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Taxpayer Bill for Obama’s Hawaii Vacations:

Posted: Jan 4, 2013

Michelle Obama recently revealed that she and President Obama don’t give Christmas gifts to each other. They merely say, “We’re in Hawaii,” and that’s Christmas gift enough. BUT ACTUALLY THE PRESENT IS FROM TAXPAYERS, AND IT'S AN EXPENSIVE ONE. The total cost to taxpayers of Obama’s vacations to Hawaii since becoming president is likely in excess of $20 million, and possibly much, much more. During a time of budget deficits that threaten the nation’s security and its future, the Obamas have chosen to maintain a “family tradition” and vacation halfway around the world instead of finding far cheaper alternatives closer to home. Read more: http://www.whitehousedossier.com/2013/01/04/taxpayer-bill-obamas-hawaii-vacations-20-million/;

Seriously? - Effie

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A republican never took a vacation while in office as president? Hawaii is the President's home, it is part of the United States and I am glad he got the chance to go.

Yes seriously - how many people paying taxes don't get to take vacations - a

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The president should lead by example. It would have been cheaper to fly his family in than to fly his family out there. And don't tell me how hard it is to be president. He spent over half a billion the first time he got elected and then another billion this time to get elected. If a republican did this he/she would have been ripped a new one. If Obama wants to take a vacation, pay for it himself like the rest of us.

Actually, he pays for the house himself - Get over it...

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Find another crisis to whine about, 'cause this one ain't going anywhere...

He may pay for the house... - me

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but the taxpayers pay for the AIRPLANE AND FUEL - this was already posted several weeks ago, to the tune of over $3.5 million dollars - can you imagine the fuel bill because he jetted back and forth to Washington to meet with Congress? Oh boy.

Oh goody, he pays for the house, yay - a

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We have to borrow money or print more money to cover that cost. Also, this is far from his first vacation. Every trip adds up.

And no, I don't think a president needs to take so many vacations. He spent $1.5 billion dollars for the job. Put in a little over time for us. Thanks.

These are treasured grievances fondled anew every time any of - the Obamas go anywhere. Maybe just

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leave them to their autoerotic fancies? :)

My autoerotic fantasy would be for a president that leads by example - a

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Obama is an egotistical maniac that loves to live the life of the rich and famous but likes to complain about them at the same time. And if I have to hear "fair share" one more time I think my head will explode. My daughter doesn't use that "fair" crap even a fraction of the time all those phony baloney democrats do.

Amen!! - (nm)

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!!!

You have one now and have made yourself incapable - of recognizing it. nm

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x

Really, so I should go on expensive vacations using other people's money? - a

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In a bad economy, a decent person would not spend money so frivolously as he is. Especially, since it isn't all his money (and I say this because he did pay for some of it through his taxes but not much).

Seriously, just think of how many people could have been helped with that money.

Only if you also work 14-hour days 365 days/year. - Bush 2 is the one you should go after.nm

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x

Oh that's right! - It's Bush's fault!

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How could I forget?

I don't think anyone is blaming Bush - sm

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It's just that we have a history here in the U.S. of paying for the president, and his family and team, to travel. Why bother bringing it up? After all, we extended the same privilege to Bush and his predecessors.

It always is? Dinosaurs extinct? - It's Bush's fault. LOLOL

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Ignorance abounds.

certainly not... - golly already

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...but feel free to start a war you finance on credit. Then, give the bill to your kids. Then, tell your kids how bad they are at handling money.

I'm sick too of this administration/president doing that - sm

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Hopefully we'll see an end one day, but not with this administration/president.

Up until Obama became president, his home was Chicago - backwards typist

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Not Hawaii. He wasn't Senator Obama from Hawaii, he was Senator Obama from IL.

Since he became President, he's been to his home in Chicago once or twice.

Those vacations of $20 million only cover the cost of Air Force One, nothing else.

Most of the gripe is using separate planes to go on these vacations and/or going on vacation when he should be here leading the nation, going away for a day or two then coming back, then going away a couple days later because it costs double the amount for Air Force One.

There hasn't been any other presidential family who have taken as many vacations in the USA and all over the world as this family did in the first term.

BT, you have the Air Force One thing backwards - sm

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"If cost of the flight was the only expense involved to taxpayers Bush’s vacations would still seem rather economical, but there is more, much more. Unlike the Obama’s $4 million Christmas vacation price tag, which includes the cost of everything from transportation to accommodations for the First Family, the White House staff, and the White House press corps, Bush’s numbers only include the cost of flying the president to Crawford. The cost of transporting and accommodating staff, media, friends and family is not included in Bush’s vacation numbers."

Cost of Vacations? No, cost of plane. - backwards typist

[ In Reply To ..]

The plane that is used to carry the president, which is typically a Boeing 747, costs the Air Force $179,750 per hour to operate, according to a new Congressional Research Service report. Military planes are used for security and because of special equipment on board.

Costs for each trip are even higher when factoring in the passenger and cargo aircraft that often accompany the president's plane, although those figures weren't specified in the eight-page report.

Taxpayers cover the cost of trips for official business, and campaign organizations reimburse the government for whatever portion of a trip is deemed political.

"It is unclear how the White House designates travel that is not directly related to a governmental or political function because of traditional reluctance to address this matter," the report said. Vacations count as official travel.

In 2010, the plane that is used to carry the president, which is typically a Boeing 747, cost $181,757.00 per flight hour to operate according to ABC News.

So, do the math (and correct me if I'm wrong because I'm terrible in math)....at 2010 costs, $181,757.00 x 10 hours = 1,817,570.00 ONE WAY and ONE TRIP. Air Force One made 3 trips to Hawaii on just this vacation which already equals $5,452,710.00 so far, and they still have to come back to D.C. and we know it will be higher because of the higher fuel costs.

Of couse, the full cost of the vacation won't be known until later. In fact, I've already seen differents estimates just for Air Force One in 5 articles that I've read so far and the costs ranged from $3.5 million to $7 million.

Costs for each trip are even higher when factoring in the passenger and cargo aircraft that often accompany the president's plane, although those figures weren't specified in the eight-page report.

Taxpayers cover the cost of trips for official business, and campaign organizations reimburse the government for whatever portion of a trip is deemed political.

Here's another little tidbit: There is MORE THAN ONE AIR FORCE ONE. Every time the President travels in AF1, so do empty AF1 planes to deter terrorism attacks. No one knows which plane the President will be in and they often have 3 planes flying to different destinations to throw off any attempt on any president's life. I doubt they do this for Hawaii, though, as everyone knows where he's going. ;-)

not sure if you checked the excerpt above - (about Air Force One) nm

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Did you check my math? The "excerpt above" - backwards typist

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states that that is the full cost of Obama's vacation, right? Nope. Read my excerpt(s) on cost of the fuel that WE pay. Those are the realistic numbers.

There was a big argument on this board last year that the Obama's take care of all the lodging and meals for themselves, but it still doesn't cover the rest of the "political" items necessary to protect them. We are responsible for the Secret Service, lodging or meals for the SS and other people that are needed.

BTW, here's a little info on the retreat cost - backwards typist

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which the Obama's are covering themselves.

The real estate website does know that the First Family remains on Paradise Point, however, where homes cost approximately $25,000 a week. The Obamas pay this fee out of their personal funds. But according to Keith Koffler at the White House Dossier blog, Obama's Hawaii vacation has cost taxpayers $7 million, due to the costs of flying Air Force One and an extensive security operation.

http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/washington-whispers/2013/01/02/inside-obamas-kailua-beach-vacation-homes

Bush 2 took over 900 days vacation in eight years, mostly at his - ranch in Texas, $125 million. nm

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.

Are you just including the plane or the overall cost? - backwards typist

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There's a big difference, plus you cannot compare 8 years of Bush to 4 years of Obama YET. Wait until his term is over, then compare full cost. :-)

To be fair, here's a few answers...and note they're ALL different. So glad everyone is on board with the correct amounts, aren't you? LOL

According to FactCheck.org, Bush spent 1,020 days during his time as president on vacation (510 days per term –

Bush spent 487 days at Camp David, (No additional expense for accommodation’s since it is meant for a presidential retreat location.)

490 days at his Crawford ranch, (owned by President Bush, No need to rent out entire hotels.)

and 43 days at his family compound in Kennebunkport, Maine (owned by the President Bush’s family. No need to rent out entire hotels.)

According to CBS's Mark Knoller's sources, President Obama took 61 vacation days after 31 months in office. At this point in their presidencies, George W. Bush had spent 180 days at his ranch where his staff often joined him for meetings. And Ronald Reagan had taken 112 vacation days at his ranch.

Note from Media Matters: Cost of Air Force One to the Texas ranch cost approximately $56,800 per trip.

Among recent presidents, Bill Clinton took the least time off -- 28 days.

To be fair, a presidential vacation away from the White House is not the same as a vacation for the average person. The president is still in contact with his advisers and on call for any emergency.
Most of us know that.

Obama2 spent over $20 - of our taxpayer dollars

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in only 4 years, only on vacations to Hawaii. Original OP's article does not include his vacations to other places hither and yon. And there are many. So, when you find those stats, then compare to Bush if you must.

cost comparison - link

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One thing people need to put in perspective is - sm

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Bush's figures are for his 8 years in office, Obama has been in office 4 years, so to get a true comparison you need to use just the costs of his first four years in office. Then that would be a true comparison. Otherwise, just double what Obama has spent as that will be 8 years compared to 8 years.

Excuse me, but despite my homeowner status - for more than 25 years,

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my mom's place will ALWAYS be considered to be my home. If I ever left Texas to live somewhere else, Texas would also always be my home. I would imagine he feels the same way about his home state and the place where he spent the most stable years of his childhood with his grandparents. I would imagine his wife and kids also had something to say about where they wanted to spend Christmas.

That's their call, NOT yours.

Didn't say it was my call. Just stating that - backwards typist

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he always called Chicago his home until he became president. That's all. Stop reading extra assumptions in my message.

have you amnesia? - sm

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Or maybe tiresome is just a hobby? This is a nonissue in the extreme. Check the link below for Obama/Bush vacation cost comparison. If you think you can.

Two wrongs don't make a right - a

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Plus in this economy with these kinds of deficits, it makes even less sense to waste money on stuff like this.

By the way, I was not a big fan of how much money was spent under Bush either.

you need to take that up with the OP - sm

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I provided the link for those who would seek to villify our sitting president in the face of other known realities.

Politicians would not spend like this if it was their own money - a

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And that is the problem.

And if they did that in their personal lives, they would be in trouble.

you need to take that up with the OP - nm

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No she doesn't she's replying to you - nm

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nm

It's called compartmentalization. Dishonest people - stuff facts they don't like in a locked

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closet in some dusty back corner of their minds. Actually, we all do it as a coping mechanism, but some develop and intellect-destroying habit of routinely locking away any facts they dislike and become appallingly proficient at it.

So when a poster who does this hears anything good about Democrats or liberals, for instance, or anything else they don't like--it may be stuff, slam, goodbye forever, repeated as often as necessary. You see the results in the dreadful sincerity of so many irrational posts.

This, of course, can ultimately badly cripple one's ability to understand the world as we increasingly estrange themselves from reality, but apparently it's worse than other bad habits because it's self reinforcing--you always know you're right. Who'd want to kick that? Or ever feel a need to?

The sort of unrelenting negativism so many display - comes from fear. And fear comes

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not only from inborn personality traits but very largely from ignorance. Psychologists have demonstrated the connection between increased ignorance and increased fear and between increased fear and increased conservatism many times over.

Stop looking for stuff to complain about. Starting asking why is this? and go looking for the answers.

It's no coincidence that the more positive people on this forum, regardless of their political orientation, typically are able to offer more facts and display at least a little understanding of the world compared to those always looking for something to complain about. Knowledge is not only the enemy of unreasoning fear, it's empowering. At least you feel more empowered and are saved from that helpless dispirited discontent that plagues so many.

Conservative with a 135 IQ - a

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Interesting how you have all the facts and us conservatives are just ignorant knuckle draggers.

There is no such thing as a fact, despite what you think. What were known as facts 100 years ago, may no longer be facts now. Knowledge is constantly evolving.

And as for statistics, there are lies, damn lies, then there are statistics.

Everyone is only expressing opinions on both sides. I believe my way of thought would be beneficial to the majority and you think your way of thought is.

To bunk your theory is looking at witnesses to a crime. Each one sees something in a different way based on their perspective and each one believes what they saw is right. Your knowledge is 100% based your perspective. I believe in less government spending and more individual responsbility. Why is that so horrible? Instead of pass more and more laws, why don't we just hold people responsible for their actions (e.g., if a president of a company chooses to sell a product he/she knows is dangerous, hold the president responsible, not the company).

I do not correlate ignorance with IQ - sm

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If knowledge is based on perspective, as you said, so is ignorance. We have options to change our perspective and entertain new ways to interpret the world around us. I have never found this capacity to be related to a person's IQ.

To say there is no such thing as a fact, however, totally jumps the shark. Perspective is the thing that causes different witnesses to describe different perpetrators. In the end, though, there is always the actual perp - and that is the fact.

The fact that there are different perspectives does not mean there are no facts. The fact that our knowledge has advanced over the last 100 years does not mean there are no facts. Facts are not the same things as stuff we believe. I think you are getting caught in your own semantic crossfire by using the notions of perspective and facts interchangeably.

Facts are framed by our perspectives - a

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We tend to look at the things that interest us or what we believe in and often ignores other facts.

The best example is a Calvin and Hobbes cartoon. He cleaned up a tiny portion of his room and took a picture of himself in the part that was cleaned up. Now a scientest could say, there is the proof that the kid kept a clean room. Pictures don't lie. But he framed it to look like he had a neat room. We may have thousands of years of scientific records regarding temparatures, but I will bet you two scientists could look at the same facts and come to different conclusions. That was my point. There is a perp but someone might have thought the person was white and the other thought the person was black. Doesn't mean they were both right. Yes there exists a perp, but one or both is wrong.

no... - sm

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BELIEF is framed by perspective. Your analogy is terribly inept. A scientist would not say a photo of a clean corner means the room is clean. ALL we can conclude about the picture is that it shows a clean corner.

Similarly, I say the perp is black, you say they're white. Doesn't matter. There is someone out there who IS the perpetrator, no matter what we report. The mistake you make is in calling a perception a fact.

Beautifully and concisely stated, SM. - And, A? Give it a thought. sm

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Scoring well on a test back when we were required to routinely take in information doesn't mean we'd manage the same after decades of slowly rusting shut. Stretching and strengthening exercise is required.

Besides, what science is doing is frequently exquisite in its integrity and amazing in its achievements. Equating it with the typical sloppy mental indulgences of non-scientists does it a terrible injustice.

IQ measurements - a standard deviation or 2 above mean

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Problem here is that IQ seeks to measure how well an individual can learn and can reason. The only way to do measure capability of learning is to measure what an individual has already learned. If you are ignorant, you just won't have a very high IQ. A person with an IQ of 135 has learned a great deal, has a good fund of knowledge, good reasoning skills, and therefore is NOT ignorant. This fund of knowledge is going to carry over into areas of learning that were not tested as well. Therefore it is reasonable to assume that an individual with a high IQ is pretty well informed in general.

It's not fear or ignorance. It's the thought that the taxpayers - backwards typist

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are paying extremely high for something that only gives one family pleasure while other families are trying to eek out a living, never knowing if they'll have enough to eat, lose their job or have their home foreclosed tomorrow.

In a good economy, this info wouldn't upset anyone.

So are you calling her ignorant or stupid? - just wondering, plus

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Psychiatrist have proven that liberalism is a mental disorder.

Don't ya'll have a Christmas tree to take down? - bootstraps

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All Presidents take R&R on the taxpayer. They pay for part, we pay for part.

That's just the way it is for goodness sakes.

I'd rather pay for ANY POTUS (rep or dem) vacation anywhere at any price than what I was forced to contribute to 2 senseless wars that killed and maimed tens of thousands.

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