When Half-Correct is Fully Wrong

And, once again, in the "White House is Spending Too Much" file, my father sends me these facts:

First Lady Michelle Obama's Servant List and Pay Scale

The First Lady Requires More Than Twenty Attendants   (Thats 22 Attendants to be exact)
1. $172,200 - Sher, Susan (Chief Of Staff)

2. $140,000 - Frye, Jocelyn C. (Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of Policy And Projects For The First Lady)

3. $113,000 - Rogers, Desiree G.  (Special Assistant to the President and White House Social Secretary)

4. $102,000 - Johnston, Camille Y. (Special Assistant to the President and Director of Communications for the First Lady)

5. $100,000 - Winter, Melissa E. (Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief Of Staff to the First Lady)

6. $90,000 -   Medina   , David S. (Deputy Chief Of Staff to the First Lady)

7. $84,000 - Lelyveld, Catherine M. (Director and Press Secretary to the First Lady)

8. $75,000 - Starkey, Frances M. (Director of Scheduling and Advance for the First Lady)

9. $70,000 - Sanders, Trooper (Deputy Director of Policy and Projects for the First Lady)

10. $65,000 - Burnough, Erinn J. (Deputy Director and Deputy Social Secretary)

11. $64,000 - Reinstein, Joseph B. (Deputy Director and Deputy Social Secretary)

12. $62,000 - Goodman, Jennifer R. (Deputy Director of Scheduling and Events Coordinator For The First Lady)

13. $60,000 - Fitts, Alan O. (Deputy Director of Advance and Trip Director for the First Lady)

14. $57,500 - Lewis, Dana M. (Special Assistant and Personal Aide to the First Lady)

15. $52,500 - Mustaphi, Semonti M. (Associate Director and Deputy Press Secretary to The First Lady)

16. $50,000 - Jarvis, Kristen E. (Special=2 0Assistant for Scheduling and Traveling Aide to The First Lady)

17. $45,000 - Lechtenberg, Tyler A. (Associate Director of Correspondence For The First Lady)

18. $43,000 - Tubman, Samantha (Deputy Associate Director, Social Office)

19. $40,000 - Boswell, Joseph J. (Executive Assistant to the Chief Of Staff to the First Lady)

20. $36,000 - Armbruster, Sally M. (Staff Assistant to the Social Secretary)

21. $35,000 - Bookey, Natalie (Staff Assistant)

22. $35,000 - Jackson, Deilia A. (Deputy Associate Director of Correspondence for the First Lady)

(This is community organizing at it's finest.)

     

There has NEVER been anyone in the White House at any time who has created such an army of staffers whose sole duties are the facilitation of the First Lady's social life. One wonders why she needs so much help,at taxpayer expense, when even Hillary, only had three; Jackie Kennedy one; Laura Bush one; and prior to Mamie Eisenhower social help came from the President's own pocket.

     

Note: This does not include makeup artist Ingrid Grimes-Miles, 49, and "First Hairstylist" Johnny Wright, 31, both of whom traveled aboard Air Force One to   Europe  .

     

FRIENDS.....THESE SALARIES ADD UP TO SIX MILLION, THREE HUNDRED SIXTY FOUR THOUSAND DOLLARS ($6,364,000) FOR THE 4 YEARS OF OFFICE?????   AND WE ARE IN A RECESSION?????  WELL....MOST OF US ARE.  I GUESS IT'S OK TO SPEND WILDLY WHEN IT'S NOT YOUR OWN MONEY?????

     

Copyright 2009 CanadaFreePress.Com   

      

Yes, Yes, I know, The Canadian Free Press has to publish this because the   USA   media is too scared they might be considered racist.

                  Sorry   USA !

Yep.  It looks pretty expensive.

Now, I'm sure that the demands on the First Lady's time are extraordinary.  I've never run such an office, and don't know what it would take to retain skilled staff.  So, once again, I will hedge my bets (as well as some of my personal feelings), and call the cost of this staff "a subject of reasonable debate".

"Wait a minute", you may ask.  "If 22 staff members' salaries are unprecedented, then why would you even consider this debateable?"

That's where our anonymous emailer has his facts wrong.

First of all, the claim that Laura Bush had only one staff member?  Wrong.  Here's her list, gathered from the Washington Post:

1. $172,200 - McBride, Anita (Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff to the First Lady)
2. $147,500 - Medina, Sonya (Deputy Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy and Director of Projects for the First Lady)
3. $113,000 - Zantzinger, Amy (Special Assistant to the President and White House Social Secretary)
4. $102,000 - Niemec, Sally (Special Assistant to the President and Director of Communications and Press Secretary to the First Lady)
5. $102,000 - Armstrong, Sara (Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff to the First Lady)
6. $88,500 - Miller, Sonja Maria (Deputy Chief of Staff to the First Lady)
7. $78,400 - Ballard, Deanna (Director of Scheduling for the First Lady)
8. $63,000 - McArthur, Nikki (Speech Writer for the First Lady)
9. $62,700 - Knutson, Lindsey (Special Assistant and Personal Aide to the First Lady)
10. $62,400 - Marshall, Misty (Director of Correspondence for the First Lady)
11. $57,500 - Adams, Julie (Deputy Press Secretary to the First Lady)
12. $53,000 - Mende, Kirstin (Deputy Director of Policy and Projects for the First Lady)
13. $52,200 - Thornton, Dorothy (Deputy Social Secretary)
14. $52,200 - Etter, Marisa Leigh (Deputy Director of Scheduling for the First Lady)
15. $52,200 - King, Kristin (Deputy Director of Advance for the First Lady)
16. $47,000 - Segura, Millicent (Deputy Director of Correspondence for the First Lady)
17. $43,000 - Miller, Kasdin (Assistant Press Secretary to the First Lady)
18. $41,800 - O'Connor Erin (Executive Assistant to the Chief of Staff to the First Lady)

... and if I wasn't such a half-assed researcher, I'm sure I'd find more.

It's funny how folks only care about the White House budget when their party is out of power...