Is it right for U.S. taxpayer money to be used to fly Sherrod Brown to Washington for the stimulus vote?
Is this appropriate?
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M$7 Answers
I'm not averse to using taxpayer money to get legislators to a vote in cases of personal emergency under limited circumstances, and I recognize that people may not be thinking particularly clearly in such circumstances. Staff should step in to plan effectively, in such cases.
So, yes, the rules allow for it but no, he should have recognized it was a politically insensitive move. He may not have cared in the face of his mother's death.
I think the culture in Washington now is much like corporate culture. There's a sense of entitlement to the perks and bonuses, and they're slow to adapt to the economic and political realities of today.
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M$
Think about this as a comparison...
When there is a breakdown in an oil pipeline, and the engineer who can fix it is on vacation, the oil company will send a helicopter to pick him up right from the beach and take him where he is needed. It's not wasteful, it's plain common-sense considering how much it hurts for an oil pipeline to be out of action even for an hour.
If a Senate vote is not important enough to be worth flying a Senator in for, then you might as well say democracy is a waste of time and money.
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M$
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
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M$Brown can't vote on the bill right now because he's dealing with his mother's DEATH! (When I even even think of my mother's inevitable passing, I become so incredibly sad, it's unbearable.) He has a very legitimate reason for being away from Washington.
Brown also has a very legitimate reason for a timely trip back. Congress has a very low public approval rating, accomplishing little with competing self-interests, agendas, re-election motivations and the like. He now has the rare opportunity to possibly affect the outcome of a bill of such critical importance - with major implications - as a taxpayer, I'm happy to help. I think any sincere, reasonable, critical-thinking taxpaying citizen would also.
I don't know the total cost for the plane trip; I don't care because I think it's
money well spent. But I've no doubt it's an ifintesimal drop in the bucket compared to the vast sums of money WASTED every day. I shudder to think of the amount of tax dollars that are irresponsibly, unethically... and yes... illegally spent by our elected representatives. With all the huge problems this country is facing (mainly as a result of the incompetence, arrogance, greed, dishonesty, fraud, secrecy- you name it- of the last eight years)... if a large percentage of taxpayers think it's not appropriate to provide the plane for Brown, the road ahead is going to be a lot rougher than I thought.
I H need to
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M$You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
