Neighbors Inconvenienced By Michelle Obama’s Extended Vacation

(Western Journalism) — Apparently unsatisfied with wasting as much as $100,000 in taxpayer money to extend her Hawaiian trip without her family, Michelle Obama is reportedly uprooting the local community in the process.

After Barack and the kids left earlier this month, the White House explained Michelle stayed behind as a birthday present from her husband, albeit funded by his subjects. She has taken temporary residency at media mogul Oprah Winfrey’s sprawling vacation home in Maui, according to reports.

Neighbors and local shop owners say the surrounding neighborhood has been effectively closed to traffic.

The Obamas have routinely cordoned off entire streets in anticipation of a personal celebration; however, the current roadblocks are reportedly causing widespread and persistent inconveniences.

One business owner explained potential patrons were unable to reach the location due to a number of police checkpoints set up in the vicinity. Other shops have complained employees are arriving late – or not at all – because of the shutdown.

Furthermore, even those simply trying to enjoy the breathtaking beauty of the Hawaiian landscape are being thwarted by the intrusive security measures. In areas near Winfrey’s mansion, a number of recreational sites have reportedly been closed.

Perhaps it is not surprising that a woman who believes her perpetually vacationing lifestyle should be bankrolled by working citizens also feels her mere presence warrants the gridlock of an entire tourist destination. For those who call the island home, not to mention those who spent their hard-earned money to visit, her departure won’t come soon enough.

What Government Shutdown? Joe Biden Was Off to Camp David for a Vacation

Now, I realize the absence of Joe Biden won’t mean a hill of beans on solving the government shutdown.  But just imagine for a moment, if you were in the middle of a crisis at work and you told your boss you were going on vacation.  Would you still have a job on Monday morning?  This administration is out of control, and they just don’t care whether you like it or not.

Weekly Standard reported: Despite the government shutdown, Vice President Joe Biden is vacationing at Camp David this long weekend. He’s joined at the Maryland retreat by his family, including his wife (Jill Biden), children, and grandchildren.

The vice president is also there with “essential” government workers, who must work despite the government shutdown. That includes his Secret Service detail, as well as the Secret Service details assigned to the rest of his family, and other support staff. They are protecting the Bidens as they vacation — but aren’t getting paid because of the federal shutdown.

The vice president’s public schedule simply reads:

WEEKEND GUIDANCE FOR THE VICE PRESIDENT

Saturday, October 12 – Monday, October 14, 2013

The Vice President and Dr. Jill Biden will be at Camp David. There are no public events scheduled.

Monday is Columbus Day, a federal holiday.

But Biden’s absence from D.C. during the government shutdown hasn’t gone unnoticed.

“I’m glad that negotiations are going on … I’m disappointed that twice … we were close to a deal and the Democrats moved the goalposts, in light of the polling data,” Republican senator John McCain said this morning on a Sunday show. “Maybe we need to get Joe Biden out of the witness protection program.”

But there’s no sign Biden will be back in D.C. today to help negotiate a resolution to the government shutdown.

Instead, he’s busy at Camp David, where there are bowling lanes, tennis courts, hiking trails, and even a skeet shooting range.

Obamas Furlough Getaway: First Family Returns to Martha’s Vineyard for Summer Vacation, While Furloughs Kick In!

Obama’s don’t waste any time on planning their next ‘get-away’ on the taxpayers dime.  This time, they plan on rubbing elbows with the rich and famous on Martha’s Vineyard, this will be their third time frequenting this location.  Bon Voyage!

Fox News reports: The first family is returning this summer to Martha’s Vineyard, the third time the Obamas have vacationed on the exclusive Massachusetts island in the past four years.

President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama will arrive August 10 and stay through August 18, the White House said earlier this month.

The vacation is drawing some criticism about the president relaxing among the rich and famous while drastic cuts to the federal budget known as sequester kick in with full force, including the start this month of furloughs for 85 percent of the Defense Department’s civilian workforce.

The family is reportedly staying near Chilmark pond in a “veddy private, veddy secluded and veddy posh island retreat,” writes Boston Herald columnist Gayle Fee.

Among the closest neighbors will be Hollywood couple Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen, whom Fee describes as “ardent” Democrats and friends of President Clinton and wife Hillary Clinton, the former secretary of state.

Still, at least one local merchant is excited about the first family’s return.

“It’s nice to have the president of the United States,” Robert Breth, owner of Martha’s Bike Rental, told FoxNews.com on Sunday. “It puts the word out about Martha’s Vineyard.”

Breth downplayed the inconveniences of the visit, saying the presidential motorcade can create some traffic problems, “but it’s quiet for the most part. They’re not here to make a ruckus.”

The White House says the first couple has no public events scheduled that week. Daughters Sasha and Malia have joined their parents on the previous vacations.

The Obamas didn’t vacation on the island during the 2012 election season but spent the first three trips at the Blue Heron Farm in Chilmark, which overlooks Tisbury Great Pond.

However, the 28-acre retreat was bought in 2011 for $21.9 million by British architect Lord Norman Foster.