Staycation: Perhaps Obama family could have toned it down a bit

There is nothing wrong with the president taking a vacation with his family.

But that is not what is bothering some people about President Barack Obama's latest trip -- and the many others he has taken over the last year.

If this nation is truly trying to dig itself out of debt -- and there are so many families who are struggling -- couldn't the president have cut back a bit on his expensive travel? And maybe even stayed home at the White House for the holidays?

You have to understand that traveling for the president and his entourage is a costly experience -- as it is for any president. So when there are multiple personal trips and numerous deviations from the norm, taxpayers shell out more.

And in a robust economy, with things going well, it might just be a little annoying. In a recession, it is ridiculous.

The president talks all the time about how his opponents do not care about the country's lower and moderate income citizens and how they are out of touch with the families who are struggling to make ends meet. He says they are the elite and he is the man of the people.

Perhaps he thinks if he heads to a homeless shelter or visits a few military families, we won't notice that he is staying at a multimillion-dollar estate and is enjoying time on the beaches in Hawaii on our dime -- and not for the first time, either.

Sounds like someone else might be a little out of touch.

Published in Editorials on December 26, 2011 10:42 AM