PART-TIME PRESIDENT NEEDS LONG REST

[indigobusiness]

By Bill Gallagher
"Cultivated leisure is the aim of man." -- Oscar Wilde, Irish genius.

DETROIT -- George W. Bush is right on target with the leisure part, but that cultivated stuff doesn't interest him. America's worst president ever also has the distinction of being the most rested. He typically takes more time off in the month of August than the vast majority of American workers do for the entire year.

When Bush speaks to the Republican Convention he'll be tanned and relaxed, fresh from another nine-day stay at his Rancho Wacko in Crawford, Texas. This is his 34th paid vacation in his three-and-a-half years in office.

Bush, who disdains most things European, goes on holidays at a rate that would make a French nobleman blush. The summer numbers have not yet been tallied -- he will, of course, need more rest after his grueling convention duties -- but the vacation stats he's already chalked up are staggering.

CBS News calculated that, through April 2004, Bush had spent all or part of 535 days of his presidency at vacation spots. That's 42.4 percent of his time in office. While most Americans crave a week or even a day off, our leader in leisure goofs off for weeks at a time.

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http://www.niagarafallsreporter.com/gallagher178.html

[Catfight]

1. EXACTLY, this is why Kerry needs to NOT take vacations right now.

Point out how much Bush takes vacations, plays around, makes bad jokes, and lives like a playboy. It's time for serious leadership that will bring our dying soldiers out of harms way. I'm telling you, Kerry should attend ONE FUNERAL OF A SOLDIER FROM IRAQ and bring the FACT that Bush isn't interested in the war any more...and by the way, WHERE'S OSAMA BIN LADEN? Are we even fighting in Afghanistan anymore?

[indigobusiness]

2. Exploiting a soldier's funeral for political gain

would be colossally crass and unwise. That sort of superficial manipulative move is best left to Republicans.

There are plenty of forthright efforts Kerry can pursue now, and, sadly, plenty of funerals for him to appropriately attend if elected.

[Pab Sungenis]

3. To put those numbers into perspective...

* has spent approximately one year, five months, and 20 days on vacation since taking the oath of office.

If he had front-loaded all of those days into the beginning of his term, he wouldn't have taken office until July 9, 2002, nearly 10 months after the destruction of the World Trade Centers.

If he had back-loaded all of them, his term would have ended August 3, 2003, a scant three months after "Mission Accomplished."

535 days is slightly more than 76 weeks. If he was given two weeks of paid vacation a year (which is more than most Americans get), he would have to work until 2039 to earn all of that time off.

The Presidential Salary, as required by the Constitution and determined by Congress, is $400,000.00 per year. Taking leap day out of the equation (let him have it off for free), Bush gets paid $1,095.89 to be President. If he had to refund money for all those days he skipped out of work, he would owe the American people $586,301.15. If we only docked him for days off over two weeks per year, and assume that he took all his vacation days for 2004 before the third quarter began, he would still owe us $570,958.69.

[glitch]

5. excellent post - puts it in perspective very well - thanks nt

[Englander]

4. In two months,the Drunken Monkey....

can spend more time with his lawyers...


btw,love the prayer wheel


:think: