Bill Clinton annually costs U.S. taxpayers 45% more than H.W. Bush and 2X more than Carter

[BeyondGeography]

Taxpayers fund Bill Clinton spending

The Clintons have made a $100-million fortune since leaving the White House, but a Politico analysis found that hasn’t kept Bill Clinton from taking full advantage of the publicly funded perks offered to ex-presidents.

In fact, his presidential retirement benefits cost taxpayers almost as much as those of the other two living ex-presidents combined.

The price tag for Clinton’s federal retirement allowance from 2001 through the end of this year will run $8 million, compared to $5.5 million for George H. W. Bush’s and $4 million for Jimmy Carter’s during the same period.

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.

The figures come from congressional reports studying the presidential retirement program and from summaries of annual budget requests by the U.S. General Services Administration, which administers the program, created to allow former presidents to enjoy dignified retirements without having to take jobs that demean or commercialize the presidency.

Some of Clinton’s greater spending stems from the fact that he served eight years in office, qualifying him for a federal health insurance plan unavailable to one-term presidents, and that he selected office space in the high-priced Manhattan market.

Politico’s analysis comes on the heels of the release last week of seven years' worth of Clinton family tax documents. They showed that the Clintons pulled in $111 million in total income from 2000, their last year in the White House, through 2007.

Given Bill Clinton’s earning potential and that of future ex-presidents, “the benefits taxpayers shell out for their care and feeding just don’t make sense anymore,” contended Pete Sepp, spokesman for the fiscally conservative, nonprofit National Taxpayers Union...

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0408/9531.html

[Adelante]

1. Pretty shocking numbers in that piece nt

[stellanoir]

2. And *'s retirement will be even more pricey

if what I heard is true. The President's salary was reportedly raised from 200 grand to 400 grand in '01.

[BeyondGeography]

3. Dubya's lazy, he won't be running up all the extras

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.

[Submariner]

5. Big liquor bill should about cover it

Won't travel or speechify much. Too well hated. The Dork will just run up a live-in SS detail expense to run block on the rotten eggs and tomatoes hurled at him when he does venture from the pig farm.

[BeyondGeography]

8. The whole presidency thing was a bit of a joke for him

like school.

He had two basic goals: Get re-elected (fuck you, Dad) and take out Saddaam (fuck you, Dad).

Mission accomplished. Party on.

[Wickerman]

4. I'm certainly not going to hold my breath that GWB* can uphold this

"...enjoy dignified retirements without having to take jobs that demean or commercialize the presidency."

I can only imagine how he will embarrass us in coming years.

[DemBones DemBones]

6. He's younger and still more active in trying to help solve problems like AIDS,

famine, etc. I guess he should quit and stay home, huh? Screw all those people dying in Africa.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

9. Carter manages to do at least as much good at half the price. nt

[Maribelle]

7. Bill Clinton's eight years cost the taxpayers 1.5 million less than the eight years of Bush & Carter

Too bad Obama supporters were not a little better with math.