President hops on air force one and cost us 3.6 million to go back to his vacation.

[Anvilbrother 0]

10 hour flight one way.
AF1 hourly operating cost $181,000.
They bring the backup plane also which doubles cost.
This is not counting the support cargo plane carrying limos, SS vehicles etc.

Its at least going to cost another 3.6 Million to come home that's if he flies right back. If we are looking to cut some lets cut the air force budget that this operates from.

7.2 million for round trip, ooh and hes already done this right before christmas thats another 7.2 mil. 14.4 MILLION for a vacation.... Its good to be a president during a severe deficit.






Less than an hour after Congress and the White House resolved the fiscal cliff, President Obama boarded Air Force One to return to his planned Hawaiian holiday vacation.

He boarded the plane at Joint Base Andrews in Camp Springs, Md., shortly before midnight Wednesday following a New Year’s Day of political drama on Capitol Hill.

The 10-hour overnight flight was scheduled to arrive in Oahu around 5 a.m. local time Wednesday when he will reunite with First Lady Michelle Obama and daughters Sasha and Malia, who have been vacationing there since just before Christmas.

Postes r made from an iPad or iPhone. Spelling and gramhair mistakes guaranteed move along,

[DARK 0]

Quote

10 hour flight one way.
AF1 hourly operating cost $181,000.
They bring the backup plane also which doubles cost.
This is not counting the support cargo plane carrying limos, SS vehicles etc.

Its at least going to cost another 3.6 Million to come home that's if he flies right back. If we are looking to cut some lets cut the air force budget that this operates from.

7.2 million for round trip, ooh and hes already done this right before christmas thats another 7.2 mil. 14.4 MILLION for a vacation.... Its good to be a president during a severe deficit.






Less than an hour after Congress and the White House resolved the fiscal cliff, President Obama boarded Air Force One to return to his planned Hawaiian holiday vacation.

He boarded the plane at Joint Base Andrews in Camp Springs, Md., shortly before midnight Wednesday following a New Year’s Day of political drama on Capitol Hill.

The 10-hour overnight flight was scheduled to arrive in Oahu around 5 a.m. local time Wednesday when he will reunite with First Lady Michelle Obama and daughters Sasha and Malia, who have been vacationing there since just before Christmas.

Is this more expensive than any other president using af1 before him? Was he the one who decided that af1 was how presidents should travel? Were did you get this 181K/hour figure? Can you back up any of your figures? Do you care?

[Anvilbrother 0]

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2012/05/air-force-one-air-fare-179750-per-hour/1#.UORgQKwSN8E[url] this link says 179k, but its 181k now.

Its at least 10 hours from DC to Hawaii
We all know they fly a back up plane,
Thats low estimate cost of over 14 million for 1 guy to go on vacation that we paid for.

I read a article I will have to find later that AF1 pilots under Obama are over worked, and they trained and started rotating in more relief pilots.

This is from Mark Knoller of CBS.


Last year (2010) Obama flew in Air Force One 172 times, almost every other day. White House officials have been telling reporters in recent days that the Democrat doesn't intend to hang around the White House quite so much in 2011. They explain he wants to get out more around the country because, as everyone knows, that midterm election shellacking on Nov. 2 had nothing to do with his health care bill, over-spending or other policies, and everything to do with Obama's not adequately explaining himself to his countrymen and women. And with only 673 days remaining in Obama's never-ending presidential campaign , the incumbent's travel pace will not likely slacken. At an Air Force-estimated cost of $181,757 per flight HOUR (not to mention the additional travel costs of Marine One, Secret Service, logistics and local police overtime), that's a lot of frequent flier dollars going into Obama's carbon footprint.

We are privy to some of these numbers thanks to CBS' Mark Knoller, a bearded national treasure trove of presidential stats. According to Knoller's copious notes, during the last year, Obama made 65 domestic trips over 104 days, and six trips to eight countries over 22 days. Not counting six vacation trips over 32 days. He took 196 helicopter trips, signed 203 pieces of legislation and squeezed in 29 rounds of left-handed golf.

Obama last year gave 491 speeches, remarks or statements. That's more talking than goes on in some entire families, at least from fatherly mouths. In fact, even including the 24 days of 2010 that we never saw Obama in public, (wonder why??) his speaking works out to about one official utterance every 11 waking hours. Aides indicate the "Real Good Talker" believes we need more.

I understand the president needs if for OFFICIAL use, but how can you really justify over 14 million to go on vacation twice?

Postes r made from an iPad or iPhone. Spelling and gramhair mistakes guaranteed move along,

[regulator 0]

I understand the president needs if for OFFICIAL use, but how can you really justify over 14 million to go on (THE SAME) vacation twice?

[airdvr 197]

Presidents go on vacation. 3.6 million is the deficit amount for about 20 seconds. Bigger fish to fry than this.

Please don't dent the planet.

Destinations by Roxanne

[lawrocket 3]

The $181k per hour was the 2010 estimate of the Air Force.

And no, Obama is not the first to use AF1 for these things. It's been going on for a while. He's not alone.

It's a perk of the Presidency.

My wife is hotter than your wife.

[DARK 0]

Ok I accept the figures although I would still like to know if the airforce says it costs 181k per hour to operate or if it was saying that if you work out the operating costs of af1 it works out at 181K per hour of flight because that is not the same thing and I bet it was the latter and if that is the case then the more he uses the plane the cheaper each hour gets.

If that is not the case then;

I imagine that there is not a single worker that has anything to do with the president or af1 that is on an hourly wage and not a yearly salary so it dosnt matter how often or little they are required to do their jobs they get paid the same (or do the ss air force etc get paid overtime? I honestly dont know).

If military maintenance is somewhat similar to the civilian world then, as we all know, some are calender inspections and some are hourly so their costs are fixed. but yes the inspections will come sooner now that there is an extra 20 hours on the plane

Fuel of course will be a cost increase but 14million worth of fuel? I dont think so. So were is the money going?

Maybe there is a breakdown on that link but its broken so I cant get to it.

Finally, do you think the electorate were in some way unclear about the fact that every flight obama made during his term would be in af1? If not what is the point?

Do you think he shouldnt get a vacation during his term(bearing in mind that vacation is probably a loose term when you are talking about the potus)?

To me this seems like a high but believable figure but its being spent so the goverment can continue to operate while he and his family are on vacation.

[BigMikeH77 0]

Quote

I understand the president needs if for OFFICIAL use, but how can you really justify over 14 million to go on vacation twice?

The President of the United States gets exclusive use of Air Force One. That's the way it has always been. Find something better to complain about, or petition to have that changed, but don't go on spouting these statistics as though our current president is somehow unique and extra wasteful compared to his predecessors. We're smarter than that.

[cvfd1399 0]

Obviously your not smarter than that because my origional post said the PRESIDENT, not Obama. Also in my second post I stated I diddnt give a damn if it was bush, Obama or Clinton the price to willy nilly fly all over the place is too high. I never blamed Obama specifically, it's just the latest figures. The cost to operate that program and the misuse of it has been climbing for many presidencies.

You know what you could do with 14 million for this one time vacation, how many people could be helped?

[lawrocket 3]

I find it somewhat amusing that a President can ever take a "vacation." They've always got shit going on, which is why AF1 is a mobile White House.

My wife is hotter than your wife.

[cvfd1399 0]

The hourly operating cost is 181,700 per the 89th airlift wing.

[cvfd1399 0]

I'm sure on his flight back to Hi. he got a lot done being that it took off at midnight and was a 10 hour flight.

[BigMikeH77 0]

Seriously? Your OP subject specifically points out the current presidents activities, now you're backpedaling and going on about the "bigger issue at hand". Like I said, do something about it other than whine.

Do you expect the President of the United States to fly Southwest, stand in line and be harassed by TSA, pick his luggage up at the baggage carosuel , and be picked up at the curb? The man is ALWAYS working, even on vacation, and his office and duties go with from A to B (even if in this case it's A to B to A to B).

Let's talk abot what better use for the hundreds of billions if not trillions of dollars spend on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and what better use for all that money. Education, infrastructure, education, social services, education, education...

[rhaig 0]

Quote

Presidents go on vacation. 3.6 million is the deficit amount for about 20 seconds. Bigger fish to fry than this.

THIS

don't lose sight of the big picture. The little trickles of cash like this don't amount to much in the grand scheme. Is it abuse? Maybe. But it shouldn't be near the top of the list of complaints at this time.

--
Rob

[rhaig 0]

Quote

The President of the United States gets exclusive use of Air Force One. That's the way it has always been. Find something better to complain about, or petition to have that changed, but don't go on spouting these statistics as though our current president is somehow unique and extra wasteful compared to his predecessors. We're smarter than that.

The ONLY way he is costing more than prior presidents is going to different places that require additional security trips and personnel. Not defending Bush, but as an example, his repeated trips to the family ranch cost less because of the already established security there. The flight was the same cost, but already being at a secure place lessened the cost of the time there.

--
Rob

[Andy9o8 0]

Quote

Presidents go on vacation. 3.6 million is the deficit amount for about 20 seconds. Bigger fish to fry than this.

Ah, a voice of reason. Kudos.

[cvfd1399 0]

It's the voice of not understanding. Sure 14 million for his vacation is a drip in the bucket you say, but it's all of this type of spending that they won't cut that's keeping us in this deficit.

1 dollar cut to 41 dollars in taxes!?

A million here or there will add up. Look at this, just a few useless spending items

• $75,000 to promote awareness about the role Michigan plays in producing Christmas trees & poinsettias.
• $15.3 million for one of the infamous Bridges to Nowhere in Alaska.
• $113,227 for video game preservation center in New York.
• $550,000 for a documentary about how rock music contributed to the collapse of the Soviet Union.
• $48,700 for 2nd annual Hawaii Chocolate Festival, to promote Hawaii's chocolate industry.
• $350,000 to support an International Art Exhibition in Venice, Italy.
• $10 million for a remake of "Sesame Street" for Pakistan.
• $35 million allocated for political party conventions in 2012.
• $765,828 to subsidize "pancakes for yuppies" in the nation's capital.
• $764,825 to study how college students use mobile devices for social networking.

I heard on the radio today algae growers got 40 million to grow algae, electric motorcycle makers got millions etc. do you understand?

[billvon 2,396]

> Sure 14 million for his vacation is a drip in the bucket you say, but it's all of this
> type of spending that they won't cut that's keeping us in this deficit.

So what's the alternative? No vacations for presidents? Make them fly Southwest?

[kallend 1,623]

Quote

> Sure 14 million for his vacation is a drip in the bucket you say, but it's all of this
> type of spending that they won't cut that's keeping us in this deficit.

So what's the alternative? No vacations for presidents? Make them fly Southwest?

Right, and make them endure TSA hassles. That'll show them!

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[cvfd1399 0]

In one year he took 6 vacations for over 30 days off. He went to hawaii(should have stayed at work) flew back for a few days, then spent another 7 million for another trip back.

People need time off, but god damn 3 million each way x4, you don't see the problem there?

How about a cheaper af1 model, cheaper backup plane to follow around( have they ever really needed the backup to be identical?) limit on personal, or unreimbursed trips. They even use it for campaigns, but only have to pay for tickets for campaign staff members, leaving the burden on us to pay the rest.

[billvon 2,396]

>How about a cheaper af1 model

So an Air Force One that's a flying command post for emergencies (which was the original concept for the thing) and a transport airplane that's much cheaper? (say a BBJ or a CRJ) That could work.

[kallend 1,623]

Quote

In one year he took 6 vacations for over 30 days off. He went to hawaii(should have stayed at work) flew back for a few days, then spent another 7 million for another trip back.

People need time off, but god damn 3 million each way x4, you don't see the problem there?

How about a cheaper af1 model, cheaper backup plane to follow around( have they ever really needed the backup to be identical?) limit on personal, or unreimbursed trips. They even use it for campaigns, but only have to pay for tickets for campaign staff members, leaving the burden on us to pay the rest.

"Presidents don't get vacations — they just get a change of scenery. The job goes with you." Nancy Reagan

Ronald Reagan was away for 436 days, usually at Rancho del Cielo (his mountaintop retreat in California) or Camp David.

George W. Bush spent 32 months at his ranch (490 days) or Camp David (487 days) — an average of four months away every year.

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[cvfd1399 0]

Great screw him too, your not going to turn this into me hating on Obama, It's about the money to me. All I want to see is America not in debt and the govmt in check on their careless spending, and lean as can be and put of my pockets as much as we can get them.

I like NASCAR occasionally but screw them too, they got 70 million in the latest fiscal cliff deal, that's more useless spending.

[rushmc 18]

Quote

Great screw him too, your not going to turn this into me hating on Obama, It's about the money to me. All I want to see is America not in debt and the govmt in check on their careless spending, and lean as can be and put of my pockets as much as we can get them.

I like NASCAR occasionally but screw them too, they got 70 million in the latest fiscal cliff deal, that's more useless spending.

+1

Greed

And get hollywood out of our pockets too
And big wind

"America will never be destroyed from the outside,
if we falter and lose our freedoms,
it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
Abraham Lincoln

[DARK 0]

Quote

• $75,000 to promote awareness about the role Michigan plays in producing Christmas trees & poinsettias.
• $15.3 million for one of the infamous Bridges to Nowhere in Alaska.
• $113,227 for video game preservation center in New York.
• $550,000 for a documentary about how rock music contributed to the collapse of the Soviet Union.
• $48,700 for 2nd annual Hawaii Chocolate Festival, to promote Hawaii's chocolate industry.
• $350,000 to support an International Art Exhibition in Venice, Italy.
• $10 million for a remake of "Sesame Street" for Pakistan.
• $35 million allocated for political party conventions in 2012.
• $765,828 to subsidize "pancakes for yuppies" in the nation's capital.
• $764,825 to study how college students use mobile devices for social networking.

budget deficit 2010 = 136,067,000,000

To resolve the budget deficit in the manner you suggest would require finding, roughly, another 20,410 individual programmes that cost somewhere between 500,000 and 45,000,000 and cut their funding by 100%. TWENTY THOUSAND programmes that vary from infrastructure to research and development to art and culture (your examples)

By the way the previous president was handed an annual deficit of around 236billion and turned it into just under 500billion and then handed the current president a situation that required numerous trillions to be tacked onto that.

Since that first budget the current president has cut the yearly deficit by almost 500billion. Funnily enough that is roughly equal to what the entire deficit was before this multi trillion dollar problem.