U.S. Rep. David Price is not an easy traveler.
The Chapel Hill Democrat is going on an 11-day trip during the upcoming recess along with other members of the House Democracy Assistance Commission. (U.S. Rep. Brad Miller is joining him.)
The Washington Post's Al Kamen, who likes to critique lawmakers' junkets, called the trip to such political hotspots as Liberia, Kenya and Congo "no fun."
"In addition to meetings with heads of state, there are endless conferences and meetings about budgeting, legislative research and other exciting topics," he writes, tongue in cheek.
Price, a former professor who is something of a troubled democracy buff, has also taken trips to Lebanon, Afghanistan, East Timor, Haiti and Colombia — hardly the kinds of places you see on a poster in a travel agent's office.
On the other hand, Mongolia's been pretty quiet since Gengis Khan died.
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unconcerned?
Right. So instead of playing golf, lounging at the beach or holding fundraisers, these guys use their recess (vacation) time to visit some of the poorest and most strife-ridden countries in the world. What a travesty.
And about that $4 a gallon gas and the problems we have here? If you're like most people in this country, you spend less than 10% of your income on feeding your family. Folks in countries like Malawi, Liberia and Burkina Faso have been spending about 75-80% of their income on food, but thanks to that gas increase you're whining about, 100% of their income (a few dollars a day) is now no longer enough, and they're dying from malnutrition.
If you don't care about these things, at least have the decency to not criticize the efforts of those who do. If you do care about these things, you should be proud of our N.C. Representatives for trying to help.