Letters
Letters to the editor, Jan. 28
TBO.com
Published: January 28, 2012
First Lady's bloated payrollPublished: January 28, 2012
Shouldn't we console Michele Obama when she blurted out, during her husband's campaign, when she said she was never proud of our country?
Of course, when her husband was elected senator, her law firm employer raised her pay from $100,000 a year to $400,000 a year. Still, it was not enough for her. As the president's wife, she launched new records of spending Americans' tax money for her own personal use.
This was worse than "let them eat cake" but, of course, the liberal media will never expose her enormous spending, but we are lucky that the Canada Free Press has done the research for us.
No, Michele Obama does not get paid to serve as first lady, and she does not perform any official duties, but that did not stop her from hiring an unprecedented number of staffers to cater to her every whim and to satisfy her every whim even in the midst of a depression.
Just think, Mary Lincoln was criticized for replacing the china during the Civil War and Mamie Eisenhower paid for her own personal secretary. The first ladies that followed Mamie were given taxpayer compensation for their secretaries and their staff was as follows: Jackie Kennedy – 1, Rosaline Carter – 1, Barbara Bush – 1, Hillary Clinton – 3, Laura Bush – 1, Michele Obama – 22.
Despite the fact that the nation is suffering devastation, destitution, earning less than subsistence wages, the wages for servants of Michele Obama are the same as members of the national security and defense departments and other assorted lackeys is paid, solely by the taxpayers – the American wage earner.
So, hold on and, thanks to Canada Free Press, these are the facts. Michele Obama's personal staff:
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 President and White House Social Security for Mrs. Obama)
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 Security 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 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 Aid to the First Lady)
15. $52,500 – Mustaphi, Semonti M. (Associate and Director and Deputy Press Secretary to the First Lady)
16. $50,000 – Jarvis, Kirsten E. (Special Assistant 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, Samanth A. (Deputy Associate Director, Social Office)
19. $40,000 – Boswell, Joseph J. (Executive Assistant to the Chief of Staff and 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)
Total = $1,591,200 in annual salaries
Their theme song: When I die, don't bury me deep. Leave my hands free, to fleece the sheep.
Joseph Tomaselli
Spring Hill
A vote for Gingrich equals defeat
The hard line Evangelicals in South Carolina did not vote for Newt Gingrich, they voted against Mitt Romney because he is a Mormon.
I know this for a fact because I lived in South Carolina for almost three years and witnessed their prejudice firsthand against people of other religions.
I hope Florida voters realize that Romney is a good man of moral character who is also a Christian as well as a Mormon. He is our best chance of beating Obama in the election. A winning ticket would be Mitt Romney and Bob McDonnell, who is governor of Virginia.
Political analysts have already predicted if Gingrich wins the nomination that he will lose to Obama and most likely the Republicans will lose the House of Representatives. Many Republicans in the House have already endorsed Romney as they have such disdain for Gingrich.
Gingrich only wanted to argue with the moderator in last week's debate to keep from answering the question about his adulterous past. When Gingrich finally did answer, he said her claims were false about his affair with Callista Bisek who was a congressional aide. This affair lasted for six years while Gingrich was married to his second wife and is well documented.
If Gingrich's first wife had given an interview, we would have learned that Gingrich refused to pay child support for his two daughters by his first marriage and he refused to pay alimony to his cancer stricken ex-wife. Their church took up collections to help pay their expenses.
The Democrats will annihilate Gingrich because of his past, and the "wannabe standup comedian" will get a knock-out punch from Obama.
Betty Dobson
Brooksville
Taking the lead
Old school conservative values were emphasized by educator Domenick Maglio in his column published by Hernando Today Friday, Jan. 20, 2012 when he calls for renewed masculinity in boys so they will take their place in society as men in charge of the destines that challenge us all.
He calls for women to follow these destines defined by men and enforced by men, reminiscent of World War II and the 1940's and 1950's when the boys came home from wars, married, bought homes, had children and left their spouses as housewives cooking, cleaning, laundering and raising the children.
Their children became the love generation of the l960's with boys wearing long hair and girls festooned with bright beads and sandals on their feet singing sentiments of their times in ballads and participating in outdoor rock festivals.
Then came Vietnam and the war that hardened this generation whose millions became skeptical and suspicious. Women became more and more equal in their standing among men. They took jobs anywhere, many with untraditional jobs in industry and construction. Serving coffee to bosses became unthinkable. They slipped onto the back of Harleys.
Not satisfied, they bought and drove Harleys. Many went to college to teach, nurse and become executive management candidates. Feminism was not the only issue.
Women then became role models for their children and the younger generation to be assertive, strong and self-determined. Boys in school now have overindulged, become fat and seem without purpose engaging more into their iPods and phones, electronic games and gadgets then demonstrating any willingness to roll up their sleeves and take on the world.
Someone must take the lead. Move over guys. Lead, follow or get out of the way.
Deron Mikal
Brooksville