Why is Obama spending millions of dollars taking his family on vacations with taxpayers money?  He really put a stop to private executives using jets but here he is taking his whole family and this involves hundreds of thousands of dollars of our money.  This should not be tolerated.

I'm all in favor of this trip, and his taking his family with him.   The trip benefits all of us, because of its symbolic importance.  Think of the conversations among native Africans as they talk about this man, much like them, being elected President of the United States, and de facto Leader of the Free World.

"An estimated 12-25 million people passed through those doors. Not one of them ever saw their home or their families again. Not one."

"Imagine then, the symbolic significance of the descendant of one of those slaves, returning as First Lady of the world's superpower. What a powerful moment it will be."

The above quotation is very powerful. You indeed captured the essences of it... the symbolic significance of Mrs Obama going to Africa as a First Lady. Suposedely, a decendant of former a former African slave.. That to me is amazing..

Shame on you Scottsboro, for insinuating that our fine president is wasting taxpayers' dollars for traveling! Former presidents, and most recent ones, Clinton and Bush, did the same thing. The only difference is that every move they made was not given such scrutiny. It is in the interest of the world for our president and his family to be seen. So stop your negativity!

Why can't he take his children and wife with him?    I know when my children are out of school, I would feel much better having my family with me. Plus a young married President should have his wife by his side. I don't see the problem. It beats leaving them with some total strangers.

OpenBook,

If you know anything about Africa, Ghana is one of the few peaceful developing nations in West Africa. They had tight elections recently in Ghana and there was no trouble or vote rigging. His visit there could be seen as a intelligent message to send to places like Iran and North Korea about democracy.

Also given that most African American's originate from Ghana, to say the visit is not in the interest of Americans is a bit like complaining about taxpayers money being used by Obama to visit war memorials in Europe. Whether Americans like it or not Ghana is part of America's history.

Plus Ghana has been a long time friend of the USA despite Africa fast becoming an anti-american region during the Bush Era like most of the rest of the world. Africans are hopeful that Obama a President who has an African dad, will finally end unfair trade laws that locks a peaceful country like Ghana into poverty because there is no work for local farmers because their country is flooded with American imported food goods subbed by the government. Or is Obama there because they have just discovered oil in Ghana and it's in the American interest to be there. Openbook you comments even more pointless.

Message (please, no HTML tags. Web addresses will be hyperlinked):