Michele "Let them eat cake" Obama

The Sean Hannity website has a message board, and there's a contentious thread going on there about Michele Obama's trip to Spain. Most posters who are Republican are saying its a waste of taxpayer money, and she's being very insenstive considering the state of the US economy right now. Most Democrat posters are saying She's the first lady, she shouldn't be picked on, she and her friends are paying for their own hotel rooms, not sticking it to the taxpayer. (According to Politico, Michele's friends are paying their own hotel bills.)

Let us assume that it is true, and Michele is paying for her vacation (except, surely, for the use of Air Force 2 and all the security guards - which every first lady merits) out of her own pocket. And let's say all 30 of her guests are paying out of their own pocket too.

Does that make her any less a hypocrite?

I say, no it doesn't.

The Obamas are telling "us" that they feel our pain, and yet Michele can afford to go to Spain for a vacation - after recently having been to Maine, and soon to go to Nantucket? Shouldn't she be working at a soup kitchen somewhere, showing the poor and unemployed how much she cares about their plight?

What's the cost of that vacation? Shouldn't it be going to some charity somewhere, some place that will teach illiterate people how to read so they can get jobs?

That is what the Obamas are telling us to do with our money. Go out and spend some time volunteering in our community, etc. Which a lot of people may well be doing because they sure can't afford to go on vacation. But Michele can afford to go, and so can 30 of her friends, but visiting some struggling part of the USA just isn't good enough. No, they'll go to the wealthy areas on the East coast, or to the wealthy areas in Spain...but certainly wont stay in a "middle class" neighborhood...

Over the past six months, I have driven from Virginia to Wyoming and back twice. The amount of rest areas along the highway closed are just depressing - no money to fund the brochure office anymore, or pay for sanitation to clean the bathrooms, presumably.

Lots of pale blue signs that used to tell people "This exit for gas", "This exit for food" , "This exist for things to do," now have four or more dark blue rectangles where old signs used to be, as the businesses that used to advertise no lo.nger exist. That's one of the saddest things I saw on my trips.

Yet the Obamas are telling Americans they musn't be selfish, must be willing to pay more money in taxes, must give to their community, must give up their nice cars for electric ones, etc., etc.

It's a tragedy.

Hopefully, a reversable one.