Recession? What recession? The Bushes Buy Fine China for almost 1/2 a mil.
 

Excerpt:

Among the ongoing political theater in Washington, questions swirled in the nation's capital today when first lady Laura Bush introduced the new Bush china -- with a price tag of more than $550,000 -- less than two weeks before she and President Bush move out.

The first lady was careful not to mention the price tag when she introduced the new presidential plates: one, a table set of formal china in white, green and gold; the other for the residence painted with magnolias in honor of the old trees outside the White House windows.

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Politics/s...6593323&page=1

The only good news is ... SUPPOSEDLY it's not being paid by our dollars, but I am sure that money could have gone a long way towards something else...

They can't make presidential styrofoam plates or sumn??????

I remember when there was the same sort of outcry during the Reagan years - (:rolleyes:) about a set of china. Private donations were used to buy that china too - and while yes, the money could have been used for other things , the fact is that china belongs to all of us. The Obamas will use it to entertain at the White House, and it will be a part of the many beautiful items given or donated over the years which make up the historical legacy of the executive mansion.

I don't think serving foreign dignitaries on paper plates is an option.

And hey, you can think of it as a stimulus package for china manufacturers!

That china belongs to all of us huh...?

Hmm...


I also agree with the article...the timing is just wrong on so many levels.

A stimulus package for china manufacturers? Riiiight.

The porn industry asking for a bailout is a far enough stretch.

If the china industry asks for one then that is past going too far.

haha!

Are they really? :eek: I havent heard that! It seems to be doing well in Vegas though on and off the strip :)

I have no problem with this; the china is going to be used for dinners with visiting dignitaries and the like, and as someone said earlier in the thread, it will most likely be used by the incoming administration. I'm sure the Obamas will spend money in trying to make the White House seem more like home when the President-Elect takes office. It's just what happens.

It's not the best timing from a public relations/image perspective, but beyond that I don't see an issue.

$.5M china
$9M vacation homes in hawaii.

change we can expect?

That's funny how you are trying to sit that one in Obama's lap...don't reach any further...you may fall over.

Read the Headline again...

THE BUSHES (not the Obamas) ARE PURCHASING NEW CHINA

Furthermore: The Obamas did not BUY nor OWN the 9 mil house they stayed in during the holidays

They RENTED it.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28337617/

Let's try to keep our stories stright before we lie on ourselves

And while we're at it, let's keep straight that none of the purchases mentioned in this thread were made with taxpayer funds.

I'm with KSigKid -- I'm not seeing the big deal.

Thank you for getting the fact that it was tongue in cheek!:cool:

Said that at the beginning...

Did you say the "not a big deal" part, too?

Because you probably should have.

Eeehhh...but I didn't...that's what I have you for....whatever one misses...someone picks up.


Still, the timing is just...wrong.

I know. I was adding to your response to DGTess.

The timing is terribly wrong. I don't care whose funds were used for the purchase. I also don't care about the fact that the china will be used to serve dignitaries and that it is a part of the historical legacy of the mansion.

I also don't buy the notion that the china belongs to all of us. Last I checked American citizens can barely get near the White House, let alone even VISIT it. How does the china belong to us?

People are pissed off that a private foundation has paid for a new set of dinnerware for the White House? Wow. Get a grip you pansies.

I wonder how much it costs to rent out a 9 million dollar beachfront home in Hawaii for 12 days. Actually would like to know.

Rentals in the Lanikai neighborhood range anywhere between $450-$1000 a night. Multiply that by 12 nights and it's still nowhere near what the china cost. I've stayed there with my family many times.

Lots of families prefer renting out homes because the Waikiki hotels tend to be twice the cost.

And your point in posting this is...:confused:

Certainly not as much as it cost to buy that china. :p

And if you think people should get over the china, then maybe you shouldn't be so concerned with how much it cost to rent that house.

You said, "American citizens can barely get near the White House, let alone even VISIT it." His point in posting it was to show that your statement was not accurate and that Americans can, in fact, visit the White House. Many do.

I've been there. I was three.

I tell you guys what...I am right around the corner from there...I will walk that way for lunch and let you know what happens...will that help ?

Nah. Being able to visit the White House =/= being able to walk right in unannounced and uninvited. Doesn't at my house either, nor, I bet, at yours. ;)

Yeah, I pretty much feel the same way. The recession won't impact everyone, anyway.

Agreed - again, maybe bad public relations move, but other than that, no issue with me.

For those who have a problem with it, ask yourself this: do you think that the Obamas should skimp on furnishing the White House when they move in? Or, should they be able to decorate as they please? As I said, I have no problem with it at all, I think that each President should be able to utilize the donations as they please, decorating the White House and buying whatever flatware they desire.

I'm thinking at least some of the criticism comes more out of a dislike for Bush than it does out of a problem with the spending choices.

heck...you may have a better outcome doing that at the White House I suppose....LOL


There, you may just only get beaten up....

Maybe even a combination of both.

Bush admin. is not popular (approval rating hovering somewhere near freezing) + bad economy + Bush Admin spending money on some china (regardless how it's paid for) = some harsh criticism considering the timing.

Agreed, exactly my point. It's not so black and white as being poorly-timed because of the economy, because I don't think some people would be bothered if the Obamas were making the purchase.

(And, to be fair, if things were reveresed you may have some conservatives criticizing the President-Elect if his White House made the purchases).

In fact I did NOT say that Americans CANNOT visit the White House. I said they BARELY can visit. So he did not show that my statement was not accurate. He showed that he did not properly read and comprehend the sentence. There is a difference. I stand by my original statement. I will add that it is extremely difficult to get an opp to visit the White House. You have to jump through major hoops. Too many hoops for the "china to belong to all of us."

When the Obamas move in, there is a warehouse of furniture that they can choose from. In furnishing the White House they will not be spending a great deal of money the way people wish to believe. Until the Obamas actually move in, it really is pointless to bring up that issue.

As for the part about the dislike of Bush, I dare say that those who don't think it is a poor choice in this economy are saying that because they are Bush supporters. :rolleyes: It should occur to you that some people have the ability to prevent their dislike of Bush from clouding their judgment in all matters that concern him. For instance, I don't like Bush. I think he is a horrible president, but I was still appalled and angry that someone dared to throw a shoe at him. He did not deserve that kind of disrespect. So when I have issue with themoney spent on the china, it is not because of my dislike for him, it is because I think it was a poor choice in this economy.

I don't think it's a poor choice......and i'm not a Bush supporter. Shocker! :eek:

They've got the china, it wasn't paid with your tax money---Seriously, just get over it.

Well, I'm not a Bush supporter, MysticCat isn't a Bush supporter, epchick isn't a Bush supporter, Munchkin isn't a Bush supporter, and KSigRC isn't a Bush supporter. So, that makes a group of us who aren't Bush supporters, but don't think it's a big deal.

I also wasn't pointing directly at you in making my comment - I was more making the comment generally.

Oh. (LOL? Come on.)

Actually, I'll edit this, because this is completely ridiculous - you said "people can barely get near the White House, let alone even visit it" and now you want me to believe you meant "let alone can barely even visit it"? OK - dude, it's OK to misstep every once in a while. It actually adds credibility. But hey - let's ignore all context clues and pretend MysticCat and I are idiots instead! Scrabble for rolls?

On the whole, though, you're being kind of . . . unfair? Short-sighted? I mean, the china was ordered a long time ago, and they can't control when it arrives, so . . .

You said Americans "can barely get near the White House, let alone even VISIT it." The clear implication is that while we can "barely get near" the White House, it is next-to-impossible to visit it. I'll take your word as to what you meant, but what you said doesn't quite match up with what you meant. So apparently, it's not that KSig RC can't read and comprehend what you wrote; it's that you had some trouble writing in such a way as to convey what you actually meant. ;)

And to be honest, I think you're way overstating the hoops that have to be jumped through to visit the White House. Having jumped through those hoops not that long ago, I can assure you it's really not that hard at all. You pretty much just call your Representative far enough in advance, let him or her know when you want to come, provide some basic background information and that's about it. Took one phone call.

As for whether the china "belongs to us" or not, it belongs to us all collectively, just like any other public property does.

As for the Obamas moving in, they receive a budget of $100,000 in public funds for redecorating. (Not that much in the grand scheme of things.) Anything spent beyond that will come from a foundation like the White House Historical Association (the foundation that paid for the new china).

I'm just still not seeing the big deal -- and as KSigKid says, I'm not a Bush supporter. I'm counting the minutes until he moves out of the White House. I just never saw the point of Bush-bashing purely for the sake of Bush-bashing either.

I just spent $60 on my China from Bed, Bath, and Beyond. Anyone care? Didn't think so. If it's not taxpayer money, then how it was spent, and how much of it was spent does not need to get justified to anyone for any reason. I actually think it's a great thing because that's $0.5 million that probably wouldn't have entered our economy in circulation otherwise during the recession.

I'm probably as anti-Bush as they come and I don't care that they bought new china.

actually...as of today..you can barely get near it....

this is such a non-issue. The President bought some stuff for the white house. (If i read it correctly, it will stay at the white house). It's not like Bush (the person) used his office to gain a set of personal china. And I want the White House to have nice China for foreign leaders, etc. when they come to visit. I don't really care about who had to order it.

They should have bought a shoe rack instead.