Q. How many people does it take for President Obama to take part in the G20 summit?
A. Almost 500. Including senior officials, staff, support personnel , news reporters and some 200 Secret Service agents. And let’s not leave behind the president’s new armored limousine and several presidential helicopters for those short jaunts. How is this is being accomplished? By using military aircraft, which is causing our military to hire more foreign contractors to help resupply U.S. and allied forces in Afghanistan.
One official said the problem was not only the vehicles and helicopters that were needed for presidential security, but also the unusually large number of people traveling with the president (which includes a team from the White House kitchen to prepare his food, a White House medical unit, and, of course, assistants that include a secretary, a press officer and several bodyguards for the First Lady). The official said U.S. taxpayers are paying twice for airlift, once for Air Force jets that are not available for a war zone and again for foreign contractor aircraft that are.
Q. What’s the most effective way to get a criminal to squeal?
A. Give them immunity, of course. ICE (Immigration and Custom Enforcement) has been giving illegal immigrants work visas in exchange for testimony against their employers. At a hearing last Thursday, it was revealed by ICE director Marcy Forman they are targeting only businesses that exploit illegal immigrants with low pay and subject them to harsh working conditions. “We’re seeing history here today,” Representative Harold Rogers said. “A new policy now says we will not raid or prosecute … an employer, so long as the employer does not exploit the worker. That is de facto amnesty. If you are treated fairly, we’re not going to prosecute,” Mr. Rogers said, who added that he was “disgusted.”