Becoming President to live large

It has been remarked by other much wiser than me that some people reach for public office to achieve something, others to be someone. Until recently we have not elected presidents for the money. With the Clintons that began to change. But until now, our republic has been rather austere in the way its leaders live. Oh, sure, politicians have their own medical system and transportation system and an especially well endowed retirement system, but on the whole – ignoring the lunches at Washington watering holes, wretched excess on the order of the Bourbon court has not been flaunted. As I said, that has changed.

For example, congress has decided that its fleet of luxury jets is in desperate need of expansion so it ordered another $200 million dollars worth, even as unemployment reaches double digits. Perhaps it’s taking its lead from our supreme leader.

Present and Mrs. Obama and the children have lived large after assuming office.

From dates in NY City, shopping sprees in London and Paris these occasions of living the good life, which in the United States are typically indulged in by the ultra wealthy on their own dime are now paid for by the American taxpayer to entertain the first family. Especially enjoyable are the private planes just of the wife, kids and mothers paid for by the American people.



But this appears to be only the tip of the extravagant iceberg. Sometimes much smaller things are jarring. I spent my own money recently to go to the Maine lobster festival. It’s held annually in Rockland, Maine to celebrate that state’s most famous crustacean. While there I happened to get into a conversation with the chief lobster cooker who in real life works in a factory that makes wooden toys, Cedarworks.

Now these are not your typical wooden choo choo trains that trail behind infants on string; these are huge structures that range in price from a few thousand dollars to … oh, $65 thousand dollars.



It so happens that this area was visited by the President and Vice President. While there the President decided to stimulate the local economy by buying its most expensive play set for the White House ... and while he was at it ordered another one for Camp David.

Now my understanding of the finances of the first family are that they are worth somewhere between 2 and 4 million dollars. They have a salary of $400,000 and then there are – of course - the book royalties.

Now a million dollars doesn’t go as far as it used to and in fact people who are worth this sort of money and earning this sort of salary don’t typically buy $130,000 worth of children’s toys on a whim with their own money.

So I’m, fairly confident that these toys are paid for by you, me and the other taxpayers of the US as part of the Obamas determination to live large.

The Obamas remind me from time to time of other figures in history. Not - unfortunately - to figures like Abraham Lincoln. I leave those comparisons to the fawning writers of Time and Newsweek. But they do remind me of characters from and movies and TV, specifically the character of the TV show “The Jeffersons” … moving on up.

There’s a word for it: parvenu ...