If the budget is so tight, I think that the people that are to blame for over-spending should pay more taxes. Why do they have to fly all over the world for meetings, not to mention they fly first class on my tax dollars. What is wrong with video conferencing? Conference call? I think a fat phone bill is easier to absorb then a first class ticket.
I think that if someone wants to be a politician then they should expect to pay out of pocket for their travels! You want the job, you fork over the cash from your own salary. I bet this would severely cut down on trips across the world to have meetings… —Sick of Overspending
This article appears in Feb 25 – Mar 3, 2010.
I just don’t get how they project their flying budget?
the article in the paper the other day clearly demonstrated they are inflating their prices so they get the swankiest flight they can find.
Seriously… if you know you have to travel to these cities, BOOK YOUR FUCKING TICKETS NOW. fly economy with the rest of the ‘lowly’ public who afford you the flight to begin with…
and actually listen to them for a change.
I imagine if they had to incur a flight the rest of us tax-payers endure, they’d learn a thing or two about how ‘the people’ they represent live.
fucking governments, gotta love to hate them.
No, I would prefer to love to love them.
I heard on the radio that they were going to shave the allowances of the MLA’s who didn’t come forward to pay back the money that was spent. That will teach them alright, they should take their allowance away and shave the money from their salaries. Maybe they would feel that pinch a little more.
Why not just use MSN…..it’s free.
Welcome to the world of the NDP kids.
Wait for it…..it’s gonna get even “better”.
There’s a reason they’re not in power in most of the country.
Politicians leading by example are a rare breed in this country it would seem. Prove me wrong Ottawa, prove me wrong.
While I agree with the fact that politicians are over spending and shouldn’t be flying first class, no one is ever actually required to pay work-related travel expenses from their own salaries. That concept is actually quite ridiculous, I have to say. You’d really be hard pressed to find an employer who would require employees to pay for their own work-related expenses such as travel (I’m not talking commuting, I’m talking going on business trips) and an employee who would put up with that shit.
Why doesn’t the government just set rules to put travel expenses into each politician’s budget as a set amount and once it’s gone, it’s gone and that means no more travel. I’m sure if the unlimited funds available to politicians to travel went away and they had to work with a strict travel budget, they’d work on trying to find alternatives (video conferencing, as was mentioned).
And y’all know they travel the way they do just so they can feel like OMG ROCKSTARZ, anyway!
“You’d really be hard pressed to find an employer who would require employees to pay for their own work-related expenses such as travel”
pizza delivery pay their own ‘travel’…
sad excuse for a rebuttal and it’s the only one I can think of so I’ll split that point with ya.
A lot of pizza delivery people get milage!
Booya.
But you know what I meant, Mr. zZz! I doubt anyone would pay hundreds of bucks to fly to some random place to have a meeting on behalf of their employer.
While I admit that there has been some questionable spending, I need to say that politics can’t just be done over a video conference screen, thereby require officials to be there in person. That’s how it’s been for centuries, save for declaration of war. That shouldn’t mean they get first class tickets every time though.
Does this refer to the federal budget?
If so: remember that in 2008 that the military budget was over $400-billion when private corporations paid under $50-billion in taxes. The rest was placed on tax payers who paid well over $345-billion. Maybe it’s time for our leaders to look at the corporations who enjoy needless tax breaks instead of tickling their dicks in the hopes that they stay instead of going to Mexico.
Or begin to tax the wealthy even more. Bush didn’t bother with that so obviously Harper won’t but maybe it’s a good option. Chances are the “Canadian elite” will get a nice return while having their asses wiped by the working public.