Another WTF Moment in American Politics
By sconibear
@sconibear (8016)
United States
December 15, 2009 10:25am CST
From The Canadian Free Press....
Michele Obama does not get paid to serve as the First Lady and she doesn't perform any official duties. But this hasn't deterred her from hiring 22 staffers to cater to her every whim and to satisfy her every request in the midst of the Great Recession.
Mary Lincoln was taken to task for purchasing china for the White House during the Civil War.
Mamie Eisenhower had to shell out the salary for her personal secretary from her husband's salary.
Total Personal Staff members for other first ladies paid by taxpayers:
Mamie Eisenhower : 1 (paid out of President's salary)
Jackie Kennedy: 1
Roseline Carter: 1
Barbara Bush: 1
Hilary Clinton: 3
Laura Bush: 1
Michele Obama: 22
How things have changed! If you're one of the tens of millions of Americans facing certain destitution, earning less than subsistence wages stocking the shelves at Wal-Mart or serving up McDonald cheeseburgers, prepare to scream and then come to realize that the benefit package for these servants of Ms Michelle are the same as members of the national security and defense departments and the bill for these assorted lackeys is paid by YOU, John Q. Public:
Michele Obama's personal staff:
1. $172,200 - Sher, Susan (Chief Of Staff)
2. $140,000 - Frye, Jocelyn C. (Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of Policy And Projects For The First Lady)
3. $113,000 - Rogers, Desiree G. (Special Assistant to the President and White House Social Secretary for Mrs. Obama)
4. $102,000 - Johnston, Camille Y. (Special Assistant to the President and Director of Communications for the First Lady)
5. $100,000 - Winter, Melissa E. (Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief Of Staff to the First Lady)
6. $90,000 - Medina , David S. (Deputy Chief Of Staff to the First Lady)
7. $84,000 - Lelyveld, Catherine M. (Director and Press Secretary to the First Lady)
8. $75,000 - Starkey, Frances M. (Director of Scheduling and Advance for the First Lady)
9. $70,000 - Sanders, Trooper (Deputy Director of Policy and Projects for the First Lady)
10. $65,000 - Burnough, Erinn J. (Deputy Director and Deputy Social Secretary)
11. $64,000 - Reinstein, Joseph B. (Deputy Director and Deputy Social Secretary)
12. $62,000 - Goodman, Jennifer R. (Deputy Director of Scheduling and Events Coordinator For The First Lady)
13. $60,000 - Fitts, Alan O. (Deputy Director of Advance and Trip Director for the First Lady)
14. $57,500 - Lewis, Dana M. (Special Assistant and Personal Aide to the First Lady)
15. $52,500 - Mustaphi, Semonti M. (Associate Director and Deputy Press Secretary To The First Lady)
16. $50,000 - Jarvis, Kristen E. (Special Assistant for Scheduling and Traveling Aide To The First Lady)
17. $45,000 - Lechtenberg, Tyler A. (Associate Director of Correspondence For The First Lady)
18. $43,000 - Tubman, Samanth a (Deputy Associate Director, Social Office)
19. $40,000 - Boswell, Joseph J. (Executive Assistant to the Chief Of Staff to the First Lady)
20. $36,000 - Armbruster, Sally M. (Staff Assistant to the Social Secretary)
21. $35,000 - Bookey, Natalie (Staff Assistant)
22. $35,000 - Jackson, Deilia A. (Deputy Associate Director of Correspondence for the First Lady)
Total = $1,591,200 in annual salaries plus travel expenses
Paid for by the U.S.A. TAXPAYERS
There has NEVER been anyone in the White House at any time who has created such an army of staffers whose sole duties
are the facilitation of the First Lady's social life.
One wonders why she needs so much help, at taxpayer expense.
Note: This does not include makeup artist Ingrid Grimes-Miles, 49, and "First Hairstylist" Johnny Wright, 31, both of whom traveled aboard Air Force One to Europe ..
Copyright 2009 Canada Free Press.Com
http://www.canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/12652
Check it out for yourself.
Yes, I know, The Canadian Free Press had to publish this perhaps because America no longer has a free press and the USA media (NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN, MSNBC, PBS) is too scared that they might be considered racist or suffer at the hands of Messiah Obama.
How many people do you have on staff??? 
4 people like this
14 responses
@dawnald (85135)
• Shingle Springs, California
15 Dec 09
But just think, she's reduced the unemployment numbers! (Dawn ducks and runs for cover)
How many people do I have on staff? hahahahahahaha I have an unpaid staff of 5 including myself. And sometimes it takes more energy trying to get them to do anything than it does to do it myself!
2 people like this
@Latrivia (2878)
• United States
16 Dec 09
Actually, if the White House personell records are right, Laura Bush had 24 staff members and spent $200,000.00 more on their salaries. Mind you, that was when the dollar had a bit more value, so value-wise she may actually have spent less. Though Fact Check has supposedly only confirmed 18. I haven't checked on the records for the rest of the first ladies.
It's not unknown that the First Lady has her own staff. A simple visit to the First Lady page on Wikipedia will give a small run down on some of the positions in the First Lady's staff. She's technically responsible for Hostess duties, which I sincerely doubt a single person can handle by herself. Honestly, it's a non-issue in my opinion.
2 people like this
@Rollo1 (16679)
• Boston, Massachusetts
15 Dec 09
It makes you wonder how Jackie Kennedy managed to be such a style icon, or how Laura Bush, without anyone to dress her or do her makeup, still managed to look so sophisticated, classy and well put together everywhere she appeared.
I think Michelle's husband has the right to pay for her staff out of his salary, but I don't think the American taxpayer has any obligation to pay for her staff - we pay for security services only because they are necessary. Wait, he couldn't pay for it, he only earns $400,000 annually as president. Why is Michelle worth more than twice as much as he is?
I think it is outrageous and possibly illegal. What can we do to stop it?
2 people like this
@sconibear (8016)
• United States
15 Dec 09
I don't know what we can do now........but I know what we can do at the next presidential election.
1 person likes this
@sconibear (8016)
• United States
15 Dec 09
Yeah, the paper here in Vegas used to have like 3 sections with jobs in the Sunday paper........now you're lucky if it's a half a page.
I think I'm gonna move to a different planet.
1 person likes this
@poingly (605)
• United States
15 Dec 09
This has wrong facts. Hillary Clinton had a staff of 20 as first lady (source: whitehousemueum.org). She was the first with a staff that large.
I cannot yet find data on Laura Bush's stats. Once I found one wrong stat though, I speculate there will be more.
1 person likes this
@sconibear (8016)
• United States
15 Dec 09
Well, in all fairness, this was posted in a Canadian newspaper.......maybe it lost something in the translation.
1 person likes this
@pixeltwistr (613)
• United States
16 Dec 09
Well...i think the facts are a little skewed on this...because i believe the past first ladies mentioned had as many if not more staff than michelle obama.....so that would make it not so unusuall....however i do think that is an awful lot of staff to have for the first lady who really doesnt have any actual duties other than social duties and entertaining guests and dignitaries....
But you know what really got to me....the oprah special the other night...christmas at the white house....I though it was really tacky of the obamas to run around showing off their 30 some odd christmas trees and all of the other extravagant decorations in light of the fact that 90% of americans cant afford to have a christmas at all this year and are lucky to have even a tree!!!! I like Oprah and i like the Obamas but i had to shut that off half way through.....what were they thinking? I mean we ALL know they have all that stuff....ok....we can deal with it....i guess....but dont shove it down our throat with a tv special while we have to tell our kids santa is sick this year and cant make it!
@Opal26 (17679)
• United States
16 Dec 09
Hey Sconi! Did you just hear me scream all the way from my
apartment in Yonkers, NY to where you live in Las Vegas, NV!
WTF! WTF is right! How dare she waste all our phucking money
on all these worthless people! I need a job! Hire me! I can
do whatever those azzholes do for her! They have all those
fancy titles! I'm quite sure I can type faster than all of them
and get more done in half the time since I WAS a LEGAL SECRETARY
and am quite the MULIT-TASKER! I had to be to work in that
miserable phucking field! I almost lost my phucking mind working
for those miserable baastarrds! That is the reason on am now
Disabled and getting secrewed by the phucking NYS Government who
are making ME PAY FOR MY OWN CRAPPY MEDICAID INSURANCE $447 A
MONTH TO GO TO PHUCKING CLINICS AND NOT SEE MY REGULAR DOCTORS!
DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED! I AM READY TO GO TO THE WHITE HOUSE
RIGHT THE PHUCK NOW! ANYBODY CARE TO JOIN THE CARAVAN????
1 person likes this
@matersfish (6306)
• United States
16 Dec 09
**sings a bad rendition of Van Morrison's Caravan**
Lil' bit higher -- radio!1 person likes this
@ethanonthemoon (1494)
• Quezon, Philippines
16 Dec 09
This is a lot of staff and not to mention a lot of money being paid on them. Well, I don't know about the US but here in the Philippines, way back in President Ferdinand Marcos' administration, there were a lot of extravagances done by his wife, Imelda Marcos. There were a collection of shoes, every night socializing, trips abroad, houses, museums, buildings, staffs, and everything you can think of I think they have done that.
I think there are still abuse of power in the presidency here in the Philippines.
@matersfish (6306)
• United States
16 Dec 09
I remember there was an effort underway a few months back to get Michelle Obama a paycheck. A whole lot of people were saying she deserved to be paid for the job she's doing.
The First Lady is more popular than the President. I don't think many people will make an issue of this. They'll either ignore it or, like I see written above, justify it by citing someone else who had a lot of staffers.
Personally, I don't see what she needs them for. The total travel expenses for all of them annually is probably 30X the salary expense.
I don't know how I can say this without it sounding as if I'm bashing the First Lady, but SHE'S NOT ROYALTY. That's one. Two, we're STILL in a recession. Government is STILL trying to spend insane amounts of money. People are STILL losing jobs and trying desperately to make ends meet. This is our, their, MY money.
It honestly makes me dizzy when I imagine not only the disconnect from politicians (which the First Lady is, for all intents and purposes) to the people, but also the way some shrug it off as if it's acceptable to spend this kind of money to staff up like J-Lo.
It's not! This is MY money.
I've never paid attention to any spending habits of any First Lady. I guess I just honestly figured the wives of these politicians were the toned-down ones. But now that I see this, I'm floored!! WTF
And if Mrs. Bush, Clinton, Bush, Reagan, etc, spent like this, here's a belated scolding! GRR 
1 person likes this
@Opal26 (17679)
• United States
16 Dec 09
Hey matersfish! I am so with you on this! And thanks for being
in agreement with me! It so pisses me off that Michelle has
the right to get these ridiculous priveleges when we all are
struggling to just get by especially with health insurance
issues! Great to meet ya too! Sending you a friend request!
1 person likes this
@jmowreader (83)
• United States
16 Dec 09
From the National Journal: Laura Bush's 2007 staff:
Anita McBride: Chief of staff to the First Lady / $168.000
Cherie Harder: Director of projects to the First Lady / $108,000
Sally Niemiec: Press secretary to the First Lady / $90,000
Sonja Miller: Deputy chief of staff to the First Lady / $84,700
Deanna Ballard: Director of scheduling / $75,000
Carrie Underwood (not the singer): Deputy director of policy and projects / $65,000
Charity Wallace: Director of advance / $65,000
Misty Marshall: Director of correspondence / $59,700
Marisa Etter: Deputy director of scheduling / $50,000
Kristin King: Deputy director of advance / $50,000
Lindsey Lineweaver: Special assistant and personal aide / $47,500
Kimberly Rawson: Executive assistant to the chief of staff / $46,200
Tarah Donoghue: Deputy press secretary / $43,000
Campbell Vogel: Deputy director of correspondence / $42,500
Jonathan Block: Assistant press secretary / $39,000
That's fifteen people. I've heard she had eighteen in 2008, but can't verify it. Laura Bush's staff also cost over $1 million per year.
Bellyaching about the size of a first lady's staff is pointless; first ladies are in high demand and need help. It's the hardest unpaid job in the world.
@matersfish (6306)
• United States
16 Dec 09
Then a thumbs down to Laura Bush, too. 
This is my money. If they want to fork over the dough themselves, then I'm all for it.
This is my money. If they want to fork over the dough themselves, then I'm all for it. @eddify (412)
• Pakistan
17 Dec 09
I must say pleasant surprise. This is fun when your hubby is the President of United States of America. An trust me she is never going to have them again. So why not enjoy while she can... I think this is debateable in the press , media dnat all levels there is a big recession going over in the world and this is what the people in key position are doing to make it more worse.
@epicure35 (2814)
• United States
16 Dec 09
Thank you for bringing this discussion to light. It is true that America-hater and traitor Michelle O must be attended to by a cast of thousands. This is a woman who lost her law license (cover-up as to why, just like hubby's true identity), used to work in Rancho Cucamonga, CA for Muslim World Today, and who, along with David Axelrod and Valerie Jarret precipitated the biggest healthcare fraud in Chicago through U of Chicago Hospital. It was most harmful to the "poor and needy" it was supposed to protect, but did not. A boy named Andre was mauled by a dog and when he went to that hospital, he was given an asprin and sent away by bus to another hospital, an hour away, instead of being treated. These are the kind of evil, moneymaking schemes she is famous for.
Additional to that, she is complicit in hubby's treason and jihad. She alone could break the bank with her "entitlements" and payback. She and the illegal alien have gamed the system and lived off the kindness of America, playing the race card to the hilt and involving themselves with gangsters and radicals of all kinds in order to wrongfully enrich themselves while harming others.
MO is a schemer who is the number one influence on her husband, e.g. fire Gerald Walpin for honesty and insert herself and friends into his impartial Inspector General position.
As you mentioned, the "First Liar's" "First Lady" also has her beauty retinue. One of their first tasks was to reshape her eyebrows to make her look less angry! They may eventually succeed in softening her features, but they will never succeed in softening her alleged "heart" nor un-searing her alleged "conscience."What these monsters are doing to Americans is disgusting and outrageously evil.
As for me, my staff and retinue consist of 0.
