GetLiberty: "Car-Kiting Scandal Envelops Quarter of House"

From our friends at GetLiberty.org:

Charles Rangel (D-NY) believes that the best way to represent his constituents is to cruise around in expensive cars while visiting them. Unfortunately for his constituents, the only way Rep. Rangel is able to do this is because of a loophole which allows members of congress to lease cars – paid for by the taxpayers themselves. For a congressional district that is tied at #3 for its poverty level (30.48%) and #424 for median Household income ($27,934) – Congressman Rangel’s $9288/year Cadillac DeVille isn’t very “representative.”

Fortunately for the congressman though, he is not alone. About a quarter of his fellow House members do the same thing; some choosing modestly-priced rentals ($200-300 per month range), while others going as high as the $998/month that Representative Gregory Meeks (D-NY) is paying – or rather not paying.

This is nothing more than a repeat of the “Check-Kiting scandal” of the early 90s, in which a group of (mostly Democratic) congressmen were forced out of office following reports that many of them were intentionally overdrawing their checking accounts, without any penalty – essentially taking out interest-free loans.

The car leasing issue is not a new revelation, either. As early as 1991, a Chicago Tribune article concluding that the House of Representatives could have halved its transportation bill by simply requiring members to lease out of the GSA vehicle pool. But the report apparently went unheeded, as the number of leasing representatives is down by only about a dozen.

Aside from the actual vehicle itself, “general maintenance, insurance, registration fees, and excess mileage charges” are also picked up by the taxpayers. And yes, taxpayers also foot the ever-increasing gas bill.

This is absolutely disgusting...but not at all surprising. Being a Congresscritter must be good work if you can get it...