Guilty! Guilty! Guilty!
Setting new standards in government irresponsibility. I suppose her defense will be that it was a stimulus.
Posted on 04/07/2012 5:18:35 AM PDT by Kaslin
Say goodbye to Martha Johnson. This week, she was forced to resign as chief of the General Services Administration, the federal agency that manages real estate for the government.
Somehow Johnson managed to spend an incredible $820,000 for a conference outside of Las Vegas. Among the expenditures she okayed: $31,000 for a "networking reception," $146,000 for catered food and drinks, as well as $130,000 in expenses to "scout" the conference's hotel location. Apparently, Johnson's advance team had to travel to Vegas six times to get a handle on where best to discuss GSA business. Somebody had to do it.
In her resignation letter, Johnson acknowledged "a significant misstep."
Thanks.
President Obama's chief of staff, Jacob Lew, says Obama "was outraged by the excessive spending."
Oh, yeah? Has he seen the federal budget lately?
This all ties in together. Federal bureaucrats know that tax dollars roll in no matter what. It's the law. If you don't want to wind up in the penitentiary like Wesley Snipes, you pay what the feds tell you to pay. And Johnson gets a taste.
After all, what's the big deal? The Obama administration is the biggest spending outfit in the history of the country. Why shouldn't federal employees eat shrimp at $4 a piece at a cocktail party? If the rich guys would only pay their fair share in taxes, they could swallow even more shellfish.
I love the shrimp deal. A quick check with ShopRite confirms that one shrimp in that grocery chain sells for 30 cents. Peeled. But at the GSA bash, the shrimp was on a platter, so there's that. By the way, the cheese display at that party cost $19 per person, and the sushi station was another $7,000. And just in case the federal employees were hungry the next morning, breakfast was $44 per person. Egg McMuffins, anyone?
In case you haven't noticed, Obama is fighting hard against cutting federal spending. He is now calling Congressman Paul Ryan's austere budget proposal "Darwinism." Obama contends that if the feds don't continue to fund the money train, some folks will be denied the American Dream. Like eating $4 shrimp.
But my dreams have turned to nightmares with folks working for the federal government purloining my wallet and running wild in Vegas. This causes me to toss and turn because I have worked very hard for the money they are wasting. Yet the president still tells me that I am not paying my fair share.
So, how about this trade-off, Mr. President? I'll stop whining about taxes if you order all future federal "conferences" to be held at a ShopRite. Fair?
“$4 shrimp” can be just as good as “It’s the economy stupid!” to make out point.
Restitution by all who participated should be mandatory.
Guilty! Guilty! Guilty!
Setting new standards in government irresponsibility. I suppose her defense will be that it was a stimulus.
anyone got a picture or resume for Martha Johnson?
I just bet moochelles vacay to Vegas was much more austere
The White House is blaming Bush.
Comrade Obama and Comrade Michelle Obama spend a minimum of $800,000 on only vacation. That is called leading by example.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martha_N._Johnson
Martha Johnson has been a bona fide dipwick from the beginning, but someone in the democrat party has shielded her, ahem, “demograpic”
Kinda has that “Jane Lynch” vibe
How many attended and how long was the conference? $820,000 for a couple thousand attendees for a week is different from 100 for a couple days.
Heck, what’s money when you can print all you need?
A section of that Wiki article:
“While at a retreat for Democratic senators, Obama made the comments in response to a question from Sen. Patrick Leahy about his judicial nominations. Obama expanded his answer to include not just blocked judicial nominations but also executive nominations as well:
Nobody can tell me that there’s anything particularly wrong with her. (nice call Mr. President! - my insertion)
They’re blocking her because of some unrelated matter. Don’t hold this — this woman hostage. If you have an objection about my health-care policies, then let’s debate the health-care policies. But don’t suddenly end up having a GSA administrator who is stuck in limbo somewhere because you don’t like something else that we’re doing.
—Barack Obama”
Takes one ignorant, inexperienced executive to know another, doesn’t it?
The reasoning for the conference goes like this.......
The conference was intended to make the government employees feel equal to their business, real world, counterparts.Vegas exists for the purpose of drawing business guests and lavish entertainment is the magnet, the bait.
To insist government employees are not in need of such rewards and pampering is to degrade their usefulness and self esteem. The pampering is a diversion from the mundane business of meeting and socializing with your counterparts scattered about the country.
So if I rob a bank for $800,000, if I get caught all I have to do us turn in my resignation as a bank robber and all is OK. She should go to jail or reach into her own account and pay it back. No money in her account? Don’t you believe it, it’s packed full of Obama stash dollars.
Knew I'd seen that face before.....
Are you suggesting she slept her way to the top?
I am not defending the GSA turds, but anyone who has dealt with hotels’ catering operations can tell you their prices are surreal.
Okay, but try and get an expense report with that kind of charge approved if is was incurred by a DoD employee.
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