I received this email this morning. This Cannot be true Can it?
"In my own life in my own small way, I have tried to give back to this country that has given me so much," she said. "See, that's why I left a job at a big law firm for a career in public service, "...
Michelle Obama
No, Michele Obama does not get paid to serve as the First Lady and she doesn't perform any official duties. But this hasn't deterred her from hiring an unprecedented number of staffers to cater to her every whim and to satisfy her every request in the midst of the Great Recession.
Just think, Mary Lincoln was taken to task for purchasing china for the White House during the Civil War. And Mamie Eisenhower had to shell out the salary for her personal secretary from her husband's salary.
Total Personal Staff members for other first ladies paid by taxpayers:
Mamie Eisenhower: One-- paid for personally out of President's salary.
Jackie Kennedy: One
Roseline Carter: One
Barbara Bush: One
Hilary Clinton: Three
Laura Bush: One
Michele Obama: Twenty-two
How things have changed! If you're one of the tens of millions of Americans facing certain destitution, earning less than subsistence wages stocking the shelves at Wal-Mart or serving up McDonald cheeseburgers,prepare to scream and then come to realize that the benefit package for these servants of Ms Michelle are the same as members of the national security and defense departments and the bill for these assorted lackeys is paid by YOU, John Q. Public:
Michele Obama's personal staff:
One.. $172,200 - Sher, Susan (Chief Of Staff)
Two.. $140,000 - Frye, Jocelyn C. (Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of Policy And Projects For The First Lady)
Three.. $113,000 - Rogers, Desiree G. (Special Assistant to the President and White House Social Secretary for Mrs. Obama)
Four.. $102,000 - Johnston, Camille Y. (Special Assistant to the President
and Director of Communications for the First Lady)
Five.. $100,000 - Winter, Melissa (Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief Of Staff to the First Lady)
Six.. $90,000 Medina , David S. (Deputy Chief Of Staff to the First Lady)
Seven.. $84,000 - Lilyveld, Catherine M. (Director and Press Secretary to the First Lady)
Eight.. $75,000 - Starkey, Frances M. (Director of Scheduling and Advance for the First Lady)
Nine.. $70,000 - Sanders, Trooper (Deputy Director of Policy and Project for the First Lady)
Ten.. $65,000 - Burnough, Erinn (Deputy Director and Deputy Social Secretary)
Eleven.. $64,000 - Reinstein, Joseph B.(Deputy Director and Deputy Social Secretary)
Twelve.. $62,000 - Goodman, Jennifer R. (Deputy Director of Scheduling and Events Coordinator For The First Lady)
Thirteen.. $60,000 Fitz, Alan O.(Deputy Director of Advance and Trip Director
for the First Lady)
Fourteen.. $57,500 - Lewis, Dana M. (Special Assistant and Personal Aide to the First Lady)
Fifteen... $52,500 - Mustaphi, Semonti M. (Associate Director and Deputy Press Secretary To The First Lady)
Sixteen.. $50,000 - Jarvis, Kristen E. (Special Assistant for Scheduling and Traveling Aide To The First Lady)
Seventeen.. $45,000 - Lechtenberg, Tyler A. (Associate Director of Correspondence For The First Lady)
Eighteen.. $43,000 - Tubman, Samanth a (Deputy Associate Director, Social Office)
Nineteen.. $40,000 - Boswell, Joseph J. (Executive Assistant to the Chief Of Staff to the First Lady)
Twenty.. $36,000 - Armbruster, Sally M. (Staff Assistant to the Social Secretary)
Twenty-One.. $35,000 - Bookey, Natalie (Staff Assistant)
Twenty-Two.. $35,000 - Jackson, Deilia A. (Deputy Associate Director of Correspondence for the First Lady)
(total $1,591,200 in annual salaries)
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.
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 .
.
Arthur, you have put forward facts that prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that big government begets bigger government.
And I wonder why I have strong libertarian leanings.
This is beyond ludicrous.
Michelle Obama requires one & one only staffer.
I saw that too. I wrote a scathing commentary about this on Newsvine and man you should have seen the shitstorm I created! LOL!!! Last I checked, only the Monarchy needed that many servants. Our president has the audacity to chide the American people ion their spending habits and yet his missus is being waited on, hand-and-foot, by a rather large personal staff.
I bet the kids are being pampered, too. All the people out of work in this country and our POTUS wants to live like a king. Nice example to set.
When an elected official's standard of living does not reflect that of their constituent's, meaning they're living high-on-the-hog while the voters starve, there is something dreadfully wrong.
I wonder if she is still hiring!
I could be her official hub writer!
Seriously I wonder what exactly these aid's of hers do? Do they contribute in some way to creating this change her husband spoke of?
If they are contributing in some way that is worth more then their paychecks then I have no problem, if however they are giving her hair style advice and such then WTF? Perhaps she and Ms. Blair should team up! That lady spent truck loads of money on hair styles and makeup and clothing and still was scary to look at
I think it's funny, because when you look at the payroll for those staffers and then you look at how they've done their job?
You notice that the payroll was a complete waste of money.
She needs one more....a personal shopper and party planner....that's where i come in....at a cool $200K.
Laura Bush had much more than one staffer. I believe she had anywhere from 15 - 20, depending on the year.
This is not unprecedented...not sure why this is such a huge deal? It's totally misconstrued. Every First Lady has a personal staff comparable to Michelle Obama's.
First Ladies require more than one staff member. They actually do a LOT more than people realize; a LOT! Policy, philanthropy, etc.
Did you know that the office makes every attempt to answer back all the letters/e-mails they receive from kids? That is a LOT of correspondence.
I am a fiscal conservative and am all for cutting out waste. Maybe Michelle Obama's staff is a little bigger than Laura Bush's, but again - not by much. The First Lady's office does a lot of good for our country.
If my boss would've won in '08, I think I would've requested to work in the First Lady's office. I really respect it and what it's all about.
Could this be Mrs. Obama personal contribution to the goal of creating jobs?
It seems to me that the 'First Lady' is somehow trying to become the 'Vice President' instead of the spouse of the President...
{EDIT} I am not just talking about Mrs. Obama, but many of the president's spouses in recent history.
The original poster did not present facts....this was part of an email that has been widely distributed, and already debunked....
How many staffers did George W. Bush's wife have?
"Lelyveld said that Michelle Obama’s staff was actually no different than that of her predecessor, Laura Bush. "[W]e have exactly the same staff number as Mrs. Bush and our office organization reflects a similar staffing model, so insinuations otherwise are wrong," she said. Lelyveld said that the White House’s "personnel records indicate" that there were 24 staffers for Laura Bush at some point. We were able to verify at least 18 staffers for Laura Bush, as of June 30, 2008.."
http://m.factcheck.org/2009/08/michelle-obamas-staff/
Think people.......
It sounds like government waste has been going on for a long time. I thought we elected a president not a king.
She lost my respect when she blabbed out how she was never proud of America until she got what she wanted. A typical selfish twit! As far as I'm concerned she shoud have one of her possey duct tape her mouth.
Exactly why does the First Lady have an office? Has she been elected to something? Isn't her job to be the wife of the President and just shut the hell up? If not it should be!
I have no idea or opinion about your First Lady - I am however amazed at how people respond to spurious email information, little more than political hate mail, which is clearly not true. Yet nobody seemed to even notice your previous administration making unbelievable sums of money from the war that they created themselves. Or the way that this money has been invested outside of America, the blatant stealing of money from America. But I guess having your world stage representative chained to the kitchen sink is more important.
Chained to the sink? There is a lot in between not having an active role in our government because she has not been elected to anything and being chained to a sink!
But, hell why not, chain her up!
Do you have any proof of the last administration making "unbelievable" sums of money from the war?
Proof, this is Hubpages forums who needs proof?
It is all out in the open for you to find and well talked about elsewhere so I am sure you can google it yourself. Check out the companies who made the money from arms, oil contracts, security contracts, and the so called reconstruction contracts. Then when you find out that this is the reason why one of the biggest players resigned - check out where he keeps your money.
I tried researching it, but I had trouble finding anything about the Bush administration making money off the war. Could you provide me with where you got your information? Also, I don't see what the companies have to do with Bush administration.
I just watched it go past me really, it came up as part of the information gathered for an economics class - but I will try to find it. In the meantime - the information came connected to the guy who resigned, or was he pushed, Cheney I think, or maybe the other major handler of Bush.
You won't find any illegal profiteering related to the administration. For 8 years every greasy lawyer and democrat operative in DC dreamed of making their career off of 'getting' Bush et. al. and they couldn't. It's all bitter partisan nonsense and empty charges.
Is Cheney Betting On Economic Collapse?
By MIKE WHITNEY
http://www.counterpunch.org/whitney07052006.html
While this site is more than a little wildly outspoken we found that the links and info that they give seemed to hold up pretty well. There were also other similar but different things that came up in the groups research for a presentation. The presentation started out being about house prices in China but slid across to the main issue of the value of the dollar and Euro against the RMNB.
Michelle Obama is a political diva. She's a spoiled little Nubian Princess who feels entitled to live like a queen at the expense of the American tax payer. Barry really needs to rein in her demands, she ain' the Queen of Norway ya know!
No Sad...you just have to look at Dick Cheney's Halliburton stock options......they are widely published....
This is an example of conflict of interest....but it is the ongoing legacy of the United States........business in cahoots with government one using the other as the tool...and the latter being the tool.....along with those who vote blindly without thinking about the consequences....or those who, like those here who criticize the President's wife, had blinders on since 2000 and don't see that they're proving hypocrisy....
Oh well...they can stay in the cave....
I have an article on Cheney in the works....people tout him as a "business man".....yeah...its nice to become the CEO of Halliburton after spending 20 plus years in government, in as the Secretary of Defense, and otherwise....
China man, as usual, you are on point...
"No Sad..."
Are you still having trouble with spelling?
"...you just have to look at Dick Cheney's Halliburton stock options......they are widely published...."
No, YOU just have to show proof of some kind of illegal activity or malfeasance where armies of democrat operatives and salivating lawyers have thus far failed to.
Surely the point is that it is not illegal, but it is still directly removing money from the taxpayer and into Cheney & Co huge pockets.
You are accusing someone of not doing something illegal? The outrage!
I have Cheney's lawyer to look at...and I am.. He is included in my project...
I am concerned with those who increase the power of the executive branch over the others...and Cheney backs that trend...and has since he entered polical office, way back with Nixon (though he had been working in Washington well before this)........and argued for increased executive privilege while serving in the legislature...
and then he became vice president....or rather...the real president...
I'm building my case Sab...if you don't agree why don't you build one of your own...our hubs can be compared....
"I am concerned with those who increase the power of the executive branch over the others..."
Most who have ever occupied that office have tried to do so. It is natural. It is also natural that the other branches push back against this. This is how our messy system works. Don't be afraid.
"and then he became vice president....or rather...the real president..."
The vice president is the real president? Do you have some special version of the Constitution?
"I'm building my case Sab..."
Good luck with that. I'm sure YOU will break new ground where every lawyer in Washington has failed to...
Yes...when Clinton was in office, and when Cheney was the CEO...after being the secretary of defense....
My criticisms are not party based here....
As for "no proof Cheney profited," again, I have posted up the graphic showing his Haliburton stock value...and I have sources..and I'm building a larger statement with far more detail....
Should I take that for a "yes" to the idea I mentioned earlier?
No....but I have the interviews with White House staff who talk about where the business of state was going on...and where the meetings where...and where Bush wasn't... Cheney's office...
Are you going to put your thoughts together in a hub? You seem to have enough time....
Regardless of your response to my idea, I will continue...
It will be a real doozy..
"No....but I have the interviews with White House staff who talk about where the business of state was going on...and where the meetings where...and where Bush wasn't... Cheney's office..."
So you are going to 'prove' that Cheney was really president, is that it?
I think you've got this thread mixed up with your 'pot' thread.
"White House staff said..."
Kids do say the funniest things
It's a "no" then, huh....
Well, I expected as much, but I at least wanted to give you the opportunity....
I never made such a claim...
Cheney is a unique man...
How you can jump to such a conclusion I do not know...
For your old age you are rather reckless with your connections...
You are full of triviality......no substance...
You are TK...I agree with those who call you out...I remember you well...
No wonder you are hiding behind that mask..
PBS already did a brilliant expose....you can watch the "children" speak for yourself...it's all online...
I will be bringing much more than that..however..
You, I take it, won't be bringing anything....
I am unsurprised...
I will show that Cheney and his lawyer were primary movers in terms of shaping and pushing policy in the Executive Branch, and that the President was in the back seat....
I don't care about Clinton and Gore's relationship...I guess you can write about that one since you brought it up..
You said that you are a teacher....teach something...
I'm just a lowly student...doing the legwork...or rather...fingerwork...
Lead by example....at this point you are lacking....
TK/Old Man Sad....I love your selective amnesia..you have done it several times in various places....and I'm glad that they are there for others to see...
You are an interesting person to observe....
To bring relevance back to the thread....those who criticize Mrs. Obama's staffers are living in denial...
Mrs. Bush had just as many...and the email that this thread cites somehow reduces that number to 1....a mystery...or so some may think...
The same people, typically, who believe this type of email also believe that Obama himself is not a citizen, or natural born citizen of this nation... not all do...but a great many do..
http://www.whitehousemuseum.org/east-wi … office.htm
Are people so silly as to not research things for themselves before opinionating....
People are..
Judging from your posts...Sad it looks like you've been there for a long time....
If that is an invitation to join you, consider my turn down in the kindest of ways...
You are definitely teaching me something....but probably not what you think...
According to Sad...the taxpayers just showed up last year....
Evidently the previous eight weren't of much interest....
"According to Sad..."
So, you're not having trouble with your spelling?
"According to Sad...the taxpayers just showed up last year...."
No, I never said that. Don't be dishonest and try to put words in my mouth please.
No..you connotated it with your "concerned taxpayers" comment... I am not as reckless as you are with connections...
Where were you in 2004? Were you as concerned with Mrs. Bush's assistants then? Ever?
Is this all Sad?
Reduced to triviality again...thanks for sinking to the bottom denominator of argumentation another time....
Look at this in a positive light. That's 22 people who have a job because of her. That's 22 new jobs created. Every job that is created is a good thing in my opinion.
Can anyone provide a list of Laura Bush's staffers name/title/income I would be very curious to see it?
Thanks
These are 17 with First Lady in the title in this list from 2008.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/op … title.html
1. O'Connor, Erin M $41,800
2. McBride, Anita B $172,200
3. Medina, Sonya E $147,500
4. Miller, Sonja Maria $88,500
5. Miller, Kasdin E $43,000
6. McBride, Anita B $172,200
7. Medina, Sonya E $147,500
8. Miller, Sonja Maria $88,500
9. King, Kristin N $52,200
10. Segura, Millicent $47,000
11. Mende, Kirstin M $53,000
12. Etter, Marisa Leigh $52,200
13. Adams, Julie E $57,500
14. Marshall, Misty C $62,400
15. Knutson, Lindsey L $62,700
16. Niemiec, Sally M $102,000
17. McArthur, Nikki L $63,000
I'll bite, how many staffers does the first lady need? How many did Laura Bush have? Hillary Clinton? Nancy Reagan?
Thanks for the list and the link. I copied the titles and salaries direct from the link you provided.
McArthur, Nikki L $63,000 Speech Writer for the First Lady
Niemiec, Sally M $102,000 Special Assistant to the President and Director of Communications and Press Secretary to the First Lady
Armstrong, Sara W $102,000 Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff to the First Lady
Knutson, Lindsey L $62,700 Special Assistant and Personal Aide to the First Lady
O'Connor, Erin M $41,800 Executive Assistant to the Chief of Staff to the First Lady
Ballard, Deanna M $78,400 Director of Scheduling for the First Lady
Marshall, Misty C $62,400 Director of Correspondence for the First Lady
Adams, Julie E $57,500 Deputy Press Secretary to the First Lady
Mende, Kirstin M $53,000 Deputy Director of Policy and Projects for the First Lady
King, Kristin N $52,200 Deputy Director of Advance for the First Lady
Miller, Sonja Maria $88,500 Deputy Chief of Staff to the First Lady
McBride, Anita B $172,200 Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff to the First Lady
Miller, Kasdin E $43,000 Assistant Press Secretary to the First Lady
Arthur, why don't you worry about something important like how many troops do we need in Afghanistan? And how long are they likely to be there? And how many are likely to be killed or wounded? This petty nitpicking at Obama is tiresome and childish, in my opinion.
OK I do have a few questions.
What are the victory scenarios in Afghanistan?
Have any been established?
Who are we at war with? Al Qaeda the Taliban or just generically titled enemy combatants?
What happens when we leave? Who will fill the void?
Will we have to maintain an ongoing presence in the region?
Why are we reading Miranda rights on the battlefield? Do enemy combatants deserve the same treatment as citizens of our country?
Those are very good questions. Much more worth discussing than the number of people on the first lady's staff. One nit pick, I don't think we're reading Miranda rights on the battle field. We deserve better answers from Obama and Gates on the others.
This is so depressing…so many people gossiping, maliciously, condemning a subject so diminutive…reminds me of a group of old ladies complaining about their lack of influence in society.
Ahhh, but surely you see that she creating jobs for Americans!!
[Yeah, whatever...]
Staffers...5, 7, 13, more... "Yo, thats how the homies roll"!
Back to the original topic: Jackie Kennedy had the most staff members - 40.
Thanks. That's helps put the question in perspective. How about the rest of the first ladies--Nancy Reagan, Hillary Clinton, et al? That would help determine whether Michelle Obama is out of line. Does anybody know what all the duties of the staffers are? I assume they handle correspondence, help write speeches, make travel arrangements and the like, but I don't have a feel for how big a staff the first lady needs. I suppose it depends on how active a first lady intends to be. Jackie Kennedy was quite active as I recall. Others have been less so.
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