Obama's Entourage: 40 Planes to India, 45 Cars, 900 Hotel Rooms

[Obnoxiously Slutty Girly Girl]

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story/117956/LATEST%20HEADLINES/taj-trip-included-in-barack-obamas-itinerary.html

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/Barack-and-Michelles-Mumbai-darshan-plans/articleshow/6797379.cms

You must be logged in to read this quote.

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Glad the taxpayers can pick up the tab for this massive, incredibly expensive, environment-destroying imperialist junket to India.

[Sbane]

Well, if you go to India, you gotta roll like a Maharaja. (But seriously aren't most of the expenses due to security concerns?)

[Ban my account ffs!]

These kinds of things make me wonder why things such as telecommunications can't suffice.  Why does he have to be there in person?

I mean.. if he can deal with the jet lag, why not just do the meetings in the late evening or middle of the night?

As oil prices rise in the future, it will become increasingly hard to justify such trips.  We might as well get used to it now.

[King]

The President of the United States should clearly fly Southwest and take a taxi from the airport to the nearest Best Western franchise in Mumbai.

But I agree, we'd be better off with teleconferences.  But there's also the security concern there that important business can't be dealt with due to fear of 3rd party phone tapping.

[John Dibble]

These kinds of things make me wonder why things such as telecommunications can't suffice.  Why does he have to be there in person?

I mean.. if he can deal with the jet lag, why not just do the meetings in the late evening or middle of the night?

It's psychological. With modern telecommunications and package delivery services, you could just have a big video conference with your relatives and mail them their presents for Christmas in lieu of an actually family get together, but would you really do that? Of course not. Actually physically meeting someone, being in the same room as them, has an effect on how you react to them and how they react to you. It's much more personal. And in matters of international diplomacy I imagine it's flattering to have the most powerful man on the planet actually take time to come visit you. On the other hand if you never got a visit you might feel insulted if you're in a position where you might expect such a visit.

So, yeah, while logically speaking everything could be handled with teleconferences human behavior dictates that actual diplomatic visits will be more likely to produce desirable results.

[Obnoxiously Slutty Girly Girl]

Well, if you go to India, you gotta roll like a Maharaja. (But seriously aren't most of the expenses due to security concerns?)

Well Obama had better not ever say another word about "carbon footprint" again, after flying 40 aircraft 16,000 miles to make one diplomatic voyage, and driving 45 cars everywhere he goes, including some sort of Cadillac tank that makes the Hummer sound eco-friendly.

Unless, of course, he has no problem with shameless hypocrisy.

[Beet]

Sweet. The bigger the better; India is a hugely important country. If things go badly, it's our 1.2 billion- person bulwark and insurance policy against both AfPak Islamism and Chinese expansionism. Why do you think Bush was willing to break the non proliferation treaty to help them out? In this regard he was quite forward looking.

[Obnoxiously Slutty Girly Girl]

Sweet. The bigger the better; India is a hugely important country. If things go badly, it's our 1.2 billion- person bulwark and insurance policy against both AfPak Islamism and Chinese expansionism. Why do you think Bush was willing to break the non proliferation treaty to help them out? In this regard he was quite forward looking.

That pretty much sums up the Bush/Obama/NWO mentality. Big government, big business, big corporations...the little people are just expendable pawns in their games. Flying 40 polluting aircraft for one man to visit India, carbon tax for everyone else.

But of course the Romans, the British, the Soviets, and every other empire had the same mentality before they inevitably collapsed. All the bombastic military parades showing off their fancy weaponry couldn't save the Soviet Union. Nor will Obama showing off his Cadillac "Barack Mobiles" save the U.S. Empire.

Obama & co would do well to learn some ancient wisdom: μηδὲν ἄγαν

[Beet]

LOL. India's a big country. Compared to that, 40 planes is tiny; even if they were all filled with diplomats and businessmen who will make valuable contacts there. What can you do?

[Silent Hunter]

(But seriously aren't most of the expenses due to security concerns?)

Yes; 900 people seems a reasonable number for advisers, Secret Service and press people.

Remember the President of the United States is a major terrorist target whoever the incumbent is.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

As usual, pointless fake outage.

[Platypus]

Just wondering, what was the entourage when Bush visited India in 2006?

[Obnoxiously Slutty Girly Girl]

As usual, pointless fake outage.

Of course not. It's okay for Obama to be outraged that you're not using mercury light bulbs in your bathroom, but don't you dare say anything Obama's 640,000 miles worth of aircraft carbon emissions and air pollution.


Never mind all the inconveniences this no doubt causes to the people of India as Obama's imperial retinue comes to shut down town.

[tpfkaw]

Disgusting.  Here's hoping we won't have to finance Pasha Boy's junkets past early 2013.

(Of course, we'll just be doing the same for some equally horrible as$hole, but at least we'll be rid of one).

[dead0man]

But I agree, we'd be better off with teleconferences.  But there's also the security concern there that important business can't be dealt with due to fear of 3rd party phone tapping.

Cryptography is a very advanced tech.  We can (and do) do secure communications between India and DC quite easily.

My post is my cite.


(on the other hand, I really don't have much of a problem with the President taking his entourage to India as long as it's not happening twice a month or at inappropriate times)

[opebo]

That pretty much sums up the Bush/Obama/NWO mentality. Big government, big business, big corporations...the little people are just expendable pawns in their games.

But of course the Romans, the British, the Soviets, and every other empire had the same mentality before they inevitably collapsed.

Libertas, the collapse of those Empires resulted only in their replacement by other empires, and the empire of the 'Big' over the 'little' has never altered one bit, and never will.

You might as well be complaining about gravity.  Human society is an ugly, brutal heap of apes bashing those beneath them.  Get used to it.

[King]

That pretty much sums up the Bush/Obama/NWO mentality. Big government, big business, big corporations...the little people are just expendable pawns in their games.

But of course the Romans, the British, the Soviets, and every other empire had the same mentality before they inevitably collapsed.

Libertas, the collapse of those Empires resulted only in their replacement by other empires, and the empire of the 'Big' over the 'little' has never altered one bit, and never will.

You might as well be complaining about gravity.  Human society is an ugly, brutal heap of apes bashing those beneath them.  Get used to it.

Opebo FTW like never before.

[Obnoxiously Slutty Girly Girl]

The planes and cars weren't enough for Emperor Obama's imperial retinue. He apparently also needs 34 warships, including an aircraft carrier, to accompany his trip to India.

Oh, and all the coconuts were removed from Mumbai's trees, lest one fall upon Obama's precious royal head.

[Semaphore]

First of all, publicly announcing which hotel Obama will supposedly stay at is such a brilliant idea. Booking 900 rooms isn't going to stop a very determined person from trying to blow up the entire hotel if he really wanted to. Or is this actually a decoy hotel? Even if he is the president, this just seems like overkill.

I don't believe that taxpayers should be burdened with paying for such ridiculous trips for politicians who are already paid well and given many perks, but oh well. I don't care what party or political affiliation a politician belongs to; everyone needs to stop getting overpaid and pampered at the expense of taxpayers, particularly when it's very questionable how much work that they're actually accomplishing.

[??????????]

Royalty can do as they please, fool.

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

is this the $200 million PER DAY trip?

[Brittain33]

is this the $200 million PER DAY trip?

That number was made up.

In other news, thanks for alerting me to what I'm going to hear my father whine about over Thanksgiving.

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

is this the $200 million PER DAY trip?

That number was made up.

In other news, thanks for alerting me to what I'm going to hear my father whine about over Thanksgiving.

then, what is actually price tag, $190M/day?  and if you don't know the actual cost, then how can you refute the $200M/day?

please save me a place setting at your Thanksgiving dinner.......hint:  I'm a lot smarter than your father...but, seeing how you turned out, that was already obvious.

[Holmes]

I actually think the actual cost is more towards $500 million per day, and since you don't know the actual cost, you can't refudiate me.

[Brittain33]

then, what is actually price tag, $190M/day?  and if you don't know the actual cost, then how can you refute the $200M/day?

Think about that logic for a minute. If you don't know the number, you can make it up, and the burden of proof is on the other person to say you aren't right. Ridiculous.

The correct answer: we don't know how much it costs. Taking a made-up number and criticizing the President on that basis is bearing false witness.

My Dad's a smart and successful guy (electrical engineer by training, then successful small businessman) who has the character flaw of trusting the Wall St. Journal's editorial page.