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TheMercenary · 02-22-2009, 10:33 AM

That is interesting news to the president of the U.S. Travel Association. For weeks now, Congress has chastised banks and bailout recipients for unnecessary trips and conferences. And Roger Dow says that has hurt the travel industry.

ROGER DOW, U.S. TRAVEL ASSOCIATION: By demonizing or by sensationalizing travel, all you're doing is you're not hurting the businessman. You're hurting the bellman, the maid, the town that counts on that travel for taxes.

GRIFFIN: He hopes Congress maybe after these trips will recognize the value for doing business. Right now there's a congressional delegation in Gaza, another in Brussels and Paris. And CNN caught this group of House members on their way to India last Friday to mark the 50th anniversary of Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.'s journey to study Gandhi.

The details, six members of Congress, Martin Luther King III, Andrew Young, musician Herbie Hancock and others, both the U.S. State Department and Congress are picking up the bill. Martin Luther King III, who along with his siblings sold his father's papers for $32 million two years ago, was among the guests of the State Department. He called it the trip of a lifetime.

(END VIDEOTAPE) GRIFFIN: Kitty, we should know all the details in about 60 days when congressional members are required to file their expenses. But I must tell you, some of them judging by their staff comments aren't happy we even brought the subject up or made any comparison between their travel and executive travel. I'll tell you one congressman's press officer even suggested reporting this story was a joke, refusing to answer any of our questions.

PILGRIM: Drew, I don't know how you can treat this story as a joke in this economy with what Americans are going through right now.

GRIFFIN: It certainly seems to be bad timing when you're telling people that we need to pass the stimulus bill because of the economic crisis and then boarding these flights. They will probably argue, as they do, that this is part of their job to go out into the world and to see what they have to pass bills about.

02-22-2009, 10:33 AM	#22
TheMercenary “Hypocrisy: prejudice with a halo” Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Savannah, Georgia Posts: 21,393	That is interesting news to the president of the U.S. Travel Association. For weeks now, Congress has chastised banks and bailout recipients for unnecessary trips and conferences. And Roger Dow says that has hurt the travel industry. ROGER DOW, U.S. TRAVEL ASSOCIATION: By demonizing or by sensationalizing travel, all you're doing is you're not hurting the businessman. You're hurting the bellman, the maid, the town that counts on that travel for taxes. GRIFFIN: He hopes Congress maybe after these trips will recognize the value for doing business. Right now there's a congressional delegation in Gaza, another in Brussels and Paris. And CNN caught this group of House members on their way to India last Friday to mark the 50th anniversary of Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.'s journey to study Gandhi. The details, six members of Congress, Martin Luther King III, Andrew Young, musician Herbie Hancock and others, both the U.S. State Department and Congress are picking up the bill. Martin Luther King III, who along with his siblings sold his father's papers for $32 million two years ago, was among the guests of the State Department. He called it the trip of a lifetime. (END VIDEOTAPE) GRIFFIN: Kitty, we should know all the details in about 60 days when congressional members are required to file their expenses. But I must tell you, some of them judging by their staff comments aren't happy we even brought the subject up or made any comparison between their travel and executive travel. I'll tell you one congressman's press officer even suggested reporting this story was a joke, refusing to answer any of our questions. PILGRIM: Drew, I don't know how you can treat this story as a joke in this economy with what Americans are going through right now. GRIFFIN: It certainly seems to be bad timing when you're telling people that we need to pass the stimulus bill because of the economic crisis and then boarding these flights. They will probably argue, as they do, that this is part of their job to go out into the world and to see what they have to pass bills about. __________________ Anyone but the this most fuked up President in History in 2012!