President Obama and his entourage are on yet another vacation (this time in Hawaii). I wonder if the amount of U.S. taxpayer money spent on all this luxurious living is available anywhere. It sure ought to be.
Now I really don’t begrudge the man and his family being able to get away once in a while to de-stress. Being president ain’t easy–or it shouldn’t be. But I do object to Mr. Obama living so conspicuously high off the hog when so many of his fellow citizens are struggling. I mean, the guy has played golf 90 times in under three years. Does anyone seriously believe he would have done all this if he had had to foot the greens fees himself?
Here are a few modest suggestions: (1) Let’s give the commander-in-chief a reasonable vacation allowance–a budget, as it were. He can spend the money however he wants, but if he goes over the limit, he has to make up the difference to the Treasury. The rest of us have to live on budgets; it’s time he did, too. (2) I don’t think he should get any more days off than those corporate “fat cats” he is so fond of berating (and, apparently, emulating). (3) His vacation spending should be a matter of public record. (4) And the occupant of the White House should not be able to go to a resort area, give a quick speech to make the trip “official business,” and then go on vacation there at taxpayer expense.
We need some accountability and limits when it comes to all these presidential vacations. Remember, the president is not a king.
