Posted on 03/19/2012 9:27:17 AM PDT by STARWISE
They probably sent grandma Robinson along as the chaperone. I’m sure she needs a break from that”awful” WH.
who’s the responsible adult?
Probably end up marrying a Kennedy. Or Ellen Degeneras’ daughter.
I can’t afford to take my kids on a vacation and they do
this.... How much is this costing the tax payer?
Very little. The Obamas will refund the cost as they do on all the vacations that are not official trips. Why some of you don’t get that is beyond me. They used to say the same thing about the Bush’s and Clinton’s. There are very strict rules on federal government travel. If you read the federal travel guidelines you would know. It is in the FTR manual.
I don’t like the idea of the SS in the first place.
The United States of America has a detailed line of succession of the Executive Branch’s Chief Executive. The President is neither a King nor Nobleman, he/she is a lowly public servant who should be in constant fear of those he/she is governing.
Wilson first started the “President is king crap” and the monsters have just gotten worse.
A very basic set of security measures of course should be provided, but not at the expense of the individual’s basic rights to FREELY travel/protest/assemble.
How unfortunate, especially since white liberal guilt got her into the White House.
It makes me feel good to know I’m paying for the obama kids’ leisure time when I can’t even take my kids to Mcdonalds..
She’s getting “cooties” from the white skin touching her in the far left photo.
You have got to be kidding. The cost of Secret Service protection alone is staggering.
why? just send her to Cali, you can see a mexican on every street corner. completely unecessary trip
She’s getting “cooties” from the white skin touching her in the far left photo.
yea, that is what I got from the pic too.
I would imagine that those are classmates from her very exclusive private school. The other girls look pretty normal, but it’s obvious from the photos that Malia thinks she is too important to be nice to any of them. I don’t think she appreciates that hug.
Oaxaca is a nice tourist resort with some interesting sights. My son-in-law took his three daughters up into the hills behind the town to do some walking about five years ago, and they were approached by a young Mexican thug with a knife. He had to empty out his wallet, because he didn’t want to risk his daughters. It was relatively clear of drug gangsters back then, but I think they’re pretty much everywhere now.
One of the sights is the largest tree in the world.
How did she get there? Gov't passenger aircraft, I'll bet. Let's see, Malia and 12 friends, 25 SS agents, and how many parents? Was one aircraft large enough, or more? What type?
How about ground transport? How many Suburbans were airlifted, too? How many cargo aircraft were allocated for this excursion? Now how many aircraft are we talking about, total?
While Malia's Spring breaking, are the aircraft available for other uses or are they all sitting on a runway in Mexico?
How many aircraft does the WH have at its beck and call? One for each member of the family? Don't forget the dog, he needs a ride, too.
Slow down, everybody. We know a couple of Sidwell girls from my daughter’s soccer team. One of them, an eighth grader, is in Mexico this week for a school trip. I expect it’s the same expedition. FWIW, I understand from the parents that this trip will involve a lot of charitable service hours, in which department Sidwell imposes a fairly stiff requirement.
I personally have no experience with school trips that don’t involve getting on a schoolbus to go to the park/museum/ballgame, but it’s been many years since I was in 8th grade and I understand things have changed a bit. My old southern Indiana high school now regularly sends the Latin and French clubs to Italy and France. Things have changed more than a little.
But as for the case at hand, I understand that this spring break abroad thing is a standard part of the Sidwell program. How it breaks down between service projects vs tourism vs international acculturation and language skills development, I don’t know, but if it’s the standard Sidwell drill, I have some confidence the kids will get a workout.
Granted, having 25 Secret Service guys along changes the chemistry. The management of Presidential kids imposes some challenges, but I’m generally in favor of giving them as normal a school experience as possible.
Bottom line, I think this is a standard school trip, with heavy security.
The Obamas are paying the salaries, hotel, and airfare for 25 SS agents? I know the SS agents are employed anyway, but this strikes me as overtime - do those girls get accompanied by that many to school?
The Obamas pay the flight costs of Air Force 2 every time Michelle goes on vacation?
And, oh, ####, this is the powerful and monied class, that can afford $30,000 for tuition, and spring breaks abroad for 13 y.o.s, making sure their daughters make connections....
Poor Malia. She looks like she has no friends because she doesn’t know how to be one, doesn’t know how to enjoy herself or be happy. She may be six feet tall already, and she comes from parents I don’t like, but ... she IS a child. And I have a sullen child myself.
The Secret Service is the parent at our expense.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.