Our morning meeting was spirited when we started talking about President Obama’s visit. We got more than a few curiosities from viewers wanting to know what this visit was going to cost taxpayers. So far the only agency telling us how much they are expecting to spend was the Boston Police: $33,000 for his five hour visit. The State Police aren’t telling us how much they are budgeting for security reasons, but we were guessing even more. The question everyone in the room had: who’s picking up the tab?
Then we discussed the issue of time. The president clearly has a full dance card with issues like Afghanistan, Wall Street, Healthcare and our Economy yet he is coming to Boston for a fundraiser for his friend Governor Deval Patrick to get re-elected. This trip has been in the plans for a while, but only recently he added a visit to M.I.T. perhaps as a way to quell questions about attending fundraisers. We questioned how the president is spending his time in light of all the other issues that need his attention.
Should we be concerned with fundraisers the President is attending while faced with so many issues? Where would you like to see more of his time spent on behalf of our country? Who should pay for these trips?
