***Excellent Research Tool: Congressional Travel Records***

[MagickMuffin]

I stumbled across this by accident. Loads of records concerning trips made by congress, and their staff.

List includes:

Find staffer travel by state:
Search by state

Top travelers/spenders:
Offices with the most travel
Most expensive trips
Top Sponsors

http://americanradioworks.publicradio.org/features/staffers/travdat/index.shtml

[MagickMuffin]

1. A not so shameless KICK ;-P

This is an excellent resource. I would hate for it to disappear :eyes:

Check out your representative's travel and who sent them where and how much it cost.

[Seedersandleechers]

15. I don't get it...

It states that Jim Talent had 0 trips for $0 dollars. All the trips were for his staff. I can't believe he took zero trips...

http://americanradioworks.publicradio.org/features/staffers/travdat/office.php?member_id=352

[MagickMuffin]

18. That is Strange

When I did a search using his name it implied there was no entries, however, when I searched using the state he showed up:shrug:

I would almost bet he never filed the forms, because we all know the repubs love freebies....

I wonder if there is a way to find out if he failed to file the paperwork:eyes:

[DemReadingDU]

2. Great link, thanks!

[IdesOfOctober]

3. This is the sort of practical handiwork...

... that more progressives need to learn how to do.

Thanks for feeding us this fish.

Care to teach us how to fish for ourselves? Where'd you find this information? I bet it was surprisingly easy to do.

Ides

[DemReadingDU]

4. Can't find a list of sponsors

There is a placeholder to list the sponsor, but none are given, :(

[MagickMuffin]

7. Here's an example from Bob Ney Ney Ney's Scotland trip

This is the trip that was really sponsored by Casino Jack Abramoff, but the money was funneled through NCPPR mentioned below...... This is also the trip where he lied about his "Speech" to the Scottish Parliament. The Scots were not in session during his visit. This trip was the golfing trip paid for by his number one lobbyist Casino Jack.....

Trips by Bob Ney
Total cost of congressperson's 12 trips: $50,296.56

Destination: VISIT UNITED KINGDOM - TRAVEL TO SCOTLAND & LEAVE LONDON

Sponsor: National Center for Public Policy & Research

Purpose: SPEECH TO SCOTTISH PARLIAMENTARIANS; ATTEND EDINBURGH MILITARY TATTOO; VISIT BRITISH PARLIAMENT

Date: Aug 3, 2002 (6 days)
Expense: $3,200.00

[DemReadingDU]

8. This is so weird, but may help someone else

When I do the search using IE, all the sponsors are blanked out.

But when I do the search using AOL, all the sponsors show up.

[MagickMuffin]

13. Interesting research concerning the browsers

I'm a Safari person myself, but when I did my initial search I was using Firefox 2. I just tried searching using Safari and it worked just fine.

I think you should give Firefox a try. I hear it's a better browser, more reliable than IE, with less security issues.....

[MagickMuffin]

6. I've never been that good at fishing,

however, sometimes I surprise myself...

The way I happened upon this useful tool was indeed quite by accident. I was doing a google image search of Dennis Hastet's counsel Ted Van Der Meid. I needed his pic, so I could use it in my comics. There wasn't a pic of him but there were 2 google pages of scanned images of original documents concerning his travels, and being the curious cat that I am I couldn't resist checking out the link, and boy am I glad I did...

So, I decide to share with my fellow DUers! Hope you find it as useful.

Not sure I would be a very good teacher when it comes to fishing, except to say google is my friend.

[CorpGovActivist]

12. Come to West Virginia...

... we know how to fish - fixed reel (for beginners) and fly fishing (for artists).

: )

- Dave

[MagickMuffin]

16. OK, just got through looking at WV map

I didn't see very many lakes in your state.

Where do you go fishing? I'll look it up!

I do a little catfishing with my cats. I have a small reel that I tie things to that makes them happy, and they seem to like being my fishes. Sometimes they are lazy catfishes, sometimes they turn into flying fishes......

[CorpGovActivist]

21. Good Practice...

... bring your "catfishes" to go fishing in the streams, creeks, rivers, and lakes of WV.

We'll even take you to Summersville Dam (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summersville_Dam), so named because:

1. The Army Corps of Engineers couldn't call it the Gauley Dam (it bottles up the Gauley River).

2. They couldn't call it the Gad Dam (the nearest post office is Gad, WV).

3. So they called it the Summersville Dam (the next nearest post office).

; )

- Dave

[CorpGovActivist]

11. Are You Thinking What I'm Thinking?

*evil grin*

- Dave

[sbj405]

5. I was wondering how a one day trip to Houston could cost $24k

When looked at the doc it was actually $2,400.

[MagickMuffin]

9. You know those zero's really add up,

when you least expect it. :rofl:

[CorpGovActivist]

10. What a GREAT Find...

... thank you for sharing this tool.

- Dave

[TahitiNut]

14. Trips by Mark Foley - 25 trips: $51,650.46

He sure does get around. (I wonder what the age of consent is in India.)

http://americanradioworks.publicradio.org/features/staffers/travdat/office.php?member_id=178

[Buttercup McToots]

17. Bump

up...!
You guys are grand!!!

[IdesOfOctober]

22. Set...

[Sydnie]

19. How is this NOT on the greatest page already?

thanks!

[SoCalDem]

23. It was last week when I posted it

:P :evilgrin:

[CorpGovActivist]

24. Thanks!

Funny thing about knowledge.

: )

Thanks for putting this out there. It'd be interesting to trace, and see if/how this second go-around could be traced back to your original thread?

Six degrees of separation, and all that...

- Dave

[Dem_4_Life]

20. That is really interesting, thanks. nt