My wife is a graphic artist/illustrator/designer without peer. I asked her how much she would charge President Obama to create an updated publicity photo of Air Force One and a few military air craft flying past the Statue of Liberty.
Assuming she didn’t already have the necessary software (she does) here’s a breakdown of what it could have cost the U.S. Government to update the publicity photo:
- 1 copy of Adobe Creative Suite 4 (she needs an upgrade) — $1800
- Stock photos of Air Force One and desired military aircraft — $0.00 (to be provided by the customer)
- Stock photos of New York skyline and Statue of Liberty from IStockPhoto — $50
- 8 hours labor at her highest rate for high-priority, urgent rush job — $800
- Damage to the environment from 3 jets flying around for 3 hours — $0.00 (since this step would be eliminated)
- Damage to the psyche of New Yorkers watching another airliner flying too low through the NY City skyline: priceless (since this step would be eliminated).
- Egg on the face of President Obama — None.
Total cost to have my wife create an updated publicity photo of Air Force One flying around the Statue of Liberty: $2650.
If she used her own software, $850 carbon-neutral dollars.
So, how much did our government spend:
- Cost of three jets for three hour mission: $328,835
- Photographer rates: ~$600 (I’m totally guessing, but also bet I’m low-balling by a considerable margin)
- Carbon offset credits from Al Gore for flying three jets around NY for three hours: $10,000 (again, just guessing. But that seems about right for that kind of unnecessary carbon output)
- Price of sending thousands of New Yorkers into a panic as they remember the horrors of 9/11 — immeasurable.
- Egg on the face of President Obama — priceless (if you’re a patriotic dissenting Right Wing Nut Job. Like me).
Total cost to have the Government create a special pic of Obama’s big plane just in time for his 100-day ego-stroking celebration: $339,435.
As John at PowerLine notes: “This seems odd: what is there to “update”? The statue hasn’t changed, nor has the airplane, to my knowledge”
Is it any wonder that Obama is spending our money faster than any President in history?
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Typical liberal politicians. Spend spend and spend and scare people out of their wits. My friends in NYC luckily didn’t see the jets.
Now we learn that the Idiots in Charge knew the photo-op would scare the bejezus out of New Yorkers. How stupid is this administration? My God, it’s not like New Yorkers are not still in shock over watching two towers fall to the ground, while Americans were locked inside of it.
And it’s only been 100 days. I can hardly wait for the next 1,360.
Robbie….don’t short change your wife.
The standard rate for Photoshop work is $150 an hour.
The urgent rush job should run $1,200 and throw in $300 just for the aggravation – $1500
BTW…Be sure and tell a lawyer that someone besides them gets to bill at a $150 an hour rate. It is fun to watch their head’s spin!
Not that surprising, but interesting and sad if No One in the White House was computer savvy enough to know this could have been done without any aircraft leaving the ground.
What’s Worse is that I think they did know but just wanted the apparent thrill (for them) of wastefully spending taxpayers’ money.
Shouldn’t it be alarming if someone was able to order AF1 off the ground withOUT the president’s knowledge ?
Wouldn’t that be a giant security breach ?
WTF ?!
The jackass Had to know about the whole thing.
He and his administration have just forgotten that 9/11 happened.
They showed their true colors with this one.
I just wanted to be a fly on the wall in NYC and hear what bammy’s supporters thought of him Now, after scaring the crap out of who knows how many people.