Every single person who attended the events should also have their taxes audited. I'm sure they got all this stuff free but also wrote all of it off as business expenses.

How is it even possible to average $40 per breakfast. I'm surprised there wasn't an outbreak of strokes and heart attacks. They had to put on 5 pounds a day eating like that. Pigs sucking down gravy.

Neely — who hosted a $2,700 party at the conference — allegedly wrote, "I know I'm bad ... but why not enjoy it while we can? It ain't gonna last forever."

Why is Neeley on administrative leave? HE SHOULD BE FIRED IMMEDIATELY!

It's appalling how he condoned this thievery of the taxpayer coffers.

They are spitting in the faces of every single American taxpayer.

leroy: while I heartilyagree that his whole conference is outrageous I will answer your question on the breakfast cost. Usually meals at conference center include not only the cost of the actual food cost but rental of the room which makes the cost seem outrageous. Although most conferences I have attended (that were not govt sponsored) the breakfast was usually under $20 and was mostly coffee, juice and rolls.

Lot's of noise here but nothing meaningful will be done. It is the culture of big government that bred this incident and until that culture is repudiated, nothing will change.

Political dynasties are the enemy. Political parties are the root cause. Vote buying (as in vote for me and I will give you ...") in an effort to put one party on top has bankrupted the country, made government unions far too powerful, caused the expansion of government payrolls well beyond what is needed to perform the functions of government, and removed any semblance of understanding that the money the government spends is confiscated from the people as taxes, or borrowed from future citizens as debt. FIRE Them All. Never Vote for an incumbent.

So that is like when they pay $1000 for a hammer or $2000 for a toilet seat?

They spent more for one party that the first family grossed for 2011...Imagine if your child / husband / wife had spent in two days more than you are going to earn in a year...

What's really shocking is that this is the agency that determines how much govt employees can spend on a per diem basis on travel! Whenever a teacher, for example, travels to a convention, he has to first submit a travel estimate based on GSA guidelines, which are displayed on the web. You get so much for food, transportation, etc. based on the cost of living estimates for locations (e.g. you'd get more money for breakfast in NYC than you would in Ames, IA). And you can't claim food expenses if the convention provided your meals on your trip.

I'd like to see the travel reports that these people would have had to submit after their trip to see what they claimed and how much they were reimbursed. That's a start.

Then they should all be fired and their positions be made available to the long term unemployed.

It is good to see the bi-partisan outrage over this spending, but I suspect that it is the tip of the iceberg, not only at the GSA, but within other government agencies as well. I suspect that there are a LOT of very nervous department heads all over DC and also a lot of meeting and conference plans suddenly being scaled back in the wake of this investigation.

I don't blame Obama for this spending at all, but I do think what we are seeing in this waste is the tendency of big government to be wasteful (regardless of the party or even the country). People tend to view government money as "free" and tend to spend it much less carefully than they do their own. Even at the local level, our local politicians tend to see the local coffers as their own "piggy bank" for their own use in providing jobs and benefits to their friends and family members.

It is greatly dismaying to see and hear some of the Congressional Committee's members ask such stupid, non relevant questions. They ask them slowly, ever so slowly and then explain why they are asking and then ask some idiotic question. In two cases, these Congressional people are simply, too, old to be functional on this committee. GSA has screwed the American tax payer can this committee do anything about it or not? I would like to know at the very least, How many of these people who threw away our money on themselves in Las Vegas were appointed to their position in the GSA by Obama or some part of his Administration?

Plus, if Congressional Committees are made up of "senior" members, they need to get OVER that. Ability has to count above all else. Our problems are not small and need the best minds available.

"Where crimes have been committed, people will go to jail." In DC? Get real people. This has been going on for decades. That's just like the crash in 08, who has gone to jail over tanking the American economy? Not a damn soul, they were given bonuses. Us taxpayers are paying for that as well.

21 years in the federal govt and this doesn't surprise me at all. None. If you guys only knew you wouldn't want to send another dime their way. To say the federal govt is innefficient is a vast understatement. Money just poured down the drain on a grand scale.

This GSA thing was known for at least a year before it came public. And nothing was done against anyone until it became public. More than likely nothing would have been done if the light wasn't shined on them.

So he is pleading the 5th and still getting paid. Why don't they arrest him so he really will have the right to remain silent.

... meanwhile the Pentagon loses 800k per minute in the couch cushions.

Where is the outrage at the billions that dissapeared in Iraq and Afghanistan?

Personally, I find it comical that Congress is outraged at excessive waste of taxpayer money........

Wouldn't surprise me at all if the entire committee takes a junket to Las Vegas to investigate.....on their way to Colombia to personally interview the hookers.

Pot.......meet kettle.

The GSA's activities are despicable and anathema to their supposed role of cost-minimization. This is ALMOST as bad as the interior department personnel doing coke and having sex with oil industry lobbyists in 2007...the fallout of which we are still feeling.

When our government is beholden to corporations who pay for our elected official's campaigns what should we expect to happen? Our government is owned and operated by and for the wealthy and corporations and NO longer truly represents the people.

floyd335513

Are you an idiot? When the President travels anywhere dozens of people must travel with him. This isn't just Obama it's always been like that. Nice try .

Apparantly when the GSA heard the slogan "what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" they thought that was guaranteed............little did they know it was just a marketing ploy.

People you look stupid blaming PBO or Bush, this what Governments do they waste your money and give the rest to the people that got them elected and then what is left over they call helping the people.

The question you need to ask yourself is which person wants take and waste more of your money, notice I didn't say party because they both have been doing it for a while now.

PBO has spent crap tons of money lets not focus on a vacation that all presidents take.

Our tax dollars hard at work.

More examples of why we already pay enough taxes and we don't need more confiscated. The government is already doing a fabulous job squandering what they do get from us. Thanks a lot jerkwads!

I think we should tie them to a pole and we get to punch them once for every dollar wasted. I know it would make me feel better if i got to participate.

I do not know where you got the $ 3 million dollar figure, but the president's existence is expensive regardless of where he is.

Every time he goes somewhere, for work or business, think about how many secret service members are paid to go with him. They will also need transportation and a place to sleep. While he is there, he will need to keep in touch on secure phone lines using advanced technology. (he is not going to discuss matters of national security on his cell phone.) Airforce One (which is what any plane the president is on is called) requires security, special pilots, and additional air traffic controllers.

This is the same for every single president-republican or democrat. It cost the same for Bush to go to Texas as it does for Obama to go to Hawaii.

None of this can be fairly compared to a conference that did not have any of the above mentioned special needs. I can go to Hawaii far cheaper than Obama-I don't need secret service. Neither do any of the people attending that conference (though I do know that conference food can be priced at insane levels!)

Even if your $3 million dollar quote is true, it cost the American people less than a penny each and, I would imagine, was spent in large part to keep the president and his family safe. Worth my penny.

Business as usual at the good ol' boys (and girls) club @ Washington, DC. When are we as American Citizens going to end this bullshirt! Stop buyng into the Dems vs Repubs, libs vs conservs, leftwing vs rightwing.... It is all made to divide and conquer, and they (politicians) have been doing a masterful job of it, just read some of the other newsvine articles. It's all misdirection, ladies and gentlemen. Another poster mentioned accountibility and responsibility, and I say it is high time we held their feet to the proverbial fire! In this election year, vote with your head, not your emotions. Don't believe everything one party says is golden and that the other party is garbage. It's ALL garbage, or else we would not be in the current mess we are in! The GSA motto (and probably most Government agencies) in this case is "It's easier to ask for forgivness than it is to ask for permission".

This is just "one " dept. that has been caught with excessive spending..have to wonder just how far this will go or if it dies out. However, the citizens of this country deserve an accountability by our elected and the people they have hired for any position. With the debt our congress has bestowed upon us all it seems that an indepth investigation of every dept. including each member of congress is in order. We all know that each member of congress accepts lobbyist money. For anyone else not in government..that would be a huge bribe..please tell me why it is not a bribe for them to be acceptong any funds other than the pay our taxes hand to them all...?

I think it's time for BOTH parties to get together for once and audit ALL the departments under the government to find out where there is government waste. I can assure you that you'll find some government waste in all the departments, and if it's cleaned out and dealt with....it would lower our deficit significantly. We need to make sure that the money that is received from taxpayers is used wisely and correctly!! This, alone, would save quite a few dollars. I'm also sure that there are departments that do the same things as other departments, and it would behoove our government to consolidate them, cut out the dead wood, quite duplicating efforts, and save even more money! This is just my opinion, but it's what I've been thinking for years!!! Don't know why it's so difficult to deal with!! Just put together a bipartisan committee to audit each department; i.e., what they do, how they do it, is it a duplication of efforts with another department, how can we consolidate and save money, etc., etc., etc. We don't have to shut down ALL departments....just put some of them together to accomplish ONE job instead of having several doing the SAME jobs. Wow, what a concept!!!

Just re-affirms my motto....whatever you need done, government is the worst possible way to do it. Yet liberals keep screaming and fighting to have more of it, at the same time claiming intellectual superiority.

Liberalism truly is a mental illness.

BlueBurner "What's really shocking is that this is the agency that determines how much govt employees can spend on a per diem basis on travel! Whenever a teacher, for example, travels to a convention, he has to first submit a travel estimate based on GSA guidelines, which are displayed on the web"

I guess they decided that their own rules don't apply to THEM.

Oh well, Obama can still claim they were 'stimulating the economy' in Harry Reid's back yard.

Come on folks....all they were doing was stimulating the economy. Really...that will be the defense. Wouldn't you like to have an organization drop that much money in YOUR lap. (sarc)

Remember when we had leaders of integrity who took responsibility for those serving under them, like Harry Truman who had a sign on his desk that said , " The buck stops here "? Quality leadership like that no longer exists. Instead , we get the moral midgets that have lead us for the past 20 or 30 years happily spending us into oblivion while taking absolutely no responsibility.

Kuchusky99 "Every time he (Obama) goes somewhere, for work or business, think about how many secret service members are paid to go with him. They will also need transportation and a place to sleep."

And of course, they need to be 'entertained', as in going to brothels.

For the people wanting facts on Obamas vacations:

I'm very, very sorry Obama lovers I have to admit it but I was wrong. I googled "Obama's Hawaii vacation" and the cost was 4 million not 3. I am so sorry that I got my facts wrong.

It's kind of funny that we get outraged about this kind of thing when basically this is simply human nature. I've worked for many large corporations in the private sector and I've seen some VERY outrageous spending on business trips all billed to the company. Strip clubs, hookers, boozing it up with $20 drinks, lavish food spreads that mostly go to waste, exaggerating bills, expensive hotel rooms and many other abuses. Unless there is regulation, rules and oversight people will party! This is human nature and is the reason that deregulation is almost always a stupid idea (unless you want to bilk the system). What we need is sensible and non-political regulation of people to keep them honest.

Government and corruption are synonyms, regardless of the party or country. I do not want it in charge of my health, thank you very much.

Ah theoverlord, dream a lot do you. Regulation is only one more level of corruption, one more pocket to fill.

The only thing that works at all, is to shrink the government, not enlarge it.

I'm very, very sorry Obama lovers I have to admit it but I was wrong. I googled "Obama's Hawaii vacation" and the cost was 4 million not 3. I am so sorry that I got my facts wrong.

I know it makes you giddy to attack your president for any reason you can find but really I think you can do better than this. Funny that Republicans think it's OK to spend $20 billion on a bomber but get their undies in a bundle when the president of the US spends a few million on... well not so much the president but rather THIS president. Silly.

This is not something new it'seen going on for years, they just got caught this time.

Off topic:

floyd-335513: What is it with you? You are always trying to run down President Obama. Since you only checked with one source (Easy to prove), try this one on for size: The cost of Obamas vacation included the Secret Service, Airforce One, and his staff, not just he and his family, but why cloud up ypur rant with facts. Here's another for you:

Obama first 31 months in office: 61 vacation days.

Bush first 31 months in office: 180 vacation days.

Wonder who spent more money?

This really is an outrageous offence. They all should be fired, all the way up to the top.

It makes me wonder how many other departments are freely spending tax money and just not getting caught or found out...

It's time to clean out Washington and kick out those irresponsible politicians, they are just whores looking to line their own pockets with tax payer cash, kickbacks and favors. These people discust me, on both sides.

I agree with Rtypo. Where was the Republican outrage when it was billions unaccounted for by Haliburton in Iraq during the Bush era? It's all fake outrage anyways. I live in firmly Republican controlled town that got led down the Pied-Piper path of sports arenas. We have a several million dollar debt that the state legislators passed a special .02% tax increase for, then the city council passed an extra $20 car tab fee and today is the special election to tack another .01% tax for the same arena. In essence we are getting triple taxed for a debacle that is firmly on Republican shoulders and has nothing to do with Liberal Democrats. Seems like the only time Republicans want to be fiscally responsible is when they are not in charge. And when they are in charge they seem hell bent on deliberately sabotaging the system so the can scream "See we told you big government doesn't work!" Of course it doesn't work when your trying your best to make it fail.

I have a friend who used to work for the commodities program. I had been seeing people in $600 dollar suits, driving caddillacs standing in the free food line, so I asked him how that could be? He said that the government had made a study that determined that it was cheaper to just hand the food out to anyone than to try to regulate it.

Oh please. This isn't a left vs right thing. It's not a BIG GOVERNMENT thing. It's just a plain old corrupt government in action. It doesn't matter if we have a corporate aristocracy or Marxist communism. These things continue to happen.

That's going to be kind of difficult to do when you consider how long this nonsense has been going on and when you keep in mind all of the other departments it is even bigger news. But "new" as in this administration being responsible for this type of behavior--- no way, it's been going on for years.

August 17, 2011 7:30 PM

Presidential vacations: How does Obama compare?

There has been criticism of the president's vacation at this time. But how does the number of vacation days the president has spent compare to his predecessors? CBS Radio's Mark Knoller has kept track of presidential vacations for years and supplied the data.

So far, President Obama has taken 61 vacation days after 31 months in office. At this point in their presidencies, George W. Bush had spent 180 days at his ranch where his staff often joined him for meetings. And Ronald Reagan had taken 112 vacation days at his ranch.

Joe, Im not a Bush jr fan, but I believe its documented that Mr. Bush spent many normal holidays in the DC area. If I remember it correctly it was because he knew the people that protected him would be away from their families and wanted to allow them holiday time with their families. And while I do remember him taking vacations...a lot of them were in Crawford Texas chopping wood or falling off a bicycle.

There is bi-partisan outrage, and yet Republilcans are doing their usual Glenn Beck guilt by association chalkboard excercise. Surprise, surprise, surprise -- the president is to blame for everything! Come on people, does anyone really think a president micro-manages all aspects of government?

Really? Because Reagan didn't even know who Samual Piece was, his own Secretary of HUD.

Pierce was Reagan's only African American cabinet member and the only cabinet member to serve in his post throughout both of Reagan's terms as President. On June 18, 1981 during a luncheon for the US Conference of Mayors in Washington DC, President Reagan mistook Pierce as one of the mayors on the dais, with the famous Hello, Mr. Mayor, comment.

This may have been due to the onset of Alzheimer's, but presidents have a lot on their plate.

And the "it's not our money" attitude is prevelent in the private sector too, though it is more disconcerting when we're talking about tax-payer money. Nonetheless, I'm far more concerned about becoming an oligarchy, due to the power of lobbyists, and now Citizens United. There's no way I'll support a plutocrat like Romney.

Republicans try to pin GSA spending scandal on White House

I GUARANTEE

DEMOCRATS

and

REPUBLICANS

WORK

FOR

THE

GSA

Ross Perot had it right! Washington needs an overhaul.

We, the American people, need to vote everyone of those who are currently in office out!

We need to level the playing field so that anyone can run for office and not just those who are millionaires.

This country used to be run by volunteers. We have come along way since then...to our bad!

The Republicans are hypocrites of the highest order; they act like children throwing eggs at the White House. You would think after all the crimes they have committed over the years that they would be more humble and apologetic but as we all know most criminals never admit to committing their crimes much less apologize for them.

The Republican/Tea Party is a criminal organization that must be purged from our political system.

TruePatriot, if you are against an oligarchy type of government, then why would you support a president that is trying to put the government in control of your life?

It's a bad idea to give any one government or group complete control over your life. Obamacare if the prime example here.
Redistribution of wealth, who makes that discision? it's not going to be you. It'll be government telling you how and where to spend your money. Thats a bad idea.

Delegate Ron Paul 2012... End this filth once and for all.

It's good that a Democrat appointee pointed out the spending now if only a Republican appointee will tell the American people what happened to the billion dollars that was "lost" in Iraq.

Of course if Ron Paul really wanted to stop waste he could ask to roll back the increases in federal employees pay that were voted in years ago and also cut the budget of the House of Representatives.

Hey BigAl, The tea party group is all about a constitutional government that acts responsibly and does not over step it's bounds. They don’t care if the offending politician is democrat, republican, independent or whatever. It's about having government officials who act in a legal, ethical way and to serve the people of the United State and not themselves.

I couldn't help but notice last night on MSNBC that Maddow, Lawerence & Matthews dedicated good portions of their shows to tell the public just how bad it was for us that the so called "Buffett" tax went down in the Senate. They seemed to run out of time to talk about the GSA scandal though. While I'm not against raising taxes on the wealthy, the bill isn’t good and our REAL problem is spending. We are taking in only 1% less than what we did in 2008, ($1.25 T vs. $1.16T) yet we spent 28% more last year than in 2008. That includes the war expenditures.

We need to focus on spending less and eliminating waste, such as this GSA scandal has shown. Sure $800K is a drop in the bucket, but add up the thousands of drops taking place throughout the entire government and you realize we are drowning ourselves. Congress and even the President need to make a better effort eliminating these types of wastes that have been going on for years before they ask anybody for another dime. Then, I’ll be the first in line to push for a higher tax on the wealthy.

I Wonder..I saw the same thing here and walked up to start asking questions But stopped in my tracks. Man in expensive suit. shoes that probaly cost 1000 dollars.... Dam glad I stopped cause I was facing a Pastor of our largest church here... Seems poor people can appoint a GOOD NEIGHBOR to pick up commodities..OR even go shopping with a Food Card. That pastor was picking up food for 4 of his members that were too sick or disabled to do it alone. I was ready to call our state fraud hotline and report this..But I still volunteer to hand out food and still watch for big fancy cars and people with gold rings on every finger.. everyone should be LOOKING and REPORTING

I think that the GSA is just another example of an out of control federal government. Congress can't seem to find it within itself to create an annual national budget (their primary job), but they can find many ways to extend government into our lives and spend our hard earned dollars. The President and Congress feel that they have better ideas on how to spend our money than we do, that the common person lacks the intellegence to live freely, and that our founding documents (IE the Constitution) are outdated and will be worked around.

This has everything to do with BOTH PARTIES. For anyone to blame one party solely is just a joke. The Democrats didn't take their chance at majority to cure our financial problems and neither did the Republicans when they had the majority. Bush spent more than ever before him and Obama successfully spent all of the Bush era's spending in 3 years! Our national debt is a staggering $15+ trillion and growing very quickly, our unfunded debt was over $44 trillion the last I checked. Both parties have realized that they can spend themselves into retaining power, but aren't worried because they'll retire before the SHTF. It'll be someone else's problem. That's a very big problem for all of us. When each of us now owes over $30,000 for the national debt and upwards of $70,000 for the unfunded liabilities you should be shocked and concerned. At some point those loans will come due and we'll either: 1. Live with a whole lot less because we'll be paying it off, or 2. Have a currency without value. When this happens we'll either have: 1. Massive infighting here in the US and a possible civil war, or 2. A global war to reset our loans (think what WW2 did).

The GSA's failure, the TSA's failure, the stimulus failure, the quantitative easing failure, etc. are just signs that the government isn't doing a good job. Sure you can say the stimulus eased the pain of a recession, but the average recession is painful but only lasts about a 9-12 months while this one is already at about 18 months and looking like it's going to correct for a long time to come. They are kicking the can and we are coming undone because of it. They aren't smarter than us, they just believe that history has nothing to show and that their bright ideas can outshine 100+ years of countering facts.

@ LB Please stop driving and using the internet. Roads and info highway are going to be rolled back to give the private sector a chance to do what the government has already done. And, if you are a hick, which seems possible, hicks forming a solid, highly intellectual core of the reactionary neo-fascist movement, please give up your electricity.

FLOYD and all other Obama-can't-do-anything-right-and-everything-is-Obama's-fault types... Where were you during the Shrubya years? He spent 487 at camp david and 490 at his crawford ranch. In other words, GWB spent 1/3 of his presidency away from the oval office.

I just can't believe that the republicans think they can pin this one on Obama. I got news for you...the majority of people who work for the Federal government are republicans. Argue if you like, but almost every military person is one. (If for nothing else, for the pay raises)

Big oil runs the country. Don't believe this one?!?!? What happens to every story that comes out about the big oil profits and the subsidies they receive. Big talk but nothing happens; nothing will continue to happen. EXCEPT oil prices will rise.

Yeah tn, it's just the nature of people, some are givers, some are takers and some are just living a life.

Takers gravitate toward the government because it's so easy. Most of them, from the president to the local dog catcher are busy grabbing every thing they get hold of. You put more regulators, the gsa for example, you just add to the number of thieves.

The government knows this, see post #1.46, but the average american can not get it. Look at the majority of the posts on newsvine today for proof. Smaller government, less waste, simple!

I have worked for a fairly large city. I was about the ONLY republican. People knew I was because I worked for the republican candidate. Back then, in the 80s, people had respect and nobody gave me a hard time. To suggest that federal employees are all republicans is silly.

Oh for Pete's sakes..is there anything republicans don't pin on the White House?

My dog taking a crap on my neighbors lawn.. the republicans will blame the White House!

So that is like when they pay $1000 for a hammer or $2000 for a toilet seat?

The reason for the expensive toilet seat for example isn't as much about the mismanagement of funds as it is about fat congressmen. A fat congressman sat on a military plane's toilet seat and it broke and pinched his ass. He complained and demanded the seat be replaced. Since the seats were out of production it cost extra money to tool up for one toilet seat. Whether it was one seat or forty, it cost the same - minimum mill run.

is there anything republicans don't pin on the White House?

Is there anything the White House won't pin on the previous administration?

obummer having his security staff hiring whores he inherited from the previous admin.

Jeff Neely is still receiving his $179,000 a year salary. He received a $9000 bonus after he was already being investigated. The reason he has not been fired yet? There is due process according to the former director of the GSA. Due process my ass? He has clearly commited fraud against the US government. I guess federal government employees are afforded some special rights. Maybe the rumor is true, it takes an act of Congress to fire a government employee.

Every single member of Congress should be calling for indictments.

Perhaps, the biggest thing the former director and GSA legal counsel and GSA director of Human Resources are afraid of is...Jeff Neely knows "dirt".

the repubs burned a trillion dollars in Iraq with their phony ass war and no bid contracts and no one goes to jail. Obama; well he must of been at the party and even gave it his blessing. Repubs are such pea brains, or should I say anyone that listens to their puke.

Hey MSNBC, you reported (with bias), the following:

"Republicans seek to pin GSA spending scandal on White House"

Who else would you like the Nation to blame it on? Bush, Clinton, etc?

Doesn't this President accept any responsibility or blame? Name me ONE thing that OUR president has accepted blame/responsibility for. I dare anyone to detail any misgiving that this Nation has suffered and OUR president has accepted responsibility for.

Don't forget MSNBC, you butchered so many stories with your inaccurate slant that many view your news reporting as flawed. Think not? Just look at the latest polls.

Yes, I said pull your head out of the sand and look at youself.

I'll write it again because I like to annoy.

Repeal the Sixteenth Amendment

There are two ways to make an Amendment to Constitution
1 For Congress to propose one.

2 If two thirds of the states demand one.

It is the second that I believe could be viable. If a proposition was registered on the ballot in all 50 states demanding a repeal of the Sixteenth Amendment, the people could vote to force the states to demand the repeal at the federal level.
In this way, the Repeal would come form the people and bypass both state and federal dysfunctions. And unless I am mistaken, if three quarters of the states demand a repeal, it would also be considered ratified by the states, and could not be argued at the federal level.

Cut the purse strings. Other than the 20% tax on every dollar of every gallon of gasoline, that will keep them going for a while.

Leiya123

Give him a break. He did apologize to the people of Afghanistan for our military doing their jobs. So, he kind of took responsibility, in a way.

john-737278

I give 'No one a break" when they're leading this NATION of OURS (Obama). GET IT!

Are you suggesting that we forgive OUR STEWARDS of this Nation of OURS because they fit you political clime of yours? I am no Democrat/Republican, but YOU must see the obvious dilemma in what you just stated.

Please correct me if I'm off base.

Leiya123

You should really relax a little. My comment was sarcasm, in that it was offensive for the President to apologize to the Afghanis at all for our soldiers doing their jobs, and at the same time not take responsibility in the US.

john-737278

I apologize. See you on the other side of the fence.

By the way, thanks for being courteous.

Leiya.

FLOYD, oh FLOYD... please get off the cost of an obama vacation.... move on to something relevent. Are our presidents NOT supposed to take a vacation once in office? Is that fair? They obviously have to have protection, so YES, it cost a lot of money for a trip. NEED I remind you of the COUNTLESS trips to Texas our fair President Bush took during his 8 years???? Guess those don't count though. Obama's trips pale in comparison... or perhaps you will try to sling that trash story about Mrs. Obama's trip to India costing 3 billion dollars and sending almost our entire navy fleet of ships to that area... Try , try again bubba.

Leiy: your mind is made up. you belong to the blame Obama for every mess in this country. very naive and republican of you. what a crock of dung. it's like saying Obama should be blamed for the crazed soldier murdering Afghan civilians....etc. what has this president done to harm you IN ANY WAY???? I can't believe how republicans are so clueless and all tghey have is the blame game because they hate facts and the reality of jerk off repubs before them. CRAZY. It irritates the dung out of me how people like you and the "musician" aka Nugent go off the deep end with no foundation for their rabid frothing. see you in November. if by some fluke your repub buddies grab power this great Country will go straight into the toilet and become one huge corporate commie-like state.

Fishyone Kenobi (fool)

How silly you talk. Even the folk's that are against my view will support me. Read what you just sent me.

Learn English and syntax plus punctuation. Then I'll listen.

Worm meat -- I doubt anyone takes you seriously. I don't.

Oligarchy -- a form of government in which all power is vested in a few persons or in a dominant class or clique; government by the few.

I'm talking about rule of the rich (plutocracy), and now corporate rule via A.L.E.C. in which corporations meet behind closed doors with legislators (Teapublican), and with the funding of said corporations pass laws rapidly and nationwide via cut and past templates that voters did not ask for, and of course the right-leaning SCOTUS Citizen's United ruling allowing corporations unlimited influence on our elections. Not to mention Emergency Finance Managers in Michigan that is basically dictatorship. Romney is a plutocrat who would play right into the dangerous trend toward oligarchy.

The ACA was passed by a filibuter-proof super majority. It is not to say that the health insurance industry did not have influence. A mandate without government competition via single payer smacks of insurance influence, and probably why Republicans supported it before the president and Dems included it in the law with the mistaken belief Republicans would therefore vote for it.

But please explain to all of us why Teapublicans, and even some Dems won't vote for legislation, such as ending subsidies, such as the Jobs Bill, such as the Buffet Rule, and so forth when these measure have overwhelming support from voters? Oligarchy.

It's too bad that most private sector businesses in the U.S. don't have this kind of publicly visible, television-watched accountability when corruption and waste is suspected within them. Oh sure, a few of the biggest Wall Street firms get investigated for bilking investors out of mega-millions ...but what about the rest? Few attend local, public court trials when a customer is suing a business for wrongdoing. Only the biggest corporations might get the attention of the Press. Also makes me wonder what percentage of private sector businesses that are sued or investigated for fraud, embezzlement, abuse of labor, violation of wage laws, etc. ...are run by right-wingers?

leiy: listen? yeah right. repubs don't listen. they puke out talking points. typical repub, get hung up on bs details and ignore the glaring facts. see ya. i don't need to change. i am what i am and i will never apologize because i know the repug agenda ; gain power through any means and the truth be damned.

100 years of attitudes, structure, budgets, and cultures needs to be changed. The work was started but never got off the ground. Washington has too many distractions and lobbyists and political motivations to fix itself.

I'm a firm believer in fixing the process first and following that with appropriate budget cuts... NOT cut first. I've done it at least a dozen times in business with great results. But our slug of a government has me scratching (and shaking) my head. What a bunch of buffoons.

This is just another example of what happens when Chicago and Illinois politics moves into the federal government. It had to happen sometime since Chicago and Illinois are out of money.

Oh please. This isn't a left vs right thing. It's not a BIG GOVERNMENT thing. It's just a plain old corrupt government in action. It doesn't matter if we have a corporate aristocracy or Marxist communism. These things continue to happen.

ding ding ding. We have a winner!!

Blame it on the internet. Going back 40 years won't produce much, but since it's beginning, it has uncovered a lot of wrongdoings. Let's see if the Republicans are willing to take a further look during their own administrations. Bet not.

I'm sure Obama will soon let us know that this is all Bush's fault.

Obama first 31 months in office: 61 vacation days.

Bush first 31 months in office: 180 vacation days.

Wonder who spent more money?

Joe Veteran: Just where did you get these numbers from? Are you forgetting that Obama likes to play golf every weekend? What about Michelle Obama's expenses? Does those numbers not count? YOU remember the trip the President and the First Lady had during their "date Night". You know where they flew to NYC to see a broadway show, courtesy of AIR FORCE ONE, and then flew back again? How much did you think that costs? You're saying that doesn't count? What about all those trips Michelle Obama took to South Africa and Spain last year? I know taxpayers paid for those trips!

FLOYD, oh FLOYD... please get off the cost of an obama vacation.... move on to something relevent. Are our presidents NOT supposed to take a vacation once in office? Is that fair? They obviously have to have protection, so YES, it cost a lot of money for a trip. NEED I remind you of the COUNTLESS trips to Texas our fair President Bush took during his 8 years???? Guess those don't count though. Obama's trips pale in comparison... or perhaps you will try to sling that trash story about Mrs. Obama's trip to India costing 3 billion dollars and sending almost our entire navy fleet of ships to that area... Try , try again bubba.

Wives fan: Our President Bush took vacation trips to HIS RANCH during his 8 Years. He did not have the public pay for it unlike Obama's Trip to Ireland and to Indonesia where he took his entire family. Not too mention Michelle Obama's trip to Hawaii and all the secret service that went with her. Not too mention the fact, that later on, they had to have their dog fly separately on their trip to Maine? And yes, we had to pay for that too!

YOU really are trying to skew the numbers in Obama's favor, aren't you? I suggest you do a little more reading yourself before you post such crap.

Not defending these extravagances, but it is ironic to me the people outraged by the excess claim it shows how bad government is... do they think that corporations don't lavish themselves and pass the buck onto the consumer?

Power corrupts... that's the long and short of it. Yet only government is technically accountable to all of us. Who are corporations accountable to; the 49% stockholders?

There was a typo in the first line of the story.

It reads 'Republican lawmakers tried Tuesday to tie the spending scandal at the General Services Administration to the White House, pressing current and former agency officials to explain why they met with senior administration officials two weeks before disciplining most of the implicated officials.'

It should have been 'Republican muckrakers....'

Ah, I love the spin.

Republicans seeking to "pin" the scandal on Obama-- as if the democratic party (and all its tentacles) weren't engaged in the same sort of mudslinging when ol' GW was in office. But then, of course, the headlines read with a little more authority: "Bush caught with his pants down," "Bush administration faulted for excessive spending." Things like that.

But yes, this is MSNBC, the mouthpiece of the left, so now that it's their boy in office somehow it is tawdry to blame the man in charge, even though that's what they did the entire time Bush was in office. Ah, heck-- let's be honest: they're still blaming him. Seems the media bias will never end...

Signed, an independent.

Fishyone Kenobi

Live in your fishbowl. After reading your response to me, I understood the frutality with conversing with you. Your trash mouth is horrible and I may report it due to violation of COH.

Enjoy your life. No one else will.

you know nothing about my life and the people in it. your temper has got the best of you with your overuse of CAPS. boo-hoo. the fact remains that Obama had absolutely nothing to do with this incident. repugnicans try to throw mud at the wall and hope something sticks. yet they have nothing of substance. Their "good ideas " are give even more tax breaks to the rich and to hell with people that have medical problems and can't afford health insurance. I know people that pay 1/3 of their take home pay to rip-off insurance companies that constantly deny their claims. it's a bloody shame that we spend trillions on useless repug wars and can't provide health care for those that need it. I wish Jesus would return because he would heal the sick without regard to their economic status. Of course West would call him a commie. So go back to your law books and briefs and screw more people out of their money. that's the American way these days; greed is good and no taxes is even better.

It would be an interesting concept to have the return of Jesus.

I think he might have a few things to say to his so-called fan club from the Conservative side about topics such as money being free speech and a corporate entity is a person to start with perhaps.

He would immediately be recrucified by the right wing to shut him up.

Hi, Leiya! While it is true the President is ultimately responsible for what happens on his watch as president, because, like with a company that breaks the public faith, technically he is "the boss". However, I don;t think it is ultimately fair to blame Obama for the extreme stupidity in the GSA culture or that of the Secret Service. His job is not, as with the CEO, to have absolute knowledge and control of all the departments of government...his job is to properly preside over the affairs of the country and make the proper decisions in the Oval Office that will make a better, safer society for us, and hopefully, a better world. He's not supposed to be daddy watching over all the kids...

Fishyone, does it really make you feel better to spew anger all over a reasonable (for the most part) conversation? We can all say what we believe, I think, without having to resort to anger to bully our points through.

OMG really people?!!

This is a perfect example of why I am so adamant about getting Government under control. This has always been the problem with government. When I was in the Marine Corps, the standing joke was "An Elephant is a Mouse built to Military (Government) Specs." Everything that they do is either too big, too expensive to build and maintain, or totally out of control because there is no accountability or responsibility. In an obese person, fat becomes an organ that secretes hormones to guarantee its own survival. Government does the same thing. The bigger it gets the bigger it wants to get and just throwing more money at them is one of the "hormones" that helps get them fat and keeps them that way.

I see many people here claim that we don't have a spending problem but rather a revenue problem. I counter that argument with the question, "How do you get government to live within it's means"? Our government and elected officials have, for the past 50+ years, spent like a drunk sailor in a whorehouse. My contention is that, until we get control of government spending, we will never be able to balance the books. No matter what we give government today, they will spend it, borrow more from tomorrow, and come back crying for even more next week. I am sure that, were I were able to personally write them a check today for the entire amount of the Deficit, Debt, and all under funded liabilities, in under 20 years, we would be right back where we are today because there is no responsibility or accountability in Washington.

I would gladly pay more taxes and lose some of the loopholes if the money would go to paying off the debt, but it won't. They will continue to spend like drunk sailors and kick the can down the road until there isn't any road left. Then they will wring their hands and cry" We didn't see this coming! How could we have known this would happen? We're Shocked, Shocked I say!"

I find the indignation of the Congressmen toward this egregious misconduct commendable, but I see opportunism and hypocrisy at work, as well.

They're so indignant about hundreds of THOUSANDS of dollars being lost to American taxpayers via this behavior that they want to examine the GSA records at a microcosmic level, but they had no similar response to the hundreds of MILLIONS of dollars lost to customers and American taxpayers by the cabal of banks who caused the near-collapse of Wall Street and the U.S. economy.

Where is/was their righteous indignation at that conduct, and where is their determination to tear apart those banks and seek restitution on behalf of the American taxpayers and individual customers whose retirements, lives, home ownership and other assets were ruined?

Chris-382117, very well said. This is yet another example of what is wrong with our society today. Government too big and people with no sense of right and wrong...someone else will pay for it. Well I'm paying for it in the form of taxes and I'm tired of it. Everyone of these people need to be fired and their future pay checks garnished (if they find another job) until all money has been repaid. They should be stripped of all government pensions and other perks. Start setting an example...this behaviour results in these consequences. People need to be held accountable for their actions. Starts with good parenting.

....Our government and elected officials have, for the past 50+ years, spent like a drunk sailor in a whorehouse....

Isn't that the headline for another article? Oh wait, they opted for delivery instead of going out.

BlackHillsLaura

They're so indignant about hundreds of THOUSANDS of dollars being lost to American taxpayers via this behavior that they want to examine the GSA records at a microcosmic level

The other day someone sent me a cartoon with a great idea about term limits. It said:

Limit All Politicians to two terms ... One in office and one in Prison.

(Illinois already does it and it seems to work well for them!)

Black hills This isn't about something that happened years ago,it's about something that just happened! I'm surprised you didn't bring up something that occured during the bush administrationYou libturds are all alike,just can't help your self from deflecting dimocrap responsibilities to another party!
Not even a good try!

Typical GOP Politics

Throwing Hatred Tantrums to the :

President Of United States

Many of the UNKOWN before on National Stage,being treated as Heroic Frontier,from rag to riches, in gaining personel fortune by doing Just that!!! -Don't believe me?, ask run-away fugitive "Joe the Plumber".Want to Write the fake Best Selling Book? Ask GOP if they're their darlings,they will purchase bundle by bundle unsold copies,ask Sarah Palin,Bachman,Jan Brewer...and many more

Just show your tantrum GESTURES----------To the President Of United States and to his Office.The Grand Old Party will Hails and Confers "You as Heroic".Taliban's Americans Hippocrates with no Conscience & shame are growing everywhere.

Chris, I was stationed in Saudi for a while and was called to come down and receive a crate shipped from Norfolk navy base. Being I was assigned to a mobile naval weapons group and it was navy tag I was it. I went on down to the supply receiving area and there was a crate about 80 ft long and 3 foot square with a naval stock number which I did not recognize. We opened it and gathered a rather large crowd around to enjoy the humor. It was a main periscope for an SSN submarine, shipped to the desert. We quickly looked up to see if they had a camel mount for the device.

Does anyone know what Jack is talking about?

Republicans trying to pin scandal on Whitehouse

Duh? Where else should it be pinned? What a goofy title for an article

but they had no similar response to the hundreds of MILLIONS of dollars lost to customers and American taxpayers by the cabal of banks who caused the near-collapse of Wall Street and the U.S. economy.

Laura,

You do understand the difference between government and private entities right? The bank fiasco was caused by government sticking it's nose in the banking (mortgage) business. Government needs to get out of the way, period. The more they interfere the worse off we'll be.

The bank fiasco was caused by government sticking it's nose in the banking (mortgage) business.

Tod, puhlease. Government can push for somthing and even mandate some things but the politicians didn't physically underwrite the loans. And they didn't chop up blocks of loans and sell them as triple A securities on the stock market.

The government is guilty of rolling back bank regulations that should have never been deregulated. The banks are to blame for the ensuing fiasco. They knew better.

Government can push for somthing and even mandate some things but the politicians didn't physically underwrite the loans.

Fannie, Freddie, and Barney. Wake up!! Sure there is plenty of blame (indivual greed) to go around, but it never would have happened if the government had not orchestrated/legislated/allowed for bad loans. Its not rocket science, government does nothing well, or efficiently.

They deregulated ie. *less* government oversite.

Fannie and Freddie are qusi government/private underwriters for the homeloan companies. I may be wrong but I wasn't aware that Jill and Joe six pack could go to their local fannie/freddie branch and physically fill out a loan application. And even if they could, that isn't politicians underwriting a private loan.

Read my post, of course they did'nt "underwrite private loans".

They deregulated ie. *less* government oversite.

That's spin, they allowed for the "quasi government/private underwriters" giving loans to people who had no business getting loans. Government guarantees loans, you know this!! Everyone (lenders, brokers, real estate agents, loanees) jumped on the bad loan express. Result; big mess!!

So who is to blame? If I tell my kids ok, you're old enough now, I'll trust you to take candy from the candy bowl whenever you want and then they clean it out?

My point is that the banks doing it should have known better even if the rules were relaxed. So I don't blame the government (at least not entirely), I blame the banks and wall street where you seem to blame it *all* on government.

The government is just as much to blame as the banks. The government shouldn't have been guaranteeing loans to individuals who couldn't afford the loans and putting pressure on the banks to give more loans to minorities who couldn't afford to buy a house. The banks are guilty of bundling worthless loans that they knew would never be paid back. If government had never interferred with home loans we wouldn't be in the mess we are today.

I see a lot about government staying out of loans. If a borrower defaults on a loan, who does the lender go to to get it enforced? The neighborhood mafia lieutenant? We tried that. Come on people. What do you small government hypocrites want to give up? Public roads? Defense? Food inspection? Professional licensing? Did anybody ever tell you about Standard Oil? Do you really think banks or chicken farms will take care of you without a legal system and standards? I'll give you that loan guarantee should be reviewed like everything else, but the banks misrepresented mortgage values backwards and forwards. If you think banks or the market will manage finance in some kind of honest and fair way, I've got an opportunity in Nigeria I'd like to talk to you about. I just need a small payment up front to make this transfer, and you'll be as rich as Goldman Sachs.

They should all be fired! What do we have to do to get them out of those offices?

There are millions of us looking for employment and corruption is the last thing in our minds, get good honest and hard working people in there and get the dirt out..

I am so angry about this.... and the guy still gets a bonus?

George W. Bush spent at least $20 million taxpayer dollars just on flights to his ranch in Crawford.
The right wing has been outraged at the four million dollar plus price tag for Obama's family Christmas vacation, and they constantly hold George W. Bush up as an example of how thrifty a president should be when going on vacation.
The problem is that W. wasn't thrifty. He was the most expensive vacation president in US history. Not only did Bush spend more days on vacation than any other president, but he used Air Force One more often while on vacation than any other president.
During Bush's two terms, the cost of operating Air Force One ranged from $56,800 to $68,000 an hour. Bush used Air Force One 77 times to go to his ranch in Crawford, TX. Using the low end cost of $56,800, Media Matters calculated that each trip to Crawford cost taxpayers $259,687 each time, and $20 million total for Bush's ranch flights.
If cost of the flight was the only expense involved to taxpayers Bush's vacations would still seem rather economical, but there is more, much more. Unlike the Obama's $4 million Christmas vacation price tag, which includes the cost of everything from transportation to accommodations for the First Family, the White House staff, and the White House press corps, Bush's numbers only include the cost of flying the president to Crawford. The cost of transporting and accommodating staff, media, friends and family is not included in Bush's vacation numbers.

He was the most expensive vacation president in US history. Not only did Bush spend more days on vacation than any other president, but he used Air Force One more often while on vacation than any other president.

John, you can't just make stuff up and expect not to be called on it. Do some research (this time include pro-rated Obama vacations/expenses/time on vacation for the 3 plus years he has been in office), and then get back to us us with your "documented" findings, huh?

P.S. It's also a bit disingenuous to pretend that all Bush's trips to Crawford were vacations, is'nt it? You must know better, right?

I'm just curious, maybe I haven't noticed, but what is the Dept. of Energy currently under investigated for?

Solyndra

Pentagon, Homeland "Security"

TSA

Solyndra is old news, Even the Arsonist, Issa, who investigated, said there was nothing there. Just another bs lie made up by faux news and the conservatives to push thier un-American agenda.

Just another lie........LMAO.....keep believing that. Was not a lie how his donors were repaid before debt holders of Solyndra.......not a lie how the DOE fast tracked the money.

What are your sources that Solyndra was a true scandal?

First, though, you need to hire outside consultants to do a CBA on whether the cost of auditing every agency would outweigh the potential savings uncovered. Then you need to hire some consultants to do a CBA on whether or not hiring consultants to do a CBA on auditors is cost effective. And that, kids, is your intro to how American government works.

LOL.....or just fire the dumb asses in charge and hire new ones......government also works that way sometimes....

Ask anyone who works for the IRS if they know anyone who has ever been fired. I know a few people who quit...none that were fired.

Yep, you are right nothing will get done..... How can it we they are just as GUILTY of BLOWING OUR MONEY..... Actually if you look at the Add Ons they keep sticking of legislation you will see that they are a He~l of a lot worse..... Politicians You Got To Love How 2 Face They Are.....

No doubt. Nothing will change...and that's the only thing you can count on.

Can't happen! The ones who are not managers are Seiu members and could be fired if they committed a murder on stage in front of 3000 people! They would still get their pay until convicted and if convicted would still get their retirement and benefits for life! Nice deal if you can get onE! The SEIU has ruined the Federal Governemnt!

Aww, how cute, MASO98 got 5cents from the Koch Bros. for posting an anti SEIU rant!! Get out of your mother's basement and get a real job, pushing your American-hating right-wing garbage solves nothing.

...Because all incumbents are that terrible? What if the newbie is way, way worse? Or does that matter?

A big chunk of the abuse problem is Congress doesn't ensure there is enough mandated oversight to monitor and catch abuses like the GSA mess and what little oversight they do commit to law is usually grossly underfunded.

I've lost count of the number of investigative news shows (20/20, Primetime, 60 Minutes, etc) I've seen over the years detailing some scandal in a government program / agency that includes some kind of revelation that there are only 2 investigators assigned to cover fraud and abuse in a 3 state region or some similarly ridiculous Congressional sop to oversight.

Then to top it all off when it blows up like this GSA thing, Congress makes the big public show of outrage and rather than reassess, realign and redirect funding, regs, oversight to address problems that arise in every program / agency no matter how well planned, Congress then junks the program and starts up a replacement with the same old inherent process problems. Apparently nobody on Capital Hill understands the feedback portion of the management process.

They should hire investigators on retainer. Allow them to keep 10% of every dollar they save through curtailing fraud, waste and abuse. Of course, government would then hire auditors to audit the auditors and so on and so forth.

This is not new, in the 80's the militray and GSA both got on the "we should act like a major cooperation" about things like this. An Excuse to waste millions on things that don't need to be replaced, but don't fit the "look" we want. So why not waste the tax dollar. Like AGI we have the money, it cost nothing so here is a bonus, in a manner of speeking. Lets go back to old way, you get this much per day, spend more than that and it's out of your pocket. And I mind reader, I guess just like Miss Cleo, they didn't see that coming. Team building, they did learn something, like how to waste the most money as quickly as possible on things that serve no usefull purpose. Perhaps under the Fraud, waste and abuse policy the fraud should be repaid, the wasteful spending stopped forever and the abuse of a conference of this type should end. Try using gotomeeting.com

J Baldwin... "we should act like a major cooperation"? It's hard to tell, did you mean to say corporation? Just asking.

militray should be military

speeking should be speaking

"And I mind reader"...huh?

usefull should be useful

Try using a Merriam Webster dictionary rather than gotomeeting.com. Sure do hope you're not a government employee.

heather-3677675

J Baldwin... "we should act like a major cooperation"? It's hard to tell, did you mean to say corporation? Just asking.

militray should be military

speeking should be speaking

"And I mind reader"...huh?

usefull should be useful

Try using a Merriam Webster dictionary rather than gotomeeting.com. Sure do hope you're not a government employee.

I agree -that entire post was illegible

What and have more illegal aliens sneak back into the Country and use free American dollars to live here, lets just let them work for the Government at least they are doing something for the money.

XD: Yeah, some of that stuff, I can go to the local Home Depot or Lowe's and pick up at 90% less than what they're paying. Why don't they just give them a Home Depot or Lowe's credit card....I bet it'd save us a bunch of money on junk they spend a fortune for!!!

Home Depot is 90% Chinese products (the lumber is Canadian tho), let's buy American please (no Walmart or Target either).

he won't even mention it. He will try to stay above it.

Considering he had nothing to do with this incident - both of your posts are ridiculous. One blaming Obama and the other saying "Dont blame Bush". LOL clowns.

They already have.

Las Vegas has always been the least expensive place to fly into & stay for a business convention & meeting, Obama "told" us "not to go" there any more in his campaign speeches & almost single handily destroyed the tourism business, just like his promises to raise taxes sent business & investors running for cover.

JD bird! You must be kidding! Vegas is one of the cheapest places on earth to get to and to stay! The virtually give away room knowing they will get it back from your gambling! Airfares,expensive to Vegas! Again,some of the cheapest rates to anywhere are airfares to Vegas! Your preception is probably why you have never been there!

you are way to kind.........

You bet I question these folks.....why? because in my opinion they are the tip of the iceberg. Each and everyone one of the idiots in Washington need to grilled. Government waste is rampant......government abuse is rampant.....see the Grace Commission's Report for 1982. It happened then and it is still happening today. That is the problem.

RJ-4184632

this is actually a little funny. oboma waste money much much more moneys than this

Surely such an educated, well spoken individual such as yourself has examples right?

Obama flew into Columbus OH to congratulate the recipients of $100,000 in "stimulus" money that would help train 5 new police cadets for the next year. It costs $750,000 per hour to fly Air Force One any place, what a good use of tax payer money from our only "candidate & chief".

Obama is very good at "running" for office, just not so good at operating our country.

RJ-4184632

this is actually a little funny. oboma waste money much much more moneys than this

Surely such an educated, well spoken individual such as yourself has examples right?

Not to mention RJ's excellent writing skills.

Yeah, waste sucks, like spending $10 billion a week for 10 years on 2 illegal wars.

my, my.....how can you even ask that question? You will be on the liberal's blacklist. Hey, that is not to bad because I am on that list and very happy indeed.

GCCal,

Quite deluding yourself...spending abuse in our government (state & federal) is a bi-partisan problem. And thanks to the Supreme Court and the Citizens United decision it will only get worse as our politicians (career & newbie) bend over to suck the puds of their megabuck campaign donors and Super PAC masters!

I'm not K Man......see my other posts.....I was just responding to marions post about cutting spending. I absolutely know that republicans do exactly the same thing. However, where I think we may differ is that I think the dems do it more rapidly and more efficiently because I live in California the home of the liberal stink hole. I see how they spend money.

GCCal

I'm not K Man......see my other posts.....I was just responding to marions post about cutting spending. I absolutely know that republicans do exactly the same thing. However, where I think we may differ is that I think the dems do it more rapidly and more efficiently because I live in California the home of the liberal stink hole. I see how they spend money.

Right - a politician with a D in front of their name spends money more "efficiently"? WTF does that even mean? Dont you have a tea bag rally to attend or something? ROFL!

GCCal: I have to agree with you as to California....I live here too. When it comes to voting in a Federal election, I vote Democrat; but when voting in a State election, I vote Republican. The Democrats in California have mirrored the House's trick of "obstruction, obstruction, obstruction." Even our poor Governor Brown is having the same problems as President Obama in most cases due to the Democrat's in Sacramento! It's a quandary to be sure! Maybe you think that our president's don't deserve vacations during their 4-year terms......even YOU probably get at least 2 weeks if you're employed!

Didi! you vote dimocrap because they know how to spend money and they don't obstuct!! The dims just don't do anything! They been the majority for 4 years in the Senate and had the House and Senate majority for over 2 years and we are still waiting for their first budget! Over 1000 days and no budget! So exactly what are the republicans obstructing? The none existent budget of the dimocraps? Nice try! And I too live in Mexifornia and have had to watch this State spiral down form a once great state to a mediocre broken state,thanks entirely to the dimocrap who have controlled this place since the 1960's! Fifty plus years of overspending,over regulating,over paying state emploees,over allowing union to run this state.Finally,the chickens have come home to roost! We are broke,the unions run every aspect of government life and teachers and prison guards get all the attention while the rest of us pay for thier mistakes.I'm tire of the State giving away the house to illegals who can legally draw welfare and any other number of entitlements. Did you know that from 1986 to 2006, 20 million new people called Mexiofrnia home.Of that,less than 100,000 became taxpayers!Six cities have files for bankruptcy protection in the past year in Mexifornia ,with Stockton,the sisth larget City in Mexifornia being the latest.San Diego is close to filing bankruptcy and so is L.A.We are broke and the unions keep demanding more money! Moonbeam wants a new .25% taxes on good and sevices for Mexifornia to pay for some stupid high speed rail system that starts in nowhere and goes to nowhere! Maybe,you should reconsider your voting pattern and just vote Republican everywhere!

Mas98, showing your true, racist, colors I see. Bet you can't wait for your Koch-Bros. check at the end of the week. That $2.00 for trolling will really help decorate your double-wide.

maso98

You are right, CALIFORNIA is a mess financially, but most folks at least can pronounce it, and know that as long as we let Orange county run the State, the longer this will go on. Which demo Govenor did this to us? arnie, Pete or george Duk? That covers the last 23 years, so which one?

You should move somewhere that makes you happy instead of whinning everyday on line.

Exactly WHAT have you done to help besides whine? Don't like it? Vote or Move, either way, but quit the lame name calling of our State.

Mas098, You are on the right track, but the blade cuts both ways. Here in Idaho I also have seen what you are talking about, but at much lesser levels of course. But on the other side I have seen the big corporate farmers with their hiring of illegals, crop price supports, major tax breaks, and direct subsidies - the very same group that bitch and moan about President Obama's policies including immigration. Their comprehension is not broad enough to understand they can't have their cake and eat it at the same time. Many, many Americans have this very same lack of comprehension. The Idaho State government (from top to bottom) sits squarely in the middle of this same lacking group.

Twenty years is no where near enough. Maybe 60 is a better figure in my books and even then it is still a toss up.

Give me a break. Every single President takes these kinds of vacations. It's absolutely no different than every Republican President. They're all the same. Quit deluding yourself.

but did they take them seperately and with 7585785734 family members....ummmno.

What are you talking about?

What is the cost for Obama's wife and kids Vegas trip? I'm sure it was a bit more than $800000. Should audit all of them and his staff and stop making scapegoats out of one incident. Get a reality check and see the waste and spending this administration is doing. Just trying to deflect the real issue. Normal for this president.

Have you ever googled how many vacations ex-President Bush took when he was in office? I think you'll be surprised since he took more vacations to Texas than President Obama has taken! He spent over 300 days on vacation......that's almost a year of his term!! It cost the same for him to travel to and from Texas..... Maybe you think our president shouldn't get ANY vacations during his 4-year term??? I bet you get at least a 2-week vacation if you're gainfully employed. Who begrudges you for that.....and it's the Constitutions that states that the President has to have all the Secret Service agents, etc. when he travels.....even on vacation.

Didi-from your answers it's easy to see you are another paid operative of big unions and the dimocrap party!You talking points are weak and mostly don't make any sense,especially your voting patterns between state and federal elections! see 14.6

So far, President Obama has taken 61 vacation days after 31 months in office. At this point in their presidencies, George W. Bush had spent 180 days at his ranch where his staff often joined him for meetings. And Ronald Reagan had taken 112 vacation days at his ranch.

Among recent presidents, Bill Clinton took the least time off -- 28 days.

Jon - Thanks but you don't want to confuse these people with the facts, do you?

What do you think cost more, a vacation where you stay at your house or one where you fly to Hawaii and rent a resort?

Good one Leroy.............I fully agree and I hope they bend over often.

Uh huh. Those who end up falling under the 'Buffett Rule' should be able to form a panel on government spending. They certainly didn't make millions by misspending funds.

Brilliant idea. Take the people who used derivatives, credit default swaps and gutted Glass & Steghall and put them in charge of spending.

Of course, we should probably brace ourselves for more Solyndra like investments and GSA conventions.

Because clearly Solyndra lead to the worst economic crisis since the depression.

Current deputy GSA administrator Brita does...she called for the investigation. Unfortunately given the historic treatment of whistleblowers in D.C., she most likely killed her future career at GSA or any other agency.

And just wait for all the personal expense reports get finally tallied ....

$3,123.435 Chetah Club VIP Services - Business Entertainment

116,345 $5 dollar bills

2,000 bottles of DOM @ $600/bottle

You got that right. They will not look too hard and pass the buck so they don't get audited.

Oh, yeah we don't have the right to audit them or set their pay or perks.....they do.....NICE

Amen to that - the GSA is a bunch of amateurs compared to Clowngress when it comes to wasting our money..... they'll probably spend twice as much money investigating this as GSA wasted.

We should have a spot on the ballots of all 50 states so we can elect citizens that could subject our congressional reps to hearings like this. I wonder how often they'd plead the 5th.