Our first lady has taken over 50 trips many of which were overseas and unaccompanied by the President. As far as I know these trips are all paid for at taxpayers expense. What entitles her to have us pay for her trips? I she a government official or is this simply a perk of being the Presidents wife? Would appreciate your comments?
w
Well, strictly speaking, “The First Lady” is a political appointee chosen by the president. However, what makes “her” (it may be a man, if the Pres is a woman) different is that she is chosen BEFORE the president becomes president. It is a given that she has the president’s ear and thus plays a role in policy and decision making. So, the next time you vote, consider what woman you’re putting into office.
Seriously though, I think she should have to pay for her own damn tickets.
The President gets an annual travel allowance in addition to an expense account and a salary. I would assume that the First Lady’s Trips come out of one those budgets.
There is an official government entity called the Office of the First Lady. I assume it, like all such entities, is specifically authorized and funded by Congress.
Note that her homepage is a “.gov” and not a “.org”.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/WH/EOP/First_Lady/html/HILLARY_Home.html
I would consider that most of her trips would have been diplomatic in nature also, wouldn’t they?
The practical explanation is that diplomacy is a very strange game, and sometimes the first lady is a good card to play. In particular, it allows us to send at once the two messages: “We’re sending you someone very important,” and “We’re sending you a woman,” or the two messages: “We’re sending you someone very important,” and “This is unofficial.” It also indicates that the USA has at least a theoretical commitment to the idea of the equality of women.
If you’ve got a first lady who’s politically astute, she’s an asset, so you use her. (But you have to remember that she’s not official, and that means that there are certain things she can’t do; in one recent flap, Mrs. Clinton was, unfairly, I think, condemned for not taking an action that would have been quite ultra vires.)
John W. Kennedy
“Compact is becoming contract; man only earns and pays.”
– Charles Williams
Ultra vires? As it were. Not ultra mulieres, apparently. rolls eyes
Beyond the legal authority of a person. Usually corporate in the sense that a corporation is a “person” for legal purposes. In the instant case Hillary was taken to task for not doing something that would have been both ultra vires (beyond the legal scope of her authority as an unofficial ambassador)and ultra mulieres (beyond the scope of her status as wife of a head of state).
That said, Presidents very often send unoffical ambassadors on quasi-diplomatic missions and pick up the tab for their expenses. It’s sorta like when your lending institution sends Cousin Guido around to discuss your payment schedule. He may not have the corporate authority to resolve your difficulty but he can still get the message across. It’s a subtle and more elegant method than sending guys with guns to put a horse’s head in your bed.
Having a Horse’s Ass is your bed is another matter though, and, in this case, not ultra mulieres.
JB
Lex Non Favet Delicatorum Votis
Of course, I knew that. Doesn’t anyone make puns in Latin anymore? sigh.
Well, now you have to justify Chelsea’s being over there.
Ray (But then, I guess she was supposed to be off limits.)
Is it just me or does anyone else find Hillary strangely sexy?
It’s probably just you.
It’s certainly doesn’t seem to be Bill.
Pitbull, would you be amused or distressed to know that lesbian comedian Lea Delaria agrees with you?
I’ve often aspired to be a lesbian.
“Our first lady has taken over 50 trips many of which were overseas and unaccompanied by the President. As far as I know these trips are all paid for at taxpayers expense. What entitles her to have us pay for her trips?”
The cost of these trips would only amount to an infinitesimal portion of the federal budget. Stop worrying about it.
Simply stated, just because you may not like the current first lady doesn’t mean she is not entitled to the benefits of being first lady, one of which is the subject matter here. We should be more outraged at the fact that she is using this power to influence her political aspirations and not only that but to actually use this money to finance this portion of her “campaign”. Peace y’all, and thanks for not flaming me for me ignorant comments about my odd sexual attraction to said first lady.
The ever insensitive, politically incorrect PitBullDawg
You’re not alone in your feelings about Hillary, PitBullDawg, consumer/worker activist, writer and TV personality Michael Moore talked about finding her sexy in his book, ‘Downsize This!’
She’s a little old for my tastes, but she’s certainly not unattractive.
matt, please enlighten those of us (i.e. me) with skimpy Latin, so we can enjoy your pun: ultra mulieres?
Bill’s behind all of Hillary’s trips. When she is out of town, he gets his booty.