Travel schedule on record pace
I respond to the Thursday letter “Don’t forget Obamas’ travels,” from Bud Norris and his statement that taxpayers paid $35 million to $40 million for the Obama family vacations for eight years. Norris underestimated it, but: “Trump’s three consecutive weekend trips to his private Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida alone probably cost the federal treasury about $10 million, based on figures used in an October government report analyzing White House travel,” explains The Washington Post. Meanwhile, a Judicial Watch report from December put Obama’s total travel costs over eight years at just under $97 million.
Note again that this $10 million is for one month alone, so work that out for the next 47 months.
Cindy Smith Hebron
The ACT and SAT tests are a racket. Children whose parents have the money and inclination take prep courses, take the tests and then retake the tests if needed to up their scores. Children whose parents do not have disposable incomes, lack college degrees or work weekend jobs are not so lucky.Surely the retired couple would not begrudge our children — everyone’s children — a chance for a better future. Remember, these same children will be paying for your Medicare and Social Security entitlements for decades to come. we should be talking to the Russians every day. That’s better than shooting at each other every day.
When the Bear does something wrong, pick up the phone and say “We don’t like what you are doing, let’s talk about it.”
Robert Overman Columbus upset by his votes and our government.
Americans are frightened and upset by actions taken against our environment, scientific facts, civil liberties, women and minorities, consumer and banking protections, health care, and against our constitutional rights to free press, rights to assemble, and our rights to protest government actions.
As a lifelong Republican voter, I am frightened by these same issues. Despite Stivers’ comments in Wednesday’s Politico, grassroots organic political movements can happen in 10 days.
I can prove this. Stivers should introduce a gun-control bill on the floor today and see how much backlash and instant protest erupts.