Pelosi "backsliding"......

[Army_of_One]

DoD braces for a fight with Pelosi
By Mike Soraghan
June 14, 2007
Pentagon officials are bracing for a fight with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) over her desire to allow lawmakers’ adult children to tag along on taxpayer-funded travel for free.

Pelosi wants them to be able to fill the role of lawmakers’ spouses when the latter are unable to make a trip because of health issues or work commitments.

“It has been longstanding policy that, in the absence of a congressional spouse, the adult child of a member of Congress may accompany the member on official U.S. government travel abroad for protocol reasons and without reimbursing the U.S.
Treasury,” Pelosi spokesman Nadeam Elshami said. “Speaker Pelosi believes that a modern policy must reflect the professional responsibilities or health realities that might prevent a spouse from participating, and instead permit an adult child to fulfill the protocol needs of the official trip.”

Pentagon officials say the policy is that the Treasury must be reimbursed at commercial rates for children who accompany members on such trips, often called codels.

Pelosi’s office inquired about such travel on June 1, according to a Department of Defense memo obtained by The Hill.
In a June 8 memo, the head of legislative affairs for the Pentagon, Robert L. Wilkie, told Defense Secretary Robert Gates that he sees Pelosi’s question as a first step toward challenging the policy.

“We were told that the Speaker would expect that members’ children (of married and unmarried [members of Congress]) would not have to reimburse the Treasury,” Wilkie wrote. “We expect future challenges from the House leadership on this policy.”

Pentagon aides did not respond to requests for comment.

But taxpayer watchdog groups and ethics advocates said they were surprised Pelosi would seek more perks for members.

“One of the things she was praised for when she came in was her sweeping reforms on gifts and travel,” said Craig Holman of Public Citizen. “It is very disheartening if she is, in fact, backsliding on this.”

Public Citizen filed a complaint with the IRS last year, saying that family members who receive free travel by accompanying lawmakers should pay taxes on the travel’s value. The complaint focused on privately sponsored travel, but Holman said it should apply to taxpayer-funded travel as well.

“I don’t see any difference,” Holman said.

In its first week with a Democratic majority this year, the House passed what Pelosi called “the toughest congressional ethics reform in history.” It forbade gifts and travel from lobbyists and banned travel on corporate jets. It did not address publicly funded travel such as codels.

Lawmakers’ children currently can travel gratis if they get a waiver, termed an “invitation,” from the secretary of defense, according to Dan Stanley, a former assistant secretary for legislative affairs at the Pentagon. He said it was rare for a lawmaker to travel with his or her children.

“Children have always flown as an exception to policy,” Stanley said. “I’m unaware of any substantial policy that would allow children to take the representational role of a spouse.”

The president’s family, such as President Bush’s twin daughters, can travel without reimbursement. They cannot fly commercially for security reasons.

But most executive-branch officials either do not bring family members on military aircraft or reimburse, Stanley said.
Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld would fly with his wife back to Taos, N.M., he said, but was scrupulous about reimbursing.

TheHill.com - DoD braces for a fight with Pelosi

Again...so much for the Dems ethics...

[jeezeweeze]

I agree with Army

OK Army... I agree with you, but its not just a problem with the D's. It seems to be a problem with setting foot in Washington DC. Its like the Twilight Zone, kinda like as soon as they step into that bubble all their values and ethics ( if they had any to begin with )are sucked out of them and then replaced with some kind of I/Me virus. No cure for it except exposure, but even then the process to get rid of them is a long road.

I think that this Information Highway keeps all their feet to the fire and the more thats exposed about their little underhanded bullshit while they are in power is needed for sure. At least "we the people " can try to sort it all out.

The jury is still out for me on their personal lives tho, it depends on the problem . If they can't keep their hormones in check, I don't give a rats ass (Clinton) with a consenting adult so what. He lied about it and that is the issue for me with him. When they screw with the folks that voted them in thats the issue for me. Hell most of our presidents had a little something on the side. More power to them. If they have been divorced, If they have had a $400.00 haircut. on and on and on . I DON'T CARE. Holy crap, we are Bible thumping alot of them out of the running. The founding fathers were far from saints.. I do believe in separation of church and state however I don't see a problem with having the 10 commandments posted in front or inside or where ever in our state buildings. OUR LAWS ARE BASED ON THEM. dammit

I got off track but to boil it down I JUST WANT OUR LEADERS TO DO WHAT IS BEST FOR AMERICA. Using taxpayers money (fuel, NANCY) for their pissy little private ego's has got to exposed.





Thanks Army for posting it and their will be posting from the other side too.
as it should be.

[Highwayman]

Originally Posted by jeezeweeze

...(Clinton) with a consenting adult so what. He lied about it and that is the issue for me with him....

I’d like to add it was also a major violation of White House sexual harassment policy that Billy was in charge of enforcing. Why wasn’t NOW raising all kinds of Hell over it?

Approval of Congress lowest in a decade
Only about a quarter of Americans approve of how it's doing its job, a poll shows; most see 'business as usual.'
By Noam N. Levey
Times Staff Writer

June 12, 2007

WASHINGTON — Fueled by disappointment at the pace of change since Democrats assumed the majority on Capitol Hill, public approval of Congress has fallen to its lowest level in more than a decade, according to a new Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll.

Just 27% of Americans now approve of the way Congress is doing its job, the poll found, down from 36% in January, when Democrats assumed control of the House and the Senate.

And 63% of Americans say that the new Democratic Congress is governing in a "business as usual" manner, rather than working to bring the fundamental change that party leaders promised after November's midterm election.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco), the first woman to hold that position, has also failed to impress many Americans. Only 36% approve of the way she is handling the job, the poll found.

In contrast, 46% of Americans in the current poll said they approved of the way Speaker Newt Gingrich of Georgia handled the job after he led the GOP into the majority in 1994....

Approval of Congress lowest in a decade - Los Angeles Times

[jeezeweeze]

Originally Posted by Highwayman

I’d like to add it was also a major violation of White House sexual harassment policy that Billy was in charge of enforcing. Why wasn’t NOW raising all kinds of Hell over it?

I think NOW kinda figured she was doing the harassing and you know with some guys, if its offered and your married to Hillary .............. well

Which explains the enforcement thing