President and First Lady Travel 4,000 Miles -- on Separate Planes -- to Lobby for Olympics

In the article, the White House Military Office gives a much lower cost for the air portion of the trip then the United States Air Force who actually flies and maintains the planes. As someone who has been around the Air Force for years, we believe the Air Force has credibility.

Since a President has never lobbied in person for a city in the United States to get the Olympics in the past, may we be so bold as to ask why we are sending Obama and his wife on separate planes at US Taxpayer expense to lobby for Chicago. If Chicago wanted them to lobby for Chicago, then the City of Chicago and Mayor Daley should be picking up the tab not the US Taxpayer.

Another interesting detail is that over 50% of people in Chicago don't want the Olympics but City Government does. Tells us that US Taxpayers are about to see a huge waste of money spent in the City of Chicago that is known for graft and lining pockets of politicians.

Once again the US Taxpayer being fleeced by Obama and the Chicago machine. How many US Taxdollars are going to go to Chicago for the Olympics with Obama as President?

We recommend Rio de Janeiro get the Olympics and save the US Taxpayer money while cutting down on more millionaires in Chicago.

President and First Lady Travel 4,000 Miles -- on Separate Planes -- to Lobby for Olympics
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
By Penny Starr, Senior Staff Writer

CNSNews.com) – President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama are both traveling to Copenhagen this week to promote Chicago's bid to host to the 2016 Olympic Games--and they will be making the 3,979-mile trip on separate airplanes.

The first lady left on Tuesday night, while the president will leave for Denmark on Thursday night.

Taxpayers will pick up the tab for both jets ferrying the president and first lady separately to Europe.

“Everything they do, whether it’s signing pieces of legislation or flying around the world, everything is costing the taxpayer,” David Williams, vice president of policy for Citizens Against Government Waste, told CNSNews.com. “The taxpayer is picking up the tab for everything.”

The White House announced on Monday that the president would be joining his wife on this European trip, despite indicating earlier this month that the first lady would head up the U.S. Olympic Committee delegation to Copenhagen while Obama remained in the United States to continue pushing for his health care reform plan.

(snip)

Using the CRS cost estimates and the inflation adjuster from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the cost for the one-way 7.5-hour trip from Washington, D.C. to Copenhagen on the first lady's plane would range from $29,532 (White House Military Office) to $107,717 (U.S. Air Force).

The cost for the president to fly Air Force One on the one-way 7.5-hour trip from Washington, D.C. to Copenhagen ranges from $343,448 (White House Military Office) to $567,089 (U.S. Air Force).

Excerpt: See CNS for Full Article