The Weekend WSJ has a great piece on a 2007 luxury trip to Australia, New Zealand, and Antarctica so Congressmen could get an up-close-and-personal look at the ravages of global warming. An excerpt:
The South Pole trip, led by Rep. Brian Baird (D., Wash.), ranks among the priciest. The lawmakers reported a cost to taxpayers of $103,000.
That figure, however, doesn’t include the actual flying, because the trip used Air Force planes, not commercial carriers. Flight costs would lift the total tab to more than $500,000, based on Defense Department figures for aircraft per-hour operating costs.
Lawmakers say the trip offered them a valuable chance to learn about global warming and to monitor how federal funds are spent. “The trip we made was more valuable than 100 hearings,” said Rep. Baird, its leader. “Are there members of Congress who take trips somewhat recreationally? Perhaps. Is this what this trip was about? Absolutely not.”
The knowledge gained is “profoundly important to how I do this job,” added Mr. Baird, who at the time headed the House Science Committee’s subcommittee on research and science education.
And . . .
Baird, a certified scuba diver, said he went on two shallow reef dives with scientists. Rep. Loretta Sanchez, a California Democrat, said she preferred to snorkel. Mr. Lucas said he didn’t enjoy the boat trip because he hasn’t spent much time on the water. The reef is one of the world’s premier diving destinations.
Later, Mr. Baird made a third reef dive at his own expense to see first-hand the damage to coral reefs caused by tourism. Mr. Baird said he wanted to see evidence of coral bleaching, which some scientists say is caused by higher levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Mr. Baird blames increased carbon levels for a decline of shellfish in the Pacific Ocean near his district.
If Rep. Baird’s name sound familiar, it should. He’s the Democrat comparing conservatives to Nazis for daring to protest Obamacare:
Over 10 years in Congress, U.S. Rep. Brian Baird has stayed tethered to his district, flying back to Southwest Washington for more than 300 sometimes-bruising town hall meetings during Congressional recesses.
But this year, he’s literally decided to phone it in.
Instead of appearing in person, where “extremists” would have “the chance to shout and make YouTube videos,” Baird said Wednesday, he’s holding what he calls “telephone town halls” instead.
Baird said he’s using the new system because he fears his political opponents may be planning “an ambush” to disrupt his meetings, using methods Baird compared to Nazism.
“What we’re seeing right now is close to Brown Shirt tactics,” Baird, D-Vancouver, said in a phone interview. “I mean that very seriously.”
The coming telephone conference call would be Baird’s third this year.
His office used its Congressional allowance to buy the necessary software around the start of 2009, a spokesman said.
Penguins and coral he has to see up close. Constituents, not so much.