Cheney leaves his host city in the lurch (Buffalo News)

[huckleberry]

The city of Buffalo is ticked! Cheney came to Buffalo solely to raise money for the bush 2004 campaign and passed his security bill on to the city. This is one of several articles on the subject.

by DONN ESMONDE

Dear Vice President Cheney,

Sorry to bother you. I know you're busy, what with the war and the search for weapons of mass destruction. Beyond that, Saddam is still out there somewhere, not to mention bin Laden.

snip

Although you may not have noticed, we're in a hole here. A desperately poor city is cutting millions in expenses to balance its budget.

snip

Even so, the price of your safety - more than $10,000, not counting the cost to suburban, county and state police forces - is pretty high. Especially in a city sinking this low.

snip

In closing, please consider this note as a bill for services, like a tip for a waiter. In this case, a $10,000 tip - far less than the standard 15 percent, given that the event raised nearly $400,000.

I don't know if you can deduct the 10 grand on your tax return. You might want to check with your boss.

Regards,

Shortchanged in Buffalo










http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20031121/1054641.asp

[Scott Lee]

1. Oh my god what a creep

I thought this scumbag couldn't get any worse but that is so lowlife.

What a punkass jerk. Hope you learned your lesson, Buffalo. They want your money, and don't give a shit about you.

[stevedeshazer]

2. LOL

The article is worth the read, thanks for posting it. Invisible Dick did the same thing in my hometown. We billed him for it, too.

[SheilaT]

3. I just wish that

the various cities would tell people like Cheney and Bush they're welcome to visit, but they can rent a car or take public transportation just like everyone else.

[Soopercali]

4. Is this legal?

Judging from past cases (remember when Al Gore was accused of making campaign calls from the White House?), this isn't permitted. Campaign expenses for incumbents are supposed to be paid for by the campaign. People have gotten in a lot of trouble for this sort of thing. (Slaps self) Oh, sorry, forgot. This was a Republican. Never mind.