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| Yes | 10% | 3 votes | Total: 31 votes | |
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Yes, the President's spouse should receive a salary.
For the sake of being current I will reference President and Mrs. Obama in the remainder of this missive.
Once Barack Obama tossed his hat into the running, Michelle Obama's hat went in, too. Maybe there was no official announcement, no pomp, but like her husband, Mrs. O also began interviewing for a job. Although separate people, one running for office, one not they were a joint ticket from the start.
If the spouse is not perceived in a positive manner it will weigh badly on voters' minds. Any skeletons in the closet, any private or public faux pas, any little thing that isn't proper will directly impact the public perception of the person running for office, not just the spouse and ultimately end up as negative international publicity gossip, even. Oh no!
Look at Michelle Obama. A few years ago she was a wife, mother, attorney, a long time member of the Chicago community .
Then, for a long time she was campaigning, running for office no job title offered, and no salary offered either. She spent months and months campaigning, disjointed from her previous life, in and out of hotels, traveling through towns and cities and states. There were speaking engagements, meetings, briefings. What about all the early breakfasts, lunches, late dinners, daily recaps barely time to sleep before doing it all over again? And during it all she looked beautiful, projected a winning attitude, kept a smile on her face, kept shaking hands.
The rest is history. Hubby charmed the civilized world (and much of the uncivilized world, too), but Miss Michelle is no shrinking violet and most certainly had plenty to do with the campaign from start to finish, kitchen table conversation to the White House.
The day she stepped over the threshold and into the big, white house at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Michelle Obama became The First Lady, mega celebrity, global superstar, the person who shares pillow talk with the President of the United States of America, his most trusted confidante. There have been magazine covers and interviews about Michelle with barely a few words about the President himself. Michelle has her own office and staff, and agencies and non-profit organizations begging for her to champion their causes. She had to leave her home in Chicago, give up her career, and sadly and worst of all, sacrifice her independence and anonymity. She can't do anything without Secret Service agents following her every move can't take her daughters out for ice cream, can't walk down the street with her dog, can't go out to lunch or shopping with her girlfriends.
She has a schedule now, different from the wife-mother-lawyer schedule she had in her past life. She has more speaking engagements, meetings, and briefings now. She must know what's going on around the world. She's a public figure now, and an important one. I bet she's got countless letters to write, more to read, phone calls, conference calls, streams of faxes. She travels around the world, an ambassador of causes dear to her heart, of causes that impact peace and harmony in the world. She must host parties, private casual lunches, and large formal dinners for presidents and kings and queens and attend similar events when she is a guest. She must seamlessly adapt to different cultures, different foods, language barriers, time zones. She is always under the magnifying glass, enduring endless scrutiny by a ravenous media eager for any tidbit - newsworthy or not.
Yes, Michelle Obama is still a wife, still a mom, but she's got a full time job as the President's spouse. Her job is First Lady - a job she has to do, a job we're expecting her to do. It's only right she be paid a fair salary.
Learn more about this author, Lisa Federico.
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No
A Salary for the President's Spouse?
It has been suggested that the President's spouse should be entitled to a salary too. The belief is that she or he works just as hard as the president does and deserves a separate paycheck. Others believe that the spouse should not be paid, despite all the extra work she or he may be required to do.
While it is true that the spouse may have many extra duties due to being married to the President of the United States, it was still his or her decision to be married or to remain married. Can you think of any employer who pays the spouse based on what job the employee holds?
Why should it be any different for the United States government and the American citizens as employers of the president? We do not pay the spouses of military personnel, or firemen, or police officers a salary based on their mates' employment.
True, the marital partner may have given up a career of his or her own. In addition, he or she does give up a great deal of privacy and quality family time. However, that was the family's own choices. These sacrifices are compensated with some extremely nice rewards. All the benefits and perks that the President receives due to his job are shared with his family. Many American citizens sacrifice privacy and quality family time for their jobs, without the great rewards the president and his family receive.
What are these perks and benefits? Besides power and lasting fame, the United States president gets an annual salary of $400,000. A president's family usually becomes just as well known to the public as he or she does. Most presidents have presidential libraries built after their term of office is over, and many buildings, memorials, and roads are named after the various family members as well.
If you ask me, I do not know of any family in America who could not survive on that much salary alone. However, there are many more benefits than just the annual salary.
While in office, the president also gets access to several expense accounts, including a $50,000 general expense account. He or she also gets to utilize the following expense accounts: an official White House office account, one for entertainment expenses, another one for separate entertainment expenses for presidential functions, and one for traveling expenses that covers costs for anyone traveling with the president. This is above and beyond the free limousine, helicopter, and jet transportation provided as part of the job.
So far, we have the spouse getting the benefits of a mate with a top ranking, guaranteed salary, with the luxury of not having to work to help with the family's survival. She or he gains some power and fame, for doing nothing more than being married to someone. Although most spouses do choose to participate in the political and public arenas, they are not required to do so. When we elect/hire a president, we are not hiring his family too, despite the popular belief that we are.
In addition, the spouse never has to worry about transportation problems, since it is provided for him or her, compliments of the American taxpayer. Moreover, the spouse does not have to worry about shelter, as an extremely luxurious, cost-free home is provided during the president's term of office. This shelter is rent and mortgage free, so the spouse once again has no need of extra income to pay for the family's debts. This home includes a swimming pool, a billiards room, tennis courts, jogging trail, gymnasium, movie theater, bowling alley, and putting greens, as well as stables.
Moreover, the spouse can decorate the home with any piece of artwork by the National Art Gallery. Plus, the spouse never needs to prepare a meal during the president's term, as five full-time chefs provide the family with free service. Moreover, the spouse need not worry about housekeeping chores or lawn care tasks.
Nor does the spouse have to worry about the family's protection, as the entire family is given the best available security system, including personal bodyguards. I certainly think these perks adequately compensate the spouse and family of the political leader in our highest office. However, that is just a few of the benefits the spouse gets to enjoy.
The spouse of the president also gets to enjoy cost-free vacations at a private, luxurious retreat provided by the American taxpayers. There is also the added benefit of being provided with excellent health care and other professional services. These are just the benefits and perks of being the spouse during the president's term of office, which is from four to eight years. The spouse can enjoy other benefits after the president leaves office.
Once the president leaves office, he or she is eligible to collect a retirement pension. This pension is equal to the yearly salary of a cabinet member, which currently is over $150,000 per year. The president collects that salary for the remainder of his lifetime. Since my husband and I exist on approximately $20,000 per year, I see no reason why any other couple cannot easily survive on $150,000 per year.
However, the president is also eligible to obtain free office space, with a $96,000 per year funding to pay office staff. He or she also gets free lifetime postal service for non-political correspondence. Moreover, for the first thirty months, the president can get up to $150,000 per year to hire staff to help with the transition from public to private life.
Therefore, the spouse still gets to live a life of luxury. Based on our current Social Security policies, the spouse would be eligible for at least half of the retirement pension salary ($75,000 per year) upon his or her mate's death (if the spouse were age 52 or older, which is highly likely).
In summary, the spouse of the president is already being well compensated. She or he receives the benefits of cost-free shelter, transportation, and professional services such as maid, gardener, and chef. In addition, the spouse benefits from the president's job security (unless the president is impeached or assassinated), protection for the entire family, and free vacations and family entertainment, as well as excellent health care and educational opportunities.
She or he also becomes entitled to a retirement pension of at least $75,000 per year upon the mate's death and upon reaching age 52. The spouse gets to meet people who are considered the most important people in the world, and gets to attend most of the major social events of importance. She or he gets to travel around the world, and receives nice gifts from foreign dignitaries and various countries.
She or he receives lots of recognition from people all around the globe. All this is just for being married to someone the American citizens chose to represent their country for four to eight years. So should the spouse of the President of the United States be paid a salary? I do not think so, but I would certainly be willing to become the spouse of the president either way!
Learn more about this author, Penny S. Vincent.
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