Money Better Spent Elsewhere?

In the day and age of the internet, our illustrious Congress members spent the equivalent of a small nation's yearly military budget on junk mail this year. Our money out the window along with who knows how many poor trees were sacrificed for this incredulous waste of money, and if it was just one it was too many in my opinion.

Every single piece of litter from congress I've ever received goes directly to the recycle bin in my household, and I'm quite sure I wouldn't be the only one choosing that destination for consumer advice and personal bragging about what they supposedly accomplished from Congressmen and women, and that was before the advent of the internet.

I do think the time has now come to take up this wasteful spending with the pork kings in Washington I would argue.

House members spent $20.3 million on mailings to constituents

WINK News - Southwest Florida | Consumer: "WASHINGTON (AP) - U.S. House members spent $20.3 million in tax money last year to send constituents what's often the government equivalent of junk mail - meeting announcements, tips on car care and job interviews, surveys on public policy and just plain bragging.

They sent nearly 116 million pieces of mail in all, many of them glossy productions filled with flattering photos and lists of the latest roads and bridges the lawmaker has brought home to the district, an Associated Press review of public records shows.

Some offered advice on topics one would more commonly expect to see in a consumer-advice column."

Some offered advice on topics one would more commonly expect to see in a consumer-advice column.

"Keep your car properly maintained" to improve mileage, suggested Rep. Tim Murphy, R-Pa., in a newsletter on how to deal with rising energy prices.

Rep. David Dreier, R-Calif., offered tips on home improvements.

And Rep. Cynthia McKinney, D-Ga., who lost her primary race last year, sent out a taxpayer-funded newsletter a few months before the election that included this simple observation:

"Convicted felons can vote," she said, if "your" prison sentence has been served, parole or probation completed and fines paid. While campaigning, McKinney, who is black, noted that blacks make up a disproportionately large share of the prison population, which she said dilutes their voting strength. continued

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