Michelle Obama's staff costs taxpayer $1.75 million per year

That's quite a large staff. It is questionable. Are so many staff members really necessary, especially when the economy is this bad? She's a boss.

"Are so many staff members really necessary"

well the last 2 first ladies didn't seem to think so...but let's wait a little while...i am sure an obamanite will be along to explain to our simply minds why she needs such extravagance

There is no rhyme or reason to have a staff this big other than to cater to her every whim. The sad part of this bloated staff is that they also receive a benefit package as robust as those of members of our National Security and Defense departments.

The millions of people who really have to labor in this country, whether you are flipping burgers at Wendy's or working at some Walmart somewhere, or changing someone's oil, or delivering mail - are the ones that have to pick up the tab for these excesses.

Wasn't her mother brought in to help her out around the house?

Michelle Obama's has 16 members on her staff. Four of whom pull double duties, because they are staff members to both Barack and Michelle.

Chief of Staff Susan Sher, who gets the top $172,200

$140,000
Frye, Jocelyn C. (DEPUTY ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT AND DIRECTOR OF POLICY AND PROJECTS FOR THE FIRST LADY)

$113,000
Rogers, Desiree G. (SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT AND WHITE HOUSE SOCIAL SECRETARY)

$102,000
Johnston, Camille Y. (SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT AND DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS FOR THE FIRST LADY)
Winter, Melissa E. (SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT AND DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF TO THE FIRST LADY)


Laura Bush had 15 on her staff, three of which pulled double duties.

McBride, Anita B. Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff to the First Lady $172,200.

Armstrong, Sara Assistant to the President and Duty Chief of Staff to the First Lady $102,000

Harder, Cherie S. Special asistant to the president for domestic policy and director of project of the first lady $108,000.00


Michell Obama's staff collectively cost Michelle Obama has 16 paid staff which cost the American taxpayers $1,256,700.

Laura Bush had 15 paid staff which cost the American taxpayers $1,077,900.

A,

As per factcheck.org and Katie McCormick Lelyveld, Michelle Obama’s press secretary, the first lady’s current staff size is actually 24.

Yes but that number includes some people I wouldn't count, but if we are counting them then Laura Bush's numbers go up too.

Lelyveld also said this:


Lelyveld said that Michelle Obama’s staff was actually no different than that of her predecessor, Laura Bush. "[W]e have exactly the same staff number as Mrs. Bush and our office organization reflects a similar staffing model, so insinuations otherwise are wrong," she said. Lelyveld said that the White House’s "personnel records indicate" that there were 24 staffers for Laura Bush.

Laura bush and Michelle Obama have the same number of staffers. Now can we drop the subject.

http://www.factcheck.org/2009/08/michelle-obamas-staff/

We contacted Katie McCormick Lelyveld, Michelle Obama’s press secretary, to check the list’s accuracy. Lelyveld told us in an e-mail that the first lady’s current staff size is actually 24, not 22, as the chain e-mail claims.

Kim Coryat, an archives technician at the William J. Clinton Presidential Library, told us it can be difficult to nail down a precise count of staff considering "White House staffing for all offices ebbs and flows with time." But she said in an e-mail that White House telephone directory records indicate that Hillary Clinton had at least a staff of 13 as of October 1993; 18 as of April 1997; and 19 as of March 2000.

The combined annual salaries for the 22 staffers we can specifically identify as working for Michelle Obama come to $1.6 million. For the 18 we could identify as working for Laura Bush in 2008, the total is $1.4 million.

So you agree tbat Laura Bush had staffers too then? Good, so we all agree. While Laura shared three staffers with her husband, Michelle shares four.

Let's see who is more active.

I think that she should learn to cook food herself and live a life like she used to live before coming to the White House. I am sure that before coming to White House she did not have this large nos of staffs.

She didn't have any duties that being in the white house bounds you too either.

Back in the years when common-sense we more than used to embrace, there were some many moving speakers sowing seeds of poorness trading qualities of hope that handed down freedom from the beggar to the pope. All the people of the town loved every meal that was prepared, along with the stories that they told, the memories they shared. Every opportunity to contribute to the effort of putting together a space appreciated by all, they made a motion towards a location that was safe, cared enough to elevate the rhythm of their lives for others to see, and dared not to test their children of apathy but to allow them space to share a feeling reconnecting with their roots, their ancestors, their soil, and their future's worth on Earth as one. These opportunities allowed them all the courage to embrace one another free of former dispostions. The end of such was acquitted and so free hatred we then rolled off into the season of change with our hopes for tomorrow alongside us all the way home, where happiness holds for all.

They all had them and now so too does she.... Why do you people expect that would "CHANGE?"

You know what, all you conservatives are right. She needs to fire all of her assistants and do all of her scheduling, event planning, vaccuming, cooking, speechwriting, advising, and who know what else first ladies do by herself. And Obama should get rid of all his advisers and assistants too.

Shoot if the Bushes could run all the ceremonies and festivities in and around the white house, the nation all by themselves, for sure Michelle and Barack can.




The First Lady position is not just a wife of the President position. The duties of the first lady include but not restricited to planning and participating in all the events that take place in the White House.

There is a strong tradition that the First Ladies can not have outside employment, they are bound to the unofficial duties of the Office of the First Lady.

Christmas events, easter events, Memorial day events, veterans day events, events events events. It is the First Lady's Office that plans and executes all the events and ceremonies in the WH.

Let's just gid rid of all that, start with Christmas and just go down the line and et rid off everything, and let Michelle get back to being a lawyer.

Wish we could go back in time and get rid of the Just Say No campaign that Nancy and Barbara started, the literacy initiatives that Laura started. Wish we could have done that.

You guys are ridiculious, if you are honest about this outrage, hope I hear it when a republican ends up being in office.

What would you do if Michelle Obama ended teh Office of the First Lady? Just flat out closed the office down. No more ceremonies, no more festivals, eff it, we're broke.

I know what you'll do, b!tch and moan. And spew some more phony outrage.

The Obamas could sneeze and there'd be a negative story about it in the conservative media.

Do you really believe that in order to have christmas in the white house that she needs a staff to plan it?

Ridiculous is a president that comes into a declining economy with the most expensive inauguration in history Ridiculous is a party so dedicated to sharing the wealth of others and not recognizing that out of control spending hurts our country no matter which first lady does it.

not just christmas, every event at the white house. The first lady is considered the host of the white house. They also take up causes like, HIV Aid, DARE, Reading.

First Ladies give speeches and give political support and PR, domestically and internationally.

Ridiculous is you not knowing anything you're talking about. Don't confuse the first lady to the President.


I love how conservatives call taxes sharing the wealth. Tell me about one Republican that came into office and abolished income tax. None, so don't act like Republicans don't tax. They don't distribute the wealth.

way to support the top 1% there, they need all teh supprot you can give them, they only have 95% of teh wealth, which they made off of the work that you and I do.

In times of a financial crisis only the government can spend. You think the private sector going to come to your rescue. You thnk the private sector will provide you with jobs. Right now the biggest employment opportunities are with government.

There are rules in government jobs that say that they must pay you a living wage, the private sector pays you minimum wage.

The private sector is making billions of dollars right now and still isn't giving up its profits to hire a few extra people.

While Government is hiring.

Teh previous government borrowed almost 2.5 trillion dollars from China to give the top 5% as a tax cut.

They gave 2, 700 billion dollar bailouts to the banks.

They start two wars overseas.

they failed to regulate the banks even as the signs of collapse were upon us.

And you think Obama is to blame for our economy?

That's ridiculous.

Are we done picking nits? It's fairly obvious from some of the most recent numbers that we are arguing over $200,000.

That's less than Dubya spent on video games.

Are we done picking nits? It's fairly obvious from some of the most recent numbers that we are arguing over $200,000.

That's less than Dubya spent on video games.

A joke, folks.

yeah i think we pretty much proved that the original article was false...i know better than to respond without doing my own research first but i was distracted...that's my story and i'm sticking with it...lol

how much do you think she should pay her staff?

Some of that staff has been assigned to help her with all the bags full of $300 dollar a pair sneakers, $5,000 gowns and $2000 purses.
That in itself requires an assistant.