I would hate it if he came here. My town is so small it would probably have to all be shut down for his security. I can’t afford the forced vacation day. And I would not attend a presidential rally for anyone less than Abe Lincoln or George Washington.

If it is a campaign stop the president’s campaign should pay for it.

I think it’d be appropriate for him to pay for security and not the town.

Hopefully the income from the stuff that is sold from the temporary boost would offset the expenses. That said ,his security should be paid for by his campaign.

I say they should pay for their own security at all times. And that goes for all of them from the city manager to the governor to the president.
Hell, we replace them every four years, how important can they really be?

I live in Ohio so they come here a lot. I never had to deal with it but I hear a lot of people complain when they are in town because of all the roads closed down, traffic, etc. LOL You should see the entourage! it’s like 20 cars.

I have mixed feelings about this. Would a town charge a celebrity who needed extra protection? What if, say, Madonna came to town for a week? If she’d be charged for the extra man hours/disruption, then I suppose it would be fair to charge the president, too.

My only comment would be that most if not all towns/cities are really strapped for cash. I know my own town has had to stop providing a lot of the extra’s we used to get and add in all the layoffs. So the added burden of the cost involved with a Presidential visit would be rough at the very least.

I like the idea, both for reasons already provided and because it would increase the value of the individual stops, making them plan better and in essence decrease the funds available for campaigning.

If Madonna came through our town, she would be responsible for her own security. Just like Ted Nugent when he comes up to hunt.