These guys are all the same, no matter where you find them.
"Lawmakers in Britain expense X-rated films and horse manure" by Paisley Dodds, Associated Press | May 10, 2009
LONDON - Last week's leaked list of lawmaker expenses has leveled another blow to Prime Minister Gordon Brown's beleaguered government, which has been blamed for a litany of problems ranging from the Iraq war to the deepening recession.
According to the details published by Britain's Daily Telegraph, Brown paid his brother Andrew more than 6,500 pounds ($9,800) in two years for a maid the two shared when Brown was Britain's Treasury chief. The newspaper declined to say how it had obtained expense claims from 13 ministers, but promised to roll out more in the coming days.
Home Office Secretary Jacqui Smith expensed two X-rated movies her husband watched, which she later repaid. Housing minister and Margaret Beckett, former foreign secretary, claimed 600 pounds ($900) for hanging plant baskets. And John Prescott, former deputy prime minister, claimed 300 pounds ($450) over two years to fix broken toilet seats.
Somebody shove his head in that toilet, will ya?
The list could also prove damaging to the opposition Conservatives - one Tory lawmaker expensed fertilizer used on his country house garden while a different lawmaker put in for cans of cat food. Other expenses, categorized only by political party, included toilet seats, horse manure, a wine rack, rat poison, pool maintenance, piano tuning, a chocolate Santa, and a pizza cutter.
Well, you didn't need any of that money, British citizen.
"The rules are being stretched to the absolute limit in a way which is allowing MPs to enhance their personal income," said Alistair Graham, who was in charge of standards in Britain's Parliament until 2007....
Quintessentially AmeriKan!
Make you feel good, Englander?
--more--"
