Posted on 03/18/2006 5:27:36 AM PST by Liz
Members of the House of Representatives can lease automobiles courtesy of the Treasury, at a total cost to the taxpayers of more than $1 million a year.
Several congressmen exploit the perk by opting for high-end luxury cars. And the Knight-Ridder newspaper chain reports found several members of the New York delegation are high up on the lease list.
* Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-Queens) tools around in a Lexus - monthly payment, $1,062.85. Total yearly cost to the taxpayer: $12,754.20.
* Rep. Charles Rangel (D-Harlem) opts for the more classic look - a Cadillac DeVille. The $998.48 monthly payment costs taxpayers $11,981.76 a year.
* Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-Binghamton) apparently needs two taxpayer-paid vehicles - a plebeian Nissan Altima for about $256 a month, plus a rather more upscale BMW 530i at $499.93 a month. Total cost to the taxpayer: $9,080 a year.
Now, we understand that congressmen need to get around sprawling districts......But a Cadillac? A Lexus? A BMW 530i?
They are congressmen in contempt of their constituents.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
hmmm, I wonder why I havent read about this in the OLD LIBERAL MEDIA? Hmmmm
Wonder where you could get a complete list of all the congressmen's leased cars. Seems like American cars may be down on the list for democrats.
When Willie Brown ran California, he drove the really high-end cars...Porsches, etc.
And who negotiated these lease terms?I could get the same cars for less than half of what they{we}pay.
They have a salary that is three times the average and they expect the guy making $7/hr to subsidize their wheels. No wonder they vote for dumb things like more heating oil subsidies. The rest of us make it. They should, too.
I read about this last week and emailed Rep. Mark Kennedy (who will be the 'R' candidate for Lil' Marky Dayton's Senate seat) about this article. Here's a link about the same issue:
http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/14087208.htm
Indeed, members of Congress could lease less expensive - and less flashy - cars through the General Services Administration, the federal government's purchasing agency, which negotiates bulk lease prices for the federal government. SUVs can be leased through the GSA for as little as $300 a month, according to the GSA Web site. Four-door, midsize sedans cost $258 a month.
The most expensive vehicle leased was a Ford Expedition for Rep. Michael Ross, D-Ark., for $1,248.31 a month. The cheapest: a Chevrolet Tahoe leased by Rep. John Carter, R-Texas, for $210.65 a month.
Many members report only the cost of a lease and not the make or model of the vehicle. The most popular models identified were SUVs: 19 members of Congress reported leasing the Chevrolet Tahoe or its twin, the GMC Yukon. They get about 15 miles per gallon in the city.
House Majority Whip Roy Blunt, R-Mo., whose district covers 5,500 oft-remote miles in southwestern Missouri, leases a Tahoe for $903.80 a month.
http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:3oBTnqaIdGEJ:www.car-center.ws/auto-leases.html+congressional+congress+car+automobile+lease+leases&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=6
monthly payment, $1,062.85 for a car ???
's more then my mortgage payment on my house
List of Congress Members with Cars leased at Taypayers Expense
It could probably be shown by facts and figures that there is no distinctly native criminal class except Congress.
Mark Twain
Brings an entirely new meaning to the VW tag line "Time to unpimp ze auto"...doesn't it?
Since these are Critters, only two year leases, which is what makes them so exorbitant.
I met that guy once. Wanted a shower afterwards. He could sleep comfortably on a corkscrew.
The Highs and Lows
Most Expensive CarsCost Per Month
Rep. Mike Ross (D., Ark.): Ford Expedition$1,248.31
Rep. Howard P. McKeon (R., Calif.): Acura $1,231.51
Rep. Dennis A. Cardoza (D., Calif.): Chevrolet truck$1,227.17
Rep. John Sullivan (R., Okla.): Chevrolet$1,180.99
Rep. Bob W. Ney (R., Ohio): Lincoln$1,078.21
Rep. Gregory W. Meeks (D., N.Y.): Lexus$1,062.85
Rep. John Doolittle (R., Calif.): Toyota Highlander$1,073.73
Cheapest CarsCost Per Month
Rep. John R. Carter (R., Texas): Chevrolet Tahoe$210.65
Rep. Sue Wilkins Myrick (R., N.C.): Honda Accord$214.79
Rep. Anthony D. Weiner (D., N.Y.): Chevrolet Impala$219.00
Rep. Maurice D. Hinchey (D., N.Y.): Nissan Altima$256.74
Rep. Danny K. Davis (D., Ill.): Mercury$266.55
And you know what else is funny about the list, especially when it comes to the Dems...No compacts.
Does any one know what the tax deduction is these days for the peons that use their own cars in their business. IIRC, it use to be $.09.
Critics agree that the practice can be a good deal for taxpayers when members lease efficient, inexpensive cars.
For example, Rep. Sue Myrick, R-N.C., leased a Honda Accord that cost less than $215 a month — and got good mileage to boot.
"She wanted something responsible with the taxpayers' dollars," said Andy Polk, Myrick's spokesman. "It's appropriate, and it gets the job done."
What would be appropriate, would be to pay for their own dam* cars with their taxpayer funded salaries.
It could probably be shown by facts and figures that there is no distinctly native criminal class except Congress. Mark Twain.................'nuff said.
Would it kill them to put a ceiling on how much the monthly lease can be? Seems to me $400/month would be more than generous.
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