Question of the Day

Posted on Thursday, July 21, 2011 by Post Scripts

by Jack

Should there by a law passed to prevent the 1st Lady from spending taxpayers money like she has a blank check? Or said another way, shouldn’t there be some sort of oversight or approval first from a Constitutional authority to protect citizens from being fleeced in the name of diplomacy?

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4 Responses to Question of the Day

  1. Peggy says:
    Thursday, July 21, 2011 at 8:25 pm

    Good questions. Just where is this money coming from?! Every dime spent by our govt should be linked to a cost account. Therefore, there should be an operating account to pay the expenses for the White House; the staff, entertainment, utilities, food, etc. Either Jackie Kennedy or Barbara Bush said they had to pay for their own food when they lived there.

    So, what account is the cost for all of these vacations coming from, and did Congress approve it? Is it a part of our national debt? Has to be if there isnt enough money to mail the soc. sec. checks.

  2. OUTRAGED says:
    Thursday, July 21, 2011 at 9:02 pm

    Only if the president is Black.

  3. Tina says:
    Thursday, July 21, 2011 at 10:27 pm

    All First ladies travel; most had a diplomatic or cause oriented itinerary. News reports of travel by Laura Bush, Jacque Kennedy, and Hillary Clinton:

    http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-53067437.html (AP)

    BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) _ Thirty different outfits, 15 traveling staffers, dozens of Secret Service agents, scores of embassy personnel, seven pricey gifts, one professional hair stylist. That’s what it takes to see Laura Bush through 15 days overseas. The no-nonsense first lady, lauded in the French press for her simple style, has appeared during this inaugural overseas mission of hers to be unreconciled to, or at least self-conscious of, the fuss of public life. Leaving Washington on the same Air Force jet often used by Vice President Dick Cheney

    http://www.arts.mcgill.ca/history/faculty/TROYWEB/LauraBushpreparesforfirstsolotripabroad.htm

    WASHINGTON Laura Bush takes in Paris in the springtime this week and Budapest and Prague, too. It will be her first extended solo trip abroad as first lady and, in many ways, an inevitable new step on a long trail blazed by her predecessors. Jacqueline Kennedy did it with a splash 40 years ago with high-profile visits to India and Pakistan. And Hillary Rodham Clinton regularly traveled the world, promoting education, health care and micro-loan programs designed largely to help poor women. On this trip, Mrs. Bush will be more low-key, though no less ambitious in her own businesslike way. She will discuss education and health care, two issues that she has long advocated. And, in an unusual venue, she will direct a 15-minute address to Afghanistan on the Radio Free Europe network.

    Some of First lady Michelle Obamas travel has been diplomatic in nature. the press refers to “official” travel:

    http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2011/06/michelle_obama_in_south_africa.html

    First Lady Michelle Obama will travel to Johannesburg, Pretoria, and Cape Town, South Africa and Gaborone, Botswana during an official visit to Africa from June 20 – 26 focused on youth leadership, education, health and wellness. The trip is a continuation of Mrs. Obama’s work to engage young people, especially girls and young women, at home and abroad.

    And vacation travel:

    http://www.suite101.com/content/michelle-obama-excessive-vacations-a271677

    CBS News, reports that Michelle Obama is vacationing with 40 of her closest friends and they are said to occupy 60 to 70 rooms. According to The National Ledger, August 8, 2010, Mrs. Obama is expected to take 8 vacations before the summer is finished. The New York Times also notices and says, “”The image of Michelle Obama vacationing abroad while Americans struggle back home struck some as ill-timed!” CBS News tallies the round trip ticket is right under $150,000.

    According to CBS News Political Hotsheet, CBS News White House correspondent Mark Knoller reports, “The C-32A (757) the First Lady used to fly to Spain – one of the planes that usually serves as Air Force Two, and sometimes Air Force One – operates at a Department of Defense reimbursement rate of $11,351 per hour.

    I think criticism stems from a perceived attitude of extravagance that the first couple displays during very tough economic times. They host lavish parties, the president plays a lot of golf, they seem always to be “on vacation” or “living the good life” while Americans are tightening their belts, without jobs, losing their homes, filing for banruptcy and have see savings and investments diminished…with little hope in sight for improvement!

    “Outraged” might direct some of that rage back toward himself for using such a trite tactic to avoid the uncomfortable truth…this pair is not being at all sensitive to the realities above or, for instance, the 16.2% unemployment rate for black Americans!

  4. Toby says:
    Friday, July 22, 2011 at 8:08 am

    Substitute walking pile of dog excrement for black and you have a pretty clear picture of what’s going on. I understand a clear picture of what’s going on is the very last thing a liberal wants.

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