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

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MagickMuffin Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Oct-27-06 09:15 PM
Original message
***Excellent Research Tool: Congressional Travel Records***
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
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MagickMuffin Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Oct-27-06 10:10 PM
Response to Original message
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.


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Seedersandleechers Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Oct-28-06 02:08 PM
Response to Reply #1
15. I don't get it...
Edited on Sat Oct-28-06 02:09 PM by KCdemocrat
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
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MagickMuffin Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Oct-28-06 02:54 PM
Response to Reply #15
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:
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DemReadingDU Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Oct-28-06 12:32 PM
Response to Original message
2. Great link, thanks!
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IdesOfOctober Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Oct-28-06 12:40 PM
Response to Original message
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
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DemReadingDU Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Oct-28-06 12:46 PM
Response to Reply #3
4. Can't find a list of sponsors
There is a placeholder to list the sponsor, but none are given, :(
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MagickMuffin Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Oct-28-06 01:33 PM
Response to Reply #4
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


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DemReadingDU Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Oct-28-06 01:44 PM
Response to Reply #7
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.
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MagickMuffin Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Oct-28-06 01:58 PM
Response to Reply #8
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.....


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MagickMuffin Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Oct-28-06 01:22 PM
Response to Reply #3
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.
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CorpGovActivist Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Oct-28-06 01:53 PM
Response to Reply #6
12. Come to West Virginia...
... we know how to fish - fixed reel (for beginners) and fly fishing (for artists).

: )

- Dave
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MagickMuffin Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Oct-28-06 02:44 PM
Response to Reply #12
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......
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CorpGovActivist Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Oct-29-06 11:18 AM
Response to Reply #16
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
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CorpGovActivist Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Oct-28-06 01:52 PM
Response to Reply #3
11. Are You Thinking What I'm Thinking?
*evil grin*

- Dave
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sbj405 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Oct-28-06 12:57 PM
Response to Original message
5. I was wondering how a one day trip to Houston could cost $24k
When looked at the doc it was actually $2,400.
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MagickMuffin Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Oct-28-06 01:49 PM
Response to Reply #5
9. You know those zero's really add up,
when you least expect it. :rofl:
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CorpGovActivist Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Oct-28-06 01:51 PM
Response to Original message
10. What a GREAT Find...
... thank you for sharing this tool.

- Dave
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TahitiNut Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Oct-28-06 02:00 PM
Response to Original message
14. Trips by Mark Foley - 25 trips: $51,650.46
Edited on Sat Oct-28-06 02:00 PM by TahitiNut
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
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Buttercup McToots Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Oct-28-06 02:48 PM
Response to Reply #14
17. Bump
up...!
You guys are grand!!!
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IdesOfOctober Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Oct-29-06 04:40 PM
Response to Reply #17
22. Set...
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Sydnie Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Oct-28-06 03:47 PM
Response to Original message
19. How is this NOT on the greatest page already?
thanks!
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SoCalDem Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Oct-29-06 04:41 PM
Response to Reply #19
23. It was last week when I posted it
:P :evilgrin:
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CorpGovActivist Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Oct-30-06 08:29 AM
Response to Reply #23
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
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Dem_4_Life Donating Member (710 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Oct-28-06 03:50 PM
Response to Original message
20. That is really interesting, thanks. nt
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