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I suppose that it happens all the time, but this was the first time I have seen it, and if more American taxpayers could see (i) the amount of resources we foot the bill for, and, (ii) the degree of inconvenience put upon a community for presidential travel, Air Force One would get its wings clipped.
The amount of people involved, the number of vehicles deployed, the cost of operation of Air Force One itself, and the amount of local law enforcement resources deployed was, to me, absolutely staggering.
The lack of consideration for the inconvenience imposed upon thousands of Austin area citizens by shutting down several major highways during rush hour to facilitate the presidential motorcade is equally incomprehensible.
This level of expense and inconvenience to enable one man to blow into town to fill the coffers of his political party is unacceptable, regardless of which party.
I would not deny or begrudge an appropriate means of transportation or level of security to our nation’s chief executive officer, in the performance of his duties, but a quick jaunt to a political fundraising event does not, in my mind meet that criteria. It is simply a blatant abuse of power, and a wasteful expenditure of public funds made in trade for collecting funds for a political party’s coffers. Reportedly, the trip netted $2-3 million in political contributions, and I would be very surprised if it did not cost federal, state, county and local taxpayers a like amount. For all intents and purposes, this is little more than the transfer of public tax money to a political party’s treasury, with a whole lot of intangible inconvenience for citizens at rush hour to boot.
From this point forward, every presidential visit reported on the news will make me (i) question its legitimacy as national business, and, (ii) envision a huge pile of burning, wasted tax dollars and long lines of halted traffic. The size of the pile that is burnt every year must be astronomical! I challenge most recipients of even quasi-legitimate presidential visits (e.g. disaster sites, etc.) to choose whether they would prefer (i) a visit from the president, (ii) a check in the amount it would cost to get the president there and back, or, (iii) to not spend the tax money at all?
…and as to jaunts for political fund-raising, I would expect a responsible and ethical chief executive officer, with legitimate concerns for personal security, to suggest that his political party charter a plane at their own expense, fly a planeload of supporters that want to write big checks to Washington, hire a banquet hall and caterers, and have a ball, but not at taxpayer cost and citizen’s inconvenience.
_________________ Cliff
River City Trio
What if we did all have the same opinions?
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