The American people are feeling a great deal of pain, they have uncertainty about their jobs, about health care, about the ability to pay for the education of their children, and sad to say — in our great country — even the ability to put food on the table. - Nancy Pelosi, February 13, 2009, hours before leaving on a trip to Italy.
You have to hand it to politicians for chutzpah. When the auto chiefs showed up in Congress last year and asked for cash, the lawmakers raked them over the coals, berating them for lousy business practices and flying around in private jets. The auto chiefs went home with their tails between their legs, then came back in cars, hoping to make a more humble impression.
Now the shoe's on the other foot. CNN's Drew Griffin is digging into congressional travel expenses. Among others, he's keeping an eye on Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House, who immediately took off to Italy after voting to spend $787 billion of taxpayer money. She met the Pope, had a visit with the Italian PM, and is generally having a fine old time. And why wouldn't she? The American public is footing the bill.
She's not alone on the jet set. Democrat John Tanner is touring Europe, John Kerry is all over the Middle East, and Democratic Representative John Lewis is touring India with Martin Luther King III. As Drew Griffin pointed out, MLK III sold his father's papers two years ago for millions, but the trip to India is being paid for by you guessed it.
Griffin reports that when he told Lewis' chief of staff that he would come back in a couple of months to examine the trip's expense reports, the chief of staff said, "Is that a threat?"
No, you arrogant hypocrite, it's his job.
Add Drew Griffin to my short list of reporters that haven't been completely engulfed by the J-school Kool-Aid.
No comments:
Post a Comment