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Jules Witcover
In this era of huge federal debt and fiscal dysfunction, it's less than heartening to learn from the Congressional Research Service that the nation's four living former chief executives got a total of
The largesse is provided under the terms of the Former Presidents Act, which
The largest allocation went to the most recently departed president, George W. Bush, to the tune of more than
In a federal budget that runs into the trillions, these amounts may seem like chump change. But they go to men who have done pretty well on their own, by virtue of family wealth or by cashing in on their resumes. The Bushes are in the first category. Clinton has made a personal fortune in speech-making, and Carter has done well as an author, in addition to heading the Carter Center in Atlanta for the advancement of world peace, financed by donations.
The Former Presidents Act, according to the Congressional Research Service, was born of congressional concern over the financial straits of President Harry Truman, the one-time haberdasher, after he left office in 1953. At that time, there was no financial provision for retiring presidents.
Nearly half a century earlier, in 1912, multimillionaire industrialist Andrew Carnegie proposed setting up an annual pension of
In addition, and not included in the payout to former presidents made public, are undisclosed taxpayer amounts for Secret Service protection for all former presidents, their spouses and minor children. Considering the existing public hostility toward high-level officeholders and the gun mayhem of the current era, this precaution is clearly warranted.
Retiring presidents and their immediate family members also are entitled to free medical care at military hospitals, and presidential widows get
Public funds also maintain the official presidential libraries run by the
After Nixon left office, the
This ruling held, despite the fact that Nixon's resignation occurred after key congressional Republicans told him his impeachment was certain if he did not step down.
The whole matter of providing financial assistance and security to former presidents and their families might not be particularly jarring to many Americans were it not for the current financial turmoil, the relatively low public standing of former presidents in opinion polls, and the sharp partisan divide in the country.
Also, going back at least to Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton, some former presidents have found such highly lucrative opportunities in speeches and corporate board positions in their retirements that the continued taxpayer assistance to them may seem unnecessary, or at least excessive.
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Do We Need to Maintain A Dole For Former Presidents?