Michelle Obama's Trip to South Africa

[subdjoe]

The president is not going, but Mrs. Obama is being joined by her daughters, Malia and Sasha, as well as her mother, Marian Robinson, and a niece and nephew, Leslie and Avery Robinson. Her family will join her on most outings, probably exposing her daughters to more of the media spotlight than they're used to.

It was during her first solo trip outside the U.S., to Mexico in April 2010, that the first lady started an effort to encourage young people to become involved in their communities and countries and not shy away from trying to solve persistent global problems.

The youth population outside the U.S. is growing fast, with young people ages 15 to 24 making up 20 percent of the world's population.

"The fact is is that responsibility for meeting the defining challenges of our time will soon fall to all of you," Mrs. Obama told thousands of university students in Mexico City. "Soon, the world will be looking to your generation to make the discoveries and to build the industries that will fuel our prosperity and ensure our well-being for decades to come."

That message is likely to resonate in a place such as South Africa, where two of three residents are younger than 30, said Jennifer Cooke, an Africa scholar at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank.

Botswana is a regular stop for U.S. officials. Well governed, it is considered one of Africa's best functioning democracies, Cooke said.

Many of the stops on Mrs. Obama's trip will highlight South Africa's past under apartheid, the system of white-minority rule. She'll also pay tribute to the legacy of Nelson Mandela, who spent 27 years in prison for his role in the anti-apartheid movement. He later became South Africa's first elected black president.

The size of Mrs. Obama's traveling party is sure to invite comparisons to her vacation last August in Spain with Sasha and friends. The five-day trip to Spain's Costa del Sol stoked a bit of a firestorm about the wisdom of taking a glamorous trip with such economic hurt at home and raised speculation about who was paying the bill.

Attempting to head off similar criticism this time, the White House said Mrs. Obama is allowed to bring guests with her on the plane because she's on official U.S. business, as the president is allowed on his official trips. All other costs regarding her family are to be paid for privately.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/06/20/michelle-obama-aims-to-inspire-in-south-africa-botswana/#ixzz1Q3ZWyLkN

Several questions come to mind.  First is what the heck is she doing conducting "official U.S. business?"  She is not a member of the cabinet.  She holds no elected office. She is not connected to the government in any way, other than being married to the president.

I can understand a representative of the the U.S. government being allowed to have a spouse or significant other along on a trip. That is reasonable.  But that brings up the second question - what is the limit?  And how far can an official branch out?  Second cousins?  And how can bringing five others be justified?  This sounds a whole lot more like a family vacation than any kind of trip on 'official U.S. Business.'

And, the third question is who is the private party in All other costs regarding her family are to be paid for privately.  The Obamas themselves?  If not, then we need to follow the money and see who is trying to buy influence. 

[powderman]

Just another excuse to feel like a big shot and waste taxpayers money. POWDERMAN. 

[OldSchoolRanger]

I just received a Thank You note from Michelle Obama, didn't you?   Copy attached.

Dear American Taxpayer

For only the second time in my adult life, I am not ashamed of my country.  I want to thank the hard working American people for paying $242 thousand dollars for my vacation in Spain.

My daughter Sasha, several long-time family friends, my personal staff and various guests had a wonderful time.  Honestly, you just haven't lived until you have stayed in a $2,500.00 per night private 3-story villa at a 5-Star luxury
hotel.

Thank you also for the use of Air Force Two and the 70 Secret Service personnel who tagged along to be sure we were safe and cared for at all times.  By the way, if you happen to be visiting the Costa del Sol, I highly recommend the Buenaventura Plaza restaurant in Marbella; great lobster with rice and oysters!  I'm ashamed to admit the lobsters we ate in Martha's Vineyard were not quite as tasty, but what can you do if you're not in Europe, you have to just grin and bear it? 

Air Force Two (which costs $11,351 per hour to operate according to Government Accounting Office reports) only used 47,500 gallons of jet fuel for this trip and carbon emissions were a mere 1,031 tons of CO2. These are only rough estimates, but they are close.  That's quite a carbon footprint as my good friend Al Gore would say, so we must ask the American citizens to drive smaller, more fuel efficient cars and drive less too, so we can lessen our combined
carbon footprint.

I know times are hard and millions of you are struggling to put food on the table and trying to make ends meet.  So I do appreciate your sacrifices and do hope you find work soon. 

I was really exhausted after Barack took our family on a luxury vacation in Maine a few weeks ago.  I just had to get away for a few days.

Cordially,

Michelle (Moochelle) Obama

P.S. Thank you as well for the $2 Billon dollar trip to India from which we just returned!

P.SS. Thank you, too, for that vacation trip to Martha's Vineyard; it was fabulous. And thanks for that second smaller jet that took our dog Bo to Martha's Vineyard so we and the children could have him with us while we were away from the White House for eleven days. After all, we couldn't take him on Air Force One because he might pee on some wires or something.

P.SSS. Oh, I almost forgot to say thanks also for our two-week trip to Hawaii at Christmas. That 7,000
square foot house was great!

Love ya!

Remember we all have to share the pain of these economic times equally!

[subdjoe]

I just received a Thank You note from Michelle Obama, didn't you?   Copy attached.

No, darnit!  I guess they lost my address again.

[powderman]

For only the second time in my adult life, I am not ashamed of my country.  I want to thank the hard working American people for paying $242 thousand dollars for my vacation in Spain.




Must be a misprint, it was in the millions if memory serves me right. I wonder how many billions it has cost us to keep them entertained??  POWDERMAN.