Letter: Grown-up ‘toys’ on taxpayers’ backs

Recently, President-elect Donald Trump called for canceling a contract with Boeing for two new Air Force One planes due to the price. While his cost estimates may seem exaggerated, Trump’s intent is appealing in that he does not want to waste taxpayer dollars.

Less known is the spending on airplanes for the golf addiction of President Barack Obama’s and Vice President Joe Biden.

Almost every weekend when both are available and the weather is conducive, they play golf together.

But on Fridays, Biden helicopters to Joint Base Andrews in nearby Maryland, flies home to Delaware on Air Force Two, about an hour away, and does the reverse on return.

Weather-permitting for golf, Biden flies back to Washington on Saturday to play golf with his boss, returning to Delaware later that day.

Air Force Two is a Boeing C-32 (the equivalent to a Boeing 757-200).

Per Newsmax, the plane costs $22,000 an hour to operate, or about $10,000 for each leg of Biden’s trips.

In addition, the Secret Service rents 20 condominiums in Delaware for Biden’s Secret Service detail. Newsmax estimated the cost to taxpayers (you) as $1 million annually for this golf time. The vice president is already provided with a beautiful residence in Washington anyway.

Press offices for Obama and Biden have no comment about this spending.

Remember, President “Hope and Change” appointed Biden to root out wasteful government spending.

This story was originally published December 20, 2016 at 11:19 AM with the headline "Letter: Grown-up ‘toys’ on taxpayers’ backs."