Two weeks ago, CBS News filed a story on the over 100 people (including Senators, Representatives, their spouses, and staff) that flew to the failed United Nations Conference on Climate Change in Copenhagen on the taxpayers dime. At the time, Congress had not yet filed their expense report. CBS has now followed up on the story.
Watch CBS News Videos Online
From CBS’ report:
For 15 Democratic and 6 Republican Congressmen, food and rooms for two nights cost $4,406 tax dollars each. That’s $2,200 a day – more than most Americans spend on their monthly mortgage payment.
…
Pelosi’s office did offer an explanation for the high room charges. Those who stayed just two nights were charged a six-night minimum at the five-star Marriott. One staffer said, they strongly objected to no avail. You may ask how they’ll negotiate a climate treaty, if they can’t get a better deal on hotel rooms.
All told, CBS put the final tab at over $1.1 million. And that was just for the legislative branch. That did not include the over 60 members of the Obama administration who flew to Copenhagen for failure on the taxpayers’ dime.
But even worse would have been if Obama had succeeded in signing an agreement. According to a Heritage Foundation analysis of the Waxman-Markey energy legislation, under cap-and-trade, for a household of four, energy costs (electric, natural gas, gasoline expenses) would rise by $436 in 2012 and by $1,241 by 2035, averaging $829 over that period. Higher energy costs would increase the cost of many other products and services. Overall, Waxman-Markey would reduce gross domestic product by $393 billion annually and by a total of $9.4 trillion by 2035.
Things like this only outline how poorly managed our government is in regards to value.
We can only hope that once the liberal spending policies bankrupt the nation that the people who can manage money, limit spending and treat the value of day to day operations of the peoples government, will be more on the conservative side and manage our rescue.
On the good side, ineptitude seems to be the Obama trademark and this congress, so perhaps they will damage us less than expected.
I wonder if the folks who actually voted this creep into office are now counting their small change to buy a loaf of bread? This administration is fully stuffed with left wing radicals who only have their agendas to keep them warm at night.
It's truly sad how quickly the democrats of this country have rolled over for this slick talking, lying jerk. I'd have thought they would at least be aware he's picking their pockets as he stands there speaking platitudes to them…
Please God – take this scourge away from this country.
This type of wasteful spending on "boondoggles" (as we like to call them), occur on state and local levels as well. The main problem is we elect lawyers, community organizers, and administrators that have never worked in the private sector. They don't understand budgets and the cost of items in the real world. They figure that they can just go to the Taxpayer money tree that grows in their backyard. Another classic case of the elitist attitude that dominates this administration.
Please e-mail me a list of Republicans who attended the climate summit1
Thank you!
This failure by the "Teleprompter Terror" cost me less than it would have had be been 'successful'!
Last year BHO said he was going to help the school and area of this 10yr old who had written to Congress asking for help. Today that same girl and her family have left Dillon S. C. and moved to Ga. lost their house, the school got no help and neither did the family, Wonder what that child thinks about BHO and Congress now. This was on Hannity's show. BHO is nothing but a Liar, he talks big and encourages the poor to vote for him and his programs then deserts them when they ask for what he promised them, some President.
Without common sence. Before you take you always check what your exspences will be to be sure you can afford the cost . Our goverment officals have total disreguads for american tax payers they just spend tax payer money to serve their own interest we need to vote this type of representives out of office,and require some common sence.
Five-Star hotels? You wouldn't want our royal government officals to accept any lesser accomodations, would you? And this doesn't include the costs of airfare and local trasportation and the "receptions" that were undoubtedly thrown to impress the representatives of other countries. All those who participated in this junket at taxpayer expense have richly merited a swift kick in the ass.
Tonight we will be fed a line about how these same people are going to be fiscally responsible and about "blue ribbon" task forces and commissions that will be formed to study and address the problem of government spending and deficit reductions.
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The spending and lack of any attention to it is bad enough. What was the "carbon footprint"? I'm not talking about those who took commercial flights, just the charters. These clowns want me to forego driving my SUV to the grocery store then they fly AF One and 2 fighter escorts around NY for a photo op, then take – what? 3 or 4? – charter jets to Copenhagen to try to convince the rest of the world to give up economic progress. If anyone needs more proof that the whole exercise is a hoax and political power grab, they just ain't thnkin' right.
To: Sanford Olnhausen
Republicians in Copenhagen are Republican Reps. Sensenbrennen, Joe Barton, Fred Upton, Shelley Moore Capito, John Sullivan, and Marsha Blackburn. Fourteen Democrats are on the trip, including the Speaker.
Read more at the Washington Examiner: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/b…
When presented with the 2 for the price of 6 hotel room option, apparently Nancy didn't understand that there was another option. It's called stay home. I expect that there will be a number of Senators and Representatives staying home come November.
Ron Derry Nh says, "ineptitude seems to be the Obama trademark and this congress, so perhaps they will damage us less than expected." Ineptitude? where is the ineptitude when their plan is working beyond their expectations? some say stupid? they are not stupid, you are when you excuse them as being stupid for what they are doing deliberately, doesn't he realize? No one realizes better than Obama and his henchmen/women. Everything that has happened is done deliberately They love you all, because none of you have the intelligence to think for yourself and you vote them all back in, over and over and over. Blame yourself, dont blame them, when you put a pack of foxes in your chicken coop don't complain that they are killing your chickens. Why don't you vote them out? suckers.
The 'failure' saved us tons of money (in the long run). The failure didn't bind the united States to a ridiculous climate treaty.
We want our money back. They should repay the taxpayer for this hedonistic waste. These people are out of control. WE WANT TO BE REPAYED. THIS IS NO IDLE REQUEST. I AM SERIOUS. WHO ARE THEY ACCOUNTABLE TO? WHO APPROVED THIS EXPENDITURE? THEY ARE THROWING AWAY OUR CHILREN'S FUTURE AND THEY DON'T CARE.
As your article noted, the cost for the entourage from the Executive Branch wasn't included in the numbers provided on CBS. Heck, the operating costs of Air Force One alone were probably in the hundreds of thousands of dollars each way.
I imagine this President has logged more miles on Air Force One during his first year than Bush did in his last four years in office. Of course, we've had to share Mr. Hope and Change with those across the world who are so enamored with him. Perhaps, it would be cheaper for us to let him stay on his extended campaign trail activities rather than governing.