"A government big enough to give you everything you want, is big enough to take away everything you have"
Thomas Jefferson

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

It Is Tax Day - See Where Your Money Goes

Former President Bill Clinton is eating well at the public trough of presidential perks.

His retirement allowance is reported at $8 million from 2001, while the other two living former presidents have a combined expense of $9.5 million during the same period.

Despite earning more than $100 million dollars since leaving the White House, his office expenses and staffing cost continue to be paid by taxpayers. His office operations, in the high rent market of Manhattan, have cost the taxpayer $3.6 million dollars since 2001 which comes close to out pacing that of Ford, Carter, Reagan and Bush who combined spent approximately $4.3 million during the same time period.

Presidential perks include; pension, office staff and their benefits, travel cost, mailing privileges and other miscellaneous supplies. Clinton's penthouse office is nearly twice as large as the offices of Carter or Bush and cost almost five times as much in rent.

"Clinton’s rent would have been less if his office were on a lower floor, according to a 2001 GAO report, which said the rent per square foot for Clinton’s office is about 4 percent higher than that of a Social Security office located on a lower floor in the same building. But the lower office doesn’t have the same view of Central Park, the George Washington Bridge and most of Manhattan as that reportedly offered by Clinton’s suite."

Many of the former Presidents decline some parts of the package or perks, not Clinton though, he accepts everything.

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