Being President is a tough and dangerous job—you are under threats from domestic crazies and international terrorists. After President William McKinley was assassinated in 1901, Congress added presidential protection to the mission of the Secret Service. Secret Service agents provide 24/7 protection of the President and his wife, and this protection continues for ten years after leaving office.
Yesterday, President Obama signed a law granting him, George W. Bush, and any President from this point forward lifetime Secret Service protection for both themselves and their spouses, all on the taxpayer dime.
The hypocrisy is almost too much to bear.
The President seeks to restrict or ban me from accessing certain types of firearms and ammunition magazines all the while guaranteeing that his safety will always be protected by Secret Service agents armed with (among other things) semiautomatic handguns and AR-15 rifles with magazines capable of firing multiple rounds—the very items he wants to make off-limits for ordinary citizens.
He has armed Secret Service agents available for a lifetime of armed protection, but yet he seeks to make it harder and harder for the rest of us to protect ourselves and our families.
In other words, guns are OK to protect me—but none for thee.
On a side note, “Former President” is one of the most lucrative gigs anyone can have—just ask Bill Clinton. I don’t have any problems with a former President being authorized Secret Service protection for several years immediately after they leave office, and I am aware that Congress passed this law extending this protection.
But is it too much to ask that at some point, they be responsible for hiring and paying for their own bodyguards?