Let Them Eat Sole

Last December, the Obama family went on one of their many vacations since the 2008 presidential election. At that time, an observant author at the Republic noted the egalitarian nature of the first family, since highlighted by, oh, 60-room vacations at 5-star hotels. Anyhow, 'kristinn' wrote:

The Obamas are staying at an $8.9 million estate for an estimated $4000 per night. To cover the Obama's ten night stay, the minimum wage worker would have to work two-and-a-half years (before taxes) to come up with the $40,000 Obama is reportedly laying out.

And the First Lady was photographed last night in Hawaii wearing designer shoes by Maison Martin Margiela.

The shoe style is called "Leather open toe flat pumps." It features a "thin nude leather strap across the top of the toe."

Thee shoes are $635 per pair.

A woman lucky enough to have a job in this economy and working for the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour would have to work 88 hours (without taxes taken out) to make enough to pay for Michelle Obama's shoes. If she can get them on sale, they would only set her back $445 for 62 hours work.

Obama has lectured Americans about how they can not expect to live their lives as indulgently as they have in the past. He has lectured businesses about their travel and pay. Yet Obama and his wife live like royalty.

The news media has yet to call him out on his extravagance when there is 10% unemployment with no sign of the employment picture improving this coming year.

Kristin N. was prescient, as evidenced by the latest employment numbers. Hint: it's Jobless Thursday. Again.

A little splash of less-bad-than-expected news today, as initial unemployment claims came in at 472,000, slightly better than the 475,000 forecast. That was a drop of 6,000 from last week's upwardly revised number.

Two consecutive weeks of declines is a welcome departure from recent trends (the less volatile 4-week average had moved higher for each of the prior four weeks), but not enough to reverse much of the carnage wrought by Recovery Summer.

Joblessness remains stubbornly worse than at the beginning of the year.

'Let them eat sole!'

As in shoe leather.