Reply #9: State legislators vacation-Alaska,Puerto Rico,Quebec,Hawaii,Virgin Islands [View All]

[Divernan]

As former staffer of a state legislator, and member of the NCSL (National Council of State Legislators), I can tell you that there are easily 12 boondoggle trips per year thorugh organizations like NCSL, ALEC, etc., to places like the above locations - all paid for by state taxes allocated to state legislature's general funds (split up by the parties) in each year's state budgets. The big summer annual meetings are a week at some major city or resort destination - often outside the continental US. Then there's the winter meeting - likely in San Diego, San Antonio, Arizona or New Mexico - maybe a posh golf area in South Carolina.

This does not include the international boondoggle trips to "study" how other countries handle issues like transportation, health care, tourism, small business support. These (mostly) guys got free trips to China, Poland, England, Germany, etc., and believe me, they are treated like royalty by their host countries - and aside from a few hours spent in "factory tours", any "working" is done at posh receptions, dinners, night club outings and blue ribbon, behind the scene tours.

At one summer meeting in Chicago, with about 6,000 state legislators and officials from every state,
whole institutions were closed to the general public and made party areas for the conventioneers - all of Navy Pier, all of Lincoln Park Zoo, all of the Field Museum. And at each of these locations, there was great entertainment - live jazz , blues and rock groups sprinkled throughout the area; a private Taste of Chicago from area restaurants with tents set up throughout the Zoo, or at the Museum, multiple free bars with top shelf liquor, or buffet tables with lobster, prime rib, etc. The City of Chicago picked up the tab for the entertainment/food; the various state tax payers paid for luxury hotel accomodations, travel costs, and incidental expenses of the legislators attending. So one way or another, the average American taxpayer funds all of this, but will never be given such royal treatment in their lifetimes.