Editorial by Matt Marquardt –
Charles Grassley, Iowa’s respected long-time Senator, is talking out of both sides of his mouth today.
Grassley blasted the costs to the taxpayers for a 9th Circuit Judicial Conference in Maui on his website, saying, “the taxpayer-funded conference… features opportunities for numerous recreational activities not related to any official judicial business, and that the expense of travel and accommodations will be significant.”
He goes on to slam the fact that the court neglected to use other forms of technology instead of taking the trip. “Technology is so advanced that people are earning college degrees online and soldiers serving halfway across the world use Skype with their families at home,” Grassley said. “Likewise, a judicial circuit court should be capable of using technology to share information without requiring a trip to an island paradise. It’s especially tone-deaf to plan a pricey conference.”
These words come only a few months after Grassley publicly backed the need for local governments to team up with their Chamber of Commerce outfits for lavish trips to Washington, D.C., for an audience with him.
Grassley told the Globe Gazette in a March 8, 2012 story that the chamber trips were necessary and that “There’s no substitute for talking with us face to face,” in the nation’s capitol.
I guess they don’t have Skype in Washington.
It was also written in the Globe that Grassley mocked the use of technology in order to skip face to face meetings. “Grassley said that kind of working relationship can’t be done in an email or telephone call or when senators come home to hold town meetings and attend events,” it was written in the Globe.
Senator, waste doesn’t just occur at the Federal level, it has and is happening right now at the local level as well, right here in Mason City, and you are on the record standing for it. In case you or your staff should happen to read this story, here is the NIT editorial I wrote about the wasteful trip the Mason City Chamber of Commerce took our Mayor, City Administrator, County Supervisor, and others, on earlier this year. That story outlines the costs North Iowans had to pay just so our local leaders could come out and sit in your office, all the while taking orders from the Chamber of Commerce, a right-wing group notorious for hating the common person.
Senator, this is a shameful situation, and I would hope you would recognize that your criticism of the court’s trip to Maui is similar to this chamber-sponsored trip for our local leaders. One would hope that you would criticize both trips for what they are: A wasteful joke on the taxpayers.
Your local government abandoned you last March and went to work for the Chamber of Commerce. They were told who to meet with and how to dress.
They stood in hallways and sat in saloons and restaurants for hours.
North Iowa taxpayers paid for it.
After reading all of the resposes I tend to agree for the most part with Trucker Dave. Believe me I have very little regard for the Chamber of Commerce or our so called current city leaders. However, as I recall the chamber paid for the trip and the city backed payment for their part into the chamber. There were no federal tax dollars spent on that trip which is somewhat different from the judicial trip where our tax dollars were used. Doesn’t seem to me like we are comparing apples to apples here. It is a good article Matt and certainly points out more federal waste of our tax dollars.
Hey Trucker Dave,
You say, “I do not see the comparison of government paying for judges vacationing in Hawaii and Grassley encouraging his constituents to visit his offices in his work place, our center of government, Washington DC?”
It’s about the WASTEFUL SPENDING of our tax dollars!
Do you understand that? Our debt clock is still running up. The Federal Government borrows 40cents out of every dollar it spends. You see anything wrong with that?
You say, “Has any of the commentators to this story ever gone to Des Moines to meet with our representatives?
Yes, and I paid my own way!!!
You say, “Do each of you really understand how state and federal government work?”
Yes, and it’s clearly not working right!!
Hope this helps clear things up for you.
Hypocrisy is the point of this article and there is plenty of that in the political world. I just wish that Grassley would man up and admit he was wrong on the wasteful Mason City trip to Washington begging for PORK.
Make no mistake, Grassley is light years ahead of Harking when it comes to the issues.
I could write volumes on hypocrisy of Harkin!
I have to disagree with many of the postings.
I do not see the comparison of government paying for judges vacationing in Hawaii and Grassley encouraging his constituents to visit his offices in his work place, our center of government, Washington DC?
Has any of the commentors to this story ever gone to Des Moines to meet with our representatives? Do each of you really understand how state and federal government work?
On one hand we complain loudly about the influence lobbyists have on our government, yet you trash the idea of citizens going to meet with our Senator?
Grassley, Harken and their ilk travel tireless hours across the state. Faces blur in the crowds. Requests of citizens join the dun of other requests. When you go to DC and get to meet in Grassley’s office and have his undivided attention, your words and requests have more power and influence. Why? Because YOU took the time to go see them on their turf, which means this issue is of importance to my voters!
I’m a registered independent – I vote for the person, not the party.
I don’t agree the visit of city representatives to DC is wasted expense. It brings the needs of Mason City to Grassley’s attention. If we don’t get in his face on his turf, we become as important to Grassley as any other town that doesn’t care enough about government to voice our views.
On the other hand, sending judges who have jobs for life on an admitted vacation seminar in Hawaii at our expense (ooh, sorry, the judges said they were going to pay for the recreational activities), when they could easily have met in a nice, get-away town like, um, Mason City or Clear Lake at far less expense – is wasteful.
Just my opinion.
I trust we will see the same kind of reporting on Tom Harkin as well when the time comes?
I trust we will, “when the time comes”.
Quite an uninformed comment from anonymous. This is not a partisan issue. When Harkin gets on the phone with Skipper to to back up the Chamber and its scarf-wearning cronies then I’ll write about it.
Fair enough Matt! Will be looking forward to it!
Kudos Matt !! Nice article
Chuck, you had this one coming. Mr. Marquardt is right about his comparison. I hope you respond to this article.
For the rest of us we need to recognize the difference that allowed Mr. Grassley to criticize this 9th Circuit Judicial Conference in Maui and praise the Mason City tax subsidized trip.
He was pandering to the Mason City group because they can vote for him. Right Mr. Grassley?
Chuck, let me know your thoughts on that one!
Great story, great reporting. Grassely has been there too long. Like some local politicans here.
Why is everyone in the photo wearing a red scarf? I don’t get it.
As I understand it, the red scarves send a message to the Senator or Representative that the officials traveling with the Chamber fully back the Chamber and its platform. It tells the Senator that the group is unified behind the Chamber. It tells me that these people serve the Chamber and not their constituents; they are puppets of the Chamber.
The red scarves are for hyprocrites who think the chamber is something more than a special interest group. Guess we know where the mayors and city administrators head are.
Nice job of catching this man trying to have it both ways, Matt. He should re-examine his words and think about this. He thinks it ok to blow cash on a trip to see him but no one else can. Must be because he is Republican and backs the chamber?