Obama spends $277,050 a year for people to hand write invitations!

[healthmyths]

In all, the White House appears to employ 3 calligraphers for a yearly total of $277,050.

Despite sequestration, there's been no announcement of the White House scaling back on calligraphers.

Chief White House Calligrapher Gets Paid $96,725 Per Year | The Weekly Standard

And yet they close the WH to tours!

 

[Truthseeker420]

In all, the White House appears to employ 3 calligraphers for a yearly total of $277,050.

Despite sequestration, there's been no announcement of the White House scaling back on calligraphers.

Chief White House Calligrapher Gets Paid $96,725 Per Year | The Weekly Standard

And yet they close the WH to tours!

So Republicans are lying and being hypocritical when they criticized Obama being impersonal in his letters to Vets?

 

[rightwinger]

Republican calligrapher

 

[Truthseeker420]

Republican calligrapher

lol The George W Bush Library must have opened.

 

[healthmyths]

In all, the White House appears to employ 3 calligraphers for a yearly total of $277,050.

Despite sequestration, there's been no announcement of the White House scaling back on calligraphers.

Chief White House Calligrapher Gets Paid $96,725 Per Year | The Weekly Standard

And yet they close the WH to tours!

So Republicans are lying and being hypocritical when they criticized Obama being impersonal in his letters to Vets?

It is NOT then personalized letter from OBAMA!
It's IMPERSONAL autosignatured by Obama!

 

[healthmyths]

But in December 2008, John Solomon of the Washington Times reported that as part of a private effort to comfort the families of those killed in war and during 9/11, then-President Bush sent personal letters to the families of “every one of the more than 4,000 troops who have died in the two wars, an enormous personal effort that consumed hours of his time and escaped public notice.”
White House Disputes Charge President Uses ?Auto-pen? for Letters to Lost Soldiers? Grieving Families - ABC News

 

[healthmyths]

No calligraphers were used in those 4,000 personal letters from GWB!!!

 

[rightwinger]

No calligraphers were used in those 4,000 personal letters from GWB!!!

That is sick

4000 dead because Bush lied to start a war and he sends them each a letter

Dear Mr and Mrs Smith

Your child would still be alive if it weren't for my bad decisions....

43

.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

In all, the White House appears to employ 3 calligraphers for a yearly total of $277,050.

Despite sequestration, there's been no announcement of the White House scaling back on calligraphers.

Chief White House Calligrapher Gets Paid $96,725 Per Year | The Weekly Standard

And yet they close the WH to tours!

So Republicans are lying and being hypocritical when they criticized Obama being impersonal in his letters to Vets?

He wouldnt waste the valuable time of his team of calligraphers on a mere soldier silly.

 

[healthmyths]

No calligraphers were used in those 4,000 personal letters from GWB!!!

That is sick

4000 dead because Bush lied to start a war and he sends them each a letter

Dear Mr and Mrs Smith

Your child would still be alive if it weren't for my bad decisions....

43

.

FACT IS
Clinton STARTED the war...
The Iraq Liberation Act of 1998 Public law 105-338 CNN - Clinton: Iraq has abused its last chance - December 16, 1998
signed The Iraq Liberation Act of 1998 Public law 105-338 expressed the sense of congress it should be policy to support efforts to remove from power the current Iraqi regime.

The Iraqi Perspectives Project (IPP) review of captured Iraqi documents uncovered strong evidence that links the regime of Saddam Hussein to regional and global terrorism.
Despite their incompatible long-term goals, many terrorist movements and Saddam found a common enemy in the United States.
At times these organizations worked together, trading access for capability. In the period after the 1991 Gulf War, the regime of Saddam Hussein supported a complex and increasingly disparate mix of pan-Arab revolutionary causes and emerging pan-Islamic radical movements.
The relationship between Iraq and forces of pan-Arab socialism was well known and was in fact one ofthe defining qualities of the Ba'ath movement.

Saddam's regime often cooperated directly, albeit cautiously, with terrorist groups when they believed such groups could help advance Iraq's long-term goals. The regime carefully recorded its connections to Palestinian terror organizations in numerous government memos.
One such example documents Iraqi financial support to families of suicide bombers in Gaza and the West Bank.

Under Saddam, the Iraqi regime used its paramilitary Fedayeen Saddam training camps to train terrorists for use inside and outside Iraq.
In 1999, the top ten graduates of each Fedayeen Saddam class were specifically chosen for assignment to London, from there to be ready to conduct operations anywhere in Europe.

http://www.fas.org/irp/eprint/iraqi/v1.pdf
he community of nations may see more and more of the very kind of threat Iraq poses now: a rogue state with weapons of mass destruction, ready to use them or provide them to terrorists. If we fail to respond today, Saddam and all those who would follow in his footsteps will be emboldened tomorrow.” — Bill Clinton in 1998

“The threat of Saddam Hussein with weapons of mass destruction is real, but as I said, it is not new. It has been with us since the end of that war, and particularly in the last 4 years we know after Operation Desert Fox failed to force him to reaccept them, that he has continued to build those weapons. He has had a free hand for 4 years to reconstitute these weapons, allowing the world, during the interval, to lose the focus we had on weapons of mass destruction and the issue of proliferation.” — John Kerry, October 9, 2002

“Over the years, Iraq has worked to develop nuclear, chemical and biological weapons. During 1991 – 1994, despite Iraq’s denials, U.N. inspectors discovered and dismantled a large network of nuclear facilities that Iraq was using to develop nuclear weapons. Various reports indicate that Iraq is still actively pursuing nuclear weapons capability. There is no reason to think otherwise. Beyond nuclear weapons, Iraq has actively pursued biological and chemical weapons.U.N. inspectors have said that Iraq’s claims about biological weapons is neither credible nor verifiable. In 1986, Iraq used chemical weapons against Iran, and later, against its own Kurdish population. While weapons inspections have been successful in the past, there have been no inspections since the end of 1998. There can be no doubt that Iraq has continued to pursue its goal of obtaining weapons of mass destruction.” —
Patty Murray, October 9, 2002

“Saddam's existing biological and chemical weapons capabilities pose a very real threat to America, now. Saddam has used chemical weapons before, both against Iraq's enemies and against his own people. He is working to develop delivery systems like missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles that could bring these deadly weapons against U.S. forces and U.S. facilities in the Middle East.” — John Rockefeller, Oct 10, 2002



And HOW MANY DEmocrats supported the following PUBLIC LAWS that authorized the use of force you dummy???

 

[rightwinger]

No calligraphers were used in those 4,000 personal letters from GWB!!!

That is sick

4000 dead because Bush lied to start a war and he sends them each a letter

Dear Mr and Mrs Smith

Your child would still be alive if it weren't for my bad decisions....

43

.

FACT IS
Clinton STARTED the war...
The Iraq Liberation Act of 1998 Public law 105-338 CNN - Clinton: Iraq has abused its last chance - December 16, 1998
signed The Iraq Liberation Act of 1998 Public law 105-338 expressed the sense of congress it should be policy to support efforts to remove from power the current Iraqi regime.

The Iraqi Perspectives Project (IPP) review of captured Iraqi documents uncovered strong evidence that links the regime of Saddam Hussein to regional and global terrorism.
Despite their incompatible long-term goals, many terrorist movements and Saddam found a common enemy in the United States.
At times these organizations worked together, trading access for capability. In the period after the 1991 Gulf War, the regime of Saddam Hussein supported a complex and increasingly disparate mix of pan-Arab revolutionary causes and emerging pan-Islamic radical movements.
The relationship between Iraq and forces of pan-Arab socialism was well known and was in fact one ofthe defining qualities of the Ba'ath movement.

Saddam's regime often cooperated directly, albeit cautiously, with terrorist groups when they believed such groups could help advance Iraq's long-term goals. The regime carefully recorded its connections to Palestinian terror organizations in numerous government memos.
One such example documents Iraqi financial support to families of suicide bombers in Gaza and the West Bank.

Under Saddam, the Iraqi regime used its paramilitary Fedayeen Saddam training camps to train terrorists for use inside and outside Iraq.
In 1999, the top ten graduates of each Fedayeen Saddam class were specifically chosen for assignment to London, from there to be ready to conduct operations anywhere in Europe.

http://www.fas.org/irp/eprint/iraqi/v1.pdf
he community of nations may see more and more of the very kind of threat Iraq poses now: a rogue state with weapons of mass destruction, ready to use them or provide them to terrorists. If we fail to respond today, Saddam and all those who would follow in his footsteps will be emboldened tomorrow.” — Bill Clinton in 1998

“The threat of Saddam Hussein with weapons of mass destruction is real, but as I said, it is not new. It has been with us since the end of that war, and particularly in the last 4 years we know after Operation Desert Fox failed to force him to reaccept them, that he has continued to build those weapons. He has had a free hand for 4 years to reconstitute these weapons, allowing the world, during the interval, to lose the focus we had on weapons of mass destruction and the issue of proliferation.” — John Kerry, October 9, 2002

“Over the years, Iraq has worked to develop nuclear, chemical and biological weapons. During 1991 – 1994, despite Iraq’s denials, U.N. inspectors discovered and dismantled a large network of nuclear facilities that Iraq was using to develop nuclear weapons. Various reports indicate that Iraq is still actively pursuing nuclear weapons capability. There is no reason to think otherwise. Beyond nuclear weapons, Iraq has actively pursued biological and chemical weapons.U.N. inspectors have said that Iraq’s claims about biological weapons is neither credible nor verifiable. In 1986, Iraq used chemical weapons against Iran, and later, against its own Kurdish population. While weapons inspections have been successful in the past, there have been no inspections since the end of 1998. There can be no doubt that Iraq has continued to pursue its goal of obtaining weapons of mass destruction.” —
Patty Murray, October 9, 2002

“Saddam's existing biological and chemical weapons capabilities pose a very real threat to America, now. Saddam has used chemical weapons before, both against Iraq's enemies and against his own people. He is working to develop delivery systems like missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles that could bring these deadly weapons against U.S. forces and U.S. facilities in the Middle East.” — John Rockefeller, Oct 10, 2002



And HOW MANY DEmocrats supported the following PUBLIC LAWS that authorized the use of force you dummy???

 

[candycorn]

Old Story...nothing new to see here.

This is the sort of BS that should have been dealt with long ago but Americans simply don't care enough to cause a fuss. We get the government we deserve.

I heard that one of the Secretaries of the Airforce had a 41,000 dollar portrait made of himself,

ABC Predicted 'Vaporizing' of America for Sequester Cuts, But Now Finds Waste in Government | NewsBusters

For the life of me, I can't understand why it is so hard to fix the problem when it's obviously an outright waste of taxpayer money. The truth is that the powers that be don't want it fixed.

 

[candycorn]

That is sick

4000 dead because Bush lied to start a war and he sends them each a letter

Dear Mr and Mrs Smith

Your child would still be alive if it weren't for my bad decisions....

43

.

FACT IS
Clinton STARTED the war...
The Iraq Liberation Act of 1998 Public law 105-338 CNN - Clinton: Iraq has abused its last chance - December 16, 1998
signed The Iraq Liberation Act of 1998 Public law 105-338 expressed the sense of congress it should be policy to support efforts to remove from power the current Iraqi regime.

The Iraqi Perspectives Project (IPP) review of captured Iraqi documents uncovered strong evidence that links the regime of Saddam Hussein to regional and global terrorism.
Despite their incompatible long-term goals, many terrorist movements and Saddam found a common enemy in the United States.
At times these organizations worked together, trading access for capability. In the period after the 1991 Gulf War, the regime of Saddam Hussein supported a complex and increasingly disparate mix of pan-Arab revolutionary causes and emerging pan-Islamic radical movements.
The relationship between Iraq and forces of pan-Arab socialism was well known and was in fact one ofthe defining qualities of the Ba'ath movement.

Saddam's regime often cooperated directly, albeit cautiously, with terrorist groups when they believed such groups could help advance Iraq's long-term goals. The regime carefully recorded its connections to Palestinian terror organizations in numerous government memos.
One such example documents Iraqi financial support to families of suicide bombers in Gaza and the West Bank.

Under Saddam, the Iraqi regime used its paramilitary Fedayeen Saddam training camps to train terrorists for use inside and outside Iraq.
In 1999, the top ten graduates of each Fedayeen Saddam class were specifically chosen for assignment to London, from there to be ready to conduct operations anywhere in Europe.

http://www.fas.org/irp/eprint/iraqi/v1.pdf
he community of nations may see more and more of the very kind of threat Iraq poses now: a rogue state with weapons of mass destruction, ready to use them or provide them to terrorists. If we fail to respond today, Saddam and all those who would follow in his footsteps will be emboldened tomorrow.” — Bill Clinton in 1998

“The threat of Saddam Hussein with weapons of mass destruction is real, but as I said, it is not new. It has been with us since the end of that war, and particularly in the last 4 years we know after Operation Desert Fox failed to force him to reaccept them, that he has continued to build those weapons. He has had a free hand for 4 years to reconstitute these weapons, allowing the world, during the interval, to lose the focus we had on weapons of mass destruction and the issue of proliferation.” — John Kerry, October 9, 2002

“Over the years, Iraq has worked to develop nuclear, chemical and biological weapons. During 1991 – 1994, despite Iraq’s denials, U.N. inspectors discovered and dismantled a large network of nuclear facilities that Iraq was using to develop nuclear weapons. Various reports indicate that Iraq is still actively pursuing nuclear weapons capability. There is no reason to think otherwise. Beyond nuclear weapons, Iraq has actively pursued biological and chemical weapons.U.N. inspectors have said that Iraq’s claims about biological weapons is neither credible nor verifiable. In 1986, Iraq used chemical weapons against Iran, and later, against its own Kurdish population. While weapons inspections have been successful in the past, there have been no inspections since the end of 1998. There can be no doubt that Iraq has continued to pursue its goal of obtaining weapons of mass destruction.” —
Patty Murray, October 9, 2002

“Saddam's existing biological and chemical weapons capabilities pose a very real threat to America, now. Saddam has used chemical weapons before, both against Iraq's enemies and against his own people. He is working to develop delivery systems like missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles that could bring these deadly weapons against U.S. forces and U.S. facilities in the Middle East.” — John Rockefeller, Oct 10, 2002



And HOW MANY DEmocrats supported the following PUBLIC LAWS that authorized the use of force you dummy???

That was shockingly moronic even for the right wing loons.

 

[rightwinger]

FACT IS
Clinton STARTED the war...
The Iraq Liberation Act of 1998 Public law 105-338 CNN - Clinton: Iraq has abused its last chance - December 16, 1998
signed The Iraq Liberation Act of 1998 Public law 105-338 expressed the sense of congress it should be policy to support efforts to remove from power the current Iraqi regime.

The Iraqi Perspectives Project (IPP) review of captured Iraqi documents uncovered strong evidence that links the regime of Saddam Hussein to regional and global terrorism.
Despite their incompatible long-term goals, many terrorist movements and Saddam found a common enemy in the United States.
At times these organizations worked together, trading access for capability. In the period after the 1991 Gulf War, the regime of Saddam Hussein supported a complex and increasingly disparate mix of pan-Arab revolutionary causes and emerging pan-Islamic radical movements.
The relationship between Iraq and forces of pan-Arab socialism was well known and was in fact one ofthe defining qualities of the Ba'ath movement.

Saddam's regime often cooperated directly, albeit cautiously, with terrorist groups when they believed such groups could help advance Iraq's long-term goals. The regime carefully recorded its connections to Palestinian terror organizations in numerous government memos.
One such example documents Iraqi financial support to families of suicide bombers in Gaza and the West Bank.

Under Saddam, the Iraqi regime used its paramilitary Fedayeen Saddam training camps to train terrorists for use inside and outside Iraq.
In 1999, the top ten graduates of each Fedayeen Saddam class were specifically chosen for assignment to London, from there to be ready to conduct operations anywhere in Europe.

http://www.fas.org/irp/eprint/iraqi/v1.pdf
he community of nations may see more and more of the very kind of threat Iraq poses now: a rogue state with weapons of mass destruction, ready to use them or provide them to terrorists. If we fail to respond today, Saddam and all those who would follow in his footsteps will be emboldened tomorrow.” — Bill Clinton in 1998

“The threat of Saddam Hussein with weapons of mass destruction is real, but as I said, it is not new. It has been with us since the end of that war, and particularly in the last 4 years we know after Operation Desert Fox failed to force him to reaccept them, that he has continued to build those weapons. He has had a free hand for 4 years to reconstitute these weapons, allowing the world, during the interval, to lose the focus we had on weapons of mass destruction and the issue of proliferation.” — John Kerry, October 9, 2002

“Over the years, Iraq has worked to develop nuclear, chemical and biological weapons. During 1991 – 1994, despite Iraq’s denials, U.N. inspectors discovered and dismantled a large network of nuclear facilities that Iraq was using to develop nuclear weapons. Various reports indicate that Iraq is still actively pursuing nuclear weapons capability. There is no reason to think otherwise. Beyond nuclear weapons, Iraq has actively pursued biological and chemical weapons.U.N. inspectors have said that Iraq’s claims about biological weapons is neither credible nor verifiable. In 1986, Iraq used chemical weapons against Iran, and later, against its own Kurdish population. While weapons inspections have been successful in the past, there have been no inspections since the end of 1998. There can be no doubt that Iraq has continued to pursue its goal of obtaining weapons of mass destruction.” —
Patty Murray, October 9, 2002

“Saddam's existing biological and chemical weapons capabilities pose a very real threat to America, now. Saddam has used chemical weapons before, both against Iraq's enemies and against his own people. He is working to develop delivery systems like missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles that could bring these deadly weapons against U.S. forces and U.S. facilities in the Middle East.” — John Rockefeller, Oct 10, 2002



And HOW MANY DEmocrats supported the following PUBLIC LAWS that authorized the use of force you dummy???

That was shockingly moronic even for the right wing loons.

He posts it every week like clockwork

 

[AmyNation]

I call bullshit. That figure is preposterous. This sounds like another of those "Obama spends x on vacation!", and then the number turns out to be totally bogus.

 

[blastoff]

I dunno. I got a feeling calligraphers have likely been a White House budget item for a long time, so this isn't a good 'gotcha' to try to lay solely on Barry.

However, it is an example of a blown opportunity, or at least representative of the types of blown opportunities this administration has let slip by thus far. That's because Barry's objective is to scare people rather than show any leadership in seeking solutions to our very serious fiscal problems.

How about instead a teaching moment from our president? Think, oh, let's say Reagan explaining in his grandfatherly manner to all Americans why some changes have to be made to the WH calligraphy staff because we need to find ways to save money other than just shutting down tours to the public whose taxes make the whole place possible. He could explain how he'd directed the WH entertainment budget to be reduced dramatically - fewer outrageously costly state dinners and whatnot - and an ensuing reduced need for much calligraphy work for invitations, menus, announcements, etc.

A capable and experienced leader could use the White House - our house - as a perfect example of what all folks need to do when times get tough. You tighten the purse strings.

What do you suppose the WH budgets annually for fresh flowers? I don't have a clue but if I was a betting person, which I am, I'd put a few bucks on it's more than the calligraphy expense.

So I can just see old Ronnie explaining how he can keep the peoples' White House open to them while instead saving the government lots more money by reducing unnecessary spending. Explain we've got a 2-3% gap to make up, so thus he's directed the flower and dinner budgets be cut by 50% the remainder of the year, subject to further review. Oh, and right here, ladies and gentlemen, right here on this spot here in the such-and-such room is where this year's only White House Christmas Tree will stand, a nice slice to the WH Christmas Decorations budget.

I would imagine with just a cursory review of the annual WH budget a serious president could find ten times the savings of the calligraphy expense within minutes. A responsible approach vs. a community agitator's.

 

[AmyNation]

2012 Annual Report to Congress on White House Staff | The White House

^full list of WH employees and their salaries.

I'm shocked to say, that totally insane number, is legit.


Nearly $300,000 a year. On Calligraphers. *facepalm*

 

[candycorn]

I call bullshit. That figure is preposterous. This sounds like another of those "Obama spends x on vacation!", and then the number turns out to be totally bogus.

Doesn't sound bogus to me. It would be much like saying I spend $60,000 on an assistant. After wages and benefits, I think my assistant probably costs my employer $60K.

Now the truth that is absent from the statement above is that anyone in this position would have an assistant and with wages and bennies, they would be making about $60K. "I" don't spend that much on an assistant any more than "Obama" spends that much on calligraphers...the President spends that much. The difference is that he spends that much and he has ultimate power/responsibility to exorcise the waste. It rings hollow when Mr. Obama talks about wasteful spending and then operates as a practicioner of it.

 

[RoadVirus]

2012 Annual Report to Congress on White House Staff | The White House

^full list of WH employees and their salaries.

I'm shocked to say, that totally insane number, is legit.


Nearly $300,000 a year. On Calligraphers. *facepalm*

Must be nice to be able to spend such insane amounts of money for insanely simple things.

 

[Avatar4321]

What's wrong hiring a private company to make invitations? You could save signifnicant money.