RSSCongress Travels More on tax Payers Dime as We the People Cut Back with our Own Expenses
Congress: Do as we say, not as we do …
We, the American people are asked to cut back during these difficult economic times, to do without and budget our resources. Congress, well they just spend your money like drunken sailors with no concern what so ever.When will politicians ever understand, IT IS NOT THEIR MONEY!
Once again the US Congress shows that they have nothing but contempt for the American people and the American tax payers. Even after the 2005 travel scandal that l ed to restrictions on privately funded travel … Congress now just seems fit to bill the American People instead. From the WSJ comes the following:
Lawmakers take scores of overseas trips each year to visit military bases, meet foreign officials, attend conferences and see how U.S. funds are spent. Ever since a corruption scandal in 2005 led to restrictions on privately funded travel, legislators have been taking more trips paid for by the government.
The cost they reported for such travel abroad was $13 million in 2008, a 70% jump from 2005, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of travel records. Lawmakers don’t have to report the cost of domestic travel when the government pays. The $13 million didn’t include the expense of flying on Air Force planes, which lawmakers don’t have to disclose.
Over the 2005-08 period, the cost of legislators’ privately funded travel, both domestic and overseas, fell 70%, to $2.9 million, according to LegiStorm.com, a Web site that tracks it.
Let’s take a look at some recent expenses on your dime.
The expenses racked up by U.S. lawmakers traveling here for a conference last month included one for the “control room.”
Besides rooms for sleeping, the 12 members of the House of Representatives rented their hotel’s fireplace-equipped presidential suite and two adjacent rooms. The hotel cleared out the beds and in their place set up a bar, a snack room and office space. The three extra rooms — stocked with liquor, Coors beer, chips and salsa, sandwiches, Mrs. Fields cookies and York Peppermint Patties — cost a total of about $1,500 a night. They were rented for five nights.
While in Scotland, the House members toured historic buildings. Some shopped for Scotch whisky and visited the hotel spa. They capped the trip with a dinner at one of the region’s finest restaurants, paid for by the legislators, who got $118 daily stipends for meals and incidentals.
Eleven of the 12 legislators then left the five-day conference two days early.
The tour provides a glimpse of the mixture of business and pleasure involved in legislators’ overseas trips, which are growing in number and mostly financed by the taxpayer. Lawmakers travel with military liaisons who carry luggage, help them through customs, escort them on sightseeing trips and stock their hotel rooms with food and liquor. Typically, spouses come along, flying free on jets operated by the Air Force. Legislative aides come too. On the ground, all travel in chauffeured vehicles.
Posted December 16, 2009 by Scared Monkeys Government, Tax & Spend Liberals, We the People, WTF | 6 comments |
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6 Responses to “Congress Travels More on tax Payers Dime as We the People Cut Back with our Own Expenses”
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It’s obvious. They don’t care. We are having to cut back on spending while they are spending us into oblivion. It’s sickening. I can’t take my family out to eat or to a movie or anywhere else for that matter. I had to forgo a vacation this year so I could buy Christmas for my kids while Congress spends like there’s no tomorrow.
They suck.
Until the people elect a “new congress” that understands they work for the people, this nonsense will continue. Term limits and not electing career politicians to any office at any level will put the brakes on this needless spending.
Making lobbying a federal crime and put a stop to the trial lawyers with their crazy lawsuits will also get the government back to its original purposes.
Get rid of the EPA, the Department of Education, the department of energy, HUD and clean out the majority of “entitlements” and reduce the budget to pay off the public debt.
Make gold and silver coins legal tender again so that people can save with confidence.
Remove Fanne Mae and Freddi Mac as government sponsored entities by selling them to private investors.
Tell the oil companies to get with their drilling programs on leases held off-shore and on-shore or loose the lease, if it is for public lands.
Give Congress the Pink Slip!!!!!!!!!
Well at leat the democrats won’t have to fly 2 times across the continent to check all the windows of all their houses when it starts to rain
___________
SM: Want to know how many homes that Gore ownes? Yep, Obama really making good use of Air Farce One with trips to Oslo and Copengagen. I am trying to figure out which trip is the most useless.
How many times has Obama already flown overseas? Or to NYC for date night?
This community organizer acts like a high school kid the first time they are ever in a Limo. Let’s play with all the buttons and radio knobs and travel every where … this is so cool.
In over his head. We all knew it and warned people … no one wanted to listen because people thought it would be cool to be a part of history. That and the republicans offered up a lame-a$$ candidate.
How is that hope and change feeling now America?
R
You can’t argue with an idiot. Some people have drank so much of the Obama juice that they can’t think for themselves. They still have their heads up Obama’s butt and can’t see what is really happening. He is trying his damnedest to destroy this country. He doesn’t have a clue how to run this country but he sure knows how to ruin it.
#4 You can’t be serious! That’s your argument? Get a clue.