known to have sold off BP just prior to the spill.

pfds.opensecrets.org...
investors.morningstar.com...

While I don't really know how much this is worth to the President it is safe to say he did make money form the spill, a head of time.

I'm no expert maybe someone who is could verify this.

[edit on 6-8-2010 by Danbones]

[edit on 6-8-2010 by Danbones]

Originally posted by ElijahWan
reply to post by lpowell0627

 

Did you ever consider that we were losing A LOT more jobs when Obama took office than we are now?

Is that even true? Source please.

And even if true, could the reason for that statistic possibly be not because obama has done anything to help, instead that so many people have already lost their jobs that there's not that many left - we're getting down to the bare minimums needed to keep things running. You pretty much can't lose your job twice.

The statistics can also be skewed by people giving up and dropping out of the work force entirely.

PLEASE STOP THE HYPOCRISY!

You first ...

reply to post by Jazzyguy

Excellent.

See? All that anger for nothing.

The bulk of the trip—the hotel stay and all meals—were paid for by the Obamas and their close friends who joined them.

reply to post by TheBandit795


We pay for their security detail at the very least. And I can assure you that if she kept her fanny in the White House security costs would be far less.

See the problem? Trips are optional.

Why make Americans pay for greatly increased security detail when she could just stay home and make use of the security already at the White House 24/7 that we pay for already?

Flying her and her entourage all over the place -- her entourage costs' are covered by us since for them it is a "business trip" and all things security related are on the taxpayer's dime.

Do we really need to pay for all of these employees flying, staying, and eating in Spain for five days?

reply to post by ~Lucidity


This does not include the cost to house, fly, and feed her entire security detail. Does she need security? Yup. I hear there are some really good guards already getting paid right at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

reply to post by ElijahWan


Do your research. Query: "Bush Vacation" and you will find a massive amount of criticism for those very trips.

I wish I could get paid a dime every time someone once again justifies Obama's outlandishness -- the man that was supposed to save us from the evil empire of Bush -- to the wrongdoings of the evil empire of Bush.

Further, I stuck to Michelle and how unnecessary it is to be paying for all of this security detail in Spain -- salary, airfare, food, hotel -- when she has a perfectly good organic garden to be tending at the White House. Or perhaps she have gone to the Gulf Coast and tried to actually help their economy.

Never mind, I forgot that Bush II is perfectly OK with this crowd simply because he's dressed in blue.

ok seriously the left wing press was on gwb for everything under the sun.

hguess you people have completely forgotten comming from the left wing main stream media.
there are literally 1000s upon thousands of videos, articles and everything else hating on the gwb.

people are out of work and who are stuck at home if they still have one left

and she goes to spain. nah it isnt right

50,000 a day into a local economy could have been the difference between for life and death for some people.

so in my opinion going to spain aint cool
going on so many vacations isnt cool

people are suffering and its obvious the only thing the obamas care about is themselves.



[edit on 6-8-2010 by neo96]

reply to post by lpowell0627

“Any additional footprint,” says a White House aide, “including additional rooms needed for security support, falls under the same rules as have applied to any previous first-family travel: the costs are split appropriately, with private expenses paid for privately; government expenses are paid for by the government.”

There ya go.

reply to post by Krzyzmo


Political figures have done this for decades. This type of "anger" is nothing but manufactured noise that will only serve to rile up the birthers and teabaggers.

Originally posted by ElijahWan

Originally posted by Mrmerak

Originally posted by ~Lucidity
It probably costs taxpayers that much a day no matter where she is.

Biggest non-issue of the week to get angry about.

No it is not a "non" issue. The fact is Democrats say they are for the poor and downtrodden however behave like the millionaires most of them are. It is not about how much it cost on a daily basis to protect "Her Majesty Michelle" it is the appearance of living the life of a princess whilst the poor, millions of unemployed and downtrodden struggle on a daily basis just to get by. Have you no compassion? Imagine if a Republican had done this - oh my all hell would have broken loose - and you know it!

Actually I am not a Republican. Both parties are destroying this country, however the Democrats are destroying it quicker. The only positive thing I can say for the republicans on this issue is that they behave as you would expect. On the other hand the Democrats pretend to stand up for the poor and yet theyall live the lives of millionaires! Total and complete hypocrites

Oh you mean like The Bush's trip to Africa? And how the left-wing press didn't make much of a peep about it? Because that's what FIRST FAMILIES do.

You right-wingers try to make this an issue, but when it's your own party doing it, you don't say ****. Either do what I do, and don't say **** about it regardless of party , or.....stop being hypocritical and criticize EVERYONE who does it.

THIS IS A NON-ISSUE

I am actually neither Democrat nor Republican - they are both destroying the country but the Democrats are destroying it quicker. At least Republicans behave as one would expect. Democrats on the other hand (pretend) to represent the poor, however live like millionaires - total and complete hypocrites!

Originally posted by The Sword
reply to post by Krzyzmo

 

Political figures have done this for decades. This type of "anger" is nothing but manufactured noise that will only serve to rile up the birthers and teabaggers.

But wasn't Obama supposed to be about change? He was sold to the American people as a someone that would not just do what "political figures have done for decades". He was supposed to be different. That is why people voted for him.

Your arguement is that all politicans in the past wasted taxpayer money on lavish vacations so its ok for Obama to do the same. That's absurd.

She could have at the very least went on vacation in America and contibuted to the economy here instead of Europe.

Originally posted by Jazzyguy
Somebody is playing extra filthy here it seems, trying to paint the entire family as deviate and not just the president.

The Faux Scandal of Michelle Obama’s Spain Trip

Some factions just don't understand the concept of lines that you should not cross! In due time supremacists, you'll just wait, you all get your turn.

I just wish to put your post at the top of this discussion, as it seems people have failed to see it for the most part.

Ladies and Gentleman, there is NO issue here, the entire thing was not paid for with tax payer money at all. It was paid for with money out of their own pocket.

Now to those who will say, "Hey, how do you think Obama get's paid? With tax payer money!" I say this. So what? He earned the money and he can spend it as he likes.

You would not wish to suggest that any person who works for the government cannot spend their own pay check as they see fit, would you?

Even then, how do you know he spent money he earned working for the government, on it? Perhaps he has money saved up. Believe it or not, He had other jobs before this, you know....


So, once again, There is no scandal here what so ever. Except for the FACT that people are trying to accuse Mrs. Obama of something she did not do. Slander is an ugly thing, ladies and gentleman.

That is the only scandal that has taken place, one of slander against the president's family... Quite disgusting really.

Originally posted by ElijahWan
Dead on! Not to mention what the OP doesn't mention, is that the Obamas paid for MOST of the trip's expenses. The only thing they didn't pay for was the cost of the Security Detail, and the cost of travel aboard the plane.

You see.. that's not the point here. Whether she, or you, likes it or not she is a politician's wife. Politics is all about perception. The perception of her traveling with 40 friends (I don't know if that's a good number or not) to a foreign country for a vacation at a time when unemployment rates are high already and rising and the economy is in the tank is just not appropriate. Although she wasn't the one elected she is still expected to be a leader because of who she is... this is not leadership, this is arrogance.

Marie Antoinette also paid for her extravagances didn't she?

reply to post by Krzyzmo

The bulk of the trip—the hotel stay and all meals—were paid for by the Obamas and their close friends who joined them. “Any additional footprint,” says a White House aide, “including additional rooms needed for security support, falls under the same rules as have applied to any previous first-family travel: the costs are split appropriately, with private expenses paid for privately; government expenses are paid for by the government.”

src

So people cannot spend their own money on what they want too? She's paying with HER own private funds you know earned money. I don't get it what's the issue here.

[edit on 6-8-2010 by Sheol]

"So what? He earned the money and he can spend it as he likes."


there are some of us who think he isnt earning his paycheck.


just like how all those evil bank and corporation ceos get bashed berrated and belittle on all their extravagence....

people have problems with them.


so shouldnt they get to spend their paychecks however they want they "earned" it.

but then agian people come down of the flip side of that arguement.

[edit on 6-8-2010 by neo96]

reply to post by kozmo

Weren't they just on a vacation last moth? And weren't they on a vacation just the month before that? How many fekking vacations does this modern day Marie Antionette need?

Really? Last time I checked, no one elected Michelle Obama to do ANYTHING.

SOOOOO, if a rich woman wants to go on a lot of vacations, what's it to you?

Originally posted by Kram09
Wow, what a complete joke.

I've lost some respect for Michelle Obama now.

I know she's the President's wife, but I never imagined she would do something like this.

Just shows what I know!

They got a beach closed off just for her?

Well, can't have her going on the beach with dirty commoners now can we?

she's the first lady, you idiot...you know...of the United states...every first lady has a whole s--tload of protection around her when she goes anywhere...but since she's black and a democrat..no problem, right pal???
what's wrong with you people????

Originally posted by neo96
"So what? He earned the money and he can spend it as he likes."


there are some of us who think he isnt earning his paycheck.

well there were 8 million more people that voted for him, and he should be able to take off as much time as reagan and bush when they were president.