OH, THE HUMANITY II!

"Thanks, you all, I am having a simply marvelous time!"

I hate to harp on this, but..

(No, War Planner, you do love to harp on this.)

..the London Daily Mail has an article out on the absolutely obscene lifestyle preferred by our beloved WIDE LOAD FLOTUS and it is a rather searing indictment of her tone-deaf excesses -- a lot of it on our nickel.

The Obamas' summer break on Martha's Vineyard has already been branded a PR disaster after the couple arrived four hours apart on separate government jets.

But according to new reports, this is the least of their extravagances.

White House sources today claimed that the First Lady has spent $10 million of U.S. taxpayers' money on vacations alone in the past year.

Branding her "disgusting" and "a vacation junkie", they say the 47-year-old mother-of-two has been indulging in five-star hotels, where she splashes out on expensive massages and alcohol.

The "top source" told the National Enquirer: 'It's disgusting. Michelle is taking advantage of her privileged position while the most hardworking Americans can barely afford a week or two off work.

The First Lady is believed to have taken 42 days of holiday in the past year, including a $375,000 break in Spain and a four-day ski trip to Vail, Colorado, where she spent $2,000 a night on a suite at the Sebastian hotel.

And the first family's nine-day stay in Martha's Vineyard is also proving costly, with rental of the Blue Heron Farm property alone costing an estimated $50,000 a week.

The source continued goes on:

"Michelle also enjoys drinking expensive booze during her trips. She favours martinis with top-shelf vodka and has a taste for rich sparking wines.

"The vacations are totally Michelle's idea. She's like a junkie. She can't schedule enough getaways, and she lives from one to the next - all the while sticking it to hardworking Americans."
...
While the President and his wife do pay for some of their personal expenses from their own pocket, the website whitehousedossier.com says that the amount paid by the couple is 'dwarfed by the overall cost to the public'.

The magazine also reported that Mrs Obama, whose fashion choices are widely followed, had been going on 'wild shopping sprees', much to the distress of her husband, who, its sources reveal, is 'absolutely furious' at his wife's 'out-of-control spending'.

The President has already come under fire this week over his decision to take a family vacation while millions of Americans are out of work and countless more are financially strapped.

The article continues to describe the outrageous and obscene gambit of the Obamas flying separately to their Martha's Vineyard vacation rental a mere four hours apart. Obama took Marine One to Andrews AFB which then flew to the Cape Code U.S. Coast Guard station. From thence, he travelled the final leg by helicopter. THE WIDE LOAD FLOTUS preceded him by four hours flying on a special USAF jet on "a specially designed military aircraft". As I said in a previous post, there is speculation that this was a weight and balance problem and that THE FLOTUS went on a C5A Galaxy.

The Daily Mail thoughtfully provides a summary of the more prominent outlays for this vacation-happy family:

FIRST LADY OF LUXURY TRAVEL: HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE OBAMAS' LAVISH GETAWAYS OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS

GIRLS' TRIP TO SPAIN: AUGUST 2010
The exact cost is unclear as Mrs Obama and her 40 friends footed many personal expenses, such as hotels and meals themselves.

But the U.S. taxpayer would have paid for the First Lady's 68-strong security detail, personal staff, and use of presidential jet Air Force Two.

Per diems for the secret service team runs at around $281 each - nearly $98,000 for the length of the summer break.

Use of Air Force Two, the Air Force version of a 757, comes in at $149,900 for the round trip. This does not include time on the ground.

Mrs Obama's personal staff, of which there are an unknown amount and might cost considerably more per day, should also be taken into account.

CHRISTMAS BREAK IN HAWAII: DECEMBER 2010
According to the Hawaii Reporter, the bill for the $1.5m trip included:

    $63,000 on an early flight bringing Mrs Obama and the children to Hawaii
    (ahead of the President).
    $1,000,000 on Mr Obama’s return trip from Washington on Air Force One.
    $38,000 for the ‘Winter White House’ beach property rental.
    $16,000 to rent nearby homes for Secret Service and Navy Seals.
    $134,000 for 24 White House staff to stay at the Moana Hotel.
    $251,000 in police overtime.
    $10,000 for an ambulance to be on hand at all times

SKI TRIP TO VAIL: FEBRUARY 2011
Mrs Obama and her daughters stayed at the Sebastian hotel on Vail Mountain, where rooms cost more than $2,400 for multi-bedroom suites.

The family appear to have flown there on Air Force Two.

They were escorted to the resort by a motorcade of about a dozen vehicles, including 15 state and local law enforcement officers

SUMMER HOLIDAY ON MARTHA'S VINEYARD: AUGUST 2011
The Blue Heron Farm estate, where the Obama family are currently staying, rents for about $50,000 a week.

According to U.S. News and World Report, the Coast Guard is required to keep ships floating near the property, the presidential helicopter and jet remain at the ready and security agents will be on 24-hour duty.

Of course, the above are only a few of the more prominent getaways; remember the infamous vacation-after-vacation during the Gulf oil spill. it seems that every time we turn around, this couple has split town.

VISITOR ALERT: Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to call your attention to the comments section. (You have to click the thing-a-majiggie to get there but it's worth it.) As always, I am deeply humbled when I am visited by what, on my pathetically-trafficked blog, could be construed as regulars. These include the inestimable Odie, Supi, T.C.L. M.A., and L.L. who have been dear friends.

I would, however, like to welcome several from one of the more far-out sites I have visited. It ranks up there with The Woodsterman in wit and style that will cause guaranteed keyboard and monitor destruction from beverage spew: Big Hairy News.

The creator and author -- Scooter Van Neuter -- is a creative genius whose wit and sense of the bizarre admit him to my puny pantheon of the truly deranged -- right over there in the West Wing alongside Odie. Scooter has brought some of his more distinguished comrades to grace the comment section of my blog. To them I bid a hearty welcome and a wish that these -- my new friends -- join with my old friends and let our electrons mingle and all that crap.

Scooter, jainphx, Geezmom, my sincere thanks for making the trip, please don't be strangers, and come back often. And Odie, you play nice with them now otherwise it's the genital cuff for you!

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