And the rest of the world doesn't think too much of the American Circus. How embarrassing.

TIS


http://thinkprogress.org/security/2011/0...laughing-stock/

An Obama-hater friend of mine sent me an email with the "information" listed below. Could this be true!?

First Lady Michelle Obama's Servant List and Pay Scale

The First Lady Requires More Than Twenty Attendants (Thats 22 Attendants to be exact)
1. $172,200- Sher, Susan (Chief Of Staff)
2. $140,000- Frye, Jocelyn C. (Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of Policy And Projects For The First Lady)
3. $113,000- Rogers, Desiree G. (Special Assistant to the President and White House Social Secretary)
4. $102,000- Johnston, Camille Y. (Special Assistant to the President and Director of Communications for the First Lady)
5. $100,000- Winter, Melissa E. (Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief Of Staff to the First Lady)
6. $90,000- Medina , David S. (Deputy Chief Of Staff to the First Lady)
7. $84,000- Lelyveld, Catherine M. (Director and Press Secretary to the First Lady)
8. $75,000- Starkey, Frances M. (Director of Scheduling and Advance for the First Lady)
9. $70,000- Sanders, Trooper (Deputy Director of Policy and Projects for the First Lady)
10. $65,000- Burnough, Erinn J. (Deputy Director and Deputy Social Secretary)
11. $64,000- Reinstein, Joseph B. (Deputy Director and Deputy Social Secretary)
12. $62,000- Goodman, Jennifer R. (Deputy Director of Scheduling and Events Coordinator For The First Lady)
13. $60,000- Fitts, Alan O. (Deputy Director of Advance and Trip Director for the First Lady)
14. $57,500- Lewis, Dana M. (Special Assistant and Personal Aide to the First Lady)
15. $52,500- Mustaphi, Semonti M. (Associate Director and Deputy Press Secretary to The First Lady)
16. $50,000- Jarvis, Kristen E. (Special-2Assistant for Scheduling and Traveling Aide to The First Lady)
17. $45,000- Lechtenberg, Tyler A. (Associate Director of Correspondence For The First Lady)
18. $43,000- Tubman, Samantha (Deputy Associate Director, Social Office)
19. $40,000- Boswell, Joseph J. (Executive Assistant to the Chief Of Staff to the First Lady)
20. $36,000- Armbruster, Sally M. (Staff Assistant to the Social Secretary)
21. $35,000- Bookey, Natalie (Staff Assistant)
22. $35,000- Jackson, Deilia A. (Deputy Associate Director of Correspondence for the First Lady)
There has NEVER been ANY other 1st Lady at any time who has created such an army of staffers whose sole duties are the facilitation of the First Lady's social life. One wonders why she needs so much help, at taxpayer expense, when even Hillary, only had three; Jackie Kennedy one; Laura Bush one; and prior to Mamie Eisenhower social help came from the President's own pocket.

Note: This does not include makeup artist Ingrid Grimes-Miles, 49, and "First Hairstylist" Johnny Wright, 31, both of whom traveled aboard Air Force One to Europe.

Laura Bush actually had about 25 staffers, according to her own Chief of Staff, and Mrs. Kennedy about 40. Do people really believe everything they read??

http://snopes.com/politics/obama/firstlady.asp

I have no idea how many or how much servants are but...

Here's the site that info comes from (or at least one of the sites). You don't have to read much to see it is a very conservative "anti" Obama site. Oh, the person listed, who is claiming this story is referred to as: Retired USAF MSgt.
Probably the same group of people still looking for a birth certificate.


TIS

http://patriotupdate.com/9757/first-lady-now-requires-26-servants/comment-page-1#comment-193799

Both you TIS and SB are correct. US law establishes the office of the first lady and it's actually an appendage of the Executive Office of the President. It's paid for out of that Office since it's part of the federal budget.

Forwarded e-mails from friends tend to be bullshit.

Sorry but its true. I've had enough experience to know better.

You read those???

Only for the comedic value. It's amazing how much crap is out there, AND how much of it people believe to be true.

A little off topic BUT like those stupid "chain e-mails" where you must pass it on to 10 friends or something. Something "good" will happen if you do. LOL



TIS

This was posted on Twitter regarding the debt ceiling.

[img]http://yfrog.com/h7ly0rqj[/img]


TIS

Holy crap!! My head is spinning from these debt negotiations. The media is spinning all these stories before anyone knew anything. Now you got both the right and the left pissed off. In the words of Vinny Barbarino, "Im so confused."


TIS

The Pesident will speak later tonight.

Washington, D.C.– Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva, co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, today released the following statement on the emerging debt deal:

“This deal trades peoples’ livelihoods for the votes of a few unappeasable right-wing radicals, and I will not support it. Progressives have been organizing for months to oppose any scheme that cuts Medicare, Medicaid or Social Security, and it now seems clear that even these bedrock pillars of the American success story are on the chopping block. Even if this deal were not as bad as it is, this would be enough for me to fight against its passage.

This deal does not even attempt to strike a balance between more cuts for the working people of America and a fairer contribution from millionaires and corporations. The very wealthy will continue to receive taxpayer handouts, and corporations will keep their expensive federal giveaways. Meanwhile, millions of families unfairly lose more in this deal than they have already lost. I will not be a part of it.

Republicans have succeeded in imposing their vision of a country without real economic hope. Their message has no public appeal, and Democrats have had every opportunity to stand firm in the face of their irrational demands. Progressives have been rallying support for the successful government programs that have meant health and economic security to generations of our people. Today we, and everyone we have worked to speak for and fight for, were thrown under the bus. We have made our bottom line clear for months: a final deal must strike a balance between cuts and revenue, and must not put all the burden on the working people of this country. This deal fails those tests and many more.

The Democratic Party, no less than the Republican Party, is at a very serious crossroads at this moment. For decades Democrats have stood for a capable, meaningful government – a government that works for the people, not just the powerful, and that represents everyone fairly and equally. This deal weakens the Democratic Party as badly as it weakens the country. We have given much and received nothing in return. The lesson today is that Republicans can hold their breath long enough to get what they want. While I believe the country will not reward them for this in the long run, the damage has already been done.

A clean debt ceiling vote was the obvious way out of this, and many House Democrats have been saying so. Had that vote failed, the president should have exercised his Fourteenth Amendment responsibilities and ended this manufactured crisis.

This deal is a cure as bad as the disease. I reject it, and the American people reject it. The only thing left to do now is repair the damage as soon as possible.”

So both extremes don't like it. Maybe it has merit.

The core of it is the reduction of spending by $1 trillion, but over ten years. Well, that's $100 billion a year froma budget that will probably always exceed $3 trillion. I haven't read about the rest of the proosal, so I 'm not sure how its provisions would affect expenditures.

Here's a copy of the deal as it was released yesterday:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheet-victory-bipartisan-compromise-economy-american-people


BTW, it just passed the house but the big surprise was Congresswoman Gabby Gifford (AZ), the senator that got shot showed up to vote and received a huge applause. God bless her. I feel really badly for her. Yet, she looks like she's a survivor.

TIS

This is self explanatory


Obama Turns 50 Despite Republican Opposition
August 4, 2011



WASHINGTON—After months of heated negotiations and failed attempts to achieve any kind of consensus, President Obama turned 50 years old Thursday, drawing strong criticism from Republicans in Congress. "With the host of problems this country is currently facing, the fact that our president is devoting time to the human process of aging is an affront to Americans everywhere," said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who advocated a provision to keep Obama 49 at least through the fall of 2013. "To move forward unilaterally and simply begin the next year of his life without bipartisan support—is that any way to lead a country?" According to White House officials, Obama attempted to work with Republicans right up until the Aug. 4 deadline, but was ultimately left with no choice except to turn a year older.






Obama turnes 50 despite Republican Opposition



TIS

TIS, what does it say when the President is younger than yourself? Granted, only by a little more than a month for me, but what more certain sign that we're getting older??

So, what you're saying then is I'm old???? LMAO

Yes, actually the first President that is younger than me. (Although I can't remember Bush's age but close). And, who would have thought the day would come when you'd think a President looks "youthful" and 50 isn't all that old.


TIS

If you're old, then join the club, because he's younger than me, too!

If John McCain had won and were President, we'd feel like real youngsters.


TIS

And Worse, I think the entire field for 2012 is younger than many of us, so this will probably be permanant (I am taking the liberty to eliminate Giuliani and Gingrich).

At least Biden is older thn most of us!

I remember during the 08 campaign, Bill Maher comparing Obama & McCain as far as age difference. He noted (and showed a clip) of McCain entering the stage walking to the podium and then Obama. McCain walked fairly slowly to his place, and Obama ran quickly up the couple steps as he neared the podium.

Just trivial observation of what we tend to take for granted when we are youthful.


TIS

Well whatever the case Obama better grow a pair and put forward some kind of massive jobs bill and let the te party tell the Republicans they are forbidden to support it.

I'd like to see more Harry Truman in Obama than he has shown so far. Who cares what the far right thinks of him. Whatever he does they'll say he's a Kenyan Mau-Mau Muslim Socialist European whatever.

He needs to man up and quit being Jimmy Carter.

Affirmative Action; color, not character, clueless what makes America tick. Individual freedom, may the best man (woman) win isn't his game - it's everybody grab a shovel!
Typical broken family results; (subconsciously) blaming looney tunes mom for chasing lefty jerkoff (fuck'em & leave'em) dad; depriving him life's anchor, identity's source.
Without father's guidance developement stunted making it difficult to recognize, understand his personal limits, love who he is.
America's greatness stems from individual achievement, going it alone, risk taking, but his grand schemes - higher taxes, DeathCare, more government - come from an unaccomplished, naive, angry, tortured man unable to stand on his own two feet.
Bottom barrel unamericans - anyone else here worship (white hater) Rev Wright - reside in our White House, spineless congress; country in full throttle collapse; socialist obamacare wrecking economy, goodbye middleclass lifestyle!
Lost in himself; not a man's man, a Hawaiian tourist roaming Hells Angels' turf.

Over the past 20 years or so, I've driven up to Pittsburgh once or twice a year. I love the drive, especially late night because I listen to a variety of talk shows like Coast to Coast and America Overnight which is always entertaining. On the way back Monday a 17 year old kid called in. He said he was a student at a military academy and that he and a couple of his classmates were developing a military plan to take over the government with the help of the Tea Party because of Obama. A couple of Tea Party members called in to tell him that he was nuts (as the host did also), that he'd get no support from the Tea Party. God, the infectionis spreading.

WASHINGTON — A U.S. appeals court ruled Friday that President Barack Obama's healthcare law requiring Americans to buy healthcare insurance or face a penalty was unconstitutional, a blow to the White House.

The U.S. Appeals Court for the 11th Circuit, based in Atlanta, found that Congress exceeded its authority by requiring Americans to buy coverage, but also ruled that the rest of the wide-ranging law could remain in effect.

I am no legal expert but I always did think the individual mandate was a bridge too far for reasons already debated here.

PDF of Decision

Rick Perry: Appleonya's savior?

Ronnie, for the thousandth time, Texans should be precluded from the Presidency .