A recent newspaper story reported the president is planning a trip to several places in Africa this year. The cost will be many millions of dollars for each trip: Air Force One plus backup plane, 56 vehicles (16 limos), Secret Service agents (several hundred), fighter plane escorts plus air refueling, an aircraft carrier with hospital facilities standing by off shore for rescue purposes, C-5s and C-17s to transport all of the vehicles and equipment.
Plus (there’s) all of the costs related to putting hundreds of staffers in hotels and a small army of marines and soldiers to usurp the authority of the local police and militia; of course, we cannot trust the locals with the security of their own people much less the safety of the president.
If the president feels the need to schmooze with African leaders, he should invite them to the White House for a state dinner, hand them their bag of money for their Swiss bank accounts and say goodbye to them on the White House lawn.
It would cost one-tenth of one trip for three state dinners and related security cost, and our state dinners are likely to be better than African state dinners.
VERNON LOTT
Springdale