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  • Thanking Americans

    For only the second time in my adult life, I am not ashamed of my country.

    I want to thank the hard working American people for paying $242 thousand dollars plus additional expenses for my vacation in Spain. My daughter Sasha, several long-time family friends, my personal staff and various guests had a wonderful time. Honestly, you just haven't lived until you have stayed in a $2,500.00 per night suite at a 5-Star luxury hotel. We only booked 70 rooms for our friends, staff and family. Thank you also for the use of Air Force 2 and the 70 Secret Service personnel who tagged along to be sure we were safe and cared for at all times.

    Air Force 2 only used 47,500 gallons of jet fuel for this trip and carbon emissions were a mere 1,031 tons of CO2. It costs only $11,500 per hour to operate Air Force 2 and each additional plane for the other members of our party group. These are only rough estimates, but they are close (who's counting?). That's quite a carbon footprint as my good friend Al Gore would say, so we must ask the American citizens to drive smaller, more fuel efficient cars and drive less too, so we can lessen our combined carbon footprint.

    I know times are hard and millions of you are struggling to put food on the table and trying to make ends meet. I do appreciate your sacrifice and do hope you find work soon. I was really exhausted after Barack took our family on a luxury vacation in Maine a few weeks ago. I just had to get away for a few days. Will write more from Martha's Vineyard where we will spend our sixth vacation this year with more of our family and friends.

    Cordially,
    M. Obama

  • #2
    Spanish police close public beach for Michelle Obama's £250,000 Spanish holiday









Michelle Obama today faced a fresh wave of attacks over her lavish break in Spain with 40 friends, which could easily cost U.S. taxpayers a staggering £50,000 a day.

The First Lady has been lambasted for her extravagance at a time when the economy is still struggling. One blogger went so far as to brand her a modern-day Marie Antoinette.

And her critics will be further annoyed when they learn that the president's wife had a Spanish beach closed off today so that she, her daughter and their entourage could go for a swim.

Spanish police cleared off a stretch of beach at the Villa Padierna Hotel in Marbella after the Obamas had finished a busy day of
sightseeing.



Michelle Obama

Cordoned off: Police officers keep onlookers away today from the site where U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama and daughter Sasha are staying at the Beach Club of Villa Padierna Hotel in Marbella


Police used palm trees and police tape to
mark off the boundaries of a 100-yard expanse for the American
delegation. On either side, onlookers gawked - and police occasionally stopped and searched sun lovers if they strayed too close to the private party.

It is unclear whether the police presence was paid for by Spain - or whether a nasty invoice could be landing in the lap of the American taxpayer.

The exact cost of the trip is unclear as Mrs Obama, 46, and her friends are footing personal expenses themselves - which is just as well.

For a start, they will be paying for the 60 rooms booked at the 129-room Hotel Villa Padierna. With basic rooms starting around £380 each, the nightly bill will be no less than £22,800.


Michelle Obama

Sun, sea and search: A Spanish police officer inspects the bag of a local bather. Anyone who strayed too close to the Obama party were stopped


Meals will also be picked up by the Obamas and friends.

Spanish newspaper El Mundo detailed the Obamas' dinner on their first night in
Spain. The tapas menu for the delegation included sea bass tartare, strawberry gazpacho and sardines, followed
by a main course of lobster with seaweed risotto.

The meal cost about £40 a head, according to El Mundo - which means a bill topping £1,600 would have hit the table if all 40 friends dined together.

Stretched over five nights that's £8,000 for dinner alone.

Whether or not the taxpaying American will be paying for meals, they will definitely be footing the bill for the First Lady's 68-strong security detail, her personal staff - and the use of presidential jet Air Force Two.

The per diems for the secret
service team runs at around £172 each, which amounts to nearly
£60,000 for the length of the summer break.

Use
of Air Force Two, the Air Force version of a 757, comes in at £91,900
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 who might cost considerably more per day, also have to be taken into account.

The
American public will also cover the cost of the only official part of
the holiday, a visit to the Spanish royal family on the island of
Majorca.

This will involve transport there and back for the entourage - as well as travel, accommodation, food and expenses for all while on the island.

Conservative estimates already put the total cost at £150,000. With Majorca to come, the bill will be more like £250,000.

Back
in the U.S., anger was mounting - especially as it has emerged the
First Lady will have enjoyed eight holidays by the end of the summer.

Last edited by Spark; 09-07-2010, 03:21 PM.

Comment


  • #3
    Michelle Obama

    No ordinary holidaymaker: Michelle Obama (in bright top with dark belt) is surrounded by a substantial security detail (wearing sunglasses) in the city of Granada, Spain



    These include a trip to Los Angeles in June, a visit to the Florida's oil-hit Gulf Coast next weekend and a ten-day trip to Martha's Vineyard later this month.

    White House press secretary Robin
    Gibbs was asked at a briefing if there were any concerns about how the
    visit was being viewed by the public.

    'The
    First Lady is on a private trip,' he said. 'She is a private citizen
    and is the mother of a daughter on a private trip. I think I'd leave it
    at that.'


    Michelle Obama at the Alhambra

    Quiet moment: Michelle (left) and her younger daughter Sasha toured the stunning Alhambra Palace as part of their visit to Granada




    Michelle Obama at the Alhambra

    Criticism: The First Lady has been attacked for taking such a lavish and high profile trip at a time of economic difficulty


    Yesterday New York Daily News columnist and blogger Andrea Tantaros likened the
    President’s wife to French queen Marie Antoinette, who was
    famously extravagant with her spending.



    Tantaros wrote: ‘To be clear, what the Obamas do with their money is
    one thing; what they do with ours is another. Transporting and housing
    the estimated 70 Secret Service agents who will flank the material girl
    will cost the taxpayers a pretty penny.’


    She accused the Obamas of hypocrisy for preaching the values of
    sacrifice and austerity to Americans while seemingly refusing to heed
    their own advice.

    She said: ‘Instead, Michelle Obama seems more like a modern-day Marie
    Antoinette… than an average mother of two.’


    She added: ‘I don't begrudge anyone rest and relaxation when they
    work hard. We all need downtime - the First Family included.


    Michelle Obama

    Fan club: Granada residents hold signs in the street supporting Mrs Obama and welcoming her to their city




    Granada

    People had turned out in their hundreds to welcome the American First Lady and her daughter


    ‘It's the extravagance of Michelle Obama's trip and glitzy
    destination contrasted with President Obama's demonisation of the rich
    that smacks of hypocrisy and perpetuates a disconnect between the
    country and its leaders'

    Mrs Obama, who has been accompanied by her youngest daughter, Saha, nine, spent yesterday in the historic city of Granada.

    She visited the spectacular Alhambra Palace, the 16th century cathedral and the pretty Albaicin
    neighbourhood, famous for its narrow winding streets and small squares

    A crowd of several hundred people shouted 'Obama!' and 'guapa!' (beautiful) as the Obamas entered the cathedral with a large security detail in tow.

    The party also had time for ice cream in the main street Gran Via.

    Mrs Obama later attended a flamenco performance by Juan Andres Maya where other members of the audience were delighted when she tried out some dance moves at the end.




    Michelle Obama


    Michelle Obama


    Private citizen: Mrs Obama (seen here in Granada) is paying all personal expenses herself. Her security detail and transport are paid for by the U.S. taxpayer


    Earlier in the week, Mrs Obama had strolled around the shop's of Marbella's old town with daughter Sasha in tow.

    The First Lady was surrounded by burly Secret Service agents as hundreds of locals sought to catch a glimpse of her in the Costa del Sol resort.

    Wearing black trousers, a black and white top and dark sunglasses, the 46-year-old walked through Marbella's cobbled streets, nipping into a number of shops before having dinner in an Andalusian restaurant.

    Mrs Obama arrived by plane at Malaga airport yesterday/on Wednesday morning and was driven in a 14-car convoy to the five star Hotel Villa Padierna, where her entourage has reserved 60 of the 129 rooms.

    She told owner Ricardo Arranz she had come to 'relax and unwind'.



    Michelle Obama

    Presence: Mrs Obama and her entourage go walkabout in Marbella on Wednesday


    The hotel is nestled in the hills overlooking Marbella, and at 6.30pm she and nine-year-old Sasha were driven to the historic centre for their shopping trip.

    Locals and British expats and holidaymakers crammed the streets or leaned out from balconies to get the best shot of the First Lady on their cameras. Some even climbed orange trees to get a better look.

    Mrs Obama bought two white Egyptian cotton dresses for 84 euros (70 pounds) from a shop called Blanc du Nil after asking shopkeeper Irene Aivar for advice on styles and sizes.

    She then took a business card from another shop called Samira, which sells silverware and crafts, before heading to a restaurant for dinner at 8pm.

    They had a reservation for 14 people at the Buenaventura Plaza restaurant, reportedly eating lobster with rice and oysters followed by a Spanish bread pudding called torrijas.

    President Barack Obama, who turned 49 on Wednesday, is not expected to join them in Spain, and oldest daughter Malia, 12, is at a summer camp in the US.

    Reports in Spain said Mr Obama telephoned his wife at the restaurant, and she sang him Happy Birthday down the phone.

    The party enjoyed red wine with the main course and a local sweet white wine with dessert before retiring to the hotel at 10pm.


    Villa Padierna in Marbella

    Luxurious: The Obamas and their party are staying at the Villa Padierna in Marbella, which is rated as one of the top hotels in the world




    Michelle Obama and Marbella

    Calvacade: The First Lady's convoy arriving in Marbella on Tuesday after she travelled from the States on Air Force Two

    Comment


    • #4
      She will become a Senator like Hillary and probably run for president someday.


      She is very quailified now that she has learned how to spend taxpayer money so frivilously.


      The Obamas are partying it up while screwing up the American economy even worse.
      NBA is a joke

      Comment


      • #5
        Originally posted by flarendep1 View Post
        She will become a Senator like Hillary and probably run for president someday.


        She is very quailified now that she has learned how to spend taxpayer money so frivilously.


        The Obamas are partying it up while screwing up the American economy even worse.
        She won't ever be a Senator!

        Comment


        • #6
          Originally posted by BettorsChat View Post
          She won't ever be a Senator!
          That's Racist!!!!

          Comment


          • #7
            Originally posted by kbsooner21 View Post
            That's Racist!!!!

            Comment


            • #8
              Maybe mayor of Chicago eh Spark?????


              Please keep her out of Washington.
              NBA is a joke

              Comment


              • #9
                Originally posted by flarendep1 View Post
                Maybe mayor of Chicago eh Spark?????


                Please keep her out of Washington.
                OMG

                Comment

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