Perks of the Job

Bell Work•What are some ‘extras’ that comes with the job of being President?

• Once a person becomes President of the United States, they get some cool stuff

• They have it for the entire time they are President and some expand beyond their years in office

• Shall we take a look...?

Perk #1…Salary• the President receives $400,000

dollars a year– over 4 years(1 term) that equals1.6

million!– while they are in office, they spend

hardly any of their salary because…

• $50,000 expense account– used for “official expenses, travel,

and entertainment– basically used for “wining and dining”

people

• Congress decides how much money the President makes

•to prevent them from using this power to influence the President, whenever a salary raise is decided, it does not take place until the next presidential term

Even though the President makes a lot of money, and they are considered to be the most powerful person in the world, take a look at this…

•For the 2000 Major League Baseball season, the team with the lowest payroll per player was the Minnesota Twins averaging 601,680. The highest payroll (Yankees) players averaged 3,656,542

•Bill Gates makes enough in one year that he could pay the salary of President George W. Bush ($400,000) for 132,000 years

It is good to be President but you can make more money working

somewhere else!!!!!!

Perk #2…White House

• while President is in office, they the entire family lives, rent free, in the most well known/well protected house in America

• located at: 1600 Pennsylvania Ave Washington, DC

• interesting facts about White House

– There are 132 rooms, 35 bathrooms, and 6 levels in the Residence. There are also 412 doors, 147 windows, 28 fireplaces, 8 staircases, and 3 elevators

– The White House requires 570 gallons of paint to cover its outside surface

– For recreation, the White House has a variety of facilities available to its residents, including a tennis court, jogging track, swimming pool, movie theater, and bowling lane

Perk #3…Transportation

• President has unlimited use of…– Air Force One (big plane)– several limousines– helicopters– yacht– any other transportation they might like

• also, the President never has to drive!

Remember: What is in, how these are made, and what they can do are all considered

Perk #4…Camp David

• The President is also entitled to visit, at any time, their own private retreat

• is a mountain retreat located in Maryland– the camp literally covers an entire mountain!!– extremely secure!!

• can bring along anyone they want!!!

Perk #5…People• the President is constantly

surrounded by people helping him in one way or another– White House Staff = help with the day

to day operations of the President– maids, butlers, and chauffeurs = do

and go wherever President may want to

– Secret Service = Presidents own bodyguards

If the President can think of it, they can have it!

• the President is also privy to massive amounts of information–some of it is classified as TOP SECRET

–gets to know many things the average citizen will never get to know

Perk #6…Information

Perks #7-who knows….

• these are the most well known perks the President has

• no where in the Constitution are any of these things listed…they have just evolved over time just like the Presidency itself

Assignment• Take a look at the perks of being President

of the United States and write a quality 1 page essay answering the following questions:

1. Is it “right” the President has so many perks?

2. Which ones are the best/worst?

3. If you were President, would you add or change any

4. How do you suppose Presidential perks effect the job the leader of our country does?