W Bush took more vacations than any other president, expenses over Obama's

[naisho]

I saw this yesterday when I saw all those Obama golf/vacation sites.

After I read it, I was like...

MIND BLOWN!

- George W. Bush took 77 "vaction" trips to the Texas ranch while he was in office.
- There's estimates that W. Bush took 1020 total vacation days in 8 years of presidency.
- According to FoxNews, they gave a military estimate that it costs $181,757 per hour to use Air Force one due to a recent estimate of Obama's travel expenses.

Assuming inflation from ~10 years ago has not changed much from the price of the dollar now, accounting for W Bush's 77 trips to the ranch and back (so 2x77=154 flights), he would have spent at least a staggering 77*2*$181,757 = $27,990,578 million taxpayer dollars on Air Force One expenses alone.



FactCheck.org : President Obama’s Vacation Days
Obama's Vacations? Of Any President, Bush Racked Up the Most | Political News and Opinion from a Multicultural Point of View
Military Pegs Hourly Air Force One Cost at $181G, as Obama Sets Travel Record | Fox News

 

[Jiro]

yea I was gonna post it a while ago but thread got banned.

 

[TXgolfer]

We had an entire thread about this months ago.... BTW how many vacation days did Washington take? Or Lincoln?

 

[kokonut]

I saw this yesterday when I saw all those Obama golf/vacation sites.

After I read it, I was like...

MIND BLOWN!

- George W. Bush took 77 "vaction" trips to the Texas ranch while he was in office.
- There's estimates that W. Bush took 1020 total vacation days in 8 years of presidency.
- According to FoxNews, they gave a military estimate that it costs $181,757 per hour to use Air Force one due to a recent estimate of Obama's travel expenses.

Assuming inflation from ~10 years ago has not changed much from the price of the dollar now, accounting for W Bush's 77 trips to the ranch and back (so 2x77=154 flights), he would have spent at least a staggering 77*2*$181,757 = $27,990,578 million taxpayer dollars on Air Force One expenses alone.



FactCheck.org : President Obama’s Vacation Days
Obama's Vacations? Of Any President, Bush Racked Up the Most | Political News and Opinion from a Multicultural Point of View
Military Pegs Hourly Air Force One Cost at $181G, as Obama Sets Travel Record | Fox News

No president is ever on vacation but a "vacation." Glad you put that in quotes. That word is actually a misnomer by itself. A President doesn't take vacations like the rest of us. He doesn't just leave and let the country take care of itself. If that were the case then that means the VP would have to assume control. Are you actually suggesting that Bush left everything behind whenever he traveled to what is known as the west White House? He continually receives briefings from national security advisers, meets foreign leaders and get the job done while on "vacation." However, Barack never went on a family vacation and yet his family go on real vacations by making extravagant trips, use of AF1, and added security details on taxpayers' dime. On just several trips alone the Obama family (without Barack) amounted to $14 million dollars in just under 3 years time (compared to Bush's travels in 8 years time of almost $28 million dollars but it's work related...not a real vacation). These vacations of the Obama family (without Bo) include exotic and exclusive locations (expensive in of itself) around the planet.

Discussing the costs for these working vacations is a legitimate question over 8 years. Total tax receipts received by the govt in 8 years is $15.4 trillion dollars. In 8 years almost $28 million dollars were spent to cover Bush "vacation" travels on Air Force One. That's a drop in the bucket on covering travel expenses. In fact it makes up only 0.00018 percent of the total tax receipts over 8 years. That's like if you earn $500,000 dollars a year you would spend only $91 just to cover flight expenses. Or if you earn $50,000 that's $9 bucks out of your budget.

But sure, every little bit helps not to try and use AF1 or have these families go to exotic and expensive vacations. It's true, image is everything and the Obamas are milking it for all its worth when it comes to clothings, vacations, using AF1, and the cost of requiring security details and months of planning by them.

Mind blowing. Indeed.

 

[Bottesini]

We had an entire thread about this months ago.... BTW how many vacation days did Washington take? Or Lincoln?

Interesting trivia. The reason presidents have a salary is due to Washington and his expertise at padding expense accounts.

No one was willing to let him do the job for expenses and insisted on a salary.

 

[Foxrac]

No president is ever on vacation but a "vacation." Glad you put that in quotes. That word is actually a misnomer by itself. A President doesn't take vacations like the rest of us. He doesn't just leave and let the country take care of itself. If that were the case then that means the VP would have to assume control. Are you actually suggesting that Bush left everything behind whenever he traveled to what is known as the west White House? He continually receives briefings from national security advisers, meets foreign leaders and get the job done while on "vacation." However, Barack never went on a family vacation and yet his family go on real vacations by making extravagant trips, use of AF1, and added security details on taxpayers' dime. On just several trips alone the Obama family (without Barack) amounted to $14 million dollars in just under 3 years time (compared to Bush's travels in 8 years time of almost $28 million dollars but it's work related...not a real vacation). These vacations of the Obama family (without Bo) include exotic and exclusive locations (expensive in of itself) around the planet.

Discussing the costs for these working vacations is a legitimate question over 8 years. Total tax receipts received by the govt in 8 years is $15.4 trillion dollars. In 8 years almost $28 million dollars were spent to cover Bush "vacation" travels on Air Force One. That's a drop in the bucket on covering travel expenses. In fact it makes up only 0.00018 percent of the total tax receipts over 8 years. That's like if you earn $500,000 dollars a year you would spend only $91 just to cover flight expenses. Or if you earn $50,000 that's $9 bucks out of your budget.

But sure, every little bit helps not to try and use AF1 or have these families go to exotic and expensive vacations. It's true, image is everything and the Obamas are milking it for all its worth when it comes to clothings, vacations, using AF1, and the cost of requiring security details and months of planning by them.

Mind blowing. Indeed.

Please represent with source, otherwise you lie to us.

 

[naisho]

People also forgot to take into account, when presidents vacation and golf, regardless which president, they're stimulating the economy in a small way - I'm impartial to any of the presidents who have golfed, I am only looking for the truth out there.

Bush, Obama, etc. More recently in Obama's case he's also stimulating money into the sport as well.

For the golf course, the city - I'm sure Martha's Vineyard's estate managers and caterers as well as his Hawai'i locations have thrived off his visits - and any friends/tourists/paparazzi flocking to the area to get a glimpse of him or to shake his hand or watch the game. I read that he paid his own expenses out of pocket for the places he stayed at in Hawaii.

 

[TXgolfer]

People also forgot to take into account, when presidents vacation and golf, regardless which president, they're stimulating the economy in a small way - I'm impartial to any of the presidents who have golfed, I am only looking for the truth out there.

Bush, Obama, etc. More recently in Obama's case he's also stimulating money into the sport as well.

For the golf course, the city - I'm sure Martha's Vineyard's estate managers and caterers as well as his Hawai'i locations have thrived off his visits - and any friends/tourists/paparazzi flocking to the area to get a glimpse of him or to shake his hand or watch the game. I read that he paid his own expenses out of pocket for the places he stayed at in Hawaii.

When Bush went to Crawford.... No doubt. Obama goes to resort towns, I don't think he would have much of an imPact there.