Obama's Perks: Private Jet, Chef Tax-Free

[underpants]

Source: ABC News

The President Gets $400,000 a Year Plus Plenty of Freebies
By SCOTT MAYEROWITZ
ABC NEWS Business Unit

America's CEOs are coming under fire these days not just for their hefty salaries but also for their use of private jets, limos with drivers and free trips to posh resorts.

But they aren't alone in living this lavish lifestyle -- the president of United States gets all these perks and more.

The president makes $400,000 a year, but hasn't received a raise from Congress since 2001. He also gets a $50,000 annual entertainment expense account (any unused money at the end of the year must go back to the Treasury.)

Then there is the use of two private jets, Boeing 747s better known as Air Force One. And of course the constant security details, drivers, a private chef, a country vacation estate and the rent-free use of a well-known, 132-room mansion called the White House.

Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/print?id=6806414

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The Obamas have to pay for all their own groceries, drinks, dry cleaning and even their toothpaste. All of those personal items get taken out of his salary. Granted, the private chef then prepares dinner using those groceries.

Presidential Vacations 'Part of the Job'

If a CEO borrows the company jet to go on a private vacation, he or she might not be charged by the company for the perk, but they do have to pay income taxes on the value of such a flight.

For the president, it's a different story.

(If the president adds a fundraiser into a trip, that portion of the expenses is typically paid back through the campaign.) REALLY? since when?

[Tangerine LaBamba]

1. Since they started used the planes

for political events. Where have you been? Who else would pay?

This comparison - if it's meant to be a comparison - between the President of the United States and Wall Street CEOs is specious, at best. What nonsense.

[RandySF]

2. The author is right on

It's not like Obama is also Commander-in-Chief of the military and Leader of the Free World (snark).

[floridablue]

3. Smirk always did a President thing for a few minutes on his

fundraising trips. Remember when he forced his way into the MLK celebration at the last minute when they didn't have an "excuse" for the fund raising trip down south?

[underpants]

8. That was exactly what I thought of first

If I remember correctly W had fundraisers in Atlanta AND New Orleans (pre-Katrina) and invited himself to the MLK birthday, he picked up over a million dollars at those two events (the fundraisers)

they had to move buses in in Atlanta to give the networks an excuse to not show the 1,000's of people who showed up to shout W down.

[awoke_in_2003]

4. They are comparing

apples and oranges. The president has a personal chef and his own airplane for one reason only: to ensure his safety. How often are CEO's safety threatened?

[No Elephants]

27. Depends. Are you asking about before the bailout or after the bailout?

[Missy Vixen]

5. How much would we have to pay the President of the United States

for a salary if he did not have most of the above perks? Security, for instance: How much might that cost? How could the country reimburse someone for essentially giving up all hope of a "normal" life for four to eight years?

I smell a disgruntled Republican journalist, or an attempt to undermine Obama's attempts to tell Wall Street they've had enough.

[Mind_your_head]

6. What an unfortunately misleading title to the article......

Was it ON PURPOSE???? *using my best church-lady voice*

ah the tricks o' the 'trade'.....the media-whores are online!

[olddad56]

7. Are we forgetting that we now have a person with more integrity ...

in one toenail than the previous Presidents entire crime family had put together.

The last guy was a war criminal and is responsible for the deaths of over a million Iraqis. He has bankrupted the country and most of the world with it.

And we are concerned about whether or not Obama will buy his own groceries.

I'll bet Bush never spent a penny while he was stealing Billions.

[NashVegas]

9. Sounds Like the CEOs at ABC, NBC, Viacom, CNN Are Pretty Pissed Off

about that $500k thing.

[underpants]

10. They don't need to be. They haven't taken any TARP money have they?

Or is this more about looking out for their old classmates at Exeter and Andover and the like?

[NashVegas]

13. No, But

They might very well foresee a trend they don't like. These guys aren't loyal to any one company, and could find themselves wanting a banking gig.

[Blue_Tires]

29. people who advertise with them have...

[Mind_your_head]

19. You've got THAT right.....not just CEO's of the companies you mention.....

I've got it on "first hand knowledge" that some CEO's of companies that aren't currently affected by this new idea are AFRAID of the $500,000 limit. Well, welcome to REALITY, Mr./Ms. CEO!!!! Come see how the rest of us folks live/see things! What are you going to do for your WORKER and not just your STOCKHOLDER!

If the workers are happy and productive, your stockholders are going to be happy (and sucking on the workers hard labor ~ like they always do ~ but it is what it is).

It would cause such a *crimp* in their lifestyle/feeling of security....even though a lot of the smart ones have their assets parked 'overseas' somewhere.

[UpInArms]

11. where were the crapweasel articles when King George was vacationing

on our dollar?

Bush to Surpass Reagan's All-Time Presidential Vacation Record

That's why George W. Bush is on track to break the Ronald Reagan's record for taking the most paid time off on your dime. I guess you could look at it this way -- the more he's on vacation, the less damage he can do to the country. (Houston Chronicle):

On Thursday, Bush left for a weekend in Kennebunkport, Maine, and his family's summer compound, Walker's Point. On Monday, he heads to his Crawford retreat, where he has spent all or part of 418 days of his presidency, according to Mark Knoller, a CBS News White House correspondent and meticulous record-keeper.


...The presidential vacation-time record holder is the late Ronald Reagan, who tallied 436 days in his two terms. At 418 days, and with 17 months to go in his presidency, Bush is going to beat that easily.

...A recent survey by Yahoo Hot Jobs found nearly half of American workers did not take all of their vacation days last year.

Nice to know he's getting tanned, rested and ready while men and women are working in 110-degree heat in Iraq and getting blasted by IEDs.

Remember, the president also told Nebraska resident Mary Mornin, in her late 50s, and raising three kids -- one mentally challenged -- this:

MS. MORNIN: That's good, because I work three jobs and I feel like I contribute.


THE PRESIDENT: You work three jobs?

MS. MORNIN: Three jobs, yes.


THE PRESIDENT: Uniquely American, isn't it? I mean, that is fantastic that you're doing that. (Applause.) Get any sleep? (Laughter.)

Listen to that classic here.

[underpants]

14. Let's not forget the RNC.. Using W pics on Air Force One *ON* 9/11 for Fundraising

With September 11th approaching and the prospect of Bush using the anniversary events to make political gains for his ailing ratings, we thought it would be important to show how Bush has previously used the tragedy of 9-11 to advance his far-right political agenda and, most despicably, to make a quick buck for the GOP.


In May, Bush and the GOP started selling a three-photo collection of Bush's first year in office, which included a photo of "a telephone call from Air Force One to Vice President Cheney the afternoon of September 11."

http://www.buzzflash.com/editorial/2002/09/06_Bush_911.html

[Cha]

25. That's right..Public Enemy Number One,

The CorporateMedia, doesn't get to bitch about Obama when they didn't do due diligence on the bushits.

They sn00zed they lose.

[RFKHumphreyObama]

31. My thoughts exactly

It's amazing how a Democratic President can awaken the press from their subservience to the Commander in Chief -but don't worry they'll go back to being loyal water carriers when the next Republican gets into office

[cosmicone]

12. POTUS works 24/7 ... CEOs work 24 hours in 7 n/t

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

15. This loser article is getting absolutely roasted in the comments.

[VADem11]

16. Laughable article

The President is completely different from a CEO. At the very least, the President is elected and he is the head of state so of course we want the White House to be nice. Let's not forget to mention that Presidential planes and limos are for security reasons as well.

[underpants]

22. By SCOTT MAYEROWITZ ......ABC NEWS Business Unit

Business Unit <--- sometimes the jokes write themselves

[No Elephants]

28. Clever. Thanks. I needed a smile!

[LiberalFighter]

26. The President has in effect 138 million employees (taxpayers) with a budget over $2,700 billion.

Maybe this is expressed wrong.

[OwnedByFerrets]

17. I want to see the article they did ripping Monkeyboy

for the same perks/salary and taking almost 1000 days of vacation when the average american barely gets one or two weeks a yr.

[phleshdef]

18. The President is responsible for the well being of 300,000+ lives and sacrifices his personal life.

Given I don't feel like Bush earned his keep at all, but Clinton did and so far Obama seems to be dedicating his time and effort to the job very aggresively. Politics aside, but when these men (and hopefully someday soon women) take on this job, they have to give up SO much in terms of personal life. At the same time, the weight of the free world is literally on their shoulders. If they really care and are really trying to fulfill the duty, then they deserve what they are getting paid.

[Mind_your_head]

20. I think the issue is (and I bet we would agree).....do CEO's DESERVE/EARN

the millions and BILLIONS, in some cases, that they receive?

on edit to add: MOST EVERY CEO earns more money and receives more perks than the President of the United States! and the POTUS has FAR, FAR more responsibility, more difficult job than any CEO, joystick EVER could imagine!

[phleshdef]

24. Thats a great point. Corporate CEOs outearn the President by enormous proportions with no term limit

[HughMoran]

30. 300,000,000?

I think you slipped 3 zeros.

[phleshdef]

32. LOL, that I did. Oops.

[Uncle Joe]

21. What an asinine comparison, the President is

responsible for leading the entire United States of approximately 300 million people, nuclear weapons and all.

Some corporate CEO is responsible for leading one corporation.

The last sentence was laughable and missed the entire point of the ethos behind government service.

"I can't think of any perk that I would consider taxable when it has to do with handling the most important, often the most secure, business of the United States," Hess added. "We don't pay the president a great deal of money."

Nice try fellows, but the President makes plenty of money, if that's unsatisfactory he/she shouldn't volunteer to lead the nation.

The real issue of which this corporate loving column is trying to obscure, is the outrageous, immoral ratio of CEO pay compared to that of their average workers, having gone in 1989 from 26xs to over 300xs today, but don't expect the corporate worshiping media to enlighten the people to that piece of information. Anyone wanting to know why the house is such a wreck need to look no further than that.

[EraOfResponsibility]

23. this is CLEARLY retaliation from the corporate thugs

I mean, it should be obvious who's behind this.

[genna]

33. I tried to comment on this article at ABC News...for some reason I could not register

Here's my comment to them.

I've read enough comments to believe you, dear SCOTT MAYEROWITZ, get the point. Your editors should know better than to come this way at the Office of President regardless of whether it is Bill Clinton and/or Barack Obama.

If you want to justify CEO, CFO and/or other executive pay scales, tell us
1. the amount of time and energy they spent,
2. what the quality/quantity of work they actually get,
3. the contribution they make to the national economy...how many jobs created and sustained by that contribution.

or any other number of job description $ per quantity of work analysis.

What you did here was just low brow and not worthy of what the 4th estate's job description is. The way I see it the more industries which are pared down as a result of the problems in the economy, the more news organizations have to be responsible with what's left of hard news for which the public trusts. There are better things to read that are based on hard facts on PBS or CSPAN websites.

[liberalsince1968]

34. Keep it up, MSM!

I don't think even repugs would but THAT argument.

Nobody hates Bush more than I do, but it would never have occurred to me even to begrudge him those "perks."