Obama Signed Former Presidents Protection Act of 2012 into Law

Accountable · Post by **Accountable** » Fri Jan 11, 2013 9:19 pm

Hmmmm, that President Obama sure is generous to increase the secret service protection to former presidents, ain't he?

...

Barrack Obama, the US president signed into law the Former Presidents Protection Act of 2012 which extends life-time protection to the former American presidents as well as family which includes the children till 16 years of age.

The new Former Presidents Protection Act of 2012 also restores the lifetime Secret Service protection of the former presidents who were not serving as the President before 1 January 1997, along with their spouses.

The Act facilitates protection to the children of former Presidents till the age of 16 years. The fresh Act actually reversed the previous law in which limited Secret Service protection was provided to the former presidents as well as their families up to 10 years in case they served after 1997. As of now, the legislation only allowed to receive this Secret Service protection for a term of 10 years after the president left the office.

gmc · Post by **gmc** » Sat Jan 12, 2013 4:07 am

Maybe as the first black president he feels there is a reason to worry?

Snooz · Post by **Snooz** » Sat Jan 12, 2013 5:59 am

Or he's worried about Dubya.

Accountable · Post by **Accountable** » Sat Jan 12, 2013 6:51 am

gmc;1416289 wrote: Maybe as the first black president he feels there is a reason to worry?
I fell into the same trap everybody does about federal legislation. The president signs legislation, that's all. Someone in the legislature wrote the bill (or at least sponsored it). I'd be interested to hear the rationale.

tude dog · Post by **tude dog** » Sat Jan 12, 2013 1:05 pm

Accountable;1416295 wrote: I fell into the same trap everybody does about federal legislation. The president signs legislation, that's all. Someone in the legislature wrote the bill (or at least sponsored it). I'd be interested to hear the rationale.

Well, anyway here is one,

But now, national security interests, as well as the mobility and youth of former presidents, led Congress to push lifelong Secret Service protection.

“I think protection, public safety [and] security [are] the foremost responsibility of government and this is a different world, even from the 1990s, when this act was last revisited in terms of the threat that high profile people face, said the bill’s main sponsor Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.). “President Bush [and] President Obama are youthful in terms of how long we currently expect people to live. So it just struck me that when you have people that high profile, that have served the country, that it is not too much to ask that they be protected for the remainder of their life.

Gowdy said that this act also addresses the “anomaly of Barbara Bush receiving lifetime protection from the Secret Service herself, but her son, former president George W. Bush, only being protected for 10 years after his tenure.

Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.) who cosponsored the bill, echoed Gowdy’s words.

“It’s not a matter of saving any money, he said. “We shouldn’t have to wait for a tragedy to occur to remove the limitation that’s there now.

Ex-Presidents could get lifelong Secret Service protection

To be quite frank, I remember back when the law was changed to remove lifetime protection wasn't sure if it was a wise move.

Anyway, anyone noticed this was signed on a Friday, probably late at night?

gmc · Post by **gmc** » Mon Jan 14, 2013 2:34 am

One wonders what they will have done to make people want to kill them even after they have left office. Admittedly if Tony Blair was on fire I wouldn't cross the road to piss on him but that's about it.

Accountable · Post by **Accountable** » Mon Jan 14, 2013 4:47 am

gmc;1416544 wrote: One wonders what they will have done to make people want to kill them even after they have left office. Admittedly if Tony Blair was on fire I wouldn't cross the road to piss on him but that's about it.
My guess is that it's simple narcissism. One would have to have a lot of it to presume one deserves the presidency in the first place, so it follows that he would believe he's just as important afterward, as well.