Why does caring for Barack Obama’s family cost taxpayers 24 times as much as caring for the British royal family?
The Daily Caller reports:
Taxpayers spent $1.4 billion dollars on everything from staffing, housing, flying and entertaining President Obama and his family last year, according to the author of a new book on taxpayer-funded presidential perks. In comparison, British taxpayers spent just $57.8 million on the royal family.
That is an absolute disgrace.
The article continues:
Obama has 469 senior staffers and 226 are paid more than $100,000 a year
A president who believed in constitutionally limited government would never do that.
The article also states:
The president has a full-time movie projectionist in the White House theater: Projectionists sleep at the White House and are there 24 hours a day in case anyone needs to see a movie.
Apparently, the person who is trusted to keep their finger on the button that activates the nuclear bombs is too incompetent to operate a DVD player.
The article also says that taxpayers spend $102,000 per year on a “dog handler” for Obama’s dog. The President already receives a personal salary of $400,000 a year – why can’t he spend his own money on a “dog handler”?
For more examples of horrible things that Obama has done, please see my earlier post Here are 95 examples of Barack Obama’s lying, lawbreaking, corruption, and cronyism.
Dan from Squirrel Hill's Blog 
YMCMB replied:
The White House projectionist is a staple of the residence. He’s there for every presidency regardless of political party stature. Likewise, the dog handler fee was the same for Bush as it was Obama.
But more importantly, when you compare the total cost of the whole white house fiscal year across presidencies, you don’t see much of a change. In 2008 Bush spent 1.6 billion in his fiscal year (http://whitehousetransitionproject.org/resources/briefing/Patterson-Cost%20of%20WH.pdf). In any case, David’s book’s claim that Obama’s spent the most just isn’t true. Wasteful in some areas? Sure, it’s all up for debate.
September 30, 2012 at 7:34 pm. Permalink.
danfromsquirrelhill replied:
President Carter didn’t have a VCR or a DVD player – Obama does. And I think it was ridiculous for Carter to have a live in person just for running movies anyway. It was wrong when Carter did it – and because there are now VCRs and DVD players, it’s even worse to do it today.
It was just as wrong for Bush to spend tax money on a dog handler as it is for Obama. In addition, I’ve walked dogs for money, and I know the going rate is far, far less than what Obama is spending. And why can’t Obama’s children take care of the dog? They were the ones who wanted to get a dog in the first place. Good parents teach their children to take care of the pets that the children bring into their home.
October 1, 2012 at 5:18 am. Permalink.
Steven O'Connor replied:
I worked in the white house at the end of Clinton and the very begining of Bush. Bush spent the first 3 days signing papers to get rid of crap like this and to start protecting our country again. Like actually giving the Border Patrol enough money to have gas in their vehicles. (like obama has taken away again). So Sorry, your info about the film person just isn’t right. Bush would actually get off his butt to put in a movie, and to be honest he actually didn’t watch TV or Movies. SNL made fun of that a few times when he didn’t know actors names….
January 7, 2013 at 7:19 pm. Permalink.
Mark Riggan replied:
but they are entitled
November 28, 2012 at 12:29 am. Permalink.
Lisa replied:
Oh, for Pete’s sake, doesn’t anyone from the right ever research anything before they write about it???? The tradition of screening movies at the White House began in 1915 with Woodrow Wilson and the actual theater was built in 1942. So, every President since that time has enjoyed the use of the theater, some more than others. See: http://www.whitehousemuseum.org/east-wing/theater.htm
December 9, 2012 at 10:36 pm. Permalink.
Kimberly Severtson replied:
Funny how all Lisa gets out of the article is the “theater”. Ok Lefty….how about addressing the reason Obummer costs US citizens more that ALL of the Royal Family….. Yeah,,,I didn’t think so. How about because he and his wife are PIGS and don’t care how bad off the country is right now and think EVERYONE but themselves should be tightening their belts. Dumbass.
January 7, 2013 at 6:55 pm. Permalink.
Gail replied:
It stands to reason that if they are not watching these movies “full-time” that they don’t need a “full-time” projectionist, no?
January 7, 2013 at 6:56 pm. Permalink.
Gail replied:
I would also imagine that to be plausible with a dog walker.
January 7, 2013 at 6:57 pm. Permalink.
Michael replied:
They don’t need projectionists anymore, though. Can’t B.HO pop the DVD in the machine himself? How hard can it be?
January 7, 2013 at 7:17 pm. Permalink.
Steven O'Connor replied:
For jakes sake, that doesn’t mean they use it. They also don’t use the pool anymore that was built for Roosevelt. So is there still a pool boy. Most of these writers are on one side or the other. The fact is that obama has spent so much more money then Bush on personal things. I have done many secrest service jobs and worked in the white house. So I saw these things first hand…………… The left is much worse at spending for pleasures, the right like to build up defense, and on and on…Depends how you feel about defense. But no pres so far has spent more then clinton on parties, going to parties and travel. obama is in a close second and he has only been in 4 years. So as far as research, good luck and don’t be so quick to judge.
January 7, 2013 at 7:26 pm. Permalink.
Rocco Lassan replied:
It’s really not a Left or Right issue. It is a 16.5 TRILLION Dollar debt issue…… All but the very fortunate have had to cut back somewhere in this economy, why should it be any different for our elected officials?
January 8, 2013 at 8:01 am. Permalink.
michelle replied:
Thank you! Said it perfectly.
November 5, 2013 at 9:51 pm. Permalink.
s replied:
Yes, but NOW, we are more than 16 trillion in debt and cant pay our bills. A rediculous socialized medical plan is being forced down our throats to the tune of $20,000 per family…per year. Food prices are continually rising, but personal income is not. Many, many have lost jobs and there is a record number of children sleeping in freaking shelters because they are homeless. I’ve talked about gov’t waste for more than 2 decades. How can anyone, in good conscious spend this way under these circumstances? You’re a fool if you think this country isn’t going down the drain, unless something changes.
March 8, 2013 at 12:52 am. Permalink.
Ilene replied:
With DVDs and VCRs there is no need for this 24 hour waste of our tax money. Especially in the times we live in.
January 7, 2013 at 6:52 pm. Permalink.
Jack replied:
That does not make it right Lisa. There is a position that should be done away with ASAP. Any reasonable person would agree. All these presidents should know that. I could grab a person off the street and run this country better then 99% of politicians. No more excuses from all of them..left or right. Lets not be apologists for them.
January 7, 2013 at 7:20 pm. Permalink.
Giselle replied:
I think that the actual person who is the projectionist would take great umbrage to you thinking his job should disappear. Every person who works in a factory can be replaced by robots. Every call center worker should have their jobbed shipped overseas. Teachers can be replaced by computers. They are unnecessary!! Companies should be saving money by this!!! All companies should ship overseas! Americans don’t need jobs, they cost people too much! We should just get rid of everyone! Seriously, who are you to demand that someones JOB that pays for their food, housing, their family be destroyed on your WHIM? You are talking about their LIVELIHOOD! How DARE you! That projectionist pays taxes and is a working member of American society. If you have such a problem with his job offer him a better one, then suggest the president uses Dvds. Otherwise your just a dumbass. And btw, should we fire all but one person at government offices? Its a waste of taxpayer money to have more than one clerk at the DMV. You can wait in line, right? All we need is a mayor. Why a deputy mayor? Is there more than one person at your work that does a job a machine can do? Fire ’em! Fire ’em all!!!
January 20, 2013 at 3:01 am. Permalink.
danfromsquirrelhill replied:
By your logic, we should outlaw mechanized farming equipment, and go back to the time when 90% of people worked as farmers. We should outlaw cars, so horse drawn carriage operators can keep their jobs. We should outlaw the polio vaccine, so doctors and nurses can keep their jobs taking care of polio victims. We should outlaw refrigerators, so the people who drive ice trucks can keep their jobs. We should outlaw washing machines, so the people who wash clothes by hand for a living can keep their jobs. We should outlaw the printing press, so people who copy books by hand can keep their jobs. We should outlaw recorded music, so live musicians can keep their jobs. We should outlaw the telephone, so the people who work as telegraph operators can keep their jobs. We should outlaw bulldozers, so the people who dig with shovels can keep their jobs. We should outlaw plumbing, so the people who carry water in buckets can keep their jobs.
January 20, 2013 at 4:44 pm. Permalink.
Caleb Santos replied:
You really should read any book concerning economics… lefty or righty, what you are saying is quite full of ignorance. If you must know, I am an extreme liberal. But, you don’t understand what that means anyways. Thank you dan for the great example. In truth, I would love to be a potato farmer. Where else can you get a 700% return on investment?
February 25, 2013 at 8:14 pm. Permalink.
Caleb Santos replied:
In case of any confusion, my comment was directed at Giselle. 🙂
February 25, 2013 at 8:15 pm. Permalink.
Reg replied:
I think you might be missing the point. Of course the person in the projectionist job needs a job. However, the mere fact that our President (Monarch) can’t run his own DVD player is a bit nauseating. Our first family is acting like the very thing our founding fathers tried to avoid when establishing our Constitution – a Royal Family. It seems Obama, et al, haven’t read that part, or isn’t interested in the “little people”. The projectionist could find a job at a legitimate movie theatre and save us all a lot of tax money.
March 27, 2013 at 7:50 pm. Permalink.
Sam Lasley replied:
We all know how much of our tax dollars are going to finance the “nigger rich” occupants of the White House. What we need to do is figure out a way to get him and his beard wife and rental kids back to Kenya. I suggest we do it legally as he has violated the constitution so many times in the last four years that it is beyond belief.
January 7, 2013 at 8:19 pm. Permalink.
danfromsquirrelhill replied:
I don’t like your use of racial slurs or your claim that Obama was born in Kenya. But I’m posting your comment because I believe all viewpoints should be allowed.
January 11, 2013 at 2:41 pm. Permalink.
Guy replied:
So I guess what you are saying is that because everyone else does it, that makes it ok? Now I understand what my mom was talking about when she said “if your friend jumped off a bridge, would you?” Wake up people. We are getting hosed.
January 7, 2013 at 8:52 pm. Permalink.
Billie Wright replied:
Talk about entitlements !
January 7, 2013 at 10:58 pm. Permalink.
George replied:
Wow……truly much ado about nothing…..as the country slips into decline, not because of Obama, but because of all of the bad decisions made since the end of World War II, the right and the left have been able to deflect the attention of the people to things that don’t matter……a shell game…..and not a bad idea…..we certainly don’t want an educated population questioning anything important at this point…we need to have a docile population focused on silly things instead of looking at what the government has been doing…..and so far, looking at all of this, so good!
Congratulations to the government….using the Roman policy of bread and circuses….and transporting them to the 20th and 21st centuries with food stamps and Gerry Springer, they have managed to do exactly what needed to be done……
And all we can think about is a White House Projectionist!
March 31, 2013 at 3:51 pm. Permalink.
VICTOR replied:
NO ONE SEEMS TOM REMEMBER ALL THE MONEY AND LIVES BUSH SPENT BY TAKING US INTO A WAR THAT GHAGT HE AND HIS PEOPLE LIED ABOUT AND HE COULD NOT GET US OUT OF IT. HAVE WE FORGOT ABOUT THAT
January 27, 2014 at 11:12 pm. Permalink.
Connie replied:
:You’re all missing the point. NO president, I don’t care which party, should spend a billion dollars a year. How many people or business (small) could that. It is disgraceful. There is NO difference between the democrats and the republicans
October 17, 2015 at 2:18 pm. Permalink.