Posted on 04/09/2014 5:41:04 AM PDT by BarnacleCenturion
A Republican Senator has questioned the utility of sending comedians to India at the expense of tax payer's money, at a time when the US is experiencing economic crunch.
The question was raised by Senator Rand Paul yesterday, during a hearing of Senate Foreign Relations Committee, wherein Secretary of State John Kerry, testified on the foreign policy priorities for the year 2015.
"Throughout the six months preceding the attack on Benghazi, though, a lot of money was spent on things that I think most Americans would say are frivolous and maybe not part of the immediate mission of the State Department," Paul said.
"A hundred thousand dollars was spent on sending comedians to India. It was the 'Make Chai Not War' tour. A hundred thousand dollars was spent getting electrical charging station in Vienna for the ambassador so he could green up the embassy," the Senator said.
"USD 650,000 was spent on Facebook ads. These are all State Department expenses. USD 700,000 was spent on landscaping for the embassy in Brussels. Five million dollars was spent on crystal wineglasses and crystal glassware, bar ware for the State Department, for embassies," he said.
Paul said, one could argue the legitimacy of these, but it was hard to argue that in the face of the disaster in Benghazi, and it was hard to argue this in the face of, people say, "we didn't have enough money".
(Excerpt) Read more at financialexpress.com ...
The state department sent our son to the middle east to play banjo. Just saying. Nice for him.
Wasn’t this the plot of a bad Albert Brooks movie from eight or nine years ago?
All that money could have been spent on our wounded warriors. Still waiting for our “stars” to sponsor track chairs for our wounded. What a waste. No one ever stops it & no one is ever held accountable. My blood pressure is rising. Sorry but I just had to vent.
“frivolous spending by a frivolous administration.”
I agree but the frivolousness is much deeper than that. The state dept has been a mess for 50 years and will be a mess for the foreseeable future.
Since when does the State Department control congressional junkets?
Given the idiotic low information voters who have taken over our country get all there news and views from propagandistic left wing comedians, why not?
I think his point was that the State Department under Clinton and Obama are claiming that they did not have the money for a beefed up security in Benghazi, yet they had the money for all this silly frivolity.
And we could also mention that 6 billion dollars are missing from the Sate Department on Hillary Clinton’s watch. Imagine what that could have done for security and wounded vets etc.
Kerry to U.S. taxpayers, “the joke sare on you.”
Probably where they got the idea......................
Sari, I just had to.........................
Found it. This WAS an Albert Brooks movie!
Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World is a 2005 film starring and directed by Albert Brooks. It was shown at the Dubai International Film Festival.
Synopsis
Albert Brooks, a Jewish-American comedian, is asked by the United States government to travel to India and Pakistan to find out “what makes Muslims laugh.” References are made to Brooks’s earlier films, including Finding Nemo, Lost In America and Defending Your Life, along with his earlier stand-up comedy material.
Upon reaching India, Brooks begins interviewing Indians and gathering material for the 500-page essay expected of him from the government. He is aided by two agents (who actually help very little) and an Indian woman named Maya (Sheetal Sheth), who was hired as his assistant.
Brooks’ interviews and a failed stand-up performance begin to attract the attention of the Indian government, who fear he is a spy of some sort. Unable to get a visa, Brooks illegally enters Pakistan for four hours to interview several fledgling Pakistani comedians, the Indian government becomes even more paranoid, increasing border control. This action causes alarm to Pakistan, who responds with security measures of their own.
As tension between the countries grows, the American government orders Brooks to leave the country and return to America. It is later said that the tension between Pakistan and India is resolved after they learn that everything was Brooks’s fault. It is also revealed that Maya sent what was written of the report to Washington, but it received no recognition.
I like Rand in the Senate. I think he makes a good libertarian balance to the spendthrifts in both parties.
He is not on my list of Presidential favorites because;
I do not like the fact that Rand Paul is going to run for the Senate and the Presidency simultaneously.
I do not like his position on immigration.
That said, I would vote for Paul if he is the Republican nominee.
I would not vote for Jeb Bush or Chris Christie or any of the GOPe.
Paul said, one could argue the legitimacy of these, but it was hard to argue that in the face of the disaster in Benghazi, and it was hard to argue this in the face of, people say, "we didn't have enough money".
At this point of time, Kerry became curious when were the comedians sent to India.
I’ll bet cronyism plays a big part in these expenditures.
So, they DID steal the idea from someone else. Naturally, since liberal Democrats have no ideas of their own................
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