Is Death by Chocolate a capital offense?
Executives heading the federally funded Legal Services Corp. saw fit to treat themselves to trips across the country to hold their meetings -- ranging from $20,145 to $55,125 in bills to put up the 11-member board at hotels. They didn't want to "feel confined" by meeting at their Washington, D.C., headquarters -- with its multiple conference rooms and kitchen and pantry areas -- for two entire days. Puhleeze.
They've taken $400 limosine rides when their destinations were a short cab ride away. They also voted to let themselves double their meal expenses, provided the board members dined together. That led to per-person costs of$59 for a buffet, $18 for a scrambled egg breakfast, $12 bagel breaks, $12 for cookie assortments and $14 "Death by Chocolate" desserts.
Here's the kicker: While they were killing themselves on chocolate, the poor people the agency is supposed to serve were getting turned down left and right for "lack of resources." Legal Services officials defended their practices, saying administrative expenses are kept separate from the money distributed to the local, independently run legal outlets. (The local program in D.C. has a conference room too; it doubles as a lunchroom.) While those offices are generally unimpressive and in some cases shabby, the board's offices are posh and roomy, yet they need to hold their meetings all around the country. What an outrageous sense of entitlement!
A spokesman for the board said the members are "aware they are using taxpayer funds and try to operate in a manner that is frugal and appropriate." Eighteen smackers for scrambled eggs is frugal????????? Not in my house.
Less than 20 percent of the legal needs of low-income people are being met, and the hifalutin lawyers who run the agency are gorging themselves on Death by Chocolate, using funds set aside to help poor people. Let them eat cake, maybe? It's enough to make you sick to your stomach.
They've taken $400 limosine rides when their destinations were a short cab ride away. They also voted to let themselves double their meal expenses, provided the board members dined together. That led to per-person costs of$59 for a buffet, $18 for a scrambled egg breakfast, $12 bagel breaks, $12 for cookie assortments and $14 "Death by Chocolate" desserts.
Here's the kicker: While they were killing themselves on chocolate, the poor people the agency is supposed to serve were getting turned down left and right for "lack of resources." Legal Services officials defended their practices, saying administrative expenses are kept separate from the money distributed to the local, independently run legal outlets. (The local program in D.C. has a conference room too; it doubles as a lunchroom.) While those offices are generally unimpressive and in some cases shabby, the board's offices are posh and roomy, yet they need to hold their meetings all around the country. What an outrageous sense of entitlement!
A spokesman for the board said the members are "aware they are using taxpayer funds and try to operate in a manner that is frugal and appropriate." Eighteen smackers for scrambled eggs is frugal????????? Not in my house.
Less than 20 percent of the legal needs of low-income people are being met, and the hifalutin lawyers who run the agency are gorging themselves on Death by Chocolate, using funds set aside to help poor people. Let them eat cake, maybe? It's enough to make you sick to your stomach.
1 Comments:
This kind of thing goes on in private business too. I think it's a Baby Boomer problem. Baby Boomers just don't know how to do anything cheaply. It's ironic because Baby Boomers are a conservative generation.
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