Senate Mulls New Rule: Don't Take the Furniture

Reuters ^ | 6-25-2003

[Cagey]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate Rules Committee moved closer on Tuesday to issuing this warning to lawmakers: Do not remove from the U.S. Capitol furniture, paintings and other historic items.

"We are not supposed to steal from the Capitol," Sen. Don Nickles, an Oklahoma Republican, said wryly after the panel sent the proposed rule to the full Senate for consideration.

"We're not supposed to, but it has been a regular practice over about 150 years," replied Chairman Trent Lott, a Mississippi Republican.

Senate aides explained that lawmakers often manage to take home a piece of furniture for a discounted price after it has been declared surplus. Other times, items just seem to disappear.

Sen. Christopher Dodd, a Connecticut Democrat, proposed the new rule that specifically tells lawmakers and others they may not remove any art and other listed historical items.

Lott applauded the measure and predicted the full Senate would approve it, saying: "There has been no real restraint."

"We want to make this what we think it is -- a living, working museum of American history," said Lott, adding he is considering proposing annual inventories.

"Most of the stuff is not worth having. The stuff in our offices is early junk, it's not antiques," Lott said. Much of "the good stuff," he said, is already gone.

[July 4th]

Paging Senator Clinton...

[Drango]

Paging Senator Clinton...

Depends on how you define furniture...silverware for example?

[Cagey]

The Clintons leaving the Whitehouse.

[wysiwyg]

Wow, this is so ridiculous sounding that I figured that it came from the Onion or BSNN!

[Cagey]

I know. Imagine the Senate passing laws on morality for themselves? What a sad commentary on our government.

[whereasandsoforth]

I wonder what would happen to a member of the general public if he or she walked out of the capitol with a piece of anything. Damn crooks.

[Lady Eileen]

The government plunders our income...why should they not be free to plunder the U.S. Capitol or the Whitehouse.

[Non-Sequitur]

Note that it says that they are 'mulling' the law. It hasn't passed yet.

[mabelkitty]

Seems they are preparing for a Republican 2004 landslide in the Senate.

[firewalk]

bttt

[q_an_a]

Get it back. Send the capital polcie to every present and past Senator for 50 years, Byrd and Thurman era, and ask for an accounting. The good stuff belongs to the people and the former and present Senators that have the peoples property should be shamed into returning it.

[MJY1288]

LOL, Yup, letting the democrats know "now" that when they get the boot, there will be no stealing

[babyface00]

considering proposing annual inventories.

All the damn beurocrats in Washington, and these morons never did an inventory of Senate property?

It's even more annoying since, due largely to their meddling tax laws, businesses have to inventory everything (for either personal property tax or depreciation purposes).

There must be a God and He must favor this country. How else can you explain that this country continues to survive and prosper in spite of the loons in DC? By all rights, they should have run us all aground years ago.

[Wright is right!]

The most common item Senators take with them is their CHAIRS. In fact, it's become somewhat a de facto practice. They have the chair declared surplus and they either just take it or buy it at a low price.

Frankly, I think they OUGHT to be entitled to take their one office chair. But the rest of the stuff should stay.

Michael