A former student just sent me this Canadian piece on the extensive and costly retinue of people surrounding Michele Obama. It’s far greater than any First Lady in the past.
Let’s look at this in Keynesian fashion, though. All those functionaries are spending money! Spending money is good! It’s what is helping to keep the economy going. Michele is helping to fight unemployment. Why, her own stimulus package is probably saving jobs in Washington — jobs for hair stylists at elegant salons, for example. Those who attend to her must look good.
The hair stylists will quickly spend the money they earn–who can save in such a pricey town as Washington?–thus creating a high multiplier. Prosperity spreads outward from the White House, thanks to Michele Obama’s determination to have a staff commensurate with her importance to the nation.
King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette might have avoided a lot of unpleasantness if they had explained to the hungry and heavily taxed people of France that their extravagant living was actually good for them since without it, they would be even poorer.
Or maybe they tried that and the people didn’t believe it.
