Quote :

"Charles B. Rangel [D-NY], the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, is not so caught up in the question of gas mileage. He leases a 2004 Cadillac DeVille for $777.54 a month. The car is 17 feet long with a 300-horsepower engine and seats five comfortably. 'It's one of the bigger Cadillacs,' Mr. Rangel, of Harlem, said cheerfully this week. 'I've got a desk in it. It's like an airplane.' Modest or more luxurious, the cars are all paid for by taxpayers. The use of a car — gas included — is one of the benefits of being a member of the House of Representatives. There are few restrictions on what kind of car the members can choose, and there is no limit on how much they can spend. But the benefit can be politically sensitive, given the growing concerns about automobile emissions and an economy that has left many people struggling to pay for the rapidly rising cost of gas, which was averaging $3.63 a gallon nationwide earlier this week."

Quote :

"Congressional records show that about 125 members of the House make use of the benefit, which has been in place since at least the 1980s and is part of the allowance provided for their office operations. They include Representatives Charlie Melancon of Louisiana (2007 Chevy Tahoe), Bobby L. Rush of Illinois (2007 Lincoln Navigator) and Alcee L. Hastings of Florida (2006 Infiniti M45). The Senate does not permit its members to lease cars with public money."

Quote :

"Members have found themselves under fire in their districts for what their constituents may regard as extravagant tastes or for leasing foreign cars. Before the 2006 election, one Ithaca resident denounced Representative Maurice D. Hinchey's lease of a BMW 530i to The Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin, saying that Mr. Hinchey, a Democrat, 'sticks it to' the taxpayers and American workers. (Mr. Hinchey also leases a 2007 Nissan Altima for $200 a month for his chief of staff.) In 2007, the House adopted a rule requiring members to choose cars from a list of low-emissions vehicles approved by the Environmental Protection Agency. Asked about their cars over the past week, many New York representatives offered environmental rationales, some more persuasive than others. Representative Edolphus Towns, a Brooklyn Democrat, said he had begun to take fuel economy into consideration and recently traded in his 2005 Lincoln Town Car (at $845 a month) for a 2008 Lincoln MKX, called a crossover utility vehicle, (at $715 a month)."

Quote :

"'I can tell you Lexus has one of the best services and is one of the most reliable cars I know,' said Representative Gregory W. Meeks, a Queens Democrat, who leases a 2007 Lexus LS 460 at $998 a month. Mr. Meeks, interviewed a few feet from the House floor last week, seemed reluctant to go into detail, saying he was worried that a story about members' cars could be 'distorted' or negative."

Quote :

"Mr. Rangel said he frequently offers rides to constituents so they can discuss their concerns in the luxurious confines of his DeVille. 'I want them to feel that they are somebody and their congressman is somebody,' Mr. Rangel explained. 'And when they say, "This is nice," it feels good.'"

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/01/nyregion/01cars.html?ref=us

I report, you decide.

5/2/2008 9:47:38 PM

who the fuck cares.

5/2/2008 9:50:40 PM

My wallet cares.

5/2/2008 9:54:38 PM

>.<

5/2/2008 9:55:31 PM

what would have a greater impact:

1) regulations that improved MPG, lower gasoline prices, greater emphasis on public transit

or

2) bitching at < 600 congresspersons because they are treated a little bit better than the average guy in terms of personal transportation

5/2/2008 9:59:56 PM

5/2/2008 10:00:17 PM

5/2/2008 10:06:32 PM

they should all be forced to either get an accord or camry

5/2/2008 10:11:45 PM

^^^^ Why do those things have to be mutually exclusive? Oh, that's right--they don't. You created your own little false dichotomy, didn't you?

And did you happen to catch this part?

Quote :

"The Senate does not permit its members to lease cars with public money."

The Senate--many would argue a more prestigious body--somehow manages without taxpayer-provided and expensive SUVs and so on. I'll wager that the House could somehow manage, too.

5/2/2008 10:25:42 PM

Quote :

"because they are treated a little bit better than the average guy "

A free car of your choice with no limitations? That's what you call a little bit better????

This is what you get when the inmates run the asylum.

5/2/2008 10:34:09 PM

I'd say some kind of restriction on the size of the lease they could get could be called for. This is definitely something I didn't know about.

Although, to be fair, what are the salaries paid out to people in the senate versus people in the house of representatives? If people in the HoR aren't paid dick I could see why there's a vehicle stipend. Those guys are rolling around in some damned expensive cars though, a $600/mo limit on the stipend seems like it could be in order. They all seem to be going out to the luxury lots and picking one of the more expensive models to lease out.

At least they aren't trying to lease Bentleys or some shit like that.

5/2/2008 10:45:32 PM

he wants higher taxes, he is so generous with your money

5/2/2008 11:11:39 PM

^^ Members of both the House and Senate get paid about ~170k per annum.

Basically, eff that ess.

5/2/2008 11:34:13 PM

you really need to pick your fucking battles, hooksaw

are you really so disillusioned that you think that members of congress get treated differently? would you like it if our elected representatives of government were rolling around in fucking pieces of shit?

go USA

5/3/2008 12:09:41 AM

Quote :

"Mr. Rangel said he frequently offers rides to constituents so they can discuss their concerns in the luxurious confines of his DeVille. 'I want them to feel that they are somebody and their congressman is somebody,' Mr. Rangel explained. 'And when they say, "This is nice," it feels good."

I'm ashamed that this argument actually appealed to me for a second.

5/3/2008 12:50:18 AM

i would imagine that they do, or could do, a lot of work in their cars, if they have drivers. If you had a desk in the back of your caddy, you could get a lot of shit done while waiting in DC traffic.

but i have to agree with Madman - pick you battles, dude. 1/3 of our Representatives leasing cars for 200-800 a month is pennies, regardless of the car hey have.
anybody with any power in DC will be driving a big old cadillac or Town Car or will be driven in a limo

5/3/2008 1:10:19 AM

^^^^ Agreed, that's a bunch of BS that they get that luxury. I know it won't save tax payers that much more per year to do away with a program like this, but when you're getting paid $170k/yr and have contributions rolling in to support your campaign that likely exceed your salary, you definitely don't need an extra $8-12k/yr benefit that lets you get a car. I realize that could be highly subjective for a lot of people, but I like it when we trim the fat any way we can. If trimming the fat requires a bunch of politicians fighting the thing kicking and screaming (and losing the argument anyway) I like it all the lot more.

[Edited on May 3, 2008 at 1:11 AM. Reason : ^^^]

5/3/2008 1:11:19 AM

$998/month?

seriously?

i mean.....seriously???

5/3/2008 6:25:25 AM

this is what I dont get about liberals.....its so obvious how wasteful, inefficient and corrupt our federal government is...yet you want them to take more money, regulate more, control more and take more personal liberty. hell the feds are worse than all the evil oil companies, insurance companies and wal-mart put together.

5/3/2008 9:02:59 AM

Quote :

" would you like it if our elected representatives of government were rolling around in fucking pieces of shit? "

Given that 90% of america does so, and these folks are supposed to represent us, why not? And why a seperate car fund? These guys can't afford a nice car on their own salary? Congressmen should have their pay directly tied to the payscale of the military. If it's good enough for the grunts to live on, it's good enough for the congressmen. And plenty of .mil guys seem to afford nice cars, so clearly our congress critters could too.

5/3/2008 9:07:42 AM

I would drive a

5/3/2008 9:11:20 AM

i like how people were bitching that they were leasing foreign cars. I mean seriously...I'd be bitching if they leased fugly pos american cars and used MORE of my tax money to fix the damn thing.

5/4/2008 1:31:10 AM

i agree


seriously if you are gonna get to drive something for free...at least have it be a good vehicle

5/4/2008 1:59:27 AM

not to mention that many foreign companies have factories in America (BMW in south carolina, etc)

and many American companies make some parts overseas

5/5/2008 7:01:49 PM

^'some' is an understatement. do they even make cars in America anymore? (that is if you don't count mexico as america)

5/5/2008 7:14:22 PM

Couldn't they, oh, I don't know... buy their own fucking cars? 170k a year is plenty, even in DC to own a home and a car, especially given that most, probably 80% + are already wealthy without their salaries.

Is there any question anymore that civil servant actually means civil master?

5/5/2008 8:02:08 PM

I don't mind in the least the idea of tax money paying for vehicles for congressmen. Better us than lobbyists, and besides, perks such as these expand the range of personal wealth that individuals can have and still be able to run for such office. Admittedly it's a small difference, but it's something, and not at too great an expense.

I do mind that they can pick whatever they want, no strings attached. Offer a set allowance for the car and gas. They can supplement that out of their own money if they want to tool around in an SUV or whatever else.

----

Oh, and in answer to the title question...if I was in a position where I could run for Congress, I would long ago have purchased my 1963 Ford Galaxie (convertible, navy blue). If I had that car, I would never willingly drive in anything else, because it is the single most beautiful thing I've ever seen. So, at most you'd be paying for the gas. On the flip side, I would readily put the safety of every man, woman, and child in America at risk to keep that car safe and in working condition.

[Edited on May 5, 2008 at 8:20 PM. Reason : ]

5/5/2008 8:17:16 PM

and these are the people who have the ability to do something about gas prices...the people who have absolutely no reason to care what gas prices are

5/5/2008 8:29:03 PM

Quote :

"These guys can't afford a nice car on their own salary?"

Really. No wonder they've forgotten how to do things like balance a budget.

5/5/2008 8:29:53 PM

I laugh. They're trying to play the DeVille up like its a horrible car and is huge.

Nothing special about it and I don't consider it excessive in the least. Hell its probably more efficient than 80% of the SUVs out there, if not more.

5/5/2008 8:46:23 PM

170K? That's more than what my boss's boss's boss makes in corporate america.

5/5/2008 8:52:50 PM

Yeah, I can see a Congressman getting away with it if they used a car that's built in their home state. So it's great to be the Senator of the great state of South Carolina, I suppose.

5/5/2008 9:08:58 PM

If the 125 reps using this perk had car payments of $1,000 per month (probably an extreme overstatement) for 12 months, this would at most cost tax payers $1.5 million per year. If that cost was distributed equally among the 150 million workers in the US, that would cost you *exactly one penny*.

Now, I am certainly not a fan of government waste, but this isn't going to make me lose sleep at night.

I'm think Grumpy has a pretty good argument.

5/6/2008 5:21:36 AM

Well, pennies add up. Might as well start somewhere.

5/6/2008 8:03:09 AM

Is there a reason they cant drive their own cars?

5/6/2008 9:13:12 AM

This leads me to wonder if they claim any of their milage on these luxury gas guzzlers on their taxes... more corruption revealed!

5/6/2008 9:18:23 AM

Quote :

"I do mind that they can pick whatever they want, no strings attached. Offer a set allowance for the car and gas. They can supplement that out of their own money if they want to tool around in an SUV or whatever else. "

5/6/2008 10:07:58 AM

Quote :

"and these are the people who have the ability to do something about gas prices..."

I bet you also believe that boycotting Exxon for one day will cause gas prices to fall.

5/6/2008 11:47:49 AM

I would drive a small gas efficient automobile. Probably a diesel and run it on biodiesel.

5/6/2008 11:48:22 AM

^^so Congress doesnt have the ability to lower gas prices by either lowering taxes or tapping into reserves?

5/6/2008 11:54:05 AM

lowering taxes won't bring the price down, especially if done under Hillary's plan. She plans to tax the windfall profits from the oil companies to pay for the tax elimination... which will cause the oil companies to increase the price to compensate.

Also, opening strategic reserves is a really, really bad idea.


Here's a thought, lets get our spending under control in this country, pay some of our debt off, and restore the value of the dollar.

The prices of EVERYTHING comes down then.

5/6/2008 11:58:33 AM

why wouldnt lowering gas taxes bring the prices down? that doesnt make sense...assuming whoever doesnt tax the windfall profits

5/6/2008 12:01:38 PM

^ It would, assuming they don't tax the companies again.

However, a tax decrease will never happen.

5/6/2008 12:04:04 PM

maybe for one day if we're lucky

i just didnt know why stantheman was acting like Congress didn't have the power to lower gas prices

5/6/2008 12:04:51 PM

they can't significantly lower them. Dropping the federal gas tax is like 15 - 20c a gallon. CHump change when the price is only going to get pricier over the summer. THen when the tax break ends, we'll all be bitching about the even higher prices.

5/6/2008 12:05:47 PM

Quote :

"i just didnt know why stantheman was acting like Congress didn't have the power to lower gas prices"

Um, maybe because they don't. It was just explained to you. Read up on Obama's gas tax cut in Illinois. It benefitted the oil companies more than the consumers.

Maybe you should vote for Elbie Powers for governor. He promises to revitalize NC's economy by onpening state-run gas stations with fixed prices.

5/6/2008 12:08:05 PM

Quote :

"Dropping the federal gas tax is like 15 - 20c a gallon"

i'll take that...shit thats 5 bucks every time i fill up

^sounds like THEY DO have the power but it just wouldnt make that big of a dent

5/6/2008 12:11:16 PM

how how do you propose we raise revenue for the road system?

5/6/2008 12:29:33 PM

i dunno, recently where I am we've gotten a light rail system in lieu of more pressing road repairs, so haven't seen a lot of road maintenance locally over the last couple years...just higher gas prices

5/6/2008 12:30:59 PM

federal gas tax=federal roads=interstates=bridges

light rail=0.25% local option sales tax

not the same fucking thing

[Edited on May 6, 2008 at 12:33 PM. Reason : .]

5/6/2008 12:32:20 PM