It isn't the manliest admission ever, but I love calligraphy. I would do it as a job in exchange for ammo, which the government has plenty of. Seems like a better deal if you're actually trying to make responsible cuts as opposed to playing political chicken.

You know that tired "women do the same work for less money" trope democrats are always citing?

I may have found the problem. Our enlightened dem leaders are paying the male deputy almost 10K more than his female counterpart and damn near as much as his female boss. Fire all three.

what about the dog walker? Who knows what other interesting parties there are around who will be providing a nice service to the WH, while the people are not able to see it?

Bbbbut Jenny, are you trying to start a Republican war on women? Because... shut up... it's not like all the dems on the hill don't pay more to the guys in their employ than the women. Oh, wait. :massive eyeroll:

You just KNOW how this would be explained - by blaming someone else.

Bbbbut Jenny, are you trying to start a Republican war on women? Because... shut up...

Obviously, "Jenny" is a misogynist. Assuming that's her real name, and assuming "she" is a she.

IYKWIMAITTYD

Well, if the White House only made cuts to non-essential services, the public wouldn't feel the cuts so much. The sequester (sequestration?) is a prime opportunity for big government to prove to us that we "need" them-by holding us hostage. Instead of furloughing office workers at the Ag Department, they'll slow meat and produce inspections. Instead of finding a faster way to get people through airport security, they'll make us wait an extra hour to get through. Somebody might actually CARE about not being able to visit the White House. Nobody cares if the Calligraphers have to take a two-week upaid vacation.

...Really, the worst thing that could come out of the sequester- for this President's administration- is that, after a while, people shrugged their shoulders and said, "Meh, this isn't so bad. Why were we paying for THAT, anyway?"

Hiring.

Seriously? I can't believe nobody is stating the obvious: $100 f'ing grand (plus Federal benefits, so really like $135G) for a *calligrapher*? And Three of them? You could find 1,000s of art school dropouts who would crap their pants for the opportunity to do their craft for $15/hour.

And for about $5,000 you can get a really nice computer and typesetting machine that would do the same freaking thing faster.

" ...Really, the worst thing that could come out of the sequester- for this President's administration- is that, after a while, people shrugged their shoulders and said, "Meh, this isn't so bad. Why were we paying for THAT, anyway?"
"

That's exactly what they're afraid of, why they spent the last weeks talking like it was going to be near armageddon and why they're deliberately trying to make it as painful as possible.

In the end, they really do seem to believe that the ends justify the means and will happily accept short term suffering of many of us if it means they can get complete control of congress in 2014. Then they could ram through all their programs that (they think) will then bring us utopia.

The tour guides are volunteers, aren't they?

Yeah, why exactly are we talking about calligraphers when the prez's last trip to Fla. to play golf with the philanderer Tiger Woods cost what 10 calligraphers would be paid? And he does that how many times a year? Not to mention the fundraising trips masquerading as presidential junkets. All that alone would support a helluva lot of months of WH tours. And all this while the average American's standard of living continues to slowly decline toward an eventual state of universal misery.

"typesetting machine that would do the same freaking thing faster.

aka a laser printer."

Hey, I hear the CBS News might have an old one available - it was only used to create "fake, but accurate, memos."

I'm sure Dan Rather wouldn't mind lending it to the current White House team. He could even show them how to use it.

Morning instructions to the White House Staff of Ludicrous and Unnecessary Assistants:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cr5KyLzFdgI

What will the White House do with Eric Bolling's offer.