Pure Gold

First Lady Michelle Obama by Alexei Hay for Ladies Home Journal Dec 2013/Jan 2014

Chat away……Dan Pfeiffer interview

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Dan sat down for an interview and answered questions of what it is like to work as formerly the Communications Director for President Obama and now as his Chief Political Advisor

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First Ladies C-span series Schedule/Homepage

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Preview of next installment: C-span Series on First Ladies

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Each week beginning February 18th, “First Ladies: Influence and Image” will tell the stories of the women who served in the role of first lady over 44 administrations.

Formidable

President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama will hit the trail together in Iowa next week, the campaign announced.

They’re set to make stops together on Wednesday, Aug. 15, in Dubuque and Davenport – the last two stops on the president’s three-day, seven-town tour of the Hawkeye State.

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The Grio

a gift from the past….

From the President and First Lady’s tax returns, released today

Wiki: The Henry G. Freeman Jr. Pin Money Fund, is the operating name of an annuity fund of the Henry G. Freeman Jr. Trust, benefiting first ladies of the United States. It began in 1912, as part of the will of Henry G. Freeman Jr., a prominent Philadelphia real estate developer.

Freeman believed that the U.S president was paid a “miserable pittance”, and that a way of increasing his income while avoiding the appearance of political gifts was to institute an annuity to be paid “to the lady termed the first lady in the land; that is, the President of the United States [sic] wife, or anyone representing the president as such, should he not be married or should she die during his administration”.

Freeman’s will specified that the money be for the first lady’s “own and absolute use” and the payments “shall continue in force as long as this glorious government exists.”

The fund became active in November 1989 during the administration of George H.W. Bush, but due to a court dispute the first payments were not made until December 1992.

Barbara Bush received US $36,000.00 retroactively and donated a portion to her charity work, and spent an unspecified amount doing “something nice for my grandchildren”. First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton and First Lady Laura Bush have donated the payments to charity. The income is taxable, and the fund is overseen by Wachovia Trust Services.

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There’s another article here on the Pin Money Fund (MSNBC)

Mr Freeman sounded like a pretty cool guy 😉