Well, let's just talk about the cost of having the President travel around talking about privatizing Social Security, shall we?
After long delays, due in part to the refusal of the White House to cooperate, ...a GAO report [was released] assessing the costs to taxpayers of a 2005 White House initiative to support the President’s efforts to privatize Social Security.
The initiative included campaign-style events featuring the President and a roster of top Administration officials as well as the creation of a “Social Security Information Center” in the Department of the Treasury. The analysis shows that the White House effort cost more than $2.8 million, including more than $1.6 million for staging the events, more than $800,000 for Air Force One and Air Force Two travel, and more than $200,000 for the creation of the Treasury Department’s privatization war room and website. The $2.8 million estimate is an underestimate of the true costs, as it does not include the cost of staff time, Secret Service protection, and other expenses.
Representative Henry Waxman's fact sheet on the findings (PDF file) is here.
