Mr. Obama’s flagrant, arrogant, misuse of tax dollars

Many readers, faithfully enduring my conservative opinions, write to thank me for inspiring them to think about important subjects which hadn’t previously occurred to them. I suspect that this may be another such moment.

Our imperial President regularly squanders millions (billions?) of dollars of our tax dollars (such as those which I, and perhaps you as well, recently, and reluctantly, forked over for the careless use of our inept, incompetent, and corrupt Federal Government).

Among the President’s more egregious misuses of tax dollars is his regular demand for use of a fleet of aircraft, and battalion of men, to flit about the world, on generally unimportant missions, which could have been as well, or better, handled, from his desk in the Oval Office, by use of secure, audio/visual communications nets available at his request.

Yes, in this age of secure communications, our President could, if he wanted, stay in Washington while conducting necessary business, anywhere on the face of the globe. But that doesn’t fit Mr. Obama’s picture of himself, so he commands an expensive aerial armada to fly to even the most insignificant emerging nation, so that he can there create the photo opportunities and sound bites that make him look as though he’s doing his job — although he’s actually wasting very significant amounts of time, and millions of dollars in the process.

Although, through political convenience more than security, the money spent on presidential travel involving AF-1 (the presidential airborne palace) is a closely guarded secret, we can conservatively estimate that a trip across the USA, to say Los Angeles, will cost you and me millions. And that’s what you and I just paid, so that our President could attend a Hollywood dinner, which reportedly raised $15-million for his current campaign for personal re-election. Is there something wrong here?

Now since the actual costs are unavailable to most everyone, we’re forced to estimate what the expenses are. Air Force One is a 747 aircraft, which costs a reported $250,000 to fly, one-way, across the USA; so the round trip to Los Angeles starts at half a million. But Air Force One never flies alone, and many other dedicated aircraft fly the route before and after it does.

There are airplanes to carry special-purpose vehicles; communications equipment; food, and beverages; security, maintenance, and communications personnel; a medical team, and hair stylists — even a cook and bartender. Bottom line is that the costs of the additional aircraft, and the feeding and billeting of the scores of persons on them, easily add more than another million to a transcontinental, presidential trip lasting two or three days. And therfore, dear reader, the President’s recent political campaign trip to some movie star’s basketball court costs you and me around $2 million.

The specific trip referenced was to a fund-raising dinner, designed to collect money to help Mr. Obama advertise his hopes for re-election this November. The taxpayers therefore paid though the nose so that Obama could spend more millions on patently misleading and inaccurate advertising (e.g., the current-running slide show illustrating how Obama’s Socialistic policies are what make it possible for a typical woman to live a comfortable, pleasant life, from cradle to grave).

It has been reported that the dinner for 150 guests, held at actor George Clooney’s posh, Laurel Canyon mansion, near Los Angeles, raised a record $15-million for Obama’s political campaign. A famous chef, Wolfgang Puck, prepared Peking-style roast duckling ($40,000 a plate) for the “star-studded” list of celebrities (I recognized only Barbara Striesand’s name). Isn’t it interesting, that in a time when the President regularly criticizes the “rich,” he will spend millions of the nation’s money to attend a dinner that costs diners more per person than nearly half of the workers in this nation earn in a year?

There are many relevant questions here: No. 1: Should a president be able to misuse tax dollars in this manner? No. 2: In a time of economic recession and increasing worry over the nation’s economy, should any conscionable leader set an example of glaring excess spending—let alone when that is for personal gain? No. 3: Why do grossly-overpaid entertainment workers appear to enthusiastically support a politician that says he’ll make ’em (the filthy rich) “pay their fair share?”

It’s interesting to note that, as has been recently reported, the Governor of Puerto Rico, has made significant cuts in government spending; including even a 10 percent reduction in his own salary: at the same time, our chief executive not only resists any meaningful cuts to government spending, but, as is demonstrated by his flagrant misuse of military aircraft and personnel, throws our money around like a drunken sailor on his first night ashore after a month at sea.

Bottom line: In this especially challenging time of economic decline and fall, Mr. Obama shows flagrant disregard for the nation and its people. Instead of economizing, or working to create new jobs in useful industry, he throws money at pie-in-the-sky projects (e.g., solar panels, or fuel from algae), and at additional socialistic projects (Obama Care), while spending millions more on his personal ambitions or pleasures.

His imperial use of available assets (e.g., military assets) for personal pleasure or gain is inexcusable. Yes, prior presidents have sometimes similarly used the perks of office inappropriately, but not to the excess now demonstrated by the Socialist, Obama administration. This is just one more reason to throw Obama out of office when we have the opportunity. Whomever we elect in his place, couldn’t possibly be worse for the nation – for you and me.

Of Cabbages and Kings is a syndicated column by J.G. Nash.