Cheney Fundraising Trip to Huntsville Taxpayer Funded?

The Alabama Democratic Party is calling on the Republican Congressional campaigns of Wayne Parker in District 5 and Jay Love in District 2 to reimburse Alabama taxpayers for the full travel and security costs of Vice President Cheney’s brief fundraising trip Thursday to Huntsville.

impeachbushsign1.jpg
Some smart activist placed this “Impeach Bush” sign over the Interstate in Huntsville on the day Bush was to visit.

President George W. Bush was scheduled to appear. Instead, he got stuck in Washington, D.C., where he was holed up with his economic advisers formulating a plan to nationalize the banking industry and dole out $900 billion in corporate welfare to failing banks and insurance companies.

While President Bush’s visit to the state was originally supposed to include a tour of a waste-to-energy steam plant in Huntsville, Vice President Cheney was in Alabama only long enough to hold a closed-door fundraiser for Parker and Love.

“It is not fair for Alabama taxpayers to pick up the tab so that Wayne Parker and Jay Love can have Dick Cheney in for a closed-door fundraiser to help fill their campaign coffers,” said Jim Spearman, Executive Director of the Alabama Democratic Party. “At a time when middle class Alabama families are being squeezed and our country’s economy is facing a crisis, the last thing Wayne Parker and Jay Love should be doing is bringing Vice President Cheney in for a private party and asking the taxpayers to foot the bill.”

The Government Accountability Office (GAO), a non-partisan government agency tasked with monitoring federal spending, calculates the cost to operate Air Force Two at about $60,000 per hour. Beyond that, there are costs for the security detail required, including the time served by Alabama law enforcement officers during the motorcade procession.

“With people at the fundraiser paying $10,000 for a picture, these campaigns can certainly find a way to make sure the hard-working taxpayers of our state aren’t shouldering any of the financial burden here,” Spearman said.

Bush Cancels Huntsville Visit, Sends Cheney Instead

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