Everyone needs a vacation occasionally, if only to relax, collect your thoughts and
just chill out.
But too much of anything is rarely good, especially when it means President Obama is away from critical duties in Washington.
The sixth Obama vacation of the year starts August 10, when the President and his family will skip off to lovely Martha's Vineyard.
The First Family has been on vacations once monthly since January and has displayed impeccable taste and style when choosing vacation spots. And those kinds of prime vacation spots don't come cheap.
It's almost like they sit around the table at night and thumb though travel magazines and say, "This looks nice, gas up Air Force One. Let's go see Martha's Vineyard!" Then everybody packs their bags, the barking dog and giggling kids -- and off they go.
Each Obama Vacation in 2013 By the Numbers
- Ringing in 2013 with a nine-day retreat in beautiful Hawaii, this Obama vacation returned the president to his native state. The president reportedly played five rounds of golf with seven different partners and spent 32 hours on two courses in beautiful Oahu. He also spent some quality time with the family. Nice! The president did have to fly back to Washington due to the sequester talks. That added a bit to the final bill. (Estimated cost $20 million)
- Michelle and her daughters vacationed in Aspen over President's Day weekend in February. Skiing. (Estimated cost $83,183, according to Fox Nation.) While Michelle and the children were skiing Buttermilk in Aspen, the president hit the road to...
- Florida for a golf weekend with the guys, which cost $674,000, according to ABC.
- Spring break means it's time for the Bahamas for a quiet Obama vacation at the lovely Atlantis resort on Paradise Island. (Estimated cost $115,500.)
- Haven't you always wanted to visit Africa? Sometimes Democrats - yes, Democrats -- just aren't quite as understanding about presidential vacations as they should be. Rep. John Barrow, D-GA, in a mean-spirited tone had this to say about the First Family's trip: "Studies have shown that the sequester will cost the Georgia economy approximately $107 million. Meanwhile, reports circulated this week that President Obama's upcoming trip to Africa would cost the taxpayers nearly $100 million."
Which brings us to extravagant details of vacation number six.
So let's talk about the Martha's Vineyard trip. Fortunately the news Web site Politico did the math for me so I didn't have to figure out the cost for this sixth Obama vacation.
Politico reported the president was staying in a very reasonably priced, no-frills room for just $345 a night. The estimated stay was for seven days. So the Obamas are spending only $2,415 for the week. The children of course will have their room, only another $2,415.
Oh, and the cost for the mother-in law is also $2,415. But wait, there's also the cost of an additional 73 rooms for families, for friends, and the Secret Service for the week.
So, adding all this up puts the tab for the president's week in Martha's Vineyard at $181,125.
Oops -- we forgot the cost of airfare, food, hair stylists, makeup artists, additional family members, yikes. I'm sure this was just an oversight.
The last time I was on the Vineyard I took the ferry from Cape Cod. But how cool is it to have your own jet, costing just $179,750 per hour to operate. The flight time from Washington to Martha's Vineyard, round trip, is approximately six hours.
According to the Martha's Vineyard Times, consumer goods and services are 57% higher on the island than the national average.
I am estimating here: Food for a family of, say, 150 at $50 a meal for three meals daily. That's $150 times 150 which gives us $22,000 per meal with beverages, beer, wine and soda not included.
So here are our grand totals:
| Estimated airfare: | $1,078,500 |
| Room Rate: | $181,125 |
| Food: | $22,000 |
| Tips: | $4,400 |
| Beverages: | $7,500 |
| Golf Outings for 50: | $4,400 |
| Caddie Tips: | $1,200 |
| Special installation of security and communications equipment considered the most expensive and advanced in the world | $2,000,000 |
| Total: | $3,299,125 |
(This is an educated and undervalued estimate of actual cost for the First Family's sixth vacation of the year.)
So the president's sixth vacation will cost a little more than the $181,125 reported by Politico.
Still, I hope Martha's Vineyard is a wonderful, memory-filled sixth Obama vacation.
Hawaii: $20,000,000
Aspen: $83,183
Florida: $674,000
The Bahamas: $115,500
Africa: $100,000,000
Martha's Vineyard: $3,299,125
Vacation Total to Date: $124,171,808
While the President vacations in the billionaire paradise of Martha's Vineyard, his policies are creating an America where no one can afford a vacation. Read here.
Credit: Money Morning - Only the News You Can Profit From http://feeds.moneymorning.com/~r/moneymorning/jOLe/~3/C5ei3N-IRvs/
