sure, this is misuse of public dollars.....

[callmeslick]

....but, it is still hilarious.
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/ ... ar-BBjBJwP

[Nightshade]

....but, it is still hilarious.
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/ ... ar-BBjBJwP

The Obama family has wasted several orders of magnitude more money on vacation trips with separate planes for each family member just hours apart going to the same place. (Jet fuel, security details and other wasted logistics.)

And- they do it very very often.

[callmeslick]

they do it NOWHERE near as much as their predecessor, for the record. Plus, the FUNNY part I noted was that he spent $300,000 in 4 years on food, liquor and desserts. The comments section is priceless.

Just can't give the POTUS props for doing a great job, and working far more than vacationing, as opposed to the prior 3 Presidents, huh?

[Ferno]

What's really funny about this is the fact that they didn't tell him what an idiot he was for doing this, or punish him for doing it.. but they reimbursed the treasury to avoid embarrassment.

They'd rather save face than punt a wrongdoer to the curb. And that's what's wrong with the political parties these days -- doing what's popular instead of doing what's right.

[Vander]

It's funny cause he's fat.

[Ferno]

yup. "supporting local sports" through his stomach.

How much food do ya guys think he ate with that much cash anyways?

[Spidey]

Just can't give the POTUS props for doing a great job, and working far more than vacationing, as opposed to the prior 3 Presidents, huh?

Funny, I didn’t think giving props for hard work was the theme in this thread.

[Will Robinson]

Just can't give the POTUS props for doing a great job, and working far more than vacationing, as opposed to the prior 3 Presidents, huh?

Funny, I didn’t think giving props for hard work was the theme in this thread.

No it is only another slick schadenfreude moment.

[woodchip]

A better account of what happened than the slanted and abbreviated left wing account:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... k-all.html

[Ferno]

doesn't matter -- still an idiotic use of public money. He gets a six figure income. He has money to spend of official entertainment

[Lothar]

I would love to know how this compares to other budgets for similar public officials. Research project for slick: pick your favorite governor, and find out how much money they spend in this same category per year.

[callmeslick]

Well, I'll pick the governors of the States I have homes in, Lothar, and get back to you. Now, VA just came off a governor who took money from outside government and got sent to jail. I'll get details on Markell here in Delaware.

[Tunnelcat]

doesn't matter -- still an idiotic use of public money. He gets a six figure income. He has money to spend of official entertainment

Hell, he'd bankrupt himself just to keep all that fat of his happily fed, and that's AFTER he'd already had stomach reduction surgery by the way. That's why he dipped into state coffers for food money. Deeper pockets.

[callmeslick]

in response to Lothar's 'challenge', it proves tricky, as most states don't routinely release the numbers unless some one takes them to court to reveal them. I don't find any claims of excess against Markell(Del), and McDonnell(ex-VA) was notorious for charging the state for stuff like banners at his kid's graduation, prom dress alterations, on and on. However, he got sent to jail, as I noted. Rick Perry, in Texas, apparently spent hundreds of thousands on his house, and Kasich billed over 100K for a State Mansion he wasn't living in.

Now, my original point wasn't the misuse(the NFL money was misuse, and they knew it, hence the payback....the rest seems perfectly legal), but the fact that poor Christie is NEVER going to outrun the 'fat guy' image.

[Lothar]

the "fat guy" thing is interesting to me, because when it comes to Christie, it's usually people who are all "positive body image" and "no fat shaming" who can't help but comment on his size.

The point of my challenge is that people often get upset about how some government person (from the other party) spent some number of dollars in some way, and I find such accusations useless without context. Like, OK, Christie probably spent more government money at NFL games than anyone else (hence the repayment) but is the total amount spent in the food-for-entertaining budget actually out of line with what others spend?

[callmeslick]

the "fat guy" thing is interesting to me, because when it comes to Christie, it's usually people who are all "positive body image" and "no fat shaming" who can't help but comment on his size.

partly because he always has made light of it. I don't really dislike the guy(friends in Jersey do, for reasons that seem legit)whatsoever, as he did what he promised to do when he ran, and Jersey pols have ALWAYS been a bit, um, shady. As I said, the comments on the article were hilarious, and he simply cannot outrun that image.

The point of my challenge is that people often get upset about how some government person (from the other party) spent some number of dollars in some way, and I find such accusations useless without context. Like, OK, Christie probably spent more government money at NFL games than anyone else (hence the repayment) but is the total amount spent in the food-for-entertaining budget actually out of line with what others spend?

The total allotment of $360,000 for a term seems to be in the middle from what I've seen. Some states have virtually NO limit in place. My state is small and thus budgets about $75,000 per annum, but I never could find out how strictly that is adhered to.

[Tunnelcat]

Hell, I could live off of $82,000 in food money for years, and that was just the food he ate at the MetLife Stadium! That's not counting the $360,000 in food expenses for his 5 year tenure so far. If I ate that much in one year, I'd turn into a giant blimp and have the cholesterol readings to match. Christie's a pig on state coffers when many of his constituents probably go hungry. Nice leader.

http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/loc ... 53091.html

At least one of our past Oregon governors tried to live for a week on food stamps in 2007. That's eating on $3 a day by the way.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/oregon-gov- ... tamp-diet/

When people think of New Jersey, they automatically think "corruption". It's fourth in the list according to a new poll, tied with Texas. That Bridgegate scandal doesn't help Christie either.

http://politickernj.com/2015/04/most-co ... ew-jersey/

Plus, Christie is under investigation for misuse of Hurricane Sandy relief funds, so there's more than a few corrupt skeletons in his closet.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/13/politics/ ... index.html

[woodchip]

You guys really think Christie ate all that food himself? Or did he pay for the entourage that went with him?

[Will Robinson]

...Plus, Christie is under investigation for misuse of Hurricane Sandy relief funds, so there's more than a few corrupt skeletons in his closet...

Clinton was under investigation for obstructing justice, tampering with evidence, lying to the Grand Jury, sexual harassment, rape, etc. etc. etc.
And you seemed to be much more rational and hesitant to suggest he was guilty. Yet all you needed was some report that Christy is under suspicion and you are convinced.
Is it because Christy is fat? Or that he is a repub? Or is the combination of those too much for you to maintain a sense of justice?

[Tunnelcat]

...Plus, Christie is under investigation for misuse of Hurricane Sandy relief funds, so there's more than a few corrupt skeletons in his closet...

Clinton was under investigation for obstructing justice, tampering with evidence, lying to the Grand Jury, sexual harassment, rape, etc. etc. etc.
And you seemed to be much more rational and hesitant to suggest he was guilty. Yet all you needed was some report that Christy is under suspicion and you are convinced.
Is it because Christy is fat? Or that he is a repub? Or is the combination of those too much for you to maintain a sense of justice?

You're preaching to the choir about the Clintons in my case. I think they top the list of the most corrupt politicians in the U.S.

You guys really think Christie ate all that food himself? Or did he pay for the entourage that went with him?

No, I doubt he could eat all that by himself. But I bet he consumed a very large proportion of it. He sure hasn't lost any weight since his stomach lap band surgery. He's a heart attack away from losing office.

[callmeslick]

You guys really think Christie ate all that food himself? Or did he pay for the entourage that went with him?

I am willing to bet that the concession spending was as much for freebie souvenirs to give away as it was for hot dogs and beer.