Taxpayers Pay the President's Outrageous Fuel Bills:

[cyberpj]

Of All Gas Consumers, Bush May Be Most Inefficient
By JENNIFER LOVEN, Associated Press Writer
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
(08-24) 13:43 PDT WASHINGTON (AP) --

Getting President Bush from here to there consumes an enormous amount of fuel, whether he's aboard Air Force One, riding in a helicopter or on the ground in a heavily armored limousine. The bill gets steeper every day as the White House is rocked by the same energy prices as regular drivers.

Taxpayers still foot the bill.

Almost every vehicle Bush uses is custom-made to add security and communications capabilities, and the heavier weight of these guzzlers further drives up gas and jet fuel costs.

The White House declines to discuss travel costs related to the presidential entourage, and did not respond to a request for the overall effect of higher fuel prices on its budget.

snip...
In the air, Bush most often flies on a Boeing 747-200B laden with, among other things, an anti-missile system. Like gas for cars, fuel costs for the largest plane in the Air Force One fleet have gone up dramatically — from $3,974 an hour in fiscal 2004 to $6,029 per hour now, according to the Air Force.

more...
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2005/08/24/national/w134322D04.DTL

[Straight Shooter]

1. He should pay for his own damn fuel when he's on vacation.

Who else has their boss pay for their fuel while on vacation from their job? I resent having to pay him anything to begin with, considering his disastrous incompetence and lack of qualifications for anything but pretzel-sucking.

[Missy M]

2. I agree he should pay for his own fuel while on vacation.....

I resent he is on vacation and adds further costs by traveling to Idaho to stay at a luxurious resort and our dime got him there. I wonder, do we pay for the hotel room while he is on vacation?

[bryant69]

5. My guess is that a lot of it is paid for by people inviting him

The security we pay for those.

Bryant
Check it out -- http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[WeRQ4U]

3. So when he used the chopper to avoid Cindy Sheehan, I paid for that too?

Wonderful.

[Telly Savalas]

4. Even if Air Force One were to operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year

that's still only $53 million, which is equivalent to about 7 hours worth of costs for the Iraqi occupation.

Even if he were actually doing his job, it would entail a lot of travelling and thus cost a lot.

Let's stay on target, folks.

[Missy M]

6. ONLY $53 million, in my book that is mind boggling....

He should be doing his job at the White House. That is where his office is, that we taxpayers provide. Most of his travel is to explain away the war or fund raise.

[cyberpj]

9. And promote his own issues, Social Sec., Medicare, etc. This

is more like personal use that all taxpayers would not support.

[Telly Savalas]

11. A couple of things to consider...

$53 million assumes that Air Force One is in continual operation, which is a wild exaggeration of its usage. Even still, let me repeat: this wild exaggeration of Bush's yearly travel expenses the same as 7 mere hours of our occupation. That's mindboggling.

A critical component of his job is diplomacy. If he were really doing his job right, he would be travelling to other countries with much more frequency which would still cost money.

Bush is done. He's not running for any more offices. So rather than making cheap shots at him, wouldn't it make more sense to attack the substance of his policies and promote an alternative progressive agenda?

[cyberpj]

10. ONLY 53 Million isn't good enough. And you're not including

The helicopters, stretch hummers, SUVs and all of the increased SS vehicles that now accompany him everywhere he goes.

I understand your point, but this item is also important to demonstrate how cavalier Bush is with OUR money in every way possible.

On top of that, in my local paper the article appeared with the headline, "President not immune to fuel prices". If we the taxpayers are footing his bill, how is he not immune?

[Telly Savalas]

12. The $53 million assumes AF1 runs 24/7 which it doesn't.

So if you factor in the other things maybe it does add up to $50 million, which is about 0.01% of our budget defecit much less all government expenditures.

Even if the trips Bush goes on are silly, it remains a fact that a key component of a presidents job is travelling, and it's going to cost.

For fuck's sake, Bush's travel expenses don't even crack the top 5,000 list for reasons to be pissed at the radical right. It's a distraction from the numerous policy failures of the Bush administration and the GOP Congress.

[Frustratedlady]

7. How Wonderful........

An outside company customizes the DTS for presidential use by "stretching" it to limo length, adding bulletproof glass, heavy armor

Isn't it wonderful that OUR president has so much protection when he's riding in his limo...would that our military had the same.

I resent every penny he spends on travel. His forays to sell SS privatization had to cost a bundle. He should have stopped that fiasco when everyone was telling him we weren't interested.

His stubborn demeanor has cost us big bucks while we have people who are filing for bankruptcy because they've either lost their job through outsourcing or due to mismanagement at the top. He is the most irresponsible president in history and it seems that the country is tumbling further and further in debt. Imagine the cost of Katrina, alone. But, since most of the damage wasn't in Florida, maybe the cost will be less..... (how does one select that sarcasm thingy?)

[LiberalEsto]

8. He should stick to riding his bike n/t