Taxpayers foot bill for trip to Hawaii

What a shame. You know, my wife asked me tonight why should we keep paying our mortgage. I've been laid off, am substitute teaching, and drawing unemployment. Yet we find a way to keep paying our bills. However, the more I see our beloved federal employees above, and AIG spa patrons I'm beginning to think we should just throw our hands up, or more appropriately hold them out. Our leaders claim they are going to keep CEOs from receiving golden parachutes yet today AIG was given another $36 billion on the same day the story of their spa vacation broke. That sure is telling. No wonder the bailout has instilled zero confidence in the markets or minds of Joe six-pack...

The best technology these clowns could use is a TAXI to the nearest WASHINGTON, DC Hotel Conference Room. I hope at least ten of them drown in the surf at Waikiki every day.

Check out the 2008 Asia-Pacific Homeland Security Summit & Exposition sessions webcast live (and archived sessions you may have missed) at: www.hawaii-hs.ConferenceOn.TV

If for some incredible reason it turned out that Waikiki was the only place to host this conference, then the Admiral certainly knows that the DoD's own Hale Koa Waikiki resort hotel is available for government rooms and conference bookings, at a fraction of the cost of the Sheraton.

The Department of Homeland Security is Bush's and the Republican newest cabinet position and department. This is kinda like Bush/Rumsfeld and torturing Iraqis in Abu Graib. "We don't torture" (We don't go to Hawaii at taxpayers expence) .....wink wink...

The Federal government should not get one penny more from the taxpayer until it gets out the last penny of waste, fraud and abuse. Let's hope Mr. Dingle finds much more and isn't just doing October politics.

After almost four decades in the federal government, I could write a long,long book on waste, fraud, and abuse. President Bush should have immediately issued an order to freeze all trips, offsites, "diversity" conferences, new furniture...the list goes on and on. A small part of this heavy burden on the taxpayers has any legitimacy. Most of that can be handled by effective use of new technologies. Our system of government funding encourages wasteful spending.It is a rare bureaucrat who doesn't take advantage of available perks. We cannot rely on a congressional committee to root out waste. The reins must be pulled back by an activity-specific, government-wide ban.

Send one person. Have them take notes and give a class when they get back. I would be happy to be that person.

Oh for Pete's sake, it's a lousy 44k! Congressman Dingell is exacting congressional revenge because this man closed down one of his pork projects. Hawaii is indeed centrally located for the majority of the conference attendees. Let them do their very important jobs without congressional terriers nipping at their heels our of revenge! Why in the heck is this considered news? Jennifer needs a little remedial training in News 101.

Sometimes it is cheaper and easier from various locations in this country to get airfare to a heavy travelled destinations like Oahu or Vegas than it is to get it for a place like Helena, Wyoming. A place with tons of hotels can also offer very competitive rates even for non-government groups. I was a president of a former industy group and I found this the case. My ex girlfriend had a high position as a director in a critical government organization dealing with international business risk and she stayed at hotels, some swank, at the standard government rate of about $85. That was 10 years ago and this may have not been the case here. Appearances present a different public view. I could have planned 3 day meeting sessions cheaper on a 3 day cruise out of a major city which included food, meeting rooms, and no where to go for distraction, but the appearances to member companies who scrutinize expenses would not be good. It would look like comapany paid boondogles.To make this situation look even worse in this homeland scenario thing, this ex-Navy guy is having it in a famous Naval hot-spot known as a vacation haven, and during the best time of the year in Hawaii. I do not like this administration...AT ALL..and Homeland security on an operational level, does not have the most impressive staff (they s*ck), but these folks may be taking a bit too much heat for this.

The Bush bank robbers gang needs more money! US Congressional testimony has confirmed the securities liability incurred by American taxpayers from the Bush & democratic bailouts (Bear Stearns + AIG + Fannie Mae & Freddy Mac + $700 BILLION giveaway) to be $63 TRILLION or more. Why were the debates limited to senator John McCain and senator Barack Obama who were responsible for the greatest robbery in the history of the world? They have just robbed 300 million americans of $63 TRILLION. The only way america can be saved is to elect Ralph Nader who is an honest american and would go after these crooks. Bush and the political crooks have ruined the global economy and threaten Russia and Germany. The only way to save Germany and Russia from the Bush infection is to isolate America like a deadly disease. Paulson should be in Guantanamo jail as an enemy combatant. This crook is head of the Bush Bank Robbers gang. This crook stole $63 TRILLION from 300 million americans. He deserves aggressive interrogation and daily waterboarding for the next 25 years. McCain put this crook in Guantanamo jail and you will be elected.

Jeez BillyHewitt, get some facts before you rant! Your entire post is garbage, we'll just ignore it. This crisis is due to large campaign donations made to Democrats, Obama and Biden in particular, but Dodd and the rest too. Bush and McCain, and most Republicans attempted to reign in Fannie/Freddie, but Democrats (using their majority), shot it down. This is why we HAVE TO STOP ELECTING DEMOCRATS. We need real reformers like McCain/Palin. Nader is a naive tool. Bush is a great President, for the most part. Get a clue.

Sorry Obiwan, the crisis like the stock market crash of the early 1900s, was due to Greed. People invested with $0 down, assuming that the value of their purchase would increase rapidly and they could sell it and make a fortune. Without controls, unscrupulous banks and businesses took advantage of the situation knowing, by their expertise, that it was wrong. Greed. When the stocks got so rediculously overvalued reality hit and the bubble burst. There were safeguards supposedly put in place to prevent this from happening again. When real estate took the same pattern in the last several years, and many were screaming about a past due real estate bubble bust, Bush should have stood up. All the same factors prevailed. He certainly stood up with his sanctity of marriage distraction and his assurance that his famiy and friends' oil interest would continue to rise dangerously out of whack. His ditraction with the inappropriate Iraq thing didn't help his focus either. His-leave-business-and banking-alone-to control themselves (belief of the republican party)exascerbated this mess. He just kept parroting that the economy was in great shape. Bush will go down in history as the most failed president of the United States. If we elect Mccain and the discriminatory bulldog Palin, then we can expect will worse. ..oh..and PS, watch out...the credit card fiasco is worse with the uncontrolled banks that seduced the public with easy to get credit cards..even offering them gifts as an inducement, then charging them rates on balances that borderline usary that they now cannot pay. Are we going to have to bail out banks for that too? This is not a Democratic party platform that creates this.