His home budget seems to be a bi out of whack; why should we be surprised at his government spending?

Women's Wear Daily reported today that Michelle Obama wore a dress that retails for $1850 to the State of the Union address given by her husband, Barack Obama, on Wednesday night.

Last week, the White House featured as the 'photo of the day' a picture of Michelle Obama wearing a $2763 designer coat with matching dress of unknown cost and $850 custom made designer boots.

During the Obama's $4000 per day Christmas vacation, Michelle Obama was photographed wearing a $635 pair of designer shoes. A recent study of five pairs of designer shoes worn last year by Michelle Obama showed an average price of $700 per pair

via www.freerepublic.com

OK, the Presidential salary s $400,000. The tuition for the Obamas' daughters at Sidwell Friends is about $30k per, although I'd say the total would be about $56k-ish, since it's fairly common to give a tuition discount on additional children from the same family.

Assuming the Obamas don't itemize (yeah, right), they're paying taxes on $374,000 ($400k - 4[3650.00 personal exemptions] - 11,400 [standard deduction, married filing jointly]). That places them in the 35% tax bracket, so that's about $130,000 the Obamas are shelling out to their "fair share" of the national tax burden.

So, $400k - $130k - $56k = $214,000.

Now, out of that - because, of course, they wouldn't accept illegal GIFTS, would they? - teh One™ also must pay some of the living expenses at the White House. It's my understanding, for instance, that he'll have to pay his food expenses, although the government does pick up the tab for state functions.

I'm sure that the Obamas have other sources of income, but it does make me wonder how far $214k can stretch when you're going on $4,000 a day vacations and your wife likes $700 shoes...

Comments

[Raven]

1.

Ah they're just ordinary average folk...the Obama's. They can FEEL our pain...and our agony and all those other pesky emotions we humans tend to feel when we're jobless, wearing dirty clothes and shoes with holes in them. Yep. Mrs Bambi is a winner when it comes to empathy. And class.

[Kat]

2.

Hey, friend! Long time, no hear  - are you doing OK? I've got to get off my rear and send you an e-mail to see how things are.

*smirk*
 
Yeah, and the Obamas are so totally "salt of the earth" sort of people [rolls eyes]... For all the disagreements I had with so many of Bush's policies, one thing you can say about that family is they're far more gracious and "just folks" sort of people than the current residents of the White House.

Oh, our Founders are writhing in their graves in agony over the insane programs and big government, I'm sure!