POLITICS: Department of Homeland Security Hawaiian Boondoggle, page 1

posted on Dec, 20 2004 @ 07:40 PM

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While budget strapped Department of Homeland Security officials are balancing whether to enough money is available to provide gas for government cars and officials have implemented a hiring freeze, some have said that the latest Asian Pacific Summit conference held in Hawaii is a classic boondoggle. Officials spent the summit at the exclusive resort at Waikiki Beach on the island of Oahu. While the days were filled with speakers for seminars, it is reported that very little of new value was delivered. The cost of the summit is estimated at a 250,000 dollars with corporations divvying for most of the bill. US Government officials state that only airfare was paid for by taxpayers.

abcnews.go.com

Dec. 17, 2004 � At the same time agents of the budget-strapped Department of Homeland Security worried about being able to afford gas for government cars, top department officials, including outgoing DHS Secretary Tom Ridge, could be found basking in the warm Hawaiian sun for a meeting they said was essential government business.

While officials reported a continuing freeze on hiring new agents and a halt to non-essential spending in chilly Washington, D.C., buffet lines, lavish luaus and a short walk to the beach awaited top officials at a sumptuous resort and spa on Waikiki Beach in Honolulu, on the island of Oahu.
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On the first day of the conference, ABC News cameras caught Ridge, along with several aides, relaxing by one of the five pools at the Honolulu resort. It was listed as "office time" on his official schedule.

Chuck Lewis, executive director of Center for Public Integrity, a government watchdog group, said homeland security has turned into a vast, wasteful pork barrel.

Please visit the link provided for the complete story.

As a government sponsored event, transportation cost to and from an activity is borne by the taxpayer, as well as per diem. Ethical issues have been raised here. Corporations may have well borne a majority of the cost for the activities; including dancing hula girls and lavish luaus. While this may have well been a relaxing trip and officials will certainly, as well as the general public, reap benefits, the circumstances surrounding this whole event have left many people wondering about the integrity of our appointed officials.

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boogyman

posted on Dec, 21 2004 @ 02:01 AM

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As an employee of DHS why am I not surprised...

Well nothing I havent come to expect from the buffoons who run things under this admin.

geocom

posted on Dec, 21 2004 @ 07:02 AM

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www.abovetopsecret.com...
I posted this about a week ago
but I have quit trying to get things on the
news page

geo

[edit on 12/21/2004 by geocom]

curme

posted on Dec, 21 2004 @ 08:15 AM

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I never thought the DHS was a good idea, or an intelligence czar. If we have a problem, it just seems like government waste to make a new agency to deal with it (DHS). When that isn't going well, make another one (intelligence czar). I think it would of been smarter, and cheaper, to fix the intelligence agencies we have, than create more bureaucracies.