It is being reported by multiple sources, including on-site and local press in
India, that the Obama family's little trip (in which he isn't going anywhere...)
is costing - are you ready - $200 _million_ USD _a day_ in expenses in India
alone. To be fair, some sources are reporting that the 200 mil includes
everything, not just expenses paid in India...like that matters. Further, it is
being reported that somewhere between - again, are you ready - 25 and 50 million
(total or per day, depending on the source) are because Michelle and the girls
are going. I realize in the sense of the entire US economy, 200 mil is a
rounding error, but come on. How can any rational person defend
spending/allowing the expenditure of 200 million a day on a friggin' trip? And
if it adds anything approaching the reported costs to bring his family, it is
all the more appalling.

Just as an exercise, figuring $24,000 a day in travel expenses, that's over 22
_years_ of going out, each and every night, or, at a fairly generous travel
allowance of $500.00 a day (FWIW, more than is allowed to the CEO of Walmart to
any city in CUS under normal circumstances), that's over nearly 1100 _years_ of
continuous travel.

And for the record, I have no direct information that the figure is correct, but
if it is even remotely close, it is a disgrace and it is mind-bogglingly
offensive to the poor in both the US and India. And I also hope like hell that
this is some wildly inaccurate and over-inflated number invented by Limbaugh and
Beck under the influence of God-knows-what, but if it isn't...

Sheesh to the 200,000,000th power,
R