As most of you must know, President Obama's daughters Sasha and Malia are in the Bahamas for spring break at the Atlantis resort there. I just read an article bashing representative Steve King of Iowa for agreeing with a caller on a radio talk show who castigated the president for sending his daughters to the Bahamas for spring break at the same time that the White House is closed to tours by other kids who are on their spring breaks. The article (printed on Yahoo News) quickly jumped to the defense of the Obamas. Here is the way that the reporter put it:
The Obamas pay for family vacations themselves. But critics complain that those costs do not include security measures.
Anyone who read that would see that it is a fact that the Obama family pays for their daughters vacation. On the other hand, it is only those nagging critics who complain about the security costs.
The truth, however, requires more. First of all, let's start with what the reporter got right: the president is indeed charged for the cost of his daughter's stay in the Bahamas. Even though the girls flew down to the islands on Airforce One, Obama paid the normal coach fare for his kids. The other $50,000 cost for the trip was paid by taxpayers. The security people who went along on the trip are paid by taxpayers as well. It is not fair to charge all of the costs associated with security to the trip, because some of those costs would have been incurred whether or not the Obama girls went to the Bahamas or not. For example, the salaries of the secret service agents would have been incurred even if the girls had stayed in DC. All of the hotel rooms, meals and other local costs for the security forces, however, are extra. I do not know exactly how much is being spent on those costs, but let's try to estimate a number. We know that when the vice president spent a night in Paris, the hotel bill came to over half a million dollars. If the entourage covering the Obama girls is just one tenth the size of the group with the vice president, then the extra costs just for the hotel would be $50,000 at a minimum. Also, because the girls are in the Bahamas, the secret service has to have on hand helicopters, vehicles and other items to use in transporting and protecting the girls. Let's add just $25,000 for those costs. I am going to stop counting here. We have already found at least $125,000 spent by taxpayers to let Sasha and Malia have fun at Atlantis for a few days. This is not critics complaining; it is a fact.
The $125,000 is enough to keep the White House tours running for nine weeks. Steve King is correct; Obama should not have sent his daughters off to the Bahamas at the expense of the taxpayers.
Let me add one last point: I think that the girls should be able to take a vacation for spring break, but was it really necessary for the Obama girls to go outside the USA for spring break? How about Camp David? If not there, then remember that it would be just as warm in Hawaii or Florida. Why should all that extra business go to the Bahamas?
The Obamas pay for family vacations themselves. But critics complain that those costs do not include security measures.
Anyone who read that would see that it is a fact that the Obama family pays for their daughters vacation. On the other hand, it is only those nagging critics who complain about the security costs.
The truth, however, requires more. First of all, let's start with what the reporter got right: the president is indeed charged for the cost of his daughter's stay in the Bahamas. Even though the girls flew down to the islands on Airforce One, Obama paid the normal coach fare for his kids. The other $50,000 cost for the trip was paid by taxpayers. The security people who went along on the trip are paid by taxpayers as well. It is not fair to charge all of the costs associated with security to the trip, because some of those costs would have been incurred whether or not the Obama girls went to the Bahamas or not. For example, the salaries of the secret service agents would have been incurred even if the girls had stayed in DC. All of the hotel rooms, meals and other local costs for the security forces, however, are extra. I do not know exactly how much is being spent on those costs, but let's try to estimate a number. We know that when the vice president spent a night in Paris, the hotel bill came to over half a million dollars. If the entourage covering the Obama girls is just one tenth the size of the group with the vice president, then the extra costs just for the hotel would be $50,000 at a minimum. Also, because the girls are in the Bahamas, the secret service has to have on hand helicopters, vehicles and other items to use in transporting and protecting the girls. Let's add just $25,000 for those costs. I am going to stop counting here. We have already found at least $125,000 spent by taxpayers to let Sasha and Malia have fun at Atlantis for a few days. This is not critics complaining; it is a fact.
The $125,000 is enough to keep the White House tours running for nine weeks. Steve King is correct; Obama should not have sent his daughters off to the Bahamas at the expense of the taxpayers.
Let me add one last point: I think that the girls should be able to take a vacation for spring break, but was it really necessary for the Obama girls to go outside the USA for spring break? How about Camp David? If not there, then remember that it would be just as warm in Hawaii or Florida. Why should all that extra business go to the Bahamas?
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