As Senator Everett Dirksen once said: "A million here,
a million there, pretty soon, you're talking real money." Everyone knows
that golf is an expensive sport, but when two golf outings alone cost
$1,836,555 in travel expenses alone, that's a bit much. If it's your own money,
that's one thing, but who other than President Obama would spend someone else's
millions that way? And by "someone," I mean you and other taxpayers
already oppressed by confiscatory federal taxes.
When Obama went on a series of costly fundraising and
entertainment trips this spring, the total bill paid by American taxpayers was
close to $4.5 million dollars in travel expenses! We still do not know many of
the other costs involved in these trips. For one, it is unknown what the
elaborate security required to cover presidential travel cost taxpayers because
the Secret Service has not provided the requested information, as required by
the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), regarding its security expenses.
This week, Judicial Watch released records obtained
(http://www.judicialwatch.org/document-archive/obama-travel-chicago-la-palm-springs-palm-city/)
from the U.S. Department of the Air Force revealing that Barack Obama's spring
fling travel for golf vacations and fundraisers totaled $4,436,245.50 in
taxpayer-funded transportation expenses.
Using the Air Force's official cost estimate of $206,337 per
hour, the newly released records obtained by Judicial Watch show:
• Obama's
February 14, 2015, golf outing to Palm Springs required a five-hour flight,
costing taxpayers a total of $1,031,685.
• Obama's
March 28, 2015, golf outing to Palm City required a 3.9-hour flight, costing
taxpayers $804,870.30.
The Washington Examiner noted that the golf outings cost
almost $20,000 per hole
(http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/foia-2-obama-golf-outings-cost-taxpayers-1.8m-20000-a-hole/article/2574217).
These trips were not to the local pitch and putt. They were elaborate trips to
premier golf courses. In Palm Springs, Obama played golf at the luxurious
Sunnylands country club, located on the former estate of the late ambassadors
Walter and Leonore Annenberg. Obama reportedly spent the weekend on the
exclusive, gated property, where he has twice stayed before.
In Palm City, Obama played golf at the
"spectacular" Floridian National Golf Club, where members pay a
$50,000 initiation fee and $15,000 in annual dues (http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/news/local/obama-palm-city-presidents-plane-lands-st-lucie/nkg7p/).
According to the resort's website: "This stunning, yet formidable
(http://floridian.cc/the-course/) par 71 will certainly impress. At 7,114
yards, the 18-hole course offers perfectly manicured rolling fairways and
greens, demanding hazards, breathtaking views of the St. Lucie River, and is
surrounded by a natural preserve and native wildlife."
And then there were the fundraisers.
Taxpayers, regardless of party affiliation, ponied up over
$2.5 million to jet Obama around the country in an effort to - of all things -
raise money!
The White House attempted to paint Obama's jaunt to Chicago
as a non-political event to declare the Pullman Historic District a national
monument. Members of the press on the scene, who usually grant Obama the
benefit of the doubt, reported that the trip was heavily political in nature.
As reported by CNN, "Obama gives Emanuel re-election boost
(http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/19/politics/obama-rahm-emanuel-campaign/):"
gifts Thursday for his former chief of staff, Mayor Rahm
Emanuel ... But the day had all the trappings of a campaign - and Obama even
made an unannounced stop at a Kenwood campaign office for Emanuel on his way
out of town. "I'm glad he's my mayor, and I'm glad he's going to be my
mayor for another four years," Obama told volunteers.
There is no getting around that fact that Obama's travel to
California was solely to raise money for the Democratic National Committee. In
a show of solidarity nationwide for fellow Democrats, Obama began his visit to
Los Angeles with an appearance on ABC's late night comedy program "Jimmy
Kimmel Live," (http://www.scpr.org/news/2015/03/11/50301/obama-to-make-fast-los-angeles-visit-for-tv-show-f/)
and followed that up later with a "roundtable discussion" fundraiser
(http://www.breitbart.com/california/2015/03/06/obama-back-to-california-for-fundraiser-with-the-stars/)
hosted at the Santa Monica home of ICM Partners cofounder Chris Silbermann and
his wife Julia Franz. Guests paid up to $33,400 per couple for attendance,
donations that are being used to aid DNC political activities. As noted by the
LA Times (http://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/politicsnow/la-pn-obama-los-angeles-20150305-story.html):
"In 2015 the DNC is focused on investing resources in opposition research
and press, the voter file and analytics infrastructure, voter protection, and
building our state networks." Obama's March 12 fundraising trip to Los
Angeles was his 32nd fundraiser
(http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2015/03/11/some-republicans-charge-obamas-california-fundraising-is-over-the-top/)
in L.A. County since he became president.
Once again, using the Air Force's own estimated hourly rate
of $206,337:
• Transportation
for Obama's February 19 day trip to Chicago cost taxpayers $619,011.00.
• Transportation
for Obama's March 2015 fundraising trip to Los Angeles cost taxpayers
$1,980,835.20.
The American people are justifiably outraged that Barack
Obama's has wasted over $4.4 million of their precious tax dollars on golf
vacations and political fundraising. And to make matters worse, the Secret
Service has simply refused to respond to our requests for documents about the
security costs of these controversial trips. The Obama travel scandal is about
abuse of office, abuse of the taxpayer, and contempt for the rule of law.
Records released earlier this year by Judicial Watch showed
that Michelle Obama's 2014 trip to China (http://www.judicialwatch.org/press-room/press-releases/judicial-watch-records-reveal-michelle-obamas-2014-trip-to-china-cost-taxpayers-more-than-360000-in-air-transportation-expenses-alone/)
cost more than $360,000 in air transportation costs. Judicial Watch uncovered
an expensive combination of trips by the Obamas to Africa
(http://www.judicialwatch.org/document-archive/2013-04981-f-release-copy/) and
Honolulu
(http://www.judicialwatch.org/document-archive/2014-01891-f-release-copy/),
which cost taxpayers $15,885,585.30
(http://www.judicialwatch.org/press-room/press-releases/jw-obtains-documents-revealing-high-cost-of-obama-2013-trips/)
in flight expenses. The single largest prior known expense for accommodations
was for Michelle Obama's side-trip to Dublin, Ireland
(http://www.judicialwatch.org/press-room/press-releases/obamas-ireland-trip/),
during the 2013 G-8 conference in Belfast, when she and her entourage booked 30
rooms at the five-star Shelbourne Hotel, with the first lady staying in the
1500 square-foot Princess Grace suite at a cost of $3,500 a night. The total
cost to taxpayers for the Obamas' Ireland trip
(http://www.judicialwatch.org/document-archive/2232_response/) was
$7,921,638.66.
To date, the known travel expenses of the Obamas and Vice
President Joe Biden: $69,944,325.75! And counting...
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