Obama to Give 5% of Salary Back

The Weekly Standard ^ | 3 Apr 13 | DANIEL HALPER

[SkyPilot]

The New York Times reports:

President Obama plans to return 5 percent of his salary to the Treasury in solidarity with federal workers who are going to be furloughed as part of the budget cutting process known as sequester, an administration official said Wednesday.

The voluntary move would be retroactive to March 1 and apply through the rest of the calendar year, the official said. The White House came up with the 5 percent figure to approximate the level of automatic spending cuts to non-defense federal agencies that took effect that day.

Politico adds:

"The salary for the president, as with members of Congress, is set by law and cannot be changed," the official said. "However, the president has decided that to share in the sacrifice being made by public servants across the federal government that are affected by the sequester, he will contribute a portion of his salary back to the Treasury."

[SkyPilot]

Interesting development.

Let me be the first to diffuse the obvious quips to be posted: "He should give back the other 95%!"

Yeah, yeah.

Let's examine this more rationally.

A lot of military employees, air traffic controllers, and other Federal employees who actually perform useful functions will lose about 15% of their pay very soon.

I wonder why Obama only chose to take a 5% cut?

The rationale given is also totally strange:

"The White House came up with the 5 percent figure to approximate the level of automatic spending cuts to non-defense federal agencies that took effect that day."

Defense spending is taking a 9% cut, which translates to a 13% cut because it has to enacted by September 30th - and that is just the first of 10 years of cuts. Why didn't Barry take a higher cut, or at least mirror the Defense cuts that he had a huge hand in enacting?

Moreover, where are our Republican masters on this? Boehner became the Sequestration King. He did a complete 180 - and so did Ryan, Cantor, and the rest. They agreed the Defense cuts were going to rape our military last fall, and then suddenly, they were all for them. Flip flopping political cowards. They sacrificed the military on the altar of politics. Only Sen Graham and a few others have actually said they will take a pay cut. I can tell you that I know a GS-05 (who makes very little) single mom who does admiral work for the Dod, and sh has a kid with severe medical issues - she is going to get screwed by the Sequester. No one really cares. If you bring it up here, you get either "My hard luck story is worse!" or "Burn all of them down! I hate the Federal Government, even the military!"

The barking moonbat crowd.

I wonder if Barry's gesture will put pressure on members of Congress? Pelosi said in February that it would be an "insult" to members of Congress to have their pay cut.

I guess the FBI agents or Navy welders should be honored by the pay cuts, while 1 in 5 Americans are either on Social Security Disability or Food Stamps?

[laweeks]

Like this POS needs an of it.

[Paperpusher]

How about 5% fewer gulf games or vacations, then we could save some real money.

[qaz123]

What a sport.

Just another glaring illustration of how “compassionate” that side is.

F**king moron.

[mountainlion]

Over $1B has been spent on elections to keep this guy in office. You would think he could do more.

[libertarian27]

That put him in another tax bracket - sneaky

(single rate)
$398,350 to $400,000: 35%
$400,000+: 39.6%

[puppypusher]

With all of the money this POS has stolen for vacations,etc.He owes us a hell of a lot more than 5 Percent.

I really feel sorry these Marines have to salute that POS every time he enters or exits that Helo. Same go’s for the Air Force Security Police guarding Air Force One.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

I’d settle for him paying for his own damn vacations.

[depressed in 06]

He will apply it to any taxes he owes.

What about the senior staffers who went with Moose to africa?

[deport]

This won’t change his base pay as that is set by law. It however may change in someway what he claims on deductions/gifts/charity, etc. Just my reading and maybe entirely wrong.

[SkyPilot]

When he leaves the White House (if he leaves), he will be "given" a multimillion dollar mansion in Hawaii by anonymous "supporters." Try getting away with that if you are Joe Blow.

The Clintons are the modern example of using the Presidency as a giant, exploding ATM machine.

BJ Clinton made about $35K a year a Governor of Arkansas.

When he left the White House, they were given millions by Democrats, and he made about $50 million (at least) giving speeches.

The payoff for the She-Male Moochelle and Bath House Barry will be gargantuan.

[goodtomato]

His thin skin is showing!

[SkyPilot]

What about the senior staffers

They are political appointees, and thus (per Congress) exempt from the furloughs.

Congress played loose and fancy with their own salaries. They exempted their own salaries, but they "blame" it on the 27th Amendment. The problem is that the current Congress that signed off on Sequestration and solidified it with the recently passed current Continuing Resolution exempted themselves anyway and then they argued that their salaries were not part of the original agreement anyway because they put their own pay in a trust.

Pretty clever.

Come 2014, this could become a huge issue for individual races and seats.

I would love to see Congress hoisted by its own petard on this.

[silverleaf]

Civil employees making 10% of his salary are losing about 15-20% and yet this POS is willing to “give back” 5%?

Barry can you spare a dime?
Michelle needs a new pair of shoes?

[Liz]

The O' kids were flying aroound to the Bahamas and Sun Valley.....while US kids were shut out of the WH supposedly due to sequestration Secret Service cutbacks. The O's galivanting teen daughter was spotted in NYC last week---with girlfriends---dining at the pricey Buddakan, scoffing up rock shrimp, edamame dumplings, short ribs, lobster fried rice........replete w/ five Secret Service guards dining nearby, while students her age were denied access to the people's house.

Buddakan.

[Liz]

LEARNING TOUR? M/M O pictured w/ Ivory Coast official 2009.

Malibu home of Ivory Coast dictator's son.

The oil-rich Ivory Coast has one of the worst human rights records in Africa whose rulers are accused of funneling millions of public monies into their own pockets. But now it looks like the son of the dictator----Teodoro---whose world—comprised yachts, Bugattis, and Michael Jackson memorabilia—could come crashing down, according to Foreign Policy (via Curbed).

Foreign Policy's Ken Silverstein reported that after a four-year investigation into alleged extortion and laundering of $100 million in the US and "theft of public funds, or other corrupt conduct" back at home, the Justice Department has filed notice of a lawsuit involving the possible seizure of Tedoro's California mansion, and other assets.

And French investigators just seized millions of dollars' worth of his sports cars, while the Spanish government is investigating the entire Obiang clan. Teodoro reportedly hasn't spent much time stateside recently, in part thanks to various legal actions against him.

Just a peek inside the insane world of Teodoro---he first came to the U.S. to attend Pepperdine University in Malibu. While tuition cost just $3,400, he managed to blow through $50,000 in the first five months before dropping out. Source: Business insier--LA Weekly.

Teodoro is listed as the owner of this $35 million mansion on the Malibu coast, which he paid for in cash. It was the most expensive home sold in California in 2006, and has a tennis court, swimming pool and 4-hole golf course.

Teodoro's on the government payroll as "minister of agriculture and forestry," and supposedly makes just $5,000 per month. But his Malibu home contains $60,000 worth of rugs, a $58,000 home theater and a $1,734 pair of wine glasses.

[SkyPilot]

This won’t change his base pay as that is set by law. It however may change in someway what he claims on deductions/gifts/charity, etc. Just my reading and maybe entirely wrong.

No, you are correct.

This is a very interesting game - salaries of the DC crowd.

This guy is actually one of the few heroes in all of this.

Deputy Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter.

He testified before the House and Senate Armed Services Committees - telling them the truth of what Sequestration would do to the DoD's Operations and Maintenance accounts (brutal).

He then offered to take a 20% pay cut (matching the worst of the projected furlough to hit 750,000 DoD employees).

It was embarrassing to see the members of the Armed Services Committees squirm.

Ashton Carter: Superhero of the Sequester

Speaker Boehner, however, has so far not offered any of his salary (which as Speaker is considerably higher than most members of Congress).

It might cut into his bar bill tab.

Pretty arrogant for the King of the Sequester, especially since thousands of employees at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (in his district) will see a 15% pay cut.

[Liz]

RICH-HATERS IN THE WH The Ohaha's say they hate the rich---but the O's know how to spend. The family blew $1.4B on travel and entertainment for themselves and their numerous personal staffs last year: that's 2000 times more than what the entire British Royal Family cost the UK ($57.8M)----$27 million bucks a week is only the tip of the iceberg:

White House sources claim Michelle (with a staff of 24) went through $10M of taxpayer money last year on just her own private trips and shopping sprees, with one calling the First Lady's self-indulgent spending orgy -including extravagant massages, top-shelf booze, and five-star hotels 'disgusting'.

NRO tallied what taxpayers are paying for the Ohaha's living in the White House: $1.4 billion per year: Air Force One ($181,757 per hour), executive chef ($100,000 per year), three full-time White House calligraphers ($ 277,050 per year for the trio), chief of staff to the president’s dog ($102,000 per year), Ohaha's royal motorcade ($2.2 million).

==========================================

$1.4 BILLION is the current annual cost of the White House — just in household expenses, not including US policy operations for which the WH exists--administered by some 900 parasites---policy staff recruited by Ohaha.

Annually, Ohaha vacations cost $20 million (the low estimate for Ohaha's Hawaii vacay was $4 million, but the true cost is probably five times that); the first family’s yearly health-care costs are $7 million; more than $6 million is spent on the White House grounds each year. Transportation costs were a staggering $346 million last year.-

TAXPAYERS DEMAND A FULL ACCOUNTING OF SECRET SERVICE ASSIGNMENTS BEFORE AND AFTER SEQUESTRATION

[SkyPilot]

Civil employees making 10% of his salary are losing about 15-20% and yet this POS is willing to “give back” 5%?

Yes, that is about it.

[Liz]

Rich-hater Michelle Ohaha appears on the cover of Vogue and opens up about what she says is her biggest priority -- maintaining a happy and tight-knit family. "Our job is, first and foremost, to make sure our family is whole."

I'm surprised Mrs O did not wear for the Vogue cover, the pricey diamnod bangles she sported at a DNC fund-raiser last Sept attended by "tolerant and compassionate" Dems....raised big bucks to keep Mr O in office so he could work for "the poor."

Musta wowed all the "tolerant and compassionate" Dems who hate the rich and support endless tax-paid programs "for the poor."

Her diamond Gothic cuff was priced at $15,350 set with 2.17 carats in diamonds and the Quatrefoil bracelet at $11,800 set with 1.73 carats in diamonds. (Excerpt) Read more at houston.culturemap.com

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Family togetherness--- that's a laugh. They took separate vacays few weeks ago. Been estimated he's spent some 800 hours golfing. All those shots of him on the greens never show the kiddies and wifey in tow. That's togetherness?