On YOUR Dime: Congressmen Lease Luxury Cars

CBS 2 ^ | May 1, 2008 | Pablo Guzman

[george76]

Little-Known But Exploited Loophole Allows Politicians To Drive, Maintain Expensive Cars, SUVs On Taxpayer Money.

Rep. Charles Rangel: 'My Constituents Appreciate It'.

You may not realize it, but members of the House of Representatives can lease a car and have it paid for by you -- the taxpayer. And it's not just the car, but gas, registration, insurance … the works.

And as CBS 2 HD found out, there's no limit on how much they can spend.

Congressman Charles Rangel was recently seen getting out of his Cadillac DeVille, which he leases for $774 per month....

Congressman Gregory Meeks was recently seen waiting for Congressman John Conyers to step out of Meeks' Lexus LS460, which Meeks leases for $998 per month.

All those leases are picked up by taxpayers through a little-known program available only to members of the House of Representatives.

Members of the House who choose to lease through the program have had a great deal of leeway.

[Kickass Conservative]

All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.

[kellynla]

Bump for later

[pissant]

I heard Levin talking about that tonight. Rotten bastards are renting Lincolns and Beemers for $700 to $900 per month, plus gas, insurance, etc, etc

[pissant]

Your tax dollars at work PING

[hosepipe]

No doubt they BUY the car at the end of the lease too.. maybe with taxpayer money(for a small payout).. Wonder what a Lexus 4## sells for new.. or a loaded Eldo... or... {TILT}

Don;t even talk of the perks they get when they "retire" from office..

[TheLion]

They also go out to dinner and drink $400 wine paid for by someone trying to buy thier influence.

[FlingWingFlyer]

That pig Rangel said his constituents WANT him to ride around in a Cadillac. What a buffoon. People is this country really need to wake up. These morons in Congress are out of control. I hope this isn’t that “new direction” everyone said they wanted to go in prior to the last election.

[pankot]

No wonder Congress doesn’t give a rat’s behind about gas prices. How much longer are we going to put up with this crap?

[pissant]

I got tar. You got feathers?

[blackbart.223]

"No wonder Congress doesn’t give a rat’s behind about gas prices."

They do give a rat's ass about it. It gives them another problem they created to flim flam the great unwashed. And this tack has worked for years. Why give up a good thing.

[Vicki]

No surprise, but until enough people kick up a fuzz it will be business as usual.

[blackbart.223]

"I hope this isn’t that “new direction” everyone said they wanted to go in prior to the last election."

I hate to tell you this but it is.

[blackbart.223]

"No surprise, but until enough people kick up a fuzz it will be business as usual."

What bothers me is not enough people are raising enough stink about this. The frog is at about half the boiling point and doesn't know it.

[DesScorp]

Democratic Congressmen... mafia dons at heart.

[onguard]

“What bothers me is not enough people are raising enough stink about this.”

This is such a small matter compared to their complete waste of hundreds of billions of dollars annually that it hardly merits attention.

If you found out that your financial manager had put your entire $100 million savings into an idiotic company that had patented ceiling wax, you wouldn’t be too concerned that he had been charging you $1 a month for potato chips.

[blackbart.223]

Somehow you misunderstood me. Congress and the senate have tied up energy production for years and this is already bitting us in the ass. Couple that with the money they waste and it doesn't look pretty.

But I would have to say you missed the point of the article. While they preach conservation to us they spend on themselves like royalty. But they do it with our money.

[bpjam]

it was the House Bank and House Post Office which helped set the stage for the 1994 destruction of their Congress of Corruption.

Maybe this can be another arrow in the quiver to start another conservative revolution to pick up where we left off before turned into them.

[OeOeO]

Gee I'm waiting for when congressmen start begging for funding to build their pyramid/mausoleum/libraries/

[RW_Whacko]

Don’t forget SanFran Nan’s 757 commuter jet. Its only fairrrrrrrrrrrrrr...

[buggy02]

They want to raise taxes for us to pay for SS, health Care, and gasoline, roads, bridges. Why don't they cut back on their perks, expenses, all this PORK can be cut. Instead of us giving why don't they give a little.

[Liz]

Wonder how much of those hefty leases detours back into their pockets........as kickbacks?

[stricklandpoliticalmachine]

What’s another tax hike for the children and the working class?

[Non-Sequitur]

Congressman Gregory Meeks was recently seen waiting for Congressman John Conyers to step out of Meeks' Lexus LS460, which Meeks leases for $998 per month.

If you're going to stick the taxpayers with the tab, at least lease a domestic luxury car and not an import. Jerks.

[george76]

Looks like Charles Rangel has another angle ?

[NCC-1701]

"...I got tar. You got feathers?..."

And I've got something for them to ride out on.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

PING!

[The Mayor]

What a bunch of BS..... It’s no wonder they retire wealthy on our dime. This is a blog post for my blog but most likely the liberal hacks will defend it.

[george76]

No wonder that Congress does not see the need to drill for oil nor allow permits for nuclear power plants nor new refineries.

[basil]

The worst part of things like this is that even when exposed, there's nothing we, the people can do about it.

So frustrating!

[Liz]

The trough-swiller actually said his constituents (who are paying his gas and upkeep bills) WANT to see him in a luxury car..............while taxpayers drive around in sub-compacts trying to save on gas and repairs.

[george76]

“CBS 2 HD: “How would you answer those people who say, ‘Well, but it’s taxpayer money. Instead of $700 a month, could you find something for, say, $300 a month?’”

Rangel: “I could probably find something for … one of those red cars and then I think my constituents would say, ‘With all the money that he gets, this is the respect he shows us?’”

” It really pleases me that (my constituents) appreciate driving in a comfortable car, especially the senior citizens,” Rangel said.

http://patterico.com/2008/05/01/congressmen-lease-luxury-cars-at-taxpayer-expense/

[stan_sipple]

a former congressman told me that years ago members of congress didnt have to pay withholding taxes!

[OBXWanderer]

That little blonde bimbo on Fox and Friends, (the one with her skirt, on a daily basis, halfway up her fat thighs) kept telling the viewers this morning that they had a feature story coming shortly about congress critters and these high end car lease stories “benies”. Funny they never got around to it. Instead we got to listen to some piano playing country music “star” for the last five minutes of this morning’s show.

[george76]

They also have their own retirement plans ( paid by us taxpayers ) because they know that social security is a joke.

Which is also why they see little urgency in fixing social security.

[george76]

Fox has gotten much worse.

Their talking heads are very silly.

We rarely watch it now.

[AppyPappy]

“If I am going to be impotent, I’m going to look impotent”

[bmwcyle]

Vote out the incumbent.

[xp38]

Cadillacs, Lexuses? Pikers....what about Rolls Royces and Ferraris? :)

[enough_idiocy]

There are so many commericials to be made this election cycle. jes.

[Jimmy Valentine's brother]

I look forward to my favorite Congressman saying something about this self agrandizing entitlement.

[Iowa Granny]

I read the entire link, expecting to find that the Kingster has leased 1998 Chevy pickup.

I’m disappointed. Deeply saddened, as a matter of fact.

[jazusamo]

Why am I not surprised Charlie would say this, he’s entitled, doncha know?

[GATOR NAVY]

That pig Rangel said his constituents WANT him to ride around in a Cadillac.

Let's not confuse Rangel's constituents with the majority of American citizens. If you look at Rangel's NYC district, he's probably right, no matter what the rest of the country thinks.

[Gondring]

Let's not confuse Rangel's constituents with the majority of American citizens. If you look at Rangel's NYC district, he's probably right, no matter what the rest of the country thinks.

You're exactly right.

[kempo]

How come they can't buy their own damn car with their own damn money and drive it to where they need to go just like their constituents have to do?

[kempo]

And buy their own damn gas with their own damn money.

[Jimmy Valentine's brother]

Ah, a Chevy man I knew there was a reason I really liked him.

Hope that all is well and that climate change soons brings sunny skies and fair breezes.

[Iowa Granny]

We are getting the Northern edge of that storm mass moving thru the Heartland today. Fields were just beginning to dry out before the .8 inch of rain early this morning.

The farmers are grumpy (even the ones with shiney new pickups)