Video: The Obamas’ 17-Day Vacation to Hawaii Costs Taxpayers $4,135,038

Via Granny Jan and Jihad Kitty:

Based on this report from Hawaii Reporter:

The President and his family are traveling separately to Hawaii because he wants resolve the payroll tax cut issue before leaving Washington – and his wife does not want to wait.

But the advanced trip and the cost that comes with it – as much as $100,000 (flight and security) – adds to an already expensive vacation for the taxpayers.

Hawaii Reporter research shows the total cost for the President’s visit for taxpayers far exceeded $1.5 million in 2010 – but is even more costly this year because he extended his vacation by three days and the cost for Air Force One travel has jumped since last assessed in 2000. In addition, Hawaii Reporter was able to obtain more specifics about the executive expenditures.

The total cost (based on what is known) for the 17-day vacation roundtrip vacation to Hawaii for the President, his family and staff has climbed to more than $4 million.

Not inconsistent with what other first families have done, Jay Carney heard mumbling to DC reporters.

In other news….

Milpages reports: Military families struggle to afford Christmas:

It has always seemed to be part of enlisted military life; to live on a less grand scale then most American families due to military pay being typically lower than the average American household. However, even though military pay is at an all-time high, the numbers of financially strained military families is growing rapidly due to the current recession and unemployment rates for military spouses.

One would think that the men and women who serve our country and protect it would have assurance that their bills get paid and food would be on the table, but this is not necessarily the case. More and more military families are having to line up for turkeys and free groceries this holiday season, and having to depend on charities to help put food on the table and presents under the tree.

According to several nonprofit groups that provide help to military families, the strain of the economy/recession and high unemployment rates for military spouses has created a strong need for help this holiday season among some active-duty and reservist families, especially lower ranking enlisted personnel. According to the Defense Commissary Agency, $88 million in food stamp money was used at commissaries throughout the U.S. this year by military members and their families, including veterans, retirees and reservists. The amount of food stamps used by military families has tripled since the beginning of the recession.

Earlier this month, Michelle Obama unveiled the White House’s holiday decorations to military families, including 37 Christmas trees, a 400lb gingerbread house and a replica of family dog Bo in almost EVERY room.

Causing Andrew Malcolm to remark:

The extravagance of 2011’s decorations, however, are striking given the widespread joblessness, pale economic growth, home foreclosures and grim outlook for 2012, not to mention the incumbent president’s historically low approval rating heading into his reelection bid.

How simple, politically astute, symbolically helpful and cost-effective it would have been for the Obamas this year to say that in sympathy with so many struggling countrymen, they were curtailing holiday decorations to match the sacrifices of others.

Mrs. Obama took another tack, however. She said the massive holiday displays in her White House are designed to make others feel better, especially military families.

Maybe that $4 million trip to Hawaii is designed to make them feel better, too!

See Also:

The Daily Mail: A $4 MILLION vacation: Separate flights, luxury hotels and plenty of golf… the price of Obama’s annual Hawaiian holiday soars

• Obama’s Air Force One flight estimated at $3,271,611
• Total travel costs for Hawaii holiday are $3,629,622
• Housing comes to $151,200 and hotels at $72,216
• Hawaii Reporter estimates total cost at $4,113,038