Special interest junkets: Massachusetts lawmakers exposed

A reader sent this link to a Boston Herald piece that talked about the free rides some Massachuetts lawmakers have rec’d courtesy of special interest groups:

Congress’ crackdown on lobbyist gifts and junkets hasn’t clipped the wings of several members of the Bay State delegation and their staffs, who flew free of charge this year on several purported business trips paid for by special-interest groups, a Herald review found.

These groups have shelled out nearly $17,000 this year to shuttle Bay State lawmakers, their wives and aides to meetings in vacation hot spots such as Fort Lauderdale, San Diego and a beachfront resort in Mexico, according to congressional travel documents.

News of the lawmakers’ junkets comes as Congress scrutinizes special interest and lobbyist gifts in the wake of the Jack Abramoff scandal. Abramoff, a Brandeis graduate, has pleaded guilty to fraud and bribery after showering Washington lawmakers with gifts including trips and meals. All of the trips taken by the Bay State lawmakers were reported in gift and travel filings required under Congress’ ethics rules.

Rep. Edward Markey (D-Malden) landed the sweetest deal, escaping the January cold with his wife, Dr. Susan Blumenthal, to a resort in Punta Mita, Mexico. The nonprofit Aspen Institute footed the $7,800 bill for the couple’s all-inclusive week in the tropical vacation spot just south of Puerto Vallarta.

Several other members of Congress and their spouses made the trip with Markey and his wife, including Rep. Norman Dicks (D-Wash.), and California Democratic representatives George Miller, Sam Farr and Susan Davis.

A Markey spokeswoman noted that “no lobbyist, congressional staff or outside observers are permitted” at the Aspen Institute conference in Mexico. The institute is a Washington, D.C.-based think tank.

Rep. William Delahunt (D-Quincy) also escaped the winter doldrums, taking a weeklong, all-expenses-paid trip to San Diego in February courtesy of the German Marshall Fund, a nonprofit think tank. The group plunked down $1,575 for the congressman’s hotel, $1,181 for his flight and $384 for meals, congressional records show.

Delahunt spokesman Steven Broderick said the San Diego trip involved meetings with German lawmakers and were part of Delahunt’s duties as chair of Congress’ German study group.

“The trip to San Diego was in keeping with that responsibility” Broderick said.

Rep. Barney Frank (D-Newton) has taken three special-interest-funded junkets this year, including a four-day trip in February to Los Angeles paid for by the Retirement Housing Foundation and a two-day jaunt to Philadelphia funded by the National Constitutional Center. Frank also traveled to Fort Lauderdale for two days last month, courtesy of the Family Pride Coalition. The group is a nonprofit group of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender parents and families.

Frank spokesman Steve Adamske said the congressman does not accept corporate-sponsored private jets or travel, nor does he accept payment for speaking engagements. He said the special-interest-funded trips were appropriate because they “reduce the impact on the taxpayer.”

Springfield Democrat Richard Neal, meanwhile, took a two-day trip to Miami in January for a summit on estate planning. The $630 flight, hotel and meal tab was paid by megabank Wachovia Corp., records show.

Neal spokesman William Tranghese defended the Miami trip, saying Neal sits on the House Ways and Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over tax-related issues.

Excuses excuses …

Now, what was that you were saying again about the “Republican culture of corruption”, Rep. Pelosi?

10 Responses to "Special interest junkets: Massachusetts lawmakers exposed"

benning says:

May 13, 2006 at 12:22 pm

I am so surprised!

*looks around*

Is my sarcasm showing?

Ahh, will this be trumpeted in the press? Hmmm?

Nahhhh!
camojack says:

May 13, 2006 at 3:03 pm

The only culture the Dumb-ocrats have is bacterial…
Bachbone says:

May 13, 2006 at 3:52 pm

Rep. Ma[la]rkey is either naive, stupid or thinks the rest of us are. The Aspen Institute is a leftist organization masquerading as a nonpartisan think tank. (LINK)

Getting caught with one’s hand in the cookie jar elicits many excuses.
Flopping Aces » Blog Archive » The Free Rides Given To Democrats says:

May 13, 2006 at 4:13 pm

[…] The Democratic “Party of Corruption” continues: (h/t Sister Toldjah) Congress’ crackdown on lobbyist gifts and junkets hasn’t clipped the wings of several members of the Bay State delegation and their staffs, who flew free of charge this year on several purported business trips paid for by special-interest groups, a Herald review found. […]
tom says:

May 13, 2006 at 11:04 pm

C’mon ST, aren’t you reaching a little on this one?
2-day “Junkets” to Ft. Lauderdale? I’ve had better spring breaks as penniless college student. All but one of these “Junkets” were paid for by non-profit think-tanks. Hardly the stuff of influence peddling.

Anything to raise the morale of the faithful, right?

Bachbone – Aspen Institute is not a lefist organization. It was praised in testimony before the H.R. Rules Committee this year by 16 year Republican Mick Edwards. This “leftist organization” has featured such speakers as William Bennett, Bruce Babbitt, John McCain, David Brooks, etc.
sanity says:

May 14, 2006 at 12:21 am

Tom, at least for me, this is a problem across the board, and not just the republican side as the Democrats seem to want to lie about.

For myself, I believe that both sides should not be paid more than thier salary, ‘short-junkets’ or not.

If it is a vacation, they need ot be paying this out of thier own pocket, that means THEIR SALARY, the money they make being a senator or congressman, should be used to go on vacations.

If it is a working trip, where they are their on work related issues, then they should be paid for by travel expenses through their office, and PROVE that this is a work related trip.

If they bring their wives and children, ect, then they need to pay for them out of their salary, and not be stealing from American taxpayers by making us pay for their family vacations.

This goes for both sides!

I have never seen such lack of accountability in how money is spent as it is with the US Government, the Senators and Congressman.

I go on vacation, I take time off from work to do it. PTO, paid time off if I have vacation time built up. Any money I spend on the trip of the vacation is out of MY pocket, not my works.

If I go on a working trip, where the company is sending me somewhere, the trip is paid for by my company, and I keep a very detailed expense report of what they reimburse me…otherwise it is out of MY pocket it comes if I cannot prove with reciepts or go over the set limits say for food in a day.

Our Government officials should be no different, since they are essentially playing with out money, they should have a greater responsibility of accountability when they spend it.

As for special interest groups and gifts, I think they should be barred to tell you the truth. I expect our government officials to work for what we pay them (which is way to much to begin with anyways), so I do not think they should be taking ‘gifts’ that will influence their decisions on making laws and such.

As for raises, I think they should have to come before the American people and ask them for a raise. I and my co-workers do not vote ourselves raises, it is based on productivity, and our bosses (which in this case would be the American People) would decide what and how much of a raise we would get based on performance and other factors.

When I see all these ‘gifts’ and paid for things going to Senators and Congressman, I see this as a form of bribery to influence decision making in Washington – and I think that should be illegal and these Senators and Congressman should have a standing policy of not accepting gifts at all.
Severian says:

May 14, 2006 at 9:48 am

“All but one of these “Junkets” were paid for by non-profit think-tanks. Hardly the stuff of influence peddling.”

tom apparently believes, like so many liberals, that non-profit means good and benevolent, while for profit means evil and nasty. Which goes right along with the traditional leftist anti-capitalist belief that profit is bad and evil.

So, non-profits can’t have an agenda, can’t be trying to influence politicians? How naive are you anyway? A lot of the problems we currently face are either caused or exacerbated by non-profits, like, oh, say environmental groups, animal rights groups, race baiting groups, etc. etc. etc.

I often find myself thinking that non-profit groups are un-American. If you’re not trying to make a profit, you’re short circuiting the system of capitalism.
Bachbone says:

May 14, 2006 at 10:02 am

tom – Other speakers featured by the Aspen Institute have been Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, George Soros (whose Open Society Institute helps fund Aspen), NY Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman, and Harvard Prof. David Sandel, who has stated his admiration for Robert Kennedy and Bill Clinton, and believes tax cuts are not good things if government needs the money. It’s not who speaks at its conferences that determines an organization’s political orientation. Since a week-long seminar at Aspen can cost $2500, it wants to draw in as many paying customers as possible. And many of its “paying customers” are politicians, whose tab is paid by organizations who want things from them. Rep. Markey, and Republicans, should know better. Saying that “no lobbyists” were there is at least disingenuous.

Aspen’s President and CEO, Walter Isaacson, once was Chairman and CEO of CNN, and Managing Editor of Time Magazine. Neither organization has ever been spoken for conservative values, to my knowledge.

John McCain is a RINO, in my opinion. Bruce Babbitt was a Democratic governor and Interior Secretary under Clinton. David Brooks told a questioner who asked why the public dislikes the “liberal” media, “…because people are idiots. The press is more honest and less salacious now than ever before.” Hardly a conservative belief, but understandable since he now works for the NY Times.

Just because an organization bills itself as nonpolitical and/or nonprofit does not make it so. As one of my profs, who worked for a nonprofit think tank, told me, “We’re ‘nonprofit.’ That way, we can pump all our income into salaries.”
Baklava says:

May 14, 2006 at 10:07 pm

Tom wrote, “C’mon ST, aren’t you reaching a little on this one?
2-day “Junkets” to Ft. Lauderdale?

You must not have heard Howard Dean going on about this stuff…. Gifts are gifts whether they come from a for profit business or a non profit or a non-profit.

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