Obama’s “Scalpel to Cut Fat” Missing at Costly “Copenhagen Global Warming Spending Spree”… Congress Goes Wild with Taxpayers’ Money
Posted By Vicki McClure Davidson on January 12, 2010
Candidate Barack Obama promised during the presidential campaign that he would take his metaphorical scalpel and meticulously cut all fat, cut all unnecessary costs, cut all government waste, leaving the American voting public with the impression that he meant it. That he would personally see to it that he and his administration would be good stewards of taxpayers’ hard-earned money.
Ha.
Obama neglected to add that if it was a pet project of his and Congress’s, then, members of Congress lavishly spending tons of taxpayers’ money at the Copenhagen global warming conference on themselves and family members would be the LAST thing he would cut or deny. No government-waste “scalpel” within a hundred yards then…
CBS News exposes the outrageous amount that was spent by our government (Democrats AND Republicans) at the AGW hoopla in Denmark. The “taxpayer-footed-the-bill” hoopla that produced ZERO results, and is based on junk science, manipulated data, suppressed opposition, and Al Gore’s alarmist fiction. And during one of the coldest, snowiest, worst winters in decades around the world, in Europe, China, South Korea, the northern AND eastern US, and the United Kingdom.
Congress’s elitist, out-of-touch-with-America mentality has ravaged us again… “What recession? What’s a teleconference? What budget cuts? Is there any more caviar, Nancy?”
We’d all like to know out of WHICH pocket of “government surplus money” the money to pay for all this came, who in Congress or the White House approved these “cadillac-y” expenditures. You know dang well taxpayers were not consulted, even though it’s their money.
Congress’s lack of frugality and accountability during these dismal economic times is disgusting. How’s that hopenchange workin’ for ya, America?
From CBS News, Copenhagen Summit Turned Junket?:
Exclusive: At Least 20 Members of Congress Made the Trip to Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen Last Month
By Sharyl Attkisson
January 11, 2010(CBS) Few would argue with the U.S. having a presence at the Copenhagen Climate Summit. But wait until you hear what we found about how many in Congress got all-expense paid trips to Denmark on your dime.
CBS investigative correspondent Sharyl Attkisson reports that cameras spotted House Speaker Nancy Pelosi at the summit. She called the shots on who got to go. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, and embattled Chairman of the Tax Committee Charles Rangel were also there.
They were joined by 17 colleagues: Democrats: Waxman, Miller, Markey, Gordon, Levin, Blumenauer, DeGette, Inslee, Ryan, Butterfield, Cleaver, Giffords, and Republicans: Barton, Upton, Moore Capito, Sullivan, Blackburn and Sensenbrenner.
That’s not the half of it. But finding out more was a bit like trying to get the keys to Ft. Knox. Many referred us to Speaker Pelosi who wouldn’t agree to an interview. Her office said it “will comply with disclosure requirements” but wouldn’t give us cost estimates or even tell us where they all stayed.
Senator Inhofe (R-OK) is one of the few who provided us any detail. He attended the summit on his own for just a few hours, to give an “opposing view.”
“They’re going because it’s the biggest party of the year,” Sen. Inhofe said. “The worst thing that happened there is they ran out of caviar.”
Our investigation found that the congressional delegation was so large, it needed three military jets: two 737′s and a Gulfstream Five — up to 64 passengers — traveling in luxurious comfort.
Add senators and staff, most of whom flew commercial, and we counted at least 101 Congress-related attendees. All for a summit that failed to deliver a global climate deal.
As a perk, some took spouses, since they could snag an open seat on a military jet or share a room at no extra cost to taxpayers. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) was there with her husband. Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) was also there with her husband. Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA) took his wife, as did Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI). Congressman Barton — a climate change skeptic — even brought along his daughter.
The money spent is appalling. CBS continues…
Until required filings are made in the coming weeks, we can only figure bits and pieces of the cost to you.
- Three military jets at $9,900 per hour – $168,000 just in flight time.
- Dozens flew commercial at up to $2,000 each.
- 321 hotel nights booked – the bulk at Copenhagen’s five-star Marriott.
- Meals add tens of thousands more.
Steve Ellis of Taxpayers for Common Sense, wasn’t against a U.S. presence. But he said, “Every penny counts. Congress should be shaking the couch cushions looking for change, rather than spending cash for everybody to go to Copenhagen.”
Nobody we asked would defend the super-sized Congressional presence on camera. One Democrat said it showed the world the U.S. is serious about climate change.
And all those attendees who went to the summit rather than hooking up by teleconference? They produced enough climate-stunting carbon dioxide to fill 10,000 Olympic swimming pools.
Which means even if Congress didn’t get a global agreement – they left an indelible footprint all the same.
I’ve reported on spendthrift Pelosi’s shameless “Congressional Queen” ways before… this piece was posted in March 2009:
Hypocrisy Exposed in White House: Speaker of the House Pelosi’s Elitist ‘Flying the Friendly Skies in Style’ on America’s Dime
I’m sure that Pelosi is prepared to blame GW Bush for the hoggish behavior of those who went to Copenhagen. Wish she had at least sent us, the taxpayers, a Danish thank-you postcard, because, after all, WE paid for the ritzy ClimateGate party.
More on freezing weather, ClimateGate, and the expensive Copenhagen conference:
Gateway Pundit: Brrrr… Antarctic Ice Melt at Lowest Level in Recorded History and Obama’s Latest Nutjob: TSA Nominee Erroll Southers Says Pro-Life Advocates Are Terrorists (Video) and Brrrr… Climate Scientists Say Mini Ice Age Likely For 20-30 Years and AP: Don’t Let the -45 Degree Weather Fool You… Global Warming Is REAL and Leftists Attack Global Warming Denier Live During FOX News Interview (Video) and Busted– Goracle Confronted on His Wacky North Pole Melting Claims and Ahmadinejad, Chavez and Mugabe Will Speak at UN Junk Science Summit and Barack Obama: Climate Change Is a National Security Issue and Junk Scientist Al Gore Takes On “Denier” Sarah Palin and Danish Speaker Warns About Global Warming Junk Science and Brrrr… Snow Falls in UAE For 2nd Time In Recorded History
Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX), Big Government: Disputed Science Can Lead to Disastrous Decisions in Copenhagen
Veronique de Rugy, Big Government: The Communist States of America: The New Stimulus ‘Math’
Greg Knapp, Big Government: Obama’s Found a Villain to Distract the Angry Voter
Frugal Café Blog Zone: Bundle Up, Brits: Global Cooling, Brutal Snowfall in UK… Coldest, Worst Winter in Decades and Outrage Grows in Copenhagen… Journalist McAleer Pelted with Vegetable, Cut Off Asking Inconvenient Questions on Global Warming (video) and Record-Breaking Carbon Footprint in Copenhagen: Global Warming Leaders Biggest Pigs in Consumption (video) and Copenhagen, “Nopenhagen”: African Walkout, British Skepticism, Australian Record Snow, Michael Savage Dispels Hockey Stick Graph (video) and Einstein’s Error & Another Bogus Claim from Gore: “Earth’s Core Is Millions of Degrees” and “It’s My Nation’s Carbon Footprint, and I’ll Enlarge It if I Want To…” Copenhagen Attendees Ignore ClimateGate Scandal, Will Negatively Impact World’s Environment & Don’t Care and Climategate: Rush Limbaugh on Global Warming Hoax & Three Siberian Tree Rings… There Is No Global Warming
Pam Meister, Big Hollywood: ‘I Believe In Eco-Terrorism’: Does James Cameron Live In a Malibu Mansion?
Christopher C. Horner, Big Government: ClimateGate: Maybe Models Really Are Dumb and Pollster Opposites: Greens Try to Cope With ClimateGate
Green Hell Blog: Skeptics winning in UK and India rejects global warming junk science and Electricity projected to skyrocket in Georgia under carbon law
Reagan to Palin: Palin Skewers Schwarzenegger over Global Warming
The Powers That Be: Climate Change Causing Dramatic Rise in Levels of BS
Blue Crab Boulevard: Miami Ice
On My Watch – The Writings of SamHenry: Copenhagen to Connecticut: Holiday Smear – Mischianza for December 16, 2009 and Climate What? Who? Cheerless Foreign Press Coverage of Copenhagen Confusion
Tarheeltalker: Snowing in Copenhagen
Scared Monkeys: Al Gore’s Inconvenient or is it an Inconsistent Truth … His Lies About Global Warming … North Pole is Melting
Ace of Spades HQ: Build-a-Bear joins the AGW cult and Sure, Why Not: Scientists in Met Office (Overseeing CRU) “Pressured” to Sign Circular Defending AGW “Or Risk Losing Work”
Founding Bloggers: Filmmaker Attacked In Copenhagen – Live On Fox News (VIDEO)
Patterico’s Pontifications: Climate Change Chaos and AGW Defender: Let’s Not Engage in Character Assassination and Overheated Debate . . . You Asshole
Another Black Conservative: Sarah Palin To Obama: Boycott Copenhagen
Larry O’Connor, Big Government: The Green Religion and ClimateGate: Interview With Steven Mosher
Planet Gore, National Review: Tipping Point for the Climate Horror Show?
RedState: Fun Facts About Methane
Conservative American: Al Gore Spoils Christmas!
Nice Deb: Video: Climategate Christmas and Soros Behind Massive Eco-Redistribution Scheme in Copenhagen
Watts Up With That?: Lord Monckton reports on Pachauri’s eye opening Copenhagen presentation and American Thinker: Understanding Climategate’s Hidden Decline
Wizbang: Einstein and Climategate
Alfonso Rachel, Big Hollywood: Save the Planet, Hold Your Breath… Liberals first
Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion: Just A Giant Iceberg Story
The Foundry, Heritage.org: Climategate: From Skepticism to Investigation
JunkScience: Feature: Checking their homework and Are we really sure the world is too warm? and Welcome to a Short Course on “Junk Science Judo”
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