Yes, Globe ran this on a Saturday.
Also see: The Liberal Looters of Massachusetts
Defense Lobbyist Had Ear of Congress
Slow Saturday Special: Protecting Politicians
It's all just a big game, isn't it, this media watchdog think. S*** fooleys for the public.
"Capuano trips raise profile, questions; Records reveal a $24,000 taxpayer tab for overseas travel" by Frank Phillips, Globe Staff | October 10, 2009
US Representative Michael Capuano has traveled the world over his past five years in Congress, visiting two dozen countries and racking up at least $24,000 worth of taxpayer-funded bills for hotels, meals, and entertainment, as well as thousands more for travel on government jets, congressional records show.
Yes, NO WORRY about a CARBON FOOTPRINT! And DON'T YOU have BETTER USES for YOUR MONEY, American taxpayers?
Capuano’s trips are far from unusual for members of the House and Senate, for whom taxpayer-funded overseas travel is increasingly popular. And members of Congress who sit on committees overseeing foreign policy have run up far bigger tabs.
Yup, AS THE COUNTRY BLEEDS RED INK, these guys are HOPPING JETS to GO SHOPPING with YOUR DIME, taxpayers!!!!!!
But Capuano - who went to Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Europe - has a decidedly domestic portfolio in the House. He went on more than half the trips as a member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure; the others he took as part of official House delegations. His other committee assignment is the House Financial Services Committee.
Capuano is one of four major Democrats seeking the Senate seat held by the late Edward M. Kennedy.
Oh, he wants to be senator now?
Related: Outsourcing a U.S. Senate Seat
That's two who won't be getting my vote -- if I even bother this time.
Steve Ellis - vice president of Taxpayers for Common Sense, a nonpartisan budget watchdog group in Washington - called Capuano’s travel “impressive.’’ Ellis, a frequent critic of such trips, said they raise questions about whether the travel is “less about fact-finding and more about shopping. Often these trips are less about America’s role in the world and more about getting a nice perk on the taxpayers’ dime,’’ he said.
And they wonder why we are furious....
Capuano said in a statement that his travels have given him a better understanding of foreign policy. He cited George W. Bush’s limited international travel before becoming president.
“If we learned anything from the [Bush] presidency, it is that political leaders must have foreign policy knowledge,’’ he said. “That knowledge is enhanced by meeting with foreign dignitaries and the people of other nations.’’
Well, YOU AIN'T GONNA BE PRESIDENT, jerk! What a self-justifying, rationalizing scum!
He added: “I’ve met with military leaders in Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Middle East, traveled as a cochair of the Sudan Caucus to witness firsthand the devastation there, and as a member of the Transportation Committee spent time in other countries learning more about security and transportation matters. All of these experiences have expanded my world view and provided hands-on foreign policy experience.’’
And that has WHAT to do with ROADS and BRIDGES again?
Are you NOT GLAD YOU PAID for the trips, taxpayers?
Ellis said that because Congress makes it challenging for the public to review the records of such trips, it is difficult to evaluate contentions by Capuano and other lawmakers that the visits are packed with work-related tasks.
Time to DUMP ALL THESE LOOTING LIARS, folks!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Other members of the Massachusetts delegation have taken numerous trips overseas, as well, though exact comparisons are difficult. US Representative Stephen Lynch, a South Boston Democrat, has traveled frequently, but almost exclusively to the Middle East. He has visited Iraq at least 10 times since 2005 in his role as chairman of a congressional subcommittee on national security and foreign affairs.
US Representative Edward Markey, the dean of the delegation, has taken eight congressional trips abroad since 2005, some in his capacity as chairman of a select committee on global warming.
Yeah, THANKS for PITCHIN' IN, you FART-MISTING HYPOCRITE!!!!!!!!!!
Related: Green Jobs Going Global
Oh, STINK, Markey!!!!!
He twice joined House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in delegation trips, one to Italy and Afghanistan in February and another in May to China, where, over six days, he racked up per-diem costs of $2,557, records show.
Oh my God!!! I COULD LIVE for WEEKS on that!!!
“Chairman Markey has traveled to many of these locations to observe the effects of climate change firsthand, meet with foreign heads of state, heads of government, or senior energy and environmental ministers to discuss climate change, energy policy, and the ongoing negotiations on a new treaty to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,’’ said his press secretary, Daniel Reilly.....
Does ANYONE see a CONTRADICTION there?!!!!
**************
Codels, short for congressional delegations, have increased sharply since 2005, when an influence-peddling scandal prompted Congress to adopt a ban on travel funded by special interests and lobbyists. Capuano was caught up in that controversy after a 2005 trip that he and his wife took to Brazil. Their $19,402 in travel expenses were picked up by the Congressional Economic Leadership Institute, which is funded by an array of corporate sponsors. Others on the trip included representatives of American Airlines,
They are all the same down there and across the state. Every single one.
Lying looters disguised as "public" servants.
A Wall Street Journal analysis of travel records this year showed that since 2001, government spending on overseas congressional trips has tripled. In 2008 alone, members of Congress spent $13 million in foreign travel, a 50 percent jump since Democrats took control of the House in 2006, the analysis concluded.
Yeah, THEY WASTE YOUR MONEY EVEN MORE than the Repugs you hate, 'murka!!!
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Related: Why I am Not a Real Republican
