Last week Obama was in town—in case you didn’t know. Gee, the excitement of this overwhelms me. My little fury friends were terrified beyond belief over the helicopters flying around “protecting” the big O; I had my walk home from work detoured because the Prez was giving some talk nearby; the nightly news consisted of stories of where the presidential motorcade was at a certain time of the day and how many hours some fools camped out trying to snag a blurry picture of the man. Even Sprinkles Cupcakes was closed because “he” was somewhere nearby. Really? Who cares? Why do we spend so much time and money concerned about where the President is and who he is meeting with and when? Apparently, he was in town to celebrate his 49th birthday and to stomp for Alexi—the next would-be Illinois Senator; three fundraising events to be exact.  All this hoopla to raise money for a campaign—all the taxpayers’ money washed down the drain in an attempt to win a political victory. 

But then it seems that wasting our money in this time of recession seems to be the norm. While Obama preaches cutting back on expenses, saving and fiscal discipline, his wife and daughter are out living the lap of luxury in Spain on their “holiday” with 50 of their closest friends--obviously  demonstrating some sort of exemption from his teachings for the country. 

Now, before I get the Obama lovers all in a dizzy tiff, this isn’t about the politics or my feelings toward the man. What is at issue is the seemingly inherent hypocrisy between his words and actions and the deeper message and feelings that such a vacation sends/instills in Americans. Does it show that this “yes we can” President really means that there is no “we” in this plight?

This is not Michelle’s only trip. In fact, by the end of the summer, she will have taken eight holidays. Now, typically I would say—if you have the money, spend it—however this all seems so jarring because a President and his family should be leading by example. And what sort of example is being set here?

New York Daily News columnist and blogger Andrea Tantaros wrote that the President’s wife is akin to Marie Antoinette who was so famous for her extravagance and for her ability to spend money. Similar in sentiment to me, Tantaros wrote: “To be clear, what the Obamas do with their money is one thing; what they do with ours is another. Transporting and housing the estimated 70 Secret Service agents who will flank the material girl will cost the taxpayers a pretty penny.”

She also accused the Obamas of the same hypocrisy that I perceive. She attacked them of being hypocritical for preaching sacrifice and “austerity” and refusing to heed their own advice.

As an objective observer, what exactly is the message being sent by the photos and details being transmitted from the trip? The Jean-Paul-Gaultier-clad Michelle on the sun-splashed Spanish resort sipping fine wine and nibbling on only the finest tapas is just a little hard to stomach when we have people living on Link cards and others like the Gulf of Mexico shrimp fishers losing their very livelihood in this country.

To be fair to the Obamas, they are paying for the 60 plus rooms booked at the five-star Hotel Villa Padierena (where the cheapest room is $400 a night) as well as the price of the meals. What we, the taxpayers are paying for are the rooms, food and salary for the 68 security officers and her personal staff, use of the presidential jet, Air Force Two, and the trip to the Spanish royal family on the island of Majorca—dubbed an “official part of the trip”. This part of the trip will tack on all room, salary, food and other expenses for everyone involved to the taxpayers’ final bill. In case you were wondering, Air Force Two costs $11,500 an hour to operate and an undisclosed hourly rate for its “on the ground” fee. By the way, while Michelle’s using the jet in Europe, the vice-president has to find other modes of transport as that is his usual plane is being used on holiday—commanding yet another exaggerated taxpayer bill.

Call me crazy, but wouldn’t it make sense if Michelle and her entourage actually vacationed in the U.S.? Not only would this pump money into the U.S. economy, but it would send a powerful message to both citizens and those overseas that the U.S. is a vibrant and thriving place to live and to visit. At a time when tourism is suffering in the south because of the oil spill, when many are having to “stay-cate” because they can’t afford a vacation, such an extravagant overseas escape is little else than a bourgeois excessiveness that this country didn’t need.  What message does this send that the President send his wife and money to Europe instead of supporting his own country’s economy? Just something to think about…