He earned it and damn if he doesn't intend to spend it! http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20041122/ap_on_go_co/congress_spending_42
No, the $2 million is just what Congress authorized to spend on it. The current owners have said that they're not selling at that price. What they'll likely do is just "set aside" that $2 million and add to it in the next round of spending bills. Then they'll add a little more, and a little more, etc., until they have enough to actually pay for it.
It's exciting to observe the priorities this forward-thinking administration establishes. They are steadfast and unswerving; they have guts and guts is enough. I'm proud to say I've lived under George Bush umbrella of protection and freedom. I want Bush on that wall; I need Bush on that wall... (boom).
I'd say that cash is going the way of the money allotted for the $400 toilet seat, $6,000 hammer, etc...
Lord knows Bush needs more vacation time, especially after that brutal campaign... I didn't realize Crawford, Texas had beachfront property though.
Accounting-wise, though, they'll say they didn't spend it even if we're still running $400-500 billion deficits. Alex, I think you'd agree that this is some pretty bad pork here. And it's stupid politically.
Yeah... Which is why I think there's more here than meets the eye. Even if your theory of setting aside $2 mil a year turns out to be true, Bush won't be in office by the time the thing gets bought back (tho I suppose he'll be able to use it if Jeb is Prez ).
I hate to interrupt all this complete ignorance with some, you know, actual FACTS here, but I came across this thread and, well gee, the guessing and bullsh!tting are fascinating, but way wide of the deal here. In a PR move to prove that the hwole nation was going down the tubes and everybody's life was getting crummier, Jimmy Carter stopped wandering around the White House turning down thermostats long enough to sell the USS Sequoia to a private firm for a little north of 200k. Of course the Presidential yacht thing was a tradition dating back forever, but again it was mostly PR anyway. Carter was, and is, an embarassing, clueless dunce. A private firm bought it and dumped 9 or 10 million bucks into restoring it and now rents it out for ten grand a day. 90% of the rentals are to THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. Clinton used it. Reagan used it. Bush 41 apparently didn't like the thing and never used it. Chimpy BushHitler has used it a few times to meet and entertain visitors, which is the normal purpose and other Federal agencies use it for that purpose as well. Now if you'd rather, they can go downtown and rent out a fancy suite, banquet room and meeting space in some hotel for pretty much the same money. But you morons sitting there in your underwear pounding away furiously at the image of George and Laura barging down the Potomac like Cleopatra while Condi Rice, Colin Powell and the other assorted Administration Stepin Fetchits fetch them mint julips and peel their grapes ia a little overblown. The GAO wants to buy the thing because it would save a substantial amount over the cost of renting it out all the time. Some of you need to go get a clue about how the world operates.
[pontificate]But you morons sitting there in your underwear pounding away furiously at the image of George and Laura barging down the Potomac like Cleopatra while Condi Rice, Colin Powell and the other assorted Administration Stepin Fetchits fetch them mint julips and peel their grapes ia a little overblown.[/pontificate] You say this like it's a bad thing.
If one treaty/trade agrrement/alliance is made on that yacht, it is worth the money many times over. Should the president turn Camp David into a public park?
It's a 80 year old wooden ship. The basic R&M costs on it alone are astronomical - over $180,000 a year. That's just to keep the thing seaworthy - general upkeep, servicing, keeping the ship staffed and the renovations that it's constantly in need of blow out the running costs ridiculously. The trust that originally bought it defaulted on the restoration bill. With no bidders, the shipyard owed the money bought the boat for $50,000 in 1990. The current owners have been trying to offload the damn thing with no success for over 2 years. I'd like to see some actual usage figures. I find it hard to believe that at $10,000/day the Administration uses the yacht enough at present to make it more cost-effective to buy it for a substantial capital sum, and cover the huge running expenses. Seriously, I love the yacht, and I think the Administration should buy it just to save it for historical purposes - the company that owns it is going to eventually go under. But it's ridiculous to pretend that this is a rational, cost-effective decision. There is no way that this thing is going to pay for itself, unless the usage of it is ratched up substantially.
I work in the oil business and we say: "If it flies, floas or fvcks, rent it." This crap is always a boondoggle. Dubya wants boat, but he doesn't want to pay for it.
I concur! I would donate my left testicle if they'd let me sail her. BTW the $10,000 is for only up to 4 hours. Additional time entails an extra charge. (Crew gratuities are left to the discretion of the charterer). Sign up here: http://www.sequoiayacht.com/rental/rentagree.htm So, let's see 4 hours, that's 2 charters a day. 3 if you can do a sunset cruise in summer. Call it 2, that's 20K per diem, we take Mondays and Tuesday off and we only work 6 months in the summer. OK, thats 100K per week x 26 weeks...Wow! We'll have it paid in no time...
Bill Archer hits another bull's eye. Wonder what it cost's to rent this barge? Perhaps we could pool our money and take a BS cruise?
Gee, let's see. $2 MILLION for something you could actually go sailing on and even rent out from time to time. Even with the final cost it looks like something that might actually be useable and generate some serious bank. Nancy Pelosi porked up the bill for $1 MILLION to restore an old sailing vessel that will NEVER sail again...just be parked at a dock for people to look at. Will folks pay $20 to look at it? $10? $2.50 for school kids? Wonder how that one pencils out? Both sound like pork to me? BTW, does the AP article mention if President Bush was lobbying for this deal? Aware that it was happening? Sounds like a lot of people are jumping to unverified conclusions here unless there was something in that article I didn't read.