I watched a news story tonight about Laura Bush unveiling two new sets of White House china.
My first thought was, "Well, that really sucks for Michelle Obama, that thirteen days before a new First Lady is in the White House the outgoing Lady picks the new china." It seemed rude and sort of in-your-face.
Then I heard the price tag. Half a million dollars. Let me type that again, only a little slower... half a million dollars.
One might argue that it's just fine and dandy to spend half a million dollars on china because it's from some historical society and it's not taxpayer dollars. However, I say it's heartless to spend half a million dollars on a luxury of that nature AT THIS TIME when people are losing their homes and when men are committing suicide because they get ripped off from investors and when innocent children are being blown to bits on a war that we watch every night on TV.
Let's step back and examine for a moment what half a million dollars can buy you:
- In my area of the country (Arkansas), depending what county you are in half a million can buy 5-10 families a new home to live in
- Approximately two million school lunches
- One thousand Heifer Int'l cows that create exponential agricultural growth in underdeveloped countries
- Five million pounds of food and groceries for starving Americans ($1 for each 10 pounds of food)
- Microloans to 500 people to start businesses that would improve their communities
- Kitchen sinks for 5000 Habitat for Humanity houses
- College education for 13 students who could change the world for the better
- Supply water to 2500 Africans with $350,000 left over for something else
- Thanksgiving turkeys for 25,000 families in America
- 50,000 bed nets to save children from malaria
The list could go on and on, but you get the idea.
Thirteen more days of frippery, Mrs. Bush. Enjoy!
We just pulled our money from the market after 2o years. We lost more money this past year than I can even bear to write down. It's devastating. My husband is sick and 71...we thought we had a safety net there. All the crap that politicians talk.
ReplyDeleteTo know that that much was spent on CHINA when it could have been used to help so many people in so many different ways. To think that there's even one hungry, homeless child...while they eat off of million dollar dishes...yes...I want to vomit.
Oh BTW...Hi! *L*
Unbelievable! That is just a waste. I didn't even pick out China when I got married. I hate the idea of using something once or twice a year and being so freaked out that it might break...
ReplyDeleteMy friend and I were talking about this the other day. The big parties and the designer gowns. The amount of money spent on TWO years of campaigning. Ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteYep, that was a waste of cash.
ReplyDeleteThen again, so was Obama's $2 million party on election night.
People are throwing money out the window all over the place. No wonder I've grown to hate politics so much.
The Natural State Hawg
It's tradition for the last first lady to pick the new china. That's been going on for so long so it's nothing against hte Obamas or in anyone's face. She didn't pay for that china with taxpayer money. The Whiethouse has a historical society funded with private donations that pay for things like that. While I think that amount of money spent on dishes is just freaking insane, I also know that it's one of the things she was expected to do. Honestly I don't understnad why people donate so much money to things like that instead of feeding the hungry... sad really.
ReplyDeleteand it doesn't even look good! michelle will do so much better, i'm sure she will.
ReplyDelete