46 replies to this topic

[lukin]

The Obamas are very out of touch with middle America. This ad tells it all.

http://tundratabloid...f-the-week.html

[American Woman]

The Obamas are very out of touch with middle America. This ad tells it all.

http://tundratabloids.com/2012/02/news-paper-ad-of-the-week.html

Yeah, what's wrong with those Obamas, eh? I don't know why they didn't just travel by themselves - coach on a domestic flight, of course ......

[MiddleClassCentrist]

Yeah, what's wrong with those Obamas, eh? I don't know why they didn't just travel by themselves - coach on a domestic flight, of course ......

They obviously should have bussed it and paddled the rest.

[American Woman]

They obviously should have bussed it and paddled the rest.

Yeah, that would have been even better because I'm losing sleep over the $.01 that their Hawaii trip personally cost me as a taxpayer - it goes without saying that it's affected my standard of living.

[olpfan1]

Michelle Obama is high maintenance and feels entitled to take a lot of vacations on the tax payers money
clearly she is out of touch... its just too bad the repubs are all terrible and pander to the religious
idiots in the country

[GostHacked]

Yeah, that would have been even better because I'm losing sleep over the $.01 that their Hawaii trip personally cost me as a taxpayer - it goes without saying that it's affected my standard of living.

Does the government work for you, or do you work for it?

[American Woman]

Does the government work for you, or do you work for it?

Obviously I work for it; after all, the Obama's Hawaii vacation - that's what this thread is about - cost me a penny! I'm going to have to put in overtime for sure......

[GostHacked]

Obviously I work for it; after all, the Obama's Hawaii vacation - that's what this thread is about - cost me a penny! I'm going to have to put in overtime for sure......

Considering you and every other American is paying for Bush's previous world tour, add Obama's gig into the mix,... not to mention probably still paying for Reagan's trickle down economy.

Good thing you have the ability to draw the line in sand. So you can easily move it and pretend it's always been where you just moved it to.

[American Woman]

Considering you and every other American is paying for Bush's previous world tour, add Obama's gig into the mix,... not to mention probably still paying for Reagan's trickle down economy.

Good thing you have the ability to draw the line in sand. So you can easily move it and pretend it's always been where you just moved it to.

I'm responding to the topic of this thread - yet I'm moving the line in the sand? Good grief.

[GostHacked]

I'm responding to the topic of this thread - yet I'm moving the line in the sand? Good grief.

I understand how it works. Stick to the rules when it suits you.

[American Woman]

I understand how it works. Stick to the rules when it suits you.

"Rules??" I'm responding to the topic of the thread - Obama's vacation - and the "great newspaper ad;" you bring up a question totally unrelated, and then accuse ME of "moving the line in the sand" for not responding. a thousand times over.

Do you have anything to say on the topic? Seriously, if the trip cost $1,400,000 as the "great newspaper ad" states (as if no other POTUS has spent money on vacations), it cost the taxpayers 1 cent each. I don't see that as anything to get shook up about. I also happen to think the POTUS deserves a vacation as much as the next guy - and actually see never taking time off to relieve stress as a bad thing - especially in a position of power such as his. Do you think otherwise?

[GostHacked]

"Rules??" I'm responding to the topic of the thread - Obama's vacation - and the "great newspaper ad;" you bring up a question totally unrelated, and then accuse ME of "moving the line in the sand" for not responding. a thousand times over.

Do you have anything to say on the topic? Seriously, if the trip cost $1,400,000 as the "great newspaper ad" states (as if no other POTUS has spent money on vacations), it cost the taxpayers 1 cent each. I don't see that as anything to get shook up about. I also happen to think the POTUS deserves a vacation as much as the next guy - and actually see never taking time off to relieve stress as a bad thing - especially in a position of power such as his. Do you think otherwise?

I think that the President should pay for his own vacation.

[American Woman]

I think that the President should pay for his own vacation.

Then we disagree. IMO, his position, his need for body guards/staff for him and his family, the danger he would face flying domestic, the need to relieve stress, entitles him to my one cent to take a vacation. In fact, I'd willingly give him a whole nickel - which is likely what it will cost me over the four years. I don't think he should have to bear those extra costs because of the position he is in.

And to answer your question - the government works for me. I can't think of any other nation I'd rather live in - my government provides me with freedoms and opportunities and rights and protection that I am thankful for every day. Do I agree with everything it does? Of course not. We are a nation of 300+ million people - conservatives, liberals, religious, atheists, men, women, children, immigrants, rich, poor, generous, selfish, intelligent, ignorant, straight, gay, bi, married, single, divorced, well traveled, homebodies, professionals, stay-at-home parents, military personnel, factory workers, farmers, union members, non-union workers, sports enthusiasts, hunters, couch potatoes, and the list goes on and on - with a large land mass that includes everything from the arctic to mountains, rivers, lakes, oceans, to the (near) tropics - natural disasters to deal with that include hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, blizzards, tsunamis - so of course it's not going to be all about what pleases me.

I don't think there's any other nation that has to take so much into account for so many - yet we've succeeded as a nation - a nation that believes "united we stand." We do what we want, even if the rest of the world is doing something different - and I see that as a good thing. We aren't trying to be everyone else - to please everyone else. We are just trying to be the best we can be - and I think the government does well in that regard. So again, the government works for me - and if I wanted to get more involved, I could choose to work within the government - my government also provides me with that option.

If you are dissatisfied over all with what your government does for you, I have to wonder - where would you rather be?

[Shakeyhands]

Fact Check

And, I'll add... all of those vacation costs by EVERYONE other than Obama, came out out of their own pockets... of course... Right Lukin?

[kimmy]

"Michelle Obama's $1.4 million vacation" ...makes it sound like it was some absurd exercise in opulence. In truth the main reason her vacation is more expensive than yours is that she has to travel with extraordinary security precautions, including a bunch of guys in black suits and sunglasses.


To me what the ad really illustrates is peoples' lack of perspective and how easily they get hung up on symbols.

In Canada we saw the same thing at the G8 summit. Of the billion dollars of expenses for that fiasco, what was it that really set people off? The $2 million "fake lake". A billion dollars for police overtime and all of that sort of stuff was completely abstract to people... but a fake lake, that's something tangible for people to bitch about.

And much the same with this ad. $1.4 million probably wouldn't even buy hubcaps for the armored personnel carriers driving around in Operation Why Are We Here Again? or the stationary for Operation Wall Street Bailout. Those activities are so expensive that it's completely abstract to people. But a $1.4 million vacation? That makes people mad because they can relate to it. People know it's 1000x more expensive than their own vacation and it gets them all agitated.


-k