Scandal derails junket to Houston

[Judi Lynn]

Jan. 27, 2006, 1:25AM
Scandal derails junket to Houston
Lobbying trip for congressional aides postponed by political jitters


By BENNETT ROTH
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON - For a group of congressional staffers from Washington, the trip to the Maxwell House coffee plant near downtown Houston is off, at least for a while. So is dinner at Maggiano's Little Italy restaurant near the Galleria.
(snip)

With negative publicity about legislative junkets sponsored by disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, five of a dozen congressional staffers have bowed out of the Houston trip sponsored by the National Association of Manufacturers.

For the remaining seven staffers, the three-day trip in late February — to learn about immigrant worker visas, pension plans, energy strategies and other issues at a total of eight Houston plants — has been postponed, Tiffany Adams, NAM vice president and deputy director of corporate affairs, said Thursday.

Maxwell House also withdrew its participation because of the potential for negative publicity about the trip, which would conform with current congressional rules.
(snip/...)

http://chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/3616363.html
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[rodeodance]

1. These repugs should know this anyway--unless they want industries

wiewpoints. well yes, guess i typed my way into the reason te he.

...For the remaining seven staffers, the three-day trip in late February — to learn about immigrant worker visas, pension plans, energy strategies and other issues at a total of eight Houston plants — has been postponed, Tiffany Adams, NAM vice president and deputy director of corporate affairs, said Thursday.

[jarab]

2. No big shame ...

"...the trip ... is off, at least for a while...."
(until things cool off and when no one's watching)

...O...

[0007]

3. Then they'll sneak off into another joint like Maggiano's Restaurant

like dirty rats, for another organized crime meeting, Paulie and Louie will keep look out.

[Bridget Burke]

4. Gosh--Tom DeLay goes Golfing at St Andrews...

And Congressional staffers must forego a trip to the glamourous Maxwell House plant--& other fun spots. The Houston trip, planned for Feb. 22-24, was to include a bus trip to the eight plants and the housing of congressional aides at hotels where rates average $129 a night.

Yeah, they would have gotten dinner at Maggiano's Little Italy. It's part of a chain & perhaps a step above Olive Garden.

[chat_noir]

5. NAM

NAM, which represents 12,000 companies nationwide, including more than 500 headquartered in Texas, has been an influential force in Washington.

The group sponsored eight legislative trips in 2005 and had 12 planned for this year. Adams said she did not know how much the Houston trip would cost.

It also spent $29.5 million on lobbying between 1998 and 2004, placing it in the top 100 in companies and organizations in lobbying expenses, according to the Center for Public Integrity.

NAM has lobbied extensively on major legislation, including unsuccessful efforts to open the Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil and gas drilling.

This week, NAM president John Engler, a former Republican governor of Michigan, told a Senate committee looking into lobbying reform that the debate was already having a "chilling effect" on his organization's lobbying activities.

http://chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/3616363.html

[wordpix]

6. can't frigging Congress distinguish between a junket & a fact-finding trip

[phoebe]

7. Why does "a group" have visit the damn place? Send two of them

down there, one to interview the workers and one to interview management and then report back. There's got to be a Motel 6 down there - about $40 a night or so right?? Takeout pizza and a brownbag lunch..hell that's what most of us do..

No.. that would be too damn easy and besides corporate Maxwell would not have enough time to get to all the "pork"...

[Supersedeas]

8. Ahhhhh, don't worry Freep Staffers--the next election recount and you'll

be the first to be send down to harass county workers.