Back in July, I wrote a piece on the perks of holding public office. In that post, I discussed the jet-setting ways of Speaker Pelosi and others in Congress. It’s not uncommon for elected officials to take lavish trips on the taxpayers’ dime. Just yesterday, the Wall Street Journal posted another story about the abuse of power in Washington.
According to the WSJ, 12 lawmakers, led by Rep. John Tanner, took a trip to Edinburgh for five days last month. The trip seemed include more pleasure than business. The Journal reports that in addition to rooms for sleeping, the 12 House members rented their hotel’s presidential suite and two adjoining rooms. The hotel cleared all the beds from those rooms, to accommodate a bar and snacking area. The three extra rooms were reportedly stocked with lots of liquor, beer, chips, salsa, cookies, and candy, at a cost of $1,500 per day. That’s over $7,000 on snacks and booze in less than a week! When was the last time you partied in Europle like that? Unless you’re a cast member of The Real World: Paris, I’m guessing it’s been awhile.
While in Scotland, the Legislators also spent a large portion of their time shopping, taking historical tours, and visiting the hotel spa. While shopping for Scotch and being pampered must have been fun and all, eleven of the 12 House members left the “conference” two days early. However, not before they ended their trip with a bit of fine dining, at one of Edinburgh’s nicest restaurants.
Not only did these people get to enjoy Scotland, in the lap of luxury, with your money… but they actually skipped-out of their duties early! That would be like getting a bonus for skipping work. Oh wait, that’s exactly what it is! I don’t know if I’m happy that they cut the spending spree short, or pissed at the fact that little was accomplished. Either way, this kid of behavior from our leaders is unacceptable… I thought Obama agreed.
This largely began in 2005, with a scandal surrounding a lobbyist named Jack Abramoff. Basically, this guy was flying politicians like Tom DeLay and Bob Ney around the world, sending them on golf outings, to concerts, etc. in exchange for political favors. The whole situation reeked of corruption and understandably, Congress adopted new restrictions on privately funded travel. Now, instead of some rich lobbyist spending corporate cash to wine and dine politicians, we as taxpayers pick up the tab. You would think, in the wake of such controversy, members of Congress would reign in their appetite for luxury. Instead, they simply found another way to pay for it.
These are the same people who shit their pants when AIG paid out millions in bonuses, after receiving bailout money. AIG was essentially using taxpayer money, instead of actual profits, to reward “successful” employees. I understand the negative sentiment towards corporate America that ensued. However, why is there not a matched degree of anger towards Congress? This week on 60 Minutes, the President railed against “fat-cats” on Wall Street. What about his fat-cat colleagues?
The life of a civil servant is not supposed to be sexy, as the title implies. These people do nothing to create wealth or turn a profit. Yet, they feel they deserve the life of a rock star! They travel to exotic places, with luxury accommodations, in the middle of a recession. It’s beyond insane. Lawmakers shouldn’t be living like this with public OR private money. If they want a more lavish lifestyle, they should go to the private sector, where money actually comes from. If they refuse to go quietly, just vote their ass out of office. It’s that simple.