Presidential Holiday

I generally try and stay away from politics on this blog unless something really torque's me wrong, but today is one of those days. I came across an article today gave some of the details of Obama's upcoming trip to India. During a time of economic Depression for most of us, the details of this simply boggle the mind: "To ensure fool-proof security, the President’s team has booked the entire the Taj Mahal Hotel, including 570 rooms, all banquets and restaurants. Since his security contingent and staff will comprise a huge number, 125 rooms at Taj President have also been booked, apart from 80 to 90 rooms each in Grand Hyatt and The Oberoi hotels. The NCPA, where the President is expected to meet representatives from the business community, has also been entirely booked. The officer said, “Obama’s contingent is huge. There are two jumbo jets coming along with Air Force One, which will be flanked by security jets. There will be 30 to 40 secret service agents, who will arrive before him. The President’s convoy has 45 cars, including the Lincoln Continental in which the President travels.” Since Obama will stay in a hotel that is on sea front, elaborate coastal security arrangements have been made by the US Navy in consonance with the Indian Navy and the Coast Guard. “There will be US naval ships, along with Indian vessels , patrolling the sea till about 330-km from the shore. This is to negate the possibility of a missile being fired from a distance,” the officer said"

Now I understand the need for security, but really ? Could'nt they have simply arranged a meeting between trade officials in a hotel in downtrodden Detroit ? After a little digging, I came across a list of Obama's vacations this year:

-Full family Christmas and New Years in Hawaii.

-March spring break-first lady Michelle Obama, mom Marian Robinson, and both daughters hit Broadway.

-Memorial Day in Chicago with the family.

-Three days in July in Maine, primarily tony Bar Harbor.

-Last week, the president traveled to Chicago for a birthday party with Oprah and others.

-Michelle and Sasha spent much of last week on Spain's southern coast, ending it with a trip to Majorca to meet the king and queen of Spain.

-Florida this weekend for a night on the Gulf Coast.

-August 19-29 on Martha's Vineyard.

The Obama's are also known to throw large, elaborate celebrations at the White House, mostly for personal friends, sports legends and the like. He also does a lot of golfing as I understand it. To say that these vacations are both exorbitant and in poor taste is the height of understatement. I dare say that most Americans would resent the hell out of this very Regal Presidency in the face of such misery on Main Street. It's not a Democratic thing; Truman was frugal to the point of fault, whereas Reagan was also quite elaborate, as were the Clintons. Geo W Bush nearly always went home to his ranch in Crawford. The difference is, these were not times of Depression. Real unemployment (U6 measurement) is near 17%. The Federal deficit is (again) north of $1.4 trillion. To my mind, it has to do with the man's ego and the lifestyle he believes he deserves at a time when the nation can ill afford it. How about we balance the budget, not indebt my grand children.. then talk about vacations ?