State official to travel upscale to gay Paree - Ooh, la la!
Posted by Scott "The Piper" St. Clair - June 01, 2009According to a recent report by everyone's favorite News Tribune curmudgeon, Joe Turner:
"...(state budget director Victor) Moore recently gave the OK for the state Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development to spend $7,100 to send Bill King to the 2009 International Paris Air Show, which will be held June 11-22. King is CTED's business development manager for aerospace."
The Paris Air Show is the big Kahuna of trade shows for the aerospace industry. It's where a lot of major league announcements of airplane sales are made, which is a good reason for Boeing to send its people. But in these times of budget catastrophe and crisis, why does the state of Washington need to send anyone? And at what looks to be a better-than-first-class tab?
Just because Washington state has had an official presence at the show for many years isn't good enough, but it appears to be the only discernable reason offered, per the article.
Since "people will die" because of budget cuts and the failure of the Legislature to raise every tax under the sun, the question is begged: How many of the state's vulnerable will waste away into oblivion just so Bill King can get a French visa stamped into his passport? There ought to be a law!
Curious, too, since Gov. Christine Gregoire bailed on attending the show as well as a trade mission to China, which was budgeted for $3,500 per person for her and a handful of folks in her entourage. This according to a Puget Sound Business Journal article referenced in Turner's piece but not available to non-subscribing PSBJ readers.
While no mention was made of the length of the China trip, it did have scheduled stops in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Sichuan Province. You have to figure that such a trip would take more than 11 days.
A cost comparison is invited...
According to the travel-booking Website Hotwire.com, airfare to Paris is in the $1,000 to $1,500 range with pretty sweet hotels available from $150 to $250 per night. There doesn't appear to be either a Motel 6 or an Extended Stay anywhere in the French capitol. An entrance badge to the Paris Air Show is roughly $156 (€110). At the high end, these total $4,360, which leaves $2,740 for some fine French cuisine. Sound a little rich?
Had Gov. Gregoire gone to Beijing, airfare would have been in the $1,000 to $2,000 range, hotel (again, high end) $200 per night, which, for the same time frame, leaves nothing for meals. I guess they got a deal somewhere, huh?
Beijing and Paris are close to being the same distance from Olympia, but getting to the Chinese capitol is more expensive than getting to the French capitol. Yet the governor and her gang would have spent less than half what it will cost to send CTED's King to gay Paree. Maybe he needed the extra Kwan for Paris Air Show souvenirs? Or is it because Chinese food is cheaper than French cuisine? Who knows...
The only thing that is known is that taxpayers are sending one guy to Paris, France for 11 days and it's costing us $7,100. What's next - hiring a state poet laureate???
Nah - nobody's that crazy!
The Piper
Thoughts? Add Comment -
Bill said on Jun 02 2009 at 2:08pm
I was going to say, $7100?!!! I travel to Europe often enough and a trip like this should be in the vicinity of $2000.
If my employer operated like this, especially in this downturn, we'd be out of business. But the rules are clearly different for the pigs down in Olympia.
Bill said on Jun 02 2009 at 2:13pm
Revise that. I read June 11-12. The extra 10 days will add to the cost.
There are some relatively inexpensive hotels in Paris. I stayed at one in St. Denis (name forgotten, but a common European chain), an easy walk to the metro station.
RedRaider said on Jun 03 2009 at 6:46am
maybe the cost of the foray to Paree includes a traveling spouse - also not an appropriate use of state funds