When the President comes to town

Everything is ALL fucked up! They had virtually every police car in the city completely closing the entire route from the airport to the college where he was to speak but for a FEW MINUTES! Since it's all top secret, the cops blocking all the roads won't tell you shit about how to get around the mess, just that it's closed. They can't even hint at when it will reopen.

They had Interstate 25 completely closed southbound - it looked like out of a movie, 3 lanes of traffic stopped as far as I could see. People were out of their cars standing around. They had military Blackhawk helicopters hovering all around.

I took me 80 minutes to make a normally 20 minute drive. During this time it occurred to me that this example perfectly displays the incredible waste in the government. Everywhere Air Force One goes, they actually bring TWO of those mammoth jets, just in case one breaks. Those jets spend more time in maintenance than in the air.

The government doesn't mind spending all that money and all those finite earthly resources bringing the president here to speak for a few minutes, even though we all have the means to see him on our tv. They quite literally took one or more hours away from me, a tax paying law abiding citizen, and tens of thousands like me.

The way they do shit is absolutely broken. It will never change.

Are you voting for Obama?

I simply do not begrudge any president his ultimate safety and his basic human requirements. In the grand scheme of things, what the country spends on him, his family, his housing, his travel and anything else that is required for us to have a president who looks presidential and is secure, is peanuts anyway.

I wonder how much it cost to move Cheney when he was in his 'secured" location
They could of saved a whole bunch and just let him protect himself
He can after all shoot a guy in the face even when he is drunk

You should have seen when Michael Jackson came to Children's Hospital in Detroit. They even shut down the elevators.

canndo said:

I simply do not begrudge any president his ultimate safety and his basic human requirements. In the grand scheme of things, what the country spends on him, his family, his housing, his travel and anything else that is required for us to have a president who looks presidential and is secure, is peanuts anyway.

Click to expand...

I guess my point was that in a time of fiscal awareness and finite resoureces that there are much better ways to spend however many hundreds of thousands, if not millions, just to come speak here for a few. I'm all for his safety, I just think we all have other ways of seeing him that don't cost so much.

Back in the day, he had to travel to get his point out. Now he doesn't.

CaptainCAVEMAN said:

I guess my point was that in a time of fiscal awareness and finite resoureces that there are much better ways to spend however many hundreds of thousands, if not millions, just to come speak here for a few. I'm all for his safety, I just think we all have other ways of seeing him that don't cost so much.

Back in the day, he had to travel to get his point out. Now he doesn't.

Click to expand...

People want to see leaders in person
been that way for thousands of years

canndo said:

I simply do not begrudge any president his ultimate safety and his basic human requirements. In the grand scheme of things, what the country spends on him, his family, his housing, his travel and anything else that is required for us to have a president who looks presidential and is secure, is peanuts anyway.

Click to expand...

because some pigs are "more equal" than others ?

ChesusRice said:

People want to see leaders in person
been that way for thousands of years

Click to expand...

Leaders ? Well now hang on and get offa yur knees there boy...I thought that fella was a servant ? You mean government types aren't servants of the people and are somehow ABOVE the great unwashed masses of serfs?

He's campaigning. I'm sure Bush, Clinton and Reagan did the same. As well as other presidents before them....

I know I personally don't care, but a lot of sheeple do. That's why they do it.

CaptainCAVEMAN said:

I guess my point was that in a time of fiscal awareness and finite resoureces that there are much better ways to spend however many hundreds of thousands, if not millions, just to come speak here for a few. I'm all for his safety, I just think we all have other ways of seeing him that don't cost so much.



Back in the day, he had to travel to get his point out. Now he doesn't.

Click to expand...

A big part of being president, as Romney is quickly discovering, is the show. In austere times the president should make a show of being concerned for the small fiscal things, Carter did it, he packed and (tried to) carry his own bags. When times are great, fine, get that JFK presidential sailboat out but otherwise, keep it small and prudent looking. "let them eat cake" attitudes from presidents and their wives is unwise and so I frown on Obama's displays of conspicuous consumption even when I know that it is all peanuts.

Rob Roy said:

because some pigs are "more equal" than others ?

Click to expand...

No, because I want my leadership to not waste time doing the things we do, and to be well secure so we don't have any upsets in sucession. Or would you rather have our current VP act as president for an extended period?