When Is The President Going To STOP Using Our Money To Take Personal Trips?
By nzinky
@nzinky (822)
United States
May 31, 2009 12:14pm CST
I heard on the news last night that the Obama's had a night out in New York to see a Broadway Play......They just walked out the door and got on a Jet Plane and headed out to New York...Don't they realize that the plane is suppost to be used for Offical Use Only??
Oh forgot he said he made a promiss to his wife that they would go to a play in New York after he got in office...WELL what about the promiss of change he made to the American People or was that just a lie????????He said there would be change in the way things are done......Right when is that going to come??????????
Oh forgot we don't matter and It's okay to put all the polution in the air from their personal jet.......Just think it only takes 5 gallon of gas to go a mile....Its time we start writting to him and telling him he doesn't need to fly that plane everyday come why can't they see its not a toy......
He sure could cut a lot of expence if he would just stop using that plane every day... How many thousand of dollar does it take for them just to start up that plane anyway......Oh forgot we aren't suppost to worry about that it's none of our business.....
He's little trip to Nevada and California the Dem's picked up 3 per cent of it but the American people got soaked with 97 per cent of the trip cause he made a little speach before he left to go there.........Doesn't that make you feel special to know we get hosed every time he uses that plane.....
1 person likes this
8 responses
@irisheyes (4370)
• United States
31 May 09
The president and first lady are not prisoners of the White House and Camp David. They are free to move about the entire country and world while in the White House and they are entitled to limosines, Air Force 1 and full Secret Service coverage. It goes with the office and it has been that way for every presidency. Why are you objecting to Obama visiting New York? Did you object when the Bushes went back and forth from Washington to Texas? Did people object when the Kennedys went to Newport or when Richard Nixon went to San Clemente? Protecting the president and giving him the perks of office are hardly the equivalent of "hosing" the taxpayer. He is performing the most important job on the face of the earth and he gets a slaray of about $400,000 a year which is an amount that would not thrill your average CEO. The perks are considered a part of the presidential benefits package and every president is entitled to them.
1 person likes this
@Taskr36 (13963)
• United States
31 May 09
I have no objection them traveling on official business funded by our tax dollars. That's their job. Taking pleasure trips around the country to see a broadway play on our dime however, is just wrong. This is compounded by the fact that Obama keeps telling us we should practice fiscal responsibility while being a complete and utter hypocrite.
"He is performing the most important job on the face of the earth and he gets a slaray of about $400,000 a year which is an amount that would not thrill your average CEO."
I'm sick of people that think every CEO is filthy rich. That amount of money would thrill the vast majority of CEOs, especially if they got to take free trips anywhere they wanted on the taxpayer's dime. How many CEOs do YOU know Irisheyes?
@matersfish (6306)
• United States
31 May 09
It's not a slight against Obama's presidency so much as it's a slight against his rhetoric.
You're very right, irisheyes. Other presidents have done this. Almost everyone objected when Bush II did anything, so we can remove him from all conversations regarding Obama lol Bush spoke IN FAVOR OF liberal causes (specifically stem cell reserach), and the crowd was still calling for his head because he refused to pay for it with taxpayer (read: the working man's) money. He had one of those can't-win-for-losin' presidencies. But that's beside the point.
What all presidents haven't done, however, is make so many bold claims regarding a new day in the White House; a complete change from every other president; a redirection of America and not more of the same-old same-old. Obama has habitually let his mouth move in one direction while his a$$ has moved in another.
Talking the talk but not walking the walk is what prompts people to get a little infuriated when they hear that he is taking expensive trips while simultaneously feeding America rhetoric about being handed the worst crisis since the Great Depression, having to cut back on fuel consumption to save the Earth and break our dependence on foreign oil, and personally sacrificing during these hard times.
I do not care where he goes. I do believe that it's something he's entitled to do as president. I only wish that our president would stop insisting that the average person in America do one thing while he continuously does another. Obama was supposed to be THE president connected to the people, right? I see nothing about him different from Bush other than a far-left ideology and pictures with his shirt off lol
Other than that, they're both elitists who really don't seem concerned with the everyday struggles of ordinary Americans. I was always taught that you lead by example. Setting examples by actions instead of with words read from the BarackOPrompter would instantly stop people from justly (though you feel "unfairly") criticising president Obama.
1 person likes this
@Autumnrose2008 (1478)
• United States
31 May 09
Not nearly as special as when he was campaigning in my town and left us holding a bill for him to come there and ask for our votes. Yes when it was all said and done the whole obama coming to beg for our votes cost us a lot of money. Mind you this cost a town money that dont have that money to spend. My town has been laying people off and cutting jobs left and right. They should have saved that money and had Obama provide his own security and gave the jobs back to the people that need and deserve. Them. In my book what obama did was no better than eating at a restraunt and not paying. Very low. I am still waiting for change as more companies are laying off hard workers and there is no end in site. Maybe he should give some of the money it cost to maintain that fancy jet to someone that needs a job.
1 person likes this
@thegreatdebater (7316)
• United States
1 Jun 09
I hate to tell you this, but president Bush did the same exact thing (if not worse). Remember Bush flying a jet onto an aircraft carrier? Don't you remember he spent more time on vacation in this first year than any other president in our nations history. I remember republicans defending Bush's record number of vacations due to all of the stress of cleaning up Clinton's economic mess. Numbers show that Bush left a much larger mess, and I am sure that Barack needs a break. It could be worse, he could have taken his cabinet on an AIG weekend.
@irishidid (8687)
• United States
1 Jun 09
Bush went on vacation almost before he even set foot in the White House. Clinton practically had to be forced to take one. While D1ck Morris may not see things the way Clinton does, he is quick to defend him by speaking of things he admires about Clinton.
I don't mind the date, I just wish he would consider the people and adjust his lifestyle like we've had to. I wish Bush had too. They all need to get their heads out of their a** and stop thinking it smells so rosy in there.
1 person likes this
@thegreatdebater (7316)
• United States
1 Jun 09
I agree with you, if we are going to have to get by then our leaders should to. But, they have never in the past, so I am sure they feel that they shouldn't now.
@hanah87 (1835)
• Malaysia
31 May 09
I think Obama is just popular by his personal life and his family too.I dont see anything special and big he do for American.But i think Clinton and Bush also use that plan.Obama just get trapped in this terrible situation because now is recession day.
@revellanotvanella (4033)
• United States
1 Jun 09
headliner: of course our debt is the biggest its ever been because it went into the trillions before he even started
@nzinky (822)
• United States
21 Jul 09
I don't know of another president that spent over 800 BILLION IN ONE MONTH....Don't you think its enough already??????Or is it okay for someone who doesn't have a clue to keep doing this....He should have known the country was in bad shape before he took over after all he was a Senator before he became Preisendent......Oh I forgot he was campaining those four years and not paying attention to what was going on.......
@la_chique (1498)
•
1 Jun 09
Well I agree that its wrong to be using taxpayers money for all this personal business, but on the other hand he really is proving to be a great president so far. I dont remember the last time a president actually did so much they promised to in such little time as he has. I'm far happier seeing Obama having a well deserved evening off at the theater than i used to be seeing Bush playing golf, or having a vacation, or playing golf, or not doing much else......
@lululastrange (339)
• United States
31 May 09
Ok first of all it says no where in the constitution that man can't have his own money.
President Obama had a job before he became the president, and even as president the man still has interests and hobbies. Its unfair to assume that just because he is running this country (which is still just another job that he gets paid for!) that he has to stop enjoying life.
Secondly, your information is a little off.
Planes use less fuel when they are lighter, and so yes, it does take about 4 gallons of gas to take off and a full 747 is going to take about 2500 gallons of jet fuel an hour, but you have to take into consideration that a private jet isn't going to have 400 people on and secondly a trip between Washington DC and New York isn't a very long flight, and statistically, one person flying is getting about 55 miles to the gallon as opposed to whatever they would be using by driving a car.
Secondly, our President flies because its safer to fly, because in the long run it is more cost effective, especially considering that the guy has to have body guards with him at all times and a slew of aids and other people to make his life easier.
Its isn't easy to be the president. Its a hard job, and Obama has it harder then others. He is in a unique position and he is being criticized twice as hard because of his color, his background and his ideals.
Give the guy a break, let him go see a freakin' show. Its not like he's getting a bonus at the end of the year because he kept us from getting our butts blown off by communists, terrorists and anything else out there that wants to shove a stick of c4 up there.
@irishidid (8687)
• United States
31 May 09
lulu, Kennedy refused to take pay at all for being president and was criticized for being Irish Catholic. So I'm not sure Obama deserves a break if someone like Kennedy couldn't even get one.
@lisan23 (442)
• United States
31 May 09
Agreed. I voted for Obama, but I am SOOOO tired of even seeing this crap in the news. I don't care if he goes out on a date with his wife. I don't care if he gets a dog. I don't care what kind of dog that is. I don't care that Michelle Obama talked to school kids today. I don't CARE what they do in their free time. Every time I see these headlines about what they did today or yesterday or whatever I want to hit my head against the wall.
@Latrivia (2878)
• United States
1 Jun 09
So, is he not supposed to take vacations? Is he supposed to board a regular plane like the rest of us, despite the potential security issue? He's not the only president that does this. Air Force One used to land on my college campus whenever Bush decided to take a trip to his ranch in Crawford. I'm sure Clinton used the plane for personal trips as well. Part of being president is that the tax payer pays your way for the rest of your life.
@Adoniah (7513)
• United States
31 May 09
I would not mind the 0 being a party animal so much, if he would stop throwing away trillions of our tax dollars, and then, just printing more money as if it was monopoly money. China has bought up most of our debt. At any time they could call that debt. The only thing stopping them, is the fact that the big 0 printed all that money and devalued the dollar.
China is so mad, that they have even cut their exports to this country as have several other countries. Of course, that won't stop the countries that hate us from planning to attack us, which will cost us more money because our dollar is worthless.
Shalom~Adoniah
