Curmudgeon's Corner

Jetsetters?

Posted by Al Campbell on Dec. 20, 2011

U.S., Taxes, Political, Quality of Life

We people of the United States have been paying for a lot of vacation travel for the first family.  That isn’t so bad although this first family seems to need a lot more time away than have the recent few first families.  What bothers me is that there is too often some need for part of the family to get started before the President is ready to turn off the lights in the Oval Office.

The first family had to leave for Hawaii before the President could leave so a small matter of some $4 Million of our tax dollars have gone to make that possible even though Air Force One will make that trip soon, too.  Mrs. Obama appears to have been given her own 757.

The little side trips here and there for pizza or whatever else is craved at the moment have been a source of irritation, as well.

The cost during tough economic times is one thing, but there is another that is much more troublesome.  The first family seems to have a classic case of the “tin ear” so far as appearances are concerned.  Unemployment continues at a very high rate, Occupiers protest the “1%”, Congress is engaged in political one-ups-man-ship, and a presidential race is going on.

Against this backdrop, it seems to my feeble little brain that it might make some sense to sort of’ slow down the pace of unnecessary expense.  A day or two delay wouldn’t have been the end of the world.

The Obama family seems to be flaunting their ability to do whatever it is that strikes their fancy while regular people suffer.  I don’t think this is a wise campaign strategy even if we forget about its unseemly appearance.  Golf was one thing, even though it seemed overdone; we know the office Mr. Obama holds is a very trying office and we understand he needs some relief from it, but the idea that the family can flit around whenever and wherever it chooses is tantamount to telling us to “eat cake”.