An investigation by Politico reveals that taxpayers are underwriting former President and embryonic billionaire Bill Clinton to the tune of more than $1 million a year.
Since 2001, Clinton has received more of almost every benefit available to former presidents — from his pension to his staff’s salaries and benefits to supplies. His $420,000 phone bill and $3.2 million office rent tab both nearly surpassed the totals rung up for those purposes by Bush, Carter and the late former presidents Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan combined. As a group, they spent $484,000 on telephone service and $3.8 million on rent in the same span.
I'm sorry: $420,000 for a phone bill? Who's he calling? At 10-cents a minute -- and I'm guessing if he shops around he can fine a lower rate than that -- that's 4.2 million minutes. Over the course of seven years, that's 600,000 minutes a year which is 59 weeks of phone calls every single year, which doesn't even include local calls. Which means, assuming an 8 hour workday, 5 days a week, that at any given moment there are 5 people on the phone in Clinton's office talking long distance.
Assume a nickel a minute and there must be 10 people talking long distance all the time. What's he running, a telemarketing operation?
Hi, I'm calling from the office of former President Bill Clinton, and I was wondering if you need anyone to give a speech at your next corporate event?
Also contained in the report: News that it's costing us nearly a million dollars a year to support former President George H.W. Bush and -- hold onto your socks -- a half million a year in office support for Jimmy Carter.
Must need someone to handle all his fan mail.
Comments