This week on DailyKos the topic that is making me say WTF? is the $400 haircut.
I mean, I was a hairdresser in my other life. I used to charge a fair amount myself, and I have gotten shocked looks because the Salon I managed got up to $80 for a wash-cut'n'blo-dry.
Yup, it was a nice place.
$400 for a man who is running for president? I don't find that all that out of the ballpark if one has to consider that total may include things like security....I am not sure if that's been figured out yet.
But this isn't what this diary is about anyway.
Hold on..to really comprehend what vanity is.....
In Canada this week the news reported something startling:
The PM travels with his own stylist.
She makes sure he has no lint on his lapels, no hair is EVER out of place, and she does it all courtesy of the taxpayers of Canada.
Steve has tried in the past portray himself in a more rugged fashion, he always just looked like he was missing his suit.
The PMO (Prime Ministers Office) tried to dodge the question....They REALLY tried.
Last summer, Muntean saw to it that the prime minister would be picture perfect for G8 meetings in St. Petersburg. She's expected to be part of Harper's public relations army in the next campaign too.
So who pays for her services?
Harper's director of communications, Sandra Buckler, refused to answer repeated questions about who picks up the tab -- or even how much Muntean earns.
"The prime minister travels with a variety of staff as determined by his tour needs," Buckler said in an e-mail.
A government source said Muntean's expenses are paid for by the Conservative party, but whether taxpayers pay for her services remains a mystery.
Harper depends on stylist to make him picture-perfect
So, we found out that her expenses were paid for by the Conservative Party of Canada.
But what about a salary?
That eventually came out too....
Taxpayers paying for Harper's image adviser, Tories admit at 18:45 on April 18, 2007, EST.
OTTAWA (CP) - It turns out that taxpayers are picking up the tab for Prime Minister Stephen Harper's personal primper.
After two days of ducking media and opposition questions, the Conservatives finally revealed Wednesday that Michelle Muntean is on Harper's government staff.
But the revelation raises two more big questions: How much is she being paid? And why is there no government record of her employment.
No record....Wonder whose lunch fund that comes out of...I also ask myself how many other people are employed by the PM that we don't know about? Does he have a travelling manicurist who calms animals? A chef on call at all hours who also performs appendectomy's?
Oops...that was another perk that showed up a while ago....My bad for bringing that up!
Serve roast crow on federal jets
....but I did and there it is. Steve likes to eat very well on the taxpayer paid jets for party biz.....Oh man I WANT in insert a shallow, petty remark here but....I digress...
A recent request for proposals asked potential caterers to price three main dishes: filet mignon with sauteed mushrooms, grilled salmon steak with lemon butter, and roast tenderloin of pork with sauteed mushroom sauce. Parisienne potatoes and carrots Vichy are also on the menu, along with Black Forest cake, apple pie and cherry cheesecake for dessert. For special occasions, Prime Minister Stephen Harper might also call for a cold plate with jumbo shrimp and a cheese tray with brie, Camembert and Saint-Paulin cheeses.
Harper is also (just for added amusement for us who really dislike the man a guy who has been a real squawkbox in the past about JUST this sort of thing....
If this had been anyone who opposes him, it would have fodder for the Wurlitzer for months to come....
As an MP, Harper went after Reform Leader Preston Manning publicly for not detailing his party-paid clothing allowance. Under pressure, Manning eventually did provide an accounting of the $31,000 perk, but tensions between the two men had begun in earnest.
In a bit of synchronicity, Harper was to attend a Manning event Wednesday night.
Taxpayers paying for Harper's image adviser
But, the REALLY REALLY fun part of all this?
Ya. The speculation that she's also a psychic of sorts. Its the ludicrousity icing on this cake...
Friends and associates of Muntean's says she has an eerie intuition.
Andrea Calabro, an Ottawa restaurateur and longtime friend of Muntean's, says she has an uncanny knack for telling people she meets for the first time personal details about their life and personality. He and others have described her as a warm, nurturing person that people love to be around.
"She knows you as soon as she talks to you. She has that gift from God," said Calabro.
The NDP has put a question on the parliamentary order paper to compel the government to answer a series of questions about Muntean's salary. If the government does not reply within 45 days, the matter is automatically referred to committee.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper doesn't pay for psychic advice, says PMO
Harper who is also a professed Christian, is not supposed to go in for that sort of thing.
What is she advising him on? What would she tell him to do differently than his corporate base?
When people talk about this woman they all say she is comforting, vivacious...blah blah. One of those people that often become motivational speakers that I can't stand. (perky people often scare me...)
Guess that's what Steve needs...
But I don't want to pay for that Steve. Pay it from your pocket and claim it on your taxes as a biz expense like a lot of other Canadians.
Learn to comb your own god damned hair.
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