Congressmen took free trips worth $50m

Congressmen took free trips worth $50m

Thomas Ferraro, Reuters
Tuesday June 6, 2006
The Guardian

Members of the US Congress and their aides took free trips worth nearly $50m paid for by corporations, trade associations and other private groups between January 2000 and June 2005, according to a study published yesterday.

Some of the 23,000 trips featured hotel rooms costing $500 a night, $25,000 corporate jet rides and visits to popular spots such as Paris, Hawaii and Colorado ski resorts, said the research, conducted by the Centre for Public Integrity, American Public Media and Northwestern University's Medill News Service.

In many instances, trip sponsors appeared to be buying access to elected officials or their advisers," the study said. While some excursions were legitimate fact-finding missions, others appeared to have been little more than "pricey vacations" wrapped around speeches or seminars in which the member of Congress was joined by family members.

The data emerged from a nine-month review of congressional travel disclosure forms and coincided with continuing federal inquiry into corruption and efforts to clean up how Congress does business.
(snip/...)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,1791140,00.html

What a circus! Don't bother wasting your "beautiful" minds on real problems...I started to list them, but you know them all very well.

how much the house and senate love their freebies from taxpayers and lobbyists, even though 90+ percent of congresscritters are ALREADY FILTHY STINKING RICH!!!!:puke: :argh: :nuke: :grr:

Who's in YOUR pocket...

Power Trips: http://www.publicintegrity.org/powertrips/report.aspx?aid=799

I'm working on a deadline (that got moved up) or I'd be doing some copying and pasting for you.


Okay here's some copying and pasting:

Offices Taking More Than $350,000 in Travel
Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas)
Rep. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.)
Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio)
Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas)
Rep. J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.)
Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.)
Rep. Michael Oxley (R-Ohio)
Rep. W.J. Tauzin (R-La.)*
Rep. William Thomas (R-Calif.)
Rep. Robert Wexler (D-Fla.)
Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska)

Offices Taking More Than 200 Trips
Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas)
Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio)
Rep. Larry Combest (R-Texas)*
Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas)
Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.)
Rep. J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.)
Rep. Michael Oxley (R-Ohio)
Rep. W.J. Tauzin (R-La.)*
Rep. William Thomas (R-Calif.)
Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska)

* No longer in Congress
source: http://www.publicintegrity.org/powertrips/report.aspx?aid=248

I believe this percentage would probably play out in the entire Congress as well. There is far more abuse and corruption on that side of the aisle.

Crook!

snip:
At least 150 forms list no sponsor. In one such instance in 2003, Rep. Katherine Harris, R-Fla., was a guest at The Breakers resort in Palm Beach, Fla., site of the Restoration Weekend event Nov. 14-16. Harris's form shows that her hotel room cost $1,032 and her meals $259.56. But it fails to reveal the trip's sponsor, itinerary or purpose, instead referring the reader to an attached three-page agenda.

The agenda designates 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Nov. 14 and 15 as "Free time for swimming, golf, tennis, shopping, etc." It also notes that DeLay was a scheduled keynote speaker on the 15th, and was to be introduced by National Rifle Association CEO Wayne LaPierre. But it doesn't list the trip sponsor.

Restoration Weekend is sponsored by the Center for the Study of Popular Culture, a conservative, Los Angeles-based nonprofit that, according to its Web site "is dedicated to defending the cultural foundations of a free society" and is led by David Horowitz, "a man who has been called 'the left's most brilliant and articulate nemesis'."

Asked about the failure to list a sponsor in the filing, Harris' chief of staff Fred Asbell acknowledged that the disclosure form "was not filled out properly." Her office later filed an amended form, naming the sponsor, stating the purpose of the trip and adjusting the hotel and meal costs downward, to $717 and $120, respectively.

http://www.publicintegrity.org/powertrips/report.aspx?aid=799

working only 97 days this year
awarded themselves a $3,100 annual pay increase
per diem not included

Guess that gives them more time to take those trips!

WASHINGTON -- Lawmakers from Nevada were not listed among the most frequent travelers in data made available Monday by government watchdogs, but trips taken by top aides to Sens. Harry Reid and John Ensign were spotlighted.

About 75 percent of privately sponsored travel is taken by congressional staffers, "who often influence (how) their bosses view issues and vote," the Center for Public Integrity said.

The report detailed how San Diego-based General Atomics flew at least four Capitol staffers to Italy and Turkey in 2004 and eight to Australia in March 2005. General Atomics builds the Predator unmanned spy plane.

Scott Bensing, chief of staff for Ensign, R-Nev., participated in both trips, the study said. Bensing took along his wife. Their travel costs totaled $46,381.

Bob Herbert, a senior adviser to Reid, D-Nev., traveled to Australia at a cost of $15,127.

more...

http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Jun-06-Tue-2006/news/7800238.html

I get a form letter in return for contacting my representative. It sure would be nice to rent a private jet and be able to "chat" with him/her while we flew to an exotic locale.

Now where'd I put my MasterCard™?