The Culture of CORRUPTION
POWERLINE
In the Examiner, Charles Hurt reports that the Democrats are losing no time awarding themselves perks, now that they are in the Congressional majority:
"Congress is keeping Andrews Air Force base plenty busy this year ferrying lawmakers all over the globe at taxpayers' expense. Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi took his wife, nine Democrats and two Republicans - Reps. Dan Lungren of California and Mike Rogers of Alabama - on a whirlwind tour of the Caribbean last week. After stops in Honduras and Mexico, they stopped in the U.S. Virgin Islands, where the delegation stayed at the five-star Caneel Bay resort.
In a separate trip to the Caribbean last week, Rep. Eliot Engel of New York squired his wife and four Democratic members to Grenada and Trinidad.
All told, the military flew at least 13 congressional delegations to various destinations during the Easter recess -- at an estimated rate of $10,000 or more per flying hour.
Yes, and just think about all that carbon dioxide. More:
...House guidelines also stipulate that delegations include members of both parties to qualify for military planes -- a requirement that Speaker Nancy Pelosi waived for Engel's group and two other delegations.
Some of the excuses for the Dems' junkets bordered on hilarious:
Thompson's office said he toured the Caribbean because he now chairs the Homeland Security Committee and wanted to see vacation hot spots to "examine border security and port security." Three other members of the delegation also brought along their spouses.
"They are going from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. everyday," a committee spokeswoman told The Examiner. "They do not have down time."
At the Caneel Bay resort, where room rates reach $1,100 per night, the spokeswoman said Thompson and his wife paid the "government rate." But, according to the reservations department, Caneel Bay doesn't "offer any government rates."
Maxine Waters is one Congresswoman who really gets around:
"Traveling with Engel and his wife were Reps. Yvette Clarke, D-N.Y., Sheila Jackson-Lee, D-Tex., and Barbara Lee, D-Calif. Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., who went to Belgium in a delegation led by Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., earlier in the week, also joined Engel's Caribbean trip. She brought her husband with her."
The Caribbean is nice this time of year, but some Congressmen prefer Europe:
"Frank's trip to Belgium and London was related to his work as chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, according to his office. The trip, which also included Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Wis., was designed "to further understand the interrelationship between various issues related to the financial services regulatory structures" of the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union, according to Frank's office.
Rep. Jim Oberstar, D-Minn., also led a trip to Belgium over the two-week Easter recess. In February, Sen. Bob Bennett, R-Utah, took a delegation there."
Makes sense to me. I mean, if you want to understand "financial services regulatory structures," you need to tour some Belgian banks so you can see for yourself. I'm a little unsure, though, how Belgium fits in with Oberstar's committee duties, which he describes as follows:
"As the senior Democrat on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, I serve as an Ex Officio member of the Subcommittees on Aviation, Coast Guard & Maritime Transportation, Public Buildings & Economic Development, Railroads, Surface Transportation, and Water Resources & Environment. I have worked tirelessly to improve safety and efficiency for the traveling public."
I suppose he could be worried about the safety of New York to Brussels flights. You have to admire Oberstar: putting his life on the line for his constituents!
By 1994, when the voters finally got fed up and handed control of Congress to the Republicans, the Democrats had pretty much turned the institution into a three ring circus. They aren't there yet, but after only three months in power, they're well on the way. powerlineblog.com |
