White House Staff Untouched by Obama Recession

Kevin Lewis got an 89% raise before the freeze

President Barack Hussein Obama, D-Kenya, is doing his part in reducing our federal deficit.

Around nine months ago, he announced a "two year freeze" on the salaries of federal workers. And this was a nice gesture, considering the fact that federal workers now earn considerably more than equivalent workers in the private sector.

It was simply time to put a lid on the generous salaries and benefits federal workers were getting.

Federal workers are currently enjoying extremely high wages and very generous benefits while people working in the private sector are earning so much less, losing their benefits, and taking pay cuts due to the growing Obama Recession.

But the President is no dope. Just before announcing his "pay freeze for federal workers" he made sure his own White House staff got hefty raises to tide them over during this two year austerity period.

While the country suffered another round of dismal job growth news, the White House communications staffers are enjoyed some hefty pay raises.

Here are just a few examples:

• Kevin Lewis, director of African-American media, went from $42,000 to $78,000.

• Elizabeth Olsen, special assistant to the president and director of presidential correspondence, saw her $76,500 salary boosted to $110,000.

• Thomas Vietor, senior director and national security staff spokesman, is now raking in $105,000 per year—up from $78,000.

• Johanna Maska, deputy director of advance and director of press advance, was making $56,100 a year; she’s now earning $80,000 annually.

During the nineteenth century, presidents had few staff resources. President Thomas Jefferson, Anti-Federalist-VA, had one messenger and one secretary at his disposal, both of whose salaries were paid by the president personally. It was not until 1857 that Congress appropriated money ($2,500) for the hiring of one clerk.

In 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, D-NY, expanded the Executive Office of the President (EOP) to a few dozen workers.

But in recent times, it has grown exponentially, and President Barack Hussein Obama is estimated to have some 2,000 to 2,500 persons serve in EOP staff positions with policy-making responsibilities, with a budget of $300 to $400 million.

Michelle Obama has 26 servants on her own staff

First Lady Michelle Obama is estimated to have at least 26 servants (i.e. "hand maidens") on her own staff.

Meanwhile, job growth stalled in June, with the U.S. economy adding only 18,000 news jobs in June.

The unemployment rate rose to 9.2 percent. The July rate was almost the same at 9.1%, indicating that the Obama Recession is still going strong.