Does Congress really want to ban privately funded travel?
Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel is a lovely luxury getaway. Nestled in the bluffs above a sandy beach in Kona, Hawaii, the hotel is perfect for weddings and honeymoons--and apparently for members of Congress attending conferences. Last January, the American Association of Airport Executives paid $40,000 for Republican Sen. Trent Lott of Mississippi, who is on an aviation subcommittee, four other lawmakers, and the wives of some of them to go to Kona for a five-day get-together on aviation issues. The list of sponsors included contractors like Boeing and Lockheed Martin. "You'll have an unparalleled opportunity to discuss your ideas and concerns with aviation industry leaders and Washington decision makers," the association said in its invite.
Members of Congress have received almost $20 million from private groups to travel since 2000, according to PoliticalMoneyLine, a nonpartisan research group. More than 600 members of Congress have made over 6,000 privately funded trips since 2000. In January, for instance, the Aspen Institute paid about $86,000 for 12 lawmakers and spouses of many of them to go to Punta Mita, Mexico, for a conference on U.S. policy in Latin America. In August 2003, Century Business Services, the parent company of the lobbying firm Kessler & Associates, paid $30,000 for six lawmakers to stay at the Ashford Castle in Ireland for a trade seminar.
Who can bring and end to these kinds of trips and the influence that may result from them? Only Congress itself. They would have to pass a law limiting or banning these kind of trips. In 2005 , a ban on privately funded travel was proposed in Congress--it was defeated. Resistance was and remains strong.
What do you think? Does Congress want to ban privately funded travel?
21 comments:
I don't think they would want to ban this because they are getting so much free stuff. I think that it shouldn't matter what people give you, they should pay more attention to the information.
I'm don't really know if they should ban this or not. They give a lot of money to them for trips but they should focus more on the other important things than travel.
Grumble grumble grumble...
Why would they want to cut that, they are getting a vacation who would cut something fun that would just be a dumb move on their part. But maybe they could cut it down a little bit and use the money for something else useful.
the congress wont want to shut down the lobbyists because they are making to much money in it...the money that they are spending on this could be put to something useful like going towards debt.
I think it is kinda of crazy that they pay so much to send people on "business trips." Also why do their wives and families need to go? And why do they need to go to such fancy places? Yeah i think it might be a good way to get to know people and discuss issues but there are other less expensive ways of doing so.
I don't think that they should get all these trips and all that! It's a total waste of money!! Why are we wasting all this money and everything, it makes me so mad! They always waste money! They don't need to go to mexico they can just go to the local burger king and have a sit down and talk there, it's cheaper and they don't have to leave the country!! I don't think they should ban them but regualte them more and make sure they aren't just wasting our money!
I don't think that they would ban this. But i think if they do go on the trips they should go somewhere less expensive and without their families.
Exactly what highteck said...why would anyone want to ban this? they are getting so much from them, and would'nt want to cut it out.
I don't think Congress will ever pass a bill that limits the privately funded travel. If you got free trips with your friends and spouse, wouldn't you want to keep that. But by keeping this, I think this is one of the reasons why our government is as corrupt as it is. It is a huge influence for me to keep foreign oil if that company has hired a lobbyist to send me places and just to vote for them on a couple bills. I think there should be limits!
i do not think that they should band this. but one thing they could do different is they could pay more attention to the information.
y ban private funded travel. and y pay so much on travel stuff they should cut it down and stuff yeah that dum
Hmmm...some of the congress members probably have a few trips like this, so I don't think they'd want to ban it. I guess public officials should accept so many offers, but hey, if it's a free invitation for a vacation I wouldn't turn it down either...John & Kate take free trips all of the time
If it the money isn't coming from the tax payers our any other federal funding i don't think they need to stop it.
of course they don't want to ban privately funded travel, they benefit to much from it.
Well if i was one of them i wouldn't want to ban this. I mean it would be awsome so go anywhere you wanted and it was all paid for.
It would be nice if they did but I don't think it would happen. This type of thing is why the system is flawed. Send em to a Super 8. Going to Hawaii would be really nice though.
yea they wouldnt want to ban that because they are getting free stuff and get to have fun for free and that is why their are so many problems in the gov and to many people take bribes
If intrest groups are representing american company's, then i don't mind them, but if it is oil company's then they should not let them lobby.
lets spend that money on lets say...the economy maybe?
this is our tax dollars at work here people!
its ridiculous i would love if someday my employer sent me on some "business trip" that i got to bring my family along..wouldnt we all love that.
money buys everything...ridiculous.
they shouldn't be able to ban travel even though they have messed up with what we do, they shouldn't mess with our rights
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