Profiles in "democracy"

While I'm a Global Warming denier, the details of a gigantic Congressional junket to the South Pacific almost make me want to become a believer, just so I can jet around the world and go diving and partying and have someone else pay for it.

WASHINGTON -- When 10 members of Congress wanted to study climate change, they did more than just dip their toes into the subject: They went diving and snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef. They also rode a cable car through the Australian rain forest, visited a penguin rookery and flew to the South Pole.

The 11-day trip -- with six spouses traveling along as well -- took place over New Year's 2008. Details are only now coming to light as part of a Wall Street Journal analysis piecing together the specifics of the excursion.

It's tough to calculate the travel bills racked up by members of Congress, but one thing's for sure: They use a lot of airplanes. In recent days, House of Representatives members allocated $550 million to upgrade the fleet of luxury Air Force jets used for trips like these -- even though the Defense Department says it doesn't need all the planes.

They spent a half a million on the trip, and I doubt that a single one of them changed his mind about Global Warming.

Such wasteful government pork spending is so routine that I normally wouldn't consider it worth a blog post, except that one of the Congressman happens to be Democrat Russ Carnahan, whose incredible arrogance has earned him much recent notoriety. At Carnahan's town hall meeting "tea party taxpayers were locked out, union thugs were let in and conservative blacks had their heads kicked in." Carnahan blamed Republicans for the attacks:

Carnahan first claimed that the SEIU members may not have been his supporters.

Carnahan announced this morning that the GOP was behind the violence.

He also accused Minority Leader John Boehner of instigating the violence(?)

How the GOP managed to provoke union thugs into attacking black conservatives, he doesn't say.

While Carnahan might prefer not to meet with his constituents, he has no objection to meeting scientists on expensive trips to other countries. Here's what his spokesman said about the junket to the South Pacific:

"It is the role of Congressman Carnahan to observe the kinds of important scientific research taking place and to meet with scientists firsthand to make sure that taxpayer dollars are being spent most efficiently."
Well, if he sees union thugs as having been provoked into attacking black conservatives, no wonder he sees wasteful junkets as a model of spending efficiency.

Great folks we have in charge.

Here's a video of Russ Carnahan being asked about the union thug attacks, if you can stand to watch it:

MORE: From Glenn Reynolds, a reminder that having union goons beat people up is vintage Nixonian behavior.

Come to think of it, so is "

posted by Eric on 08.08.09 at 05:53 PM





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Comments

Thanks for the link.

==

Carnahan sounds like some one who has been caught with his pants around his ankles in a compromising position.

Evidently the thug tactics don't work well against Black conservatives.

The whole health care deal seems to be blowing up in the Democrat's face.

M. Simon   ·  August 8, 2009 06:54 PM

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