John Whitehead's Commentary
Taxpayers Are Being Taken for a Ride
Between Congress' $800 billion economic stimulus package and the Treasury's $1.5 trillion bank bail-out plan, our nation will be in the red for many, many years to come. Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be fazing our representatives in Congress, who are carrying on their business as usual. Indeed, in the midst of our current economic meltdown, with countless Americans losing their jobs and homes on a daily basis, our representatives recently took time off to gather with their respective parties at swank resorts. Incredibly, once again the taxpayers have been left to foot part of the bill.
The House Democratic Caucus held its annual three-day legislative retreat at a luxury resort in Williamsburg, Va., on February 5-8. This posh resort boasts multiple championship golf courses, a full-service spa and six restaurants. Our representatives reportedly paid for the hotel rooms at the Kingsmill Resort and Spa, which cost between $119-$400 per night, out of their campaign funds or personal accounts. However, taxpayers picked up the rest of the tab, which included transportation (a chartered Amtrak train for attendees and Air Force One for President Obama), security (particularly tight with the president and vice president attending), meeting rooms and speaker fees. Given that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is second in the line of succession to the presidency, there was also the added cost to have security helicopters fly above the train. Previous Democratic retreats have cost taxpayers in the range of $500,000.
For their annual three-day legislative love-in, held at the end of January, House Republicans chose the 15,000-acre deluxe Homestead in Hot Springs, Va., with its championship golf courses, world-class shooting club, skiing and horseback riding. Unlike the Democrats who claim to be "splitting" the bill for their retreat with the taxpayers, Republicans got lobbyists to pick up the tab for travel and lodging expenses for staff, as well as overhead costs. Lobbyists from the automotive, banking, health care and communications industries, to name a few, who were willing to pay the $25,000 fee, got a chance to socialize with lawmakers. However, taxpayers still had to cover the cost of the Capitol Police securing the facility--and who knows what else.
Past criticism of these lavish extravaganzas has forced lawmakers to tighten their rules regarding attendance at the retreats. For example, restrictions have been placed on the number of staff allowed to attend the events. And as Politico.com reports, "Republicans who attended the event at The Homestead were each required to do a job, like hold the microphone for question-and-answer sessions or baby sit reporters on the premises."
Do they really think Americans are that gullible? If they really needed to confer on legislation, couldn't they do it on Capitol Hill? After all, American taxpayers pay a hefty sum for maintenance of the Capitol building and its high level of security. Taxpayers also pay for offices and staff for members of Congress, as well as free parking and the subsidized meals they are served in the dining room. As Common Cause's Sarah Dufendach rightly observed, "It would have been really good PR for both sides to stay home and bring a box lunch." It would also have been much cheaper.
No matter how you spin it, these retreats are yet another glaring example of how out of touch our representatives really are when it comes to their constituents. One editorial writer aptly dubbed the Democrats' get-away a "retreat from reality," coming as it did on the heels of the House's passage of an $819 billion stimulus passage.
Is there anything we can do about this insanity?
If we really want to see a change in the way our government operates, then we need to start by taking a closer look at the people we elect to represent us. A particular focus needs to be on how they go about the business of representing American citizens. The last thing we need are lawmakers who are so insulated from the impact of their policies that they don't really understand what it means to represent us.
It's definitely time to do away with the extravagant privileges and perks. It's one thing to provide Congress with subsidized health care and stipends for maintaining office staff and dealing with their constituents. However, there is absolutely no need for the American taxpayer to be paying to decorate their offices, expense accounts, paying for reserved parking at Washington-area airports, and on and on and on.
Moreover, Congress's work ethic needs to be carefully examined and overhauled. One place to start would be to eliminate their three-day work week and put an end to frivolous legislation and pork barrel spending.
Finally, we must give serious consideration to setting term limits for those serving in Congress. It is a well-known fact that most of them start fundraising and running for re-election virtually their first day in office. Term limits would also remove much of the political temptation presented by wealthy corporate donors and lobbyists who, more often than not, force their ideas on us through our so-called representatives.
As James Madison, the father of our Constitution, observed, "It is essential to liberty that the government in general should have a common interest with the people, so it is particularly essential that [Congress] should have an immediate dependence on, and an intimate sympathy with, the people."
Yet how can people who live like kings have any sympathy with us average Americans who are out there struggling to get by?
The House Democratic Caucus held its annual three-day legislative retreat at a luxury resort in Williamsburg, Va., on February 5-8. This posh resort boasts multiple championship golf courses, a full-service spa and six restaurants. Our representatives reportedly paid for the hotel rooms at the Kingsmill Resort and Spa, which cost between $119-$400 per night, out of their campaign funds or personal accounts. However, taxpayers picked up the rest of the tab, which included transportation (a chartered Amtrak train for attendees and Air Force One for President Obama), security (particularly tight with the president and vice president attending), meeting rooms and speaker fees. Given that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is second in the line of succession to the presidency, there was also the added cost to have security helicopters fly above the train. Previous Democratic retreats have cost taxpayers in the range of $500,000.
For their annual three-day legislative love-in, held at the end of January, House Republicans chose the 15,000-acre deluxe Homestead in Hot Springs, Va., with its championship golf courses, world-class shooting club, skiing and horseback riding. Unlike the Democrats who claim to be "splitting" the bill for their retreat with the taxpayers, Republicans got lobbyists to pick up the tab for travel and lodging expenses for staff, as well as overhead costs. Lobbyists from the automotive, banking, health care and communications industries, to name a few, who were willing to pay the $25,000 fee, got a chance to socialize with lawmakers. However, taxpayers still had to cover the cost of the Capitol Police securing the facility--and who knows what else.
Past criticism of these lavish extravaganzas has forced lawmakers to tighten their rules regarding attendance at the retreats. For example, restrictions have been placed on the number of staff allowed to attend the events. And as Politico.com reports, "Republicans who attended the event at The Homestead were each required to do a job, like hold the microphone for question-and-answer sessions or baby sit reporters on the premises."
Do they really think Americans are that gullible? If they really needed to confer on legislation, couldn't they do it on Capitol Hill? After all, American taxpayers pay a hefty sum for maintenance of the Capitol building and its high level of security. Taxpayers also pay for offices and staff for members of Congress, as well as free parking and the subsidized meals they are served in the dining room. As Common Cause's Sarah Dufendach rightly observed, "It would have been really good PR for both sides to stay home and bring a box lunch." It would also have been much cheaper.
No matter how you spin it, these retreats are yet another glaring example of how out of touch our representatives really are when it comes to their constituents. One editorial writer aptly dubbed the Democrats' get-away a "retreat from reality," coming as it did on the heels of the House's passage of an $819 billion stimulus passage.
Is there anything we can do about this insanity?
If we really want to see a change in the way our government operates, then we need to start by taking a closer look at the people we elect to represent us. A particular focus needs to be on how they go about the business of representing American citizens. The last thing we need are lawmakers who are so insulated from the impact of their policies that they don't really understand what it means to represent us.
It's definitely time to do away with the extravagant privileges and perks. It's one thing to provide Congress with subsidized health care and stipends for maintaining office staff and dealing with their constituents. However, there is absolutely no need for the American taxpayer to be paying to decorate their offices, expense accounts, paying for reserved parking at Washington-area airports, and on and on and on.
Moreover, Congress's work ethic needs to be carefully examined and overhauled. One place to start would be to eliminate their three-day work week and put an end to frivolous legislation and pork barrel spending.
Finally, we must give serious consideration to setting term limits for those serving in Congress. It is a well-known fact that most of them start fundraising and running for re-election virtually their first day in office. Term limits would also remove much of the political temptation presented by wealthy corporate donors and lobbyists who, more often than not, force their ideas on us through our so-called representatives.
As James Madison, the father of our Constitution, observed, "It is essential to liberty that the government in general should have a common interest with the people, so it is particularly essential that [Congress] should have an immediate dependence on, and an intimate sympathy with, the people."
Yet how can people who live like kings have any sympathy with us average Americans who are out there struggling to get by?
ABOUT JOHN W. WHITEHEAD
Constitutional attorney and author John W. Whitehead is founder and president of The Rutherford Institute. His most recent books are the best-selling Battlefield America: The War on the American People, the award-winning A Government of Wolves: The Emerging American Police State, and a debut dystopian fiction novel, The Erik Blair Diaries. Whitehead can be contacted at staff@rutherford.org. Nisha Whitehead is the Executive Director of The Rutherford Institute. Information about The Rutherford Institute is available at www.rutherford.org.
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