The Sacrifice

On demanding we sacrifice.

In days of old, the people came to the temple to sacrifice. They gave alms to the priests and gifts to the church. In that way the temple/church became rich and the priests wealthy.

So when I hear the Obamas speak of sacrifice, and then see their lifestyle, I am reminded of the priesthood of old who fattened on the sacrifice of those outside the priesthood.

The American Thinker’s John Dietrich reminds us of the Obamas idea of sacrifice: designer footwear, million dollar “dates,” $100 beef, veal dog food, thermostats set at orchid growing temperatures.

As of old, sacrifice is from the people to the priesthood who always and everywhere grow fat and arrogant.

The Obamas do not expect us to sacrifice alone. They believe that they have established a long pattern of self-sacrifice. According to Michelle Obama , one of the Obamas' first major decisions after graduating from college was, "Do I go to Wall Street and make money, or do I work for the people?" As we all know Barack, decided to "work for the people."
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After attaining the White House, the Obamas have continued to sacrifice, with a notable example being their trip to Denmark in order to secure the 2016 Olympics for Chicago. Michelle explained, "As much of a sacrifice as people say this is for me or Oprah or the president to come for these few days, so many of you in this room have been working for years to bring this bid home."
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Michelle attended a luncheon for the homeless wearing a pair of $540 Lanvin sneakers. On a trip to Russia, she was seen sporting what was thought to be a $5,950 VBH alligator manila clutch. The White House protested that she was actually carrying the $875 VBH patent leather clutch. This is perhaps another example of self-sacrifice. She has ordered a pair of thigh-high leather boots from Robert Clergerie, a famous French designer. Had Governor Sarah Palin made any of these purchases, she would have been criticized on the front pages of the major newspapers. Their treatment of Michelle Obama is considerably kinder. She is seen as a fashion icon.

For a couple with a preference for $100-a-pound Wagyu beef, it is inconsistent to claim that "we can't eat as much as we want." …. Axelrod is reported by the New York Times as describing the temperature in the Oval Office as rather temperate: "He's from Hawaii," Axelrod said. "He likes it warm. You could grow orchids in there." The president's years in Chicago apparently were not sufficient to acclimatize him to the cold.

… Perhaps the pièce de résistance was a statement by Michelle after a party for the "first dog," Bo: "We had a really sweet celebration -- [Bo] got a doghouse cake made out of veal stuff and he had his brother Cappy come over and we had party hats." Poor Bo. I am certain that he would have preferred Wagyu steak.

UPDATE:

Glenn Reynolds notes:

DO AS I SAY, NOT AS I DO: Conspicuous Sacrifice vs. Conspicuous Consumption. It’s all about that oozing sense of entitlement that the AP’s Ron Fournier noted.