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The government must also pay the Secret Service for protection and overtime for local police. These are just a few of the costs that come with protecting the world's most powerful human being.
Some of the cost estimates presented by the newspaper include the early trip to Hawaii for Mrs. Obama (who flew out before the president), at $63,000. There is President Obama's round trip, estimated to cost $1 million. Local police need an extra quarter million for overtime costs and there is the $134,000 estimated cost of housing the president's staff.
While $1.4 million is a drop in the bucket compared to the multi-trillion dollar economic problems of our nation, there are surely going to be critics who give the president a hard time for how much he spends on his vacation. The good thing for President Obama, however, is that the Republicans can't give him too much trouble in light of the fact that they worked overtime to obtain multi-billion dollar tax cuts for the wealthy this past month. After pulling a stunt for the rich at the expense of the working class of America, the Republicans' ability to provide credible commentary about the economic state of our nation has been sorely diminished.
I'm sure President Obama is happy to be on vacation. He's spending time with his family and now has the opportunity to get away from all the stress factors in Washington. Part of me wonders if he ever regrets taking this job. Only a few times in American history has it been this difficult to be President of the United States (the Civil War, the Great Depression and World War II might be examples). But one thing's for sure: no president has ever had to deal with the Herculean task of being the first black man in the Oval Office. In a country with a racist history like America, that is a challenge like no other.
Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action Resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here. 
Comments: (151)
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By: blackbear72 on 12/31/2010 4:56PM
He cant rest at the WH? Resting at the WH would cost less then $19.95, it would cost $0. Why would you want any President not to be scrutinized? That is the best way to hold them accountable. Or because he is black is is not accountable to anyone.
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By: cocoabear on 12/31/2010 4:33PM
People need to be buying up organic seeds and learning how to plant a garden.Learning how to grow indoors.That is the goal of Monsanto to own all the seeds of real food.With the stroke of his pen,Obama can give total control of the food industry over to Monsanto.Will he sign it or won`t he?
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By: Pink on 12/31/2010 4:57PM
Probably the people that are complaining the most about the President taking a vacation r not the vacationing kind; and don't know what the purpose of a vacation is. It's like the people that live in the Bay area, and have never been across the Bay Bridge. R people that have never been out of their home state; not 2 mention never been out of the country. R people that plan 2 go to Hawaii when they retire; and die within six months of their retirement. 2 these people; just bc u don't have any class, sense of adventure, etc., don't expect everyone else to fall into that boring category. Again: GET A LIFE!!
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By: blackbear72 on 12/31/2010 5:01PM
The people who are complaining are the people who have to pay for their own vacation. The Presidents personal life Should be very boring, he has too much to worry about to go on vacation. He can vacation all he wants in 2 years. No one will complain about that.
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By: lizzy on 12/31/2010 4:40PM
Nothing is wrong with a president taking vacation. But why so expensive? Some of that 1.4 million obama used for vacation could have been used to help the po' fowk and the chilrren.
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By: cocoabear on 12/31/2010 4:49PM
There is nothing wrong with him taking a vacation.What is really wrong is the things people choose to spend time talking about.People don`t seem to grasp the situation.What is really going on.That America is now a facist state.This BILL MAKES IT ILLEGEL TO GROW ORGANIC FOOD.this is against natural law.Against the laws of god and nature.If god wanted us to consume genetically modified food,he wood have put here for us to eat.Lets see how fast the deaths from AIDS and H1N1 and cancer and other diseases start to rise and I mean rise fast.Do you know that most of the senators were paid off by Monsanto to pass this bill?I doubt it.Your all to busy worring about weather the president had a vacation or not.
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By: JOAN on 12/31/2010 5:00PM
ENJOY YOUR VACATION, PRESIDENT OBAMA. AFTER THE DIRTY DEALS AND SITUATIONS THAT YOU HAVE BEEN DEALT..YOU SHOULD GO WHEREVER YOU WANT TO SPEND TIME WITH FAMILY/FRIENDS. THE MESS WILL BE WAITING FOR YOU WHEN YOU GET BACK. THE PAST 43 PRESIDENTS HAVE HAD THEIR TIME...NOW ITS YOURS. HAVE A BLESSED NEW YEAR.
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By: JOAN on 12/31/2010 5:01PM
MOST IF NOT ALL OF THE PEOPLE OF THIS GREAT COUNTRY HAVE CAUSED THEIR OWN DEMISE. DR. BOYCE WATKINS IS AN AGITATOR...EG...PALIN AND ETC. PITIFUL, INDEED. ESPECIALLY SINCE HE IS "SUPPOSEDLY" EDUCATED.
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By: Marvice on 12/31/2010 5:03PM
To Lizzy, his name is not BOZO it's President Obama! Every President has went on vacation and taken their family etc... and the taxpayers have paid for it. This economy is what it is to and for who it is! You may be having a hard time, but there are others who aren't! The world waits for no one! Every President that is alive still has some type of protection being paid by the taxpayers, so the fact that the current President has to have this, is not his fault. And to blackbear, DC is NOT HIS HOME! And just like you, he can spend his holidays with and with whom he damn well pleases. Now, I feel good and ready for the new year. I'm so sick of this double standard for President Obama, that next year I'm coming out swinging. Not that I agree with everything he does, but I'm tired of people trying to be sly about what they say, when we know the real reason is because he is a black man. Everyday I have to put up with dumb crap, that non-black men created, and we don't go around constantly criticizing white people or anybody else, so enough is enough!
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By: blackbear72 on 12/31/2010 8:37PM
D.C, is his home until his term is over. His second home is Chicago and his third home is Hawaii. By the way he is not staying in a home he owns in Hawaii. Yes he can spend his Christmas anywhere he likes as long as he pays for it himself, if he had to pay 1 million for air force one with his own money he would not go.
Those non-black men you speak of created the greatest country ever to exist on this planet. If there is a better one, let me know.
Why would you care if someone calls him BOZO, how could that offend you? Why do people get so offended at criticism of him?
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