Remember the sequester? How much press it got back in January and February saying how important it was for Congress and the President to come up with a budget to prevent the automatic spending cuts that would have taken place?  Well the folks up in Washington failed to pass a budget, and there are certain entities that have taken quite a big hit in their budgets.  Unemployment benefits are being cut, and military budgets have been scaled back roughly 20 percent.  Housing vouchers for low-income citizens trying to make ends meet have been cut in certain states.  With all of these cuts taking place, American citizens being forced to cut back on their own lifestyles through no fault of their own, you would think the president of the United States would do the same to at least show that he is trying understand what these people are going through.  Instead the first family leaves for a weeklong trip to Africa next week.  How much is said trip going to cost the taxpayers?

Based on other presidential visits to this continent projections were made that it would cost anywhere between $70 and $100 million.  Why is it that we as American citizens are supposed to be cutting back on our way of life, and the first family is taking a vacation across the globe that is going to cost millions and millions of dollars.

In the past presidents have always taken vacations, but the extent of the costliness that Obama’s trips have cost the American taxpayers grossly outweigh those that other presidents have expended.  For example, Herbert Hoover spent much of his vacation time deep-sea fishing off the shores of Florida. President Ford spent his time golfing on Mackinac Island in Michigan.  This being said, why is it necessary for President Obama and his family to take yet another lavish vacation?  While working class citizens think of it as a treat to take modest vacations once every couple of years, President Obama has spent more time playing golf than he has meeting with the press.  Just another example of how out of touch our leader is with the rest of the nation he claims to care so much about.