The 1st Family's Lavish spending.

by Keith Koffler on June 17, 2013, 9:18 am
First Lady Michelle Obama is staying Monday evening in the $3,300-per-night Princess Grace suite of Dublin’s Five-Star Shelbourne Hotel, according to Irish press reports, adding some credence to accusations she is in the city for a quick vacation at taxpayer expense.
Michelle jetted to Dublin Monday afternoon Irish time after a brief stop in Belfast with President Obama, who is in the city for the two-day G-8 Summit.
 
The White House is billing Michelle’s trip to Dublin as having diplomatic significance, but her itinerary suggests otherwise. She and her daughters will visit the Trinity College library to explore President Obama’s Irish family roots, attend a performance by the world-famous Riverdance troupe, and visit the Wicklow Mountains national forest.
 
Judging by the tail number of her plane on the ground at Dublin Airport, it appears Air Force Two has been flown to Europe along with Air Force One and is being used to transport Michelle around.
 
The Shelbourne’s Princess Grace suite is so-named because it was often used by Grace and her husband Prince Ranier. Here’s a look inside:
 

 
The suite is the best the luxury hotel has to offer, featuring two beds, two bathrooms, four phones and three large televisions. The bedding is 100 percent Egyptian cotton and comes with turndown service, an espresso machine and butler service.  According to press reports out of Ireland, 30 rooms have been booked in the hotel to accommodate Michelle and her entourage, which would presumably include various staff and a bevy of Secret Service agents.
 
The city will be plagued by traffic jams during Michelle’s visit, and according to one report, high school and university students are in danger of being late for final exams and are advised to allow for plenty of extra time for travel.
 
After visiting Dublin, Mrs. Obama and her daughters will join President Obama in Berlin for the second leg of his European trip.
 
This isn't the 1st time this has happened.  I understand that the POTUS and his family need an occasional vacation.  And I know that George Bush went on a number of vacations too.  But if memory serves me, Bush did spend most of his vacations in the USA.  That money spent did go back into our economy.
 
I haven't really criticized Michelle very often because sometimes I think so-called Conservative pundits get a bit nit picky on things. (Like the 1st lady's vegetable garden).  But this sort of lavish spending at taxpayers' expense puts me in mind of Marie ("Madame Déficit") Antionette. 
It seems that since the beginning of this presidency the Obama's have turned a blind eye to the economy.  Tripling the nation's deficit, complaining about Sequester, closing the doors to the White House while continuing to take lavish vacations.
 
 
 
The daily Caller reports that Obama has played something like 115 rounds of golf and spent 86 days on vacation.  In 5 years!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Freedom Outpost.com said that America is sick and tired of the message being sent by the First Family. Everyone else in America is being asked to tighten their belts but not the elite Obama family. Many Americans are hurting and the Obama family continues to rub our faces in it.

Obama and his family cost the American Taxpayer @1.4 billion per year.  By contrast, the British Royal Family costs less that $60 million each year...and the Brits are upset about that (rightly so).  226 members of Obama's staff are paid over $100,000 - and the president can increase their salaries at any time. Even the Obamas' dog Bo costs the taxpayer thousands of dollars - his handler is reportedly paid over $100,000 a year.
 
 
I've read that even Piers Morgan (one of Obama's biggest supporters) has begun  to criticize their lavish spending. 
 
Isnt it time for the 1st family to kind of reign in their lavish lifestyle?  Especially since millions of Americans are struggling to make ends meet these days.  This family is out of touch with the American people.  They pretend to care about our misery and they laugh all the way to the bank.  I think these people are selfish and have used the presidency merely as a way to live the high life without really helping us at all.

American royalty.

I remember during the campaign the admin doing the same thing. Saying that campaign stops were official business, so they ddnt have to pay for the use of AF1.

$1.4T ALMOST seems unrealistic. I mean i know we have an entire military branch essentially surrounding the prez, but thats just unreal

Clearly the POTUS needs protection.  But in light of our economy, so-called sequestrations, etc, should the first family cut back a little on their lavish vacations?  Does the 1st family have to go on big expensive vacations every time the POTUS flies overseas?

Dude, their in the bubble. This is probably why they things are just peachy because their living it up like royalty. But in all fairness, it was $1.6t in 08 for bush, which still seems like an ungodly amount. A thousand billion dollars...

And thats one sense i never felt about bush, that he was just living it up. Maybe because he came from money, but for the obamas, alot of times it seems like they won the lotto.

Yep.  I'm not a big defender of the Bush administration, so I dont want folks thinking I'm trying to defend him.  But weren't a lot of his vacations spent in the US at his ranch, or maybe Camp David?  And I dont recall his wife and kids going on lavish vacations with a monstrous entourage to Spain, or Europe very often.  Nor Barbara Bush.  Nor Nancy Reagan.

I understand that the 1st family does need a vacation from time to time but man they act like they are trying to live it up while they can at taxpayer expense.