Supposedly, our representatives are somehow more capable of performing their duties after a week in the Galapagos learning about global warming with their families. Perhaps a private cocktail party at the Eiffel tower stimulates the legislative glands?
Often, lawmakers combine trips to war zones with visits to more tranquil spots. In February, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi led a delegation of Democratic lawmakers to visit U.S. troops in Afghanistan for a day. Before landing in Kabul, the eight lawmakers and their entourage of spouses and aides spent eight days in Italy, spending $57,697 on hotels and meals.
Sure takes a long time to get to Afghanistan, huh?
I can understand a lawmaker needing to stay abreast of world politics and whatnot, and I understand the purpose of photo ops with the Pope. Look like a bigshot, keep your name in the mix, stay relevant, sure whatever. But this little perk seems only to exist in a state of excess and abuse. I seriously cannot wrap my head around why we should foot the bill for this when our country is crumbling apart.
Here's where it gets really hairy. Salary for a congressional lawmaker, these people who's vacations we've already funded, falls in the range of $160-180k a year. This is over three times the median household income of $50k. There really isn't enough time in the two months the house adjourns to pay for their own fucking pleasure trips?
The idea of a politician who's ONLY PURPOSE is to represent the people, yet lives far beyond the means of those people in such a disconnected world of international retreats and extravagant accommodations, just does not add up for me. Our education system is a complete disgrace, our unemployment level is rising steadily, our entire infrastructure from transportation to utilities is 30 years behind the rest of the developed world, our currency is devalued by the minute, we're fused dick-to-ass with the ridiculously pointless insurance and credit industries, enormous corporations take billions in tax money bailouts and still fold, our health care system is laughable/insulting/depressing all at the same time, etc etc etc. And these assholes go on a tropical island retreat to "learn about global warming"? That's what the fucking internet is for.
Actually, I guess I shouldn't be so hard on these hard working civil servants. After all, these trips have obviously paid for themselves by how much our government has accomplished towards bettering our nation in the last decade. Right? Right?
Don't forget to check out the whole article.
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