Lawmakers Bill Taxpayers For TVs, Cameras, Lexus

Lawmakers Bill Taxpayers For TVs, Cameras, Lexus

online.wsj.com

House members get a government expense allowance of $1.3 million to $1.9 million a year. Senators get $2.9 million to $4.5 million. The disparity is based on several factors, with lawmakers whose home states are far from Washington, for example, typically receiving more to cover their higher travel expenses.

Florida Rep. Alcee Hastings spent $24,730 in taxpayer money last year to lease a 2008 luxury Lexus hybrid sedan. Ohio Rep. Michael Turner expensed a $1,435 digital camera. Eni Faleomavaega,

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I knew these guys had expense accounts but really! about a million and a half for each house member and three and a half million for senators. in addition to salary. this seems outrageous to me. No wonder they have no respect for the taxpayers. We are a source of never ending funding to these people.

and it used to be worse! The current system "was designed to bring the system greater transparency and public accountability. Scandals over congressional mismanagement -- including penalty-free overdrafts at the House bank and spending abuses at the Congressional post office -- led to new House rules in 1996 that consolidated lawmakers' various expense accounts into a single allowance." Even then it's incredibly difficult to read the expense reports. so much for transparency.

why do we need to provide them so much money to spend?

online.wsj.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

reply to post by earlywatcher


Man, I wish i had penalty-free overdrafts at my bank.

Sign me up for congress.

wow thats ridiculous, take the bus you #@$%^& joke of a lawmaker.


makes me wanna join up with craig T nelson.

well people are gonna just keep votin them in....keep votin in those same old repubs and dems....it's pretty insane. I just can't believe what people are getting away with sometimes...

After the ongoing MP's expenses scandal in the UK hit the headlines, I was kinda hoping that elsewhere others would start looking closely at what their representatives (I use the word loosely) were claiming for.
These fraudsters see us as a great big cash provider and the taxpayers money is there to be dipped into to pay for their crooked ways.

Have these jokers never heard of video conferencing? The private sector has been using it to great effect for a long time, so why can't they move with the times and use the available technology. Ok, there would be an initial capital expense but in the long run it would save on travel.
Most of these politicians don't really need to be in Washington but like to do so to rub shoulders with the leadership and meet with the lobbyists to arrange the next payment for services rendered.

What we need is clear oversight of all spending, performed by an independent body, outside of, and in no way connected to any governmental office. There is no point in having government depts providing oversight as they are paid, and therefore influenced, by the very people they are supposed to be keeping in check.

reply to post by Britguy


hi britguy!
i think your UK disclosure of expenses has at least called up some questions about ours. politicians are in no way accountable for their expenditures. that's why they don't try to use less expensive ways to do things. they go out of their way to spend IMHO to show that they can. it's despicable. the items mentioned in the article are unbelievable, and i'm sure there are plenty more. since this is the system, it doesn't matter who is elected. they will all do it. and then there is the very special retirement program they get for having served in congress. it's an embarrassment that we allowed this to happen but they've got us coming and going. we'll fuss and carry on but nothing will come of it.