Investigation: 140 Census Bosses Took Vegas Trip

[The Northerner]

As door-to-door census takers recently finished their data collection, a CBS4 investigation has learned the U.S. Census Bureau sent 140 administrators from Colorado and nine other Rocky Mountain and southwestern states to Las Vegas for several days to discuss "lessons learned" from the 2010 census that could be applied in the next census in 2020. The trip cost an estimated $100,000 in airfare, meals and hotel costs and is coming under withering criticism from a Colorado congressman.

"It's impossible to argue this without saying these folks took a vacation and they took it at taxpayer expense," said Rep. Mike Coffman, a Republican congressman from Colorado. "I mean I think it's the equivalent of theft," said Coffman, who insisted the Census Bureau could have saved taxpayers money by gathering the same information from administrators by conducting online and written surveys, phone conferencing and a host of other data-gathering methods that would not involve congregating in Las Vegas.

"You need to be respectful of taxpayers. Don't waste their money on a three-day party in Las Vegas or anywhere else to have discussions you can have via a written survey."

The CBS4 investigation learned that the Census administrators were flown to Las Vegas Aug. 24 and put up at the luxurious Treasure Island hotel and casino on the Las Vegas strip. Some of the managers stayed for two days, others stayed for three. The Census Bureau obtained a government rate of $61 per night per room with every 40th room free, according to census officials.

While census officials say they haven't tabulated exact costs for the trip, the federal government per diem rate for meals is $71 per day and $53.25 on travel days.

CBS4 has filed Freedom of Information Act requests with the federal government to obtain precise costs for the trip. Census officials were not able to provide cost estimates for flying in managers from Colorado, Arizona, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming and Nevada.

Read more: http://cbs4denver.com/investigates/census.meeting.las.2.1923049.html

[EstimatedProphet]

1. So?

This is crap. You can't have a "lessons learned" meeting by email. Sometimes people have to be in the same room.

[Davis_X_Machina]

3. We need better demagogues. The best ones all work for the GOP....

...and ours are shit.

[joeybee12]

2. Uh, Treasure Island is not "luxurious"...yellow journalism at its finest...n/t

[pitohui]

4. this is just a silly article based on comments from a silly GOPer

$61 a nite plus every 40th room free isn't that terrible, it's an OK room rate for TI, i don't know where they could have had the meeting other than vegas where they'd get this cheap a deal frankly

price it out to have held the meeting in new york or dc or hell even biloxi, no way you're cutting it that cheap, i'd say in new orleans it would run closer to $100 a nite and we're way cheaper than most

vegas gets these meetings because the hotel prices are pretty much to the bone

there are cheaper hotels in vegas, sure, but TI is not esp. "luxurious" or expensive and the location is wonderful, no need to get rental cars for every one, you're right there center strip

all in all, they did about as well as anyone could do, planning a meet for 140...

[CreekDog]

13. it's not an OK room rate, it's a great room rate

TI is about the cheapest hotel that isn't sketchy and it's probably cheaper because its rooms are small.

[EstimatedProphet]

6. And here is the reason they went there:

The Census Bureau obtained a government rate of $61 per night per room with every 40th room free, according to census officials.

This is precisely why Vegas gets meeting traffic.

[prolesunited]

5. Luxurious at

$61 per night per room? I really doubt it. And we don't know if some people were in doubles.

I think we need to itemize all the trips and conferences Coffman has taken during his term. But I'm sure all his were justified.

[pitohui]

8. the rooms are actually pretty good for that price, it ain't a five star but it's pretty nice

i doubt anyone was in a "double," that would be ridiculous for a business setting

also inappropriate, since we would like a world where both men and women could be administrators, so room sharing is not real professional

i've received similar offers from TI, for about that price if you include the "resort fee," it's really well priced for what you get

[gratuitous]

7. Good heavens, THIS is what they're complaining about now?

Las Vegas seems conveniently located for the states listed, is capable of handling a group of 140, and I'd much rather our governmental agencies did a little meeting and communicating than being isolated and sealed off from one another. This kind of meeting does indeed improve productivity and efficiency, helps morale, and provides better results. A bargain at $100,000, if you ask me. They got government rates and group discounts.

I'll bet Rep. Coffman would spend many times that amount "investigating" this alleged theft were the Republicans somehow in a position to demand an accounting. Did Mr. Coffman go on any taxpayer-funded junkets last month? August is prime time for congress critters to go on little fact-finding missions to Bermuda or the Mediterranean, where facts are just aching to be found.

[EstimatedProphet]

11. Government employees are supposed to be unplugged and stored in the closet after work

[izzybeans]

9. $700 per person business trip. Let's save the torches and pitchforks for

CEO spa days and wine country "tours" k?


Whose employer hasn't had someone go to Vegas-based meeting? Last time I went, I spent well over that and still had half my trip budget left.

It would have been twice that expensive had the meeting been in some culturally vanilla city like Indianapolis or Cleveland.

[COLGATE4]

10. Just more Rethugs bitching about anything (and everything)

the Obama administration tries to do. After all, just a couple of weeks ago they were pissing and moaning about Michelle Obama's trip to Spain (paid for by Obama, personally, not the gov't). They just throw shit up on the wall and hope something sticks.

[CreekDog]

12. Sounds like they got a good rate for their conference

and if they held it in Denver or Austin, it probably would've cost more, but would've gone unnoticed.

[madmom]

14. Well what about the congress critters who fly all over the world at tax payers expense, couldn't

the same be said about them? After all with the internet and texting and all the new innovations we have now, there is no need for all that travel.