The PSDB party accused Dilma of using "Häagen-Dazs," but spared Temer.

The way out for Temer and his PSDB (Brazilian Social Democracy Party) cronies, in response to accusations of engaging in administrative practices that at least the PSDB and its henchmen condemned when they were in opposition, was to insinuate on TV or state clearly on social media and radio that during Dilma's government, the supplies for the presidential plane were also expensive and sophisticated.

News surfaced this week that the Presidential Palace had opened a bidding process to purchase food for presidential air travel. The total value of the contract: 1,748 million reais. Among the various items listed, the request for 500 units of "premium type" Häagen-Dazs ice cream, 120 jars of Nutella hazelnut spread, and 500 kilograms of dry ice stood out.

On Tuesday night, Jornal Nacional reported the cancellation of the bidding process, implying at the end of the report that similar expenses had occurred in the previous administration.

Veja magazine, in turn, reported the cancellation of the bidding process as follows:

“(…) The details of the bidding process did not go down well and the government rushed to cancel it this Tuesday. The notice was drawn up by the Institutional Security Office of the Presidency (GSI) and published in the Official Gazette of the Union on December 19. The first to announce its cancellation was the Chief of Staff, Eliseu Padilha, via Twitter. Later, the federal government sent a note saying that Temer learned about the bidding process today through the press (…)”

Note, reader, that Temer "found out about the bidding process through the press"—he probably thought Häagen-Dazs was free... Who knows.

This compassionate behavior from Globo or Veja, however, did not exist when the newspaper O Globo opined last year that "Dilma" cost Brazil "twice as much as Queen Elizabeth II cost the United Kingdom."

In the article, the newspaper describes expenses of the Presidency of the Republic that have always existed and would continue to exist, but which, in that text, were limited to accusing Dilma and Lula of spending too much on the presidential structure, as if they were deviating from the standard spending patterns of Presidents of the Republic.

The article also mentions purchases similar to those made by Temer for the presidential plane, and at a similar cost. Hence, the Jornal Nacional report reminds the distinguished public of the "previous government."

However, it was the PSDB party and its media henchmen who started criticizing these expenditures when they were being made by PT presidents.

The routine bidding processes of the Planalto Palace's ceremonial staff were furiously criticized by Veja magazine, Globo TV, pro-PSDB bloggers, coup plotters, and political parties that, now in power, are silent about what they criticized, as they now do the same things.

Do you know what those scoundrels said now about Temer's equal spending? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. Shameless.

Let's face it, these presidential expenses don't reflect well on anyone at any time. However, it looks even worse when there are people who criticize the president when they don't like him, yet remain silent when they support him.

This far-right fascist mob plaguing Brazil has a curious habit. When the politicians they support are caught red-handed, they feign ignorance and utter an almost inaudible "punish them all," but the fact is that these people only bother to criticize alleged corruption or abuses if the accused is a member of the Workers' Party (PT). Corruption or abuses by right-wing politicians are something these hypocrites never take the initiative to criticize.

It is not right, it is not acceptable for presidents and other authorities to spend so much public money on perks and high salaries, but this should not apply only to presidents of the Republic.

Have these people ever seen the cost of one of those playboy prosecutors from Lava Jato or a state governor? If anyone were to look into the expenses of Governor Geraldo Alckmin, certainly the most shielded politician in Brazil, they would be shocked.

In the photo below, for example, Sophia Alckmin (on the bench) is in New York. She was photographed "by chance" next to Kim Kardashian.

During New York Fashion Week, several celebrity and entertainment websites reported the incident as something quaint and amusing. Imagine, however, if instead of Sophia Alckmin, it had been Lulinha in the photo, and even more so "in the States." The Brazilian white elite would have gone crazy.

The cost of the Brazilian state is high not because of public policies, but because of the perks that individuals gain when they assume important positions. Recently, federal prosecutor Deltan Dallagnol was caught buying subsidized properties from the "Minha Casa, Minha Vida" program in order to resell them for double the price.

Deltan Dallagnol's total gross earnings are R$ 35.607,28, according to the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office Transparency Portal, but this year there was one month – April – in which he received a net amount of R$ 67.024,07, including "compensation" and "other retroactive/temporary remunerations," exceeding the constitutional ceiling.

The salaries and perks of the Judiciary and the Public Prosecutor's Office are as excessive as the spending of the presidency.

This whole story about targeting presidents based on their salaries or presidential representation expenses – which even include expenses for foreign heads of state – is a scam. Such expenses are selectively viewed depending on who is occupying the office and whether they want to attack or protect it. Nobody should pay any attention to these fabricated stories.