Obama's Fuzzy Math: He's 1.2 Million Short of the 1.6 Million Jobs He Were Claimed Created by Stimulus

The Obama Administration isn't only liberal with their policies, but they are liberal with their counting, as well:

A private-sector company that tracks government contracts says President Obama's $787 billion stimulus bill has created 407,000 private-sector jobs this year, much less than the 1.6 million jobs the Obama administration has claimed.

At the same time, the company's analysts are finding that many businesses are changing their strategies to take advantage of the government funds being dispersed.

Analysts at Onvia, a Seattle-based company, who monitor the government's contracting activity using specialized software say $37.5 billion of stimulus money has flowed to the private sector to date.

"This is quite different than the government's numbers, which claim as many as 1.6 million jobs already created," Onvia said. "The difference is due to the fact that the feds can track only two layers of stimulus money flow, far short of the full paper trail required. Therefore, a lot of guesswork and extrapolations go into the government's math, and the jobs numbers are forecasts more than anything else."

Onvia Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer Eric Gillespie explained to The Washington Times, "What the federal government is recording is largely dollars that have left the Beltway. They aren't tracking the projects and contracts on the ground."

"They don't know if those dollars landed on the ground because their reporting requirements say they only have to track two layers beyond the federal level," he said. "So if it goes from the state to a county, they will know that. But if it goes from a county to a city or from a county to a contractor there is no legal requirement for them to track that, which is why the federal views are latent and they get it three, six, or 12 months late."

So, Obama is basically guessing on how many jobs have been actually created by his deficit spendapalooza. He doesn't have any proof to back his claims.

This is why we need an investigation on what is really going on with the dispersion of the stimulus money. We can't totally trust this Administration's guestimations and suspect record keeping. We must know for sure whether Obama and the Democrats kept their promises to put America back to work or wasting all of our money of worthless government programs, yet again.

Great News: Recovery.org Says There Are 30K Saved Jobs & $6.4B Sent to 440 Districts That Don't Exist

Do they have no shame or are they really that bad at math? Recovery.org greatly over exaggerated the "success" of the stimulus bill:

The government Web site that promised to show exactly where the $787 billion in stimulus spending was going to "create or save" jobs is allocating billions of tax dollars to hundreds of congressional districts that don’t exist.

Researchers at the Franklin Center for Government & Public Integrity found 440 “phantom districts” listed on Recovery.gov, consuming $6.4 billion and creating or saving nearly 30,000 jobs. Their findings are listed HERE.

For example, Recovery.gov shows 12 districts, using up more than $2.7 billion, in Washington, D.C, which only has one congressional district.

Recovery.gov also shows 2,893.9 jobs created with $194,537,372 in stimulus funding in New Hampshire’s 00 congressional district. But, there is no such thing.

The site also shows $1,471,518 going to New Hampshire’s 6th congressional district, $1,033,809 to the 4th congressional district and $124,774 to the 27th congressional district. In fact, New Hampshire only has two congressional districts; inviting confusion about where the money listed for the 00, 4th, 6th and 27th districts is going.

We don't really have enough money for the districts that we do have. Do we need to be sending it to districts that we don't have? Seriously, where is all the money going to? I guess it was a self-fulfilling prophecy, when Biden said that there would be some mistakes made. With them misspending our money on such at such an obscene level, why do them want them to take control of 1/6th of the economy through the healthcare bill.

One Month After Cash For Clunkers: No Change, Auto Sales Still Falls While Gas Consumption Doesn't

Cash for Clunkers was one the brain-child of Democrats who were looking to stimulate the economy while lowering carbon emissions. This was supposed to more environment-friendly programs designed to revive the flailing car industry:

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood declared in August that, "This is the one stimulus program that seems to be working better than just about any other program."

Unfortunately, it did neither. Just as your humble pundit and others predicted, it was a complete failure:

If that's true, heaven help the other programs. Last week U.S. automakers reported that new car sales for September, the first month since the clunker program expired, sank by 25% from a year earlier. Sales at GM and Chrysler fell by 45% and 42%, respectively. Ford was down about 5%. Some 700,000 cars were sold in the summer under the program as buyers received up to $4,500 to buy a new car they would probably have purchased anyway, so all the program seems to have done is steal those sales from the future. Exactly as critics predicted.

Cash for clunkers had two objectives: help the environment by increasing fuel efficiency, and boost car sales to help Detroit and the economy. It achieved neither. According to Hudson Institute economist Irwin Stelzer, at best "the reduction in gasoline consumption will cut our oil consumption by 0.2 percent per year, or less than a single day's gasoline use." Burton Abrams and George Parsons of the University of Delaware added up the total benefits from reduced gas consumption, environmental improvements and the benefit to car buyers and companies, minus the overall cost of cash for clunkers, and found a net cost of roughly $2,000 per vehicle. Rather than stimulating the economy, the program made the nation as a whole $1.4 billion poorer.

So after Obama, Pelosi, and Reid spent $1.4 billion of our kids money, we're back to where we were before the spending folly.

The Wall-Street Journal article summed it up perfectly. So, I'll end the post with that:

In the category of all-time dumb ideas, cash for clunkers rivals the New Deal brainstorm to slaughter pigs to raise pork prices. The people who really belong in the junk yard are the wizards in Washington who peddled this economic malarkey.

Predictable: Cash-For-Clunkers Goes Bankrupt; House Races to Bailout Program; Schumer Wants More

As I reported back in June, the Cash-for-Clunkers is a disaster of an idea as the government ran out of money almost as soon as they started and became "nightmare now for everyone involved."

The House has already approved $2 Billion more to prop up this "clunker" of a government program. Apparently that isn't enough for the senator from New York, Chuck Schumer, isn't satisfied with that amount. He wants double:

Senator Charles Schumer, one of the original sponsors of the bill, said the program ran out of money because skin flints in the Senate wouldn't give him the $4 billion he wanted for the program, which gives people up to $4,500 toward buying fuel efficient cars to replace their old gas guzzlers.

He took it even further to mock those who didn't want to give him more of your money to begin with:

"There were people in the Senate who didn't like the program and they said 'We won't let it go through. We will filibuster. Try $1 billion and see if it works,'" Schumer said.

He said those senators now have egg on their face.

"This week's evidence shows that people who said the program wouldn't work, who said that the program was the wrong thing to do, are very wrong themselves," Schumer said.

I think we differ in our understanding of "works". If he defines it as people are bringing in the cars to sell their cars for up to about 7x as much as anyone would pay for it, if they would pay for it at all. Then, ya, it works. The fact that people would do sell their cars for much more than they're worth was never in doubt. I would do the same.

The way that I think most other people define "works" it doesn't even come close to working. Car dealers say that it is a mess. It's going to take billions of our money to get ALL of the "clunkers" off the road. That is money that we don't have in our proverbial pockets. We must to borrow it from China and he to pay interest on the loan. There is very little return on our investment. We are not going to be able to sell the cars that are being bought. Therefore, we are never going to get that $1B back. If the extra $2B expansion goes through, that money will not be seen again, either. Do we really want Chuck to have his way and up the ante up to $5 Billion total?

Government Waste Watch: Massachusetts-Homeless Put in Hotels Indefinitely to Keep Off Streets

While this is a worthy cause, this is still a massive amount of government waste:

A record number of families are being put up in motels in Massachusetts. High unemployment and the rising number of home foreclosures is the reason the state is taking this action.

Housing Massachusetts’ homeless is costing tax payers around $2 million per month. It costs an average of $85 per night to have families, including nearly 1000 children, stay in motels.

A daily rate of $85 per night is outrageous. Their monthly rent ends up being $2635 per family. That is about 1/3 of the price of an apartment with much more square footage.

There are many ways to get families off the streets without resorting to hotels. They should rented an apartment for a fraction of price. If they would have done this, the $2 M per month spent would have been reduced to $667 K. It is still a huge amount, but at least it would have been easier to swallow.

House Approves "Cash For Clunkers" Money Waster

This is a follow-up of a story that I reported on earlier. Thanks to the House, your tax dollars are one step closer to going down the drain with no chance of a return on or investment:

The House on Tuesday approved a "cash for clunkers" bill that aims to boost new auto sales by allowing consumers to turn in their gas-guzzling cars and trucks for vouchers worth up to $4,500 toward more fuel-efficient vehicles.

President Barack Obama has encouraged Congress to approve consumer incentives for new car purchases as part of the government's work to restructure General Motors and Chrysler. The House approved the bill 298-119.

How much is this abomination of a bill going to cost us?

Separately, House and Senate appropriators were discussing providing $1 billion to a supplemental war funding bill for the "cash for clunkers" program, which aims to generate about 1 million new auto sales. Since the yearlong vehicle program is expected to cost $4 billion, lawmakers would attempt to find the additional money later this year.

Where are they going to find this "additional money"? We're already in a deep enough deficit hole as it is. There aren't any money trees or pots of gold at the end of any rainbows in DC last time I checked.

They are just trying to boost sales of Government Motors. They've made the mistake of taking it over, and now, they have to cover their tracks and make it profitable at all costs.

Great News: Government May Start Buying Your Clunkers Using Your Grandkids Money

A new bipartisan government waste amendment attached to an upcoming FDA bill could be flying through the Congress:

Sens. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., and Sam Brownback, R-Kan., introduced an amendment Tuesday that would set up a program that allows consumers with older, less fuel efficient vehicles to trade in their "clunker" for a voucher worth up to $4,500 toward the purchase of a new car that must get at least 22 miles per gallon or an SUV or pickup that gets at least 18 mpg -- clearly a focus on U.S. manufacturers.

The one-year program is expected to help sell 1 million vehicles, according to Stabenow and Brownback.

The definition of "clunker" is a vehicle that gets 18 mpg or less, and the voucher size varies. Owners who purchase a new passenger car that gets at least 4 mpg higher than their old "clunker" get a $3,500 voucher. If the mileage difference is more than 10 mpg, the consumer gets the full $4,500.

First, what is the one of the 2008 GOP presidential hopefuls doing supporting this? Hasn't he learned anything thing through Republican losses over the last few years and the tea party protests? Also, the polls are constantly saying that people are upset by all of the government waste, and they're not buying what the Goracle is selling regarding global warming aka climate change. There is no reason why any Republican should vote for this bill.

If the hit their mark of 1 million cars traded in over a year, the project would spend $3.5-4.5 Billion just for buy the cars. That's not including the program's employees salaries, supplies needed, office space, etc. This would be an massive amount of government growth.
What is the benefit of this new government expenditure? A few people may get a sweet deal on their lemons. They'll be able to buy better cars sure, but at what cost? It will further endebt us to China and makes my grandkids pay off our spending spree until they're grandparents.

The reduction of carbon emissions will be negligible, and the few new higher fuel efficiency cars will barely make a dent on our dependence on foreign oil. The bang to hype ratio is way out of whack on this program.

Republicans need to fight this. They need to shed this label of being Democrats light. When they stick to their fiscal responsibility roots, they win elections. It's when they start spending like Democrats that they start losing power.

Do Democrats Even Understand Keynes' Theory of Stimulus?

Here's a follow-up to the porkulus bill's ineffectiveness:

Nearly three months after President Obama approved a $787 billion economic stimulus package, intended to create or save jobs, the federal government has paid out less than 6 percent of the money, largely in the form of social service payments to states.

Although administration officials say the program is right on schedule, they have actually spent relatively little so far.

Dare I ask again, what was the rush Pelosi, Reid, and Obama?

By definition this isn't even stimulus. It's just added waste.

Does this make 0-for-3 for Obama's economic policies? Chrysler has already went into Ch. 11 and GM is close behind. Now, the results are coming in from Obama and the Democrats' porkulus bill. It's a big "F". There has been no signs of economic improvement as a result of the Democrats' spending orgy.

Chinese "Sex Workers" Get US Tax Money to Learn How to Drink

Here's an unique way to waste some of our money:

The National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAA), a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), will pay $2.6 million in U.S. tax dollars to train Chinese prostitutes to drink responsibly on the job.

This is ridiculous on a few levels. First of all, what good will "drinking resposibly" do to curb HIV infection? You can't transmit the virus over a vodka martini. Maybe they should use the money to get the women out of prostitution.

Second, why are prostitutes in China getting our money. Are there prostitites in the US that might benefit from this give away?

I also curious what kind of "field observations" there will be.

Why does it take millions of dollars to teach hookers how to make a magarita and hold their liquor?

Auto Bailouts Success Rate Looks to Fall 0-for-2

Here's more news from on wasted government money:

For General Motors Corp., the task at hand is so difficult that experts say a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing is all but inevitable.

To remake itself outside of court, GM must persuade bondholders to swap $27 billion in debt for 10 per cent of its risky stock. On top of that, the automaker must work out deals with its union, announce factory clo­sures, cut brands and force hundreds of dealers out of business — all in three weeks.

“I just don’t see how it’s possible, given all of the pieces,” said Stephen J. Lub­ben, a professor at Seton Hall Uni­versity School of Law who specializes in bankruptcy.

This further confirmation that all the bailouts done by Bush and Obama only delayed the inevitable outcome of bankruptcy.

Chrysler already declared Ch. 11. Now, GM is about to follow it. That's billions more down the drain.

Your Taxes Hard at Work: Top 10 Bailoutees Spend $9.5 Lobbying DC in 1Q of 09

The pigs that fed out of the government's trough, apparently, spent some the money they received out of our hard-earned tax money to panhandle in the halls of Congress to get more of the taxpayers' money.

The top 10 recipients of the government's $700 billion financial bailout spent about $9.5 million on federal lobbying during the first three months of the year.

Of those who ate at the government's bailout buffet on our dime, the nearly bankrupt GM was the number one offender. They spent $2.8 million on begging for more scraps.

To get a full list of the deadbeat CEOs here.

Ohio: Stimulus Money Wasted On "Suicide Bridge"

Y-Bridge will be fenced
Stimulus funds to be used to try to curtail suicide attempts. Some call plan wasteful By Stephanie Warsmith, Rick Armon, and Bob Downing Beacon Journal staff writers

Published on Friday, Mar 27, 2009
One man jumped to his death off the All-America Bridge this year.

Two more used the Akron bridge — more commonly known as the Y-Bridge — to commit suicide in 2008.

Akron hopes to curtail future deaths on what has been dubbed ''Suicide Bridge'' by installing a fence.

The controversial fencing — some have been pushing for it, while others think it's a waste of money — was among the local projects the state approved Thursday for federal stimulus funds.

''It just makes a safer Akron for everybody,'' said Robert Conley, who has been urging the fencing since his son, Kevin, jumped off the bridge to his death in 2006.

''It just makes a safer Akron for everybody,'' said Robert Conley, who has been urging the fencing since his son, Kevin, jumped off the bridge to his death in 2006.

Akron received the most stimulus funding of any local community — $21 million for four projects, including $7.5 million for improvements to the Y-Bridge. (The fencing is expected to cost $1 million to $1.5 million; the rest will go toward new decking for the 28-year-old span.)

Other area projects given the green light include the replacement of the Brady Lake Bridge in Portage County, improvements to an outdated railroad crossing in Macedonia and resurfacing Interstate 77 in Stark County south of Canton.

These were among 149 infrastructure projects approved by theOhio Department of Transportation, which is responsible for awarding $774 million in federal stimulus funds.

In awarding this first group of funding, the state tried to provide funds to every region and to support ''unique regional economic assets,'' Gov. Ted Strickland said.

Cleveland had the largest project — $200 million for a new, five-lane westbound Interstate 90 Innerbelt bridge. Another $200 million in state and federal dollars are expected to be spent on the project.

Akron also was awarded funds for improvements to South Main Street from Firestone Boulevard to Waterloo Road — a project tied to the new Bridgestone Firestone technical center — and for Frank Boulevard from White Pond Drive to Ayers Avenue. The city also got money to design a new State Street bridge.

Mayor Don Plusquellic, who was among a small group of mayors who often traveled to Washington, D.C., to discuss the stimulus legislation with federal leaders, was happy with Akron's share. He estimated the projects will create or retain 240 jobs.

''This is consistent with the intent of the president and Congress when they passed the recovery act,'' said Plusquellic, who has been critical of the stimulus requests of other local communities. ''This is for something we actually need in this community.''

The projects will keep jobs, add jobs and keep people safe, Plusquellic said.

Also in Summit County, the state approved funding for improvements to the Norfolk Southern railroad crossing at Twinsburg Road in Macedonia.

The changes will help create a federally recognized ''quiet zone'' at the tracks, which are located in a residential area where Macedonia, Hudson, Northfield Center Township and Boston Heights meet. A quiet zone is an area where trains don't blow their whistles.

''This is exactly what we needed, and now we can move full-speed ahead with the project,'' said Hudson resident Greg McNeil, who has been pushing for the quiet zone for about a year.

The project, which includes installing medians to control and slow motorists, could be completed in the next six months.

Medina was the only local county selected by the state for stimulus funds for transit projects in rural areas. The county plans to use the approximately $3 million it received to design and build a transit facility, buy five new buses and repair other buses.

''We're very grateful for the money,'' said Mike Salamone, chief of Medina County Transit.

The current bus garage, described as being in ''poor shape,'' is off Meyers Road in Medina Township. The new, 19,000-square-foot garage will be on county-owned land on state Route 162 in Lafayette Township.

Portage County received funds for one project: a bridge replacement on Brady Lake Road outside of Kent in Franklin Township.

''We struck gold again,'' said Portage County Engineer Michael Marozzi.

The county previously received $1.7 million in state funds. The latest $1.1 million might be enough to pay the balance, though the county might have to ante up some money, Marozzi said.

The new, 166-foot-long, two-span bridge will cross the CSX tracks and Breakneck Creek. It is used by about 6,200 vehicles per day and is a shortcut for local motorists between Kent and Ravenna.

Local officials have been warned to spend the federal stimulus funds wisely.

Some would argue Akron's Y-Bridge project would be a waste.

One person, responding to a request for stimulus comments on Akron's Web site, wrote, ''Please do not build a fence on the Y-Bridge.''

Plusquellic, however, thinks this is a good use of the funds. He said anyone whose vehicle has been hit with a rock thrown from a bridge can appreciate the need for a fence. Plus, he said, if the bridge were built now, federal regulations would require fencing.

''Everywhere else that receives federal money, this is the standard,'' he said. ''Why should we be different?''

Conley, the Akron father whose son jumped from the bridge, said the expense is worth it if it makes anyone rethink suicide.

''It might force them to look at another avenue,'' he said. ''Maybe they get help. We know suicide is a temporary moment in people's lives. If they get past that temporary moment, maybe it doesn't happen.''

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http://www.ohio.com/news/top_stories/41958387.html
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My Thoughts

''This is consistent with the intent of the president and Congress when they passed the recovery act. This is for something we actually need in this community.''-Akron Mayor

No, this not what they had in mind. It creates very few jobs and no shot of long term job oppurtunities. No, you really don't need the fence.

''We struck gold again,''-County Engineer Michael Marozzi.

That's nice.

First of all, how is a fence going to stop people from committing suicide. Even if they could jump off the bridge, they would be more than likely find another way. So, their reasoning for using stimulus money for the fence is bogus. Using that fact alone it's a waste.

Second, they are getting $7.5 million for improvements to the Y-Bridge. The fence is expected to cost only $1-1.5 million. What about the rest of the money? They are going to use it for new decking for the 28-year-old span. By definition, it isn't stimulus, if it isn't used immediately. Waiting 28 years to spend the money is just spending money.

Finally, they receied $21 mil for four projects. According to the Akron mayor, the stimulus would create only 240 jobs. That would come to a grand total of $875,000 of taxpayer money per job.

Update: Captain Planet Pelosi Channels Her Inner Diva, Makes Air Force Her "Personal Airline"

This a more in depth look at Pelosi's diva behavior.

Judicial Watch Uncovers Documents Detailing Pelosi's Repeated Requests for Military Travel

Washington, DC -- March 10, 2009House Speaker Issued Unprecedented Demands for Military Aircraft and Wasted Taxpayer Resources with Last Minute Cancellations

Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, announced today that it has obtained documents from the Department of Defense (DOD) detailing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's multiple requests for military air travel. The documents, obtained by Judicial Watch through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), include internal DOD email correspondence detailing attempts by DOD staff to accommodate Pelosi's numerous requests for military escorts and military aircraft as well as the speaker's last minute cancellations and changes. The following are a few highlights from the documents, which are linked in full below:

• In response to a series of requests for military aircraft, one Defense Department official wrote, "Any chance of politely querying [Pelosi's team] if they really intend to do all of these or are they just picking every weekend?...[T]here's no need to block every weekend 'just in case'..." The email also notes that Pelosi's office had, "a history of canceling many of their past requests."

• One DOD official complained about the "hidden costs" associated with the speaker's last minute changes and cancellations. "We have...folks prepping the jets and crews driving in (not a short drive for some), cooking meals and preflighting the jets etc."

• The documents include a discussion of House Ethics rules and Defense Department policies as they apply to the speaker's requests for staff, spouses and extended family to accompany her on military aircraft. In May 2008, for example, Pelosi requested that her husband join her on a Congressional Delegation (CODEL) into Iraq. The DOD explained to Pelosi that the agency has a written policy prohibiting spouses from joining CODEL's into combat zones.

• Documents obtained from the U.S. Army include correspondence from Speaker Pelosi's office requesting an Army escort and three military planes to transport Pelosi and other members of Congress to Cleveland, Ohio, for the funeral services of the late Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones. Pelosi noted in her letter of August 22, 2008, that such a request, labeled "Operation Tribute" was an "exception to standard policy."

• The documents also detail correspondence from intermediaries for Speaker Pelosi issuing demands for certain aircraft and expressing outrage when requested military planes were not available. "It is my understanding there are no G5s available for the House during the Memorial Day recess. This is totally unacceptable...The speaker will want to know where the planes are..." wrote Kay King, Director of the House Office of Interparliamentary Affairs. In a separate email, when told a certain type of aircraft would not be available, King writes, "This is not good news, and we will have some very disappointed folks, as well as a very upset [s]peaker."

• During another email exchange DOD staff advised Kay King that one Pelosi military aircraft request could not be met because of "crew rest requirements" and offered to help secure commercial travel. Kay King responded: "We appreciate the efforts to help the codel [sic] fly commercially but you know the problem that creates with spouses. If we can find another way to assist with military assets, we would like to do that." Speaker Pelosi came under fire in 2007 for requesting a 42-seat Air Force carrier to ferry the Speaker and her staff back and forth between San Francisco, CA and Washington, DC. Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert was allowed access to a 12-seat commuter jet for security reasons after the events of 9/11.

"Taken together, these documents show that Speaker Pelosi treats the Air Force like her personal airline," said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. "Not only does Speaker Pelosi issue unreasonable requests for military travel, but her office seems unconcerned about wasting taxpayer money with last minute cancellations and other demands."

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http://www.judicialwatch.org/news/2009/mar/judicial-watch-uncovers-documents-detailing-pelosis-repeated-requests-military-travel
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My Thoughts

"(Pelosi's) office seems unconcerned about wasting taxpayer money" A Democrat not concerned over wasteful spending of taxpayer money is just par for the course the liberal tax and spend Democrats.

Captain Planet Pelosi Channels Her Inner Diva, Makes Air Force Her "Personal Airline"

Pelosi Made Repeated Requests for Military Aircraft, Documents Show
Representatives for Judicial Watch, which obtained e-mails and other documents showing the requests, say House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has treated the Air Force as her "personal airline." 

FOXNews.com Tuesday, March 10, 2009

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has repeatedly requested military aircraft to shuttle her and her colleagues and family around the country, according to a new report from a conservative watchdog group.

Representatives for Judicial Watch, which obtained e-mails and other documents from a Freedom of Information request, said the correspondence shows Pelosi has abused the system in place to accommodate congressional leaders and treated the Air Force as her "personal airline." 

Pelosi's office disputed the claim, pointing to White House policy enacted after the Sept. 11 attacks allowing for the House speaker to travel to his or her congressional district via military aircraft whenever possible for security reasons. Her office said she typically uses the same kind of aircraft used by her predecessor, Dennis Hastert.

But Judicial Watch said that Pelosi was notorious for making special demands for high-end aircraft, lodging last-minute cancellations and racking up additional expenses for the military. 

The e-mails showed repeated attempts by Pelosi aides to request aircraft, sometimes aggressively, and by Department of Defense officials to accommodate them. 

"I think that's above and beyond what other members of Congress are doing and what is expected of our elected officials," said Jenny Small, a researcher with the group. 

In one e-mail, aide Kay King complained to the military that they had not made available any aircraft the House speaker wanted for Memorial Day recess.

"It is my understanding there are NO G5s available for the House during the Memorial Day recess. This is totally unacceptable ... The Speaker will want to know where the planes are," King wrote.

In another, when told a certain type of aircraft would not be available, King wrote: "This is not good news, and we will have some very disappointed folks, as well as a very upset Speaker." 

Pelosi spokesman Nadeam Elshami said the report seemed to be based on only "a few e-mails," and defended the requests for military aircraft for her colleagues as a "function of the speaker's office." Elshami said at least one of the requests in the above e-mails referenced requests made for other members.

Pelosi's office noted that the Department of Defense ultimately makes all decisions on use of military aircraft for travel, and that Pelosi is "extraordinarily appreciative" of the department's effort to accommodate Congress.

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http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/03/10/study-pelosi-repeated-requests-military-aircraft/
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My Thoughts

I guess it's more of the "do as I say, not as I do" Democrats that I have come to know over the years.

Why is Captain Planet helping to destroy the earth by trapsing around the country on the taxpayer dime? For as much as they chastise others for the size of their carbon footprint, they don't seem to pay any attention to their own.

On the wasteful spending front, Pelosi channels her inner diva by make some expensive demands out of her own personal comfort instead of necessity. She doesn't need high end aircraft or the Air Force to be at her beck and call. She's exploiting the system for her own personal benefit. Isn't this the type of "childish things" and wasteful spending that Obama wants to take out of Washington?