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Post by abbd on Oct 21, 2006 6:09:04 GMT -6
If you know of other public bodies using taxpayer money to party and eat with please feel free to post it.
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dd
New Member
Posts: 22
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Post by dd on Oct 21, 2006 6:24:23 GMT -6
I can't answer because I've never been invited but I bet we throw one hell of a party for the council during Mardi Gras.
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Post by abbd on Oct 21, 2006 9:24:21 GMT -6
Hmmmm you right dd, I haven't been invited either. Maybe some of the ruling class (or should I say annointed ones) who are invited would stoop to our peasant level and give us a hint. Bet some of those (hehehehehe) conservative (hehehehehe) republicans(ya know the ones that write letters and editorials in the daily fishwrap endorsing MORE taxes and BIGGER government) here in lafayette have surely wined and dined on our dime huh? Oh well please vote anyway cuz ignorance of an issue has never stopped lots of people in our area from voting before.
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Post by SB on Oct 21, 2006 21:58:36 GMT -6
I have been to political-type parties and the party throwers always pitched in and divided the cost. Why??? Paying for parties...oops.....celebrations (food, alcohol, the related expenses) with taxpayer $$$ is prohibited! I know for a fact that the LCG underlings all pitch in $$$ or have a pot-luck for any celebrations that may be thrown. They all use their lunch hours to have said celebrations. I have contributed to plenty of those as well.
Iberia & St. Mary parishes do not have taxpayer sponsored celebrations. The employees pay their own way.
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Post by abbd on Oct 22, 2006 4:54:22 GMT -6
sb, are you try to tell me that the local government did not spend taxpayer money on parties? Are you telling me that the daily fish wrap was wrong? Help me here please.
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Post by SB on Oct 22, 2006 10:22:31 GMT -6
Oh no, absolutely not. I have never been invited to THAT party, just some other governmental agencies and some of the LCG underlings parties that occurred on the same floor of my office. They have admitted to using taxpayer money for their urrrr....celebration.
I was just saying that there are other departments in LCG that pay their own way. I didn't work for LCG (thank God! I managed to work for a different governmental agency). I used to manage a $100,000+ budget government (state & local) and I am very familiar with the rules associated with spending public funds. They are absolutely violating the law with their meals and "celebrations".
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Post by SB on Oct 22, 2006 10:28:04 GMT -6
Let me add that just because they can get an opinion interpreting the law in their favor, doesn't mean that it isn't against the law. That sounds confusing, but you can get 10 different opinions as to what the law means and still not have the original intention of the law. You just have someone's opinion. It is spelled out very clearly in the state travel guidelines what are acceptable practices concerning meals, celebrations, alcohol purchases, and gifts.
What I am trying to say is one Auditor may not care (ie the 2002 opinion cited), but the next one might have a different opinion. It really is all about who you know and CYA!
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Post by abbd on Oct 22, 2006 15:31:02 GMT -6
Oh, don't I know that about legal opinions, my son is a lawyer. We have very real arguments about what is "the law" and what is moral or fair and equitable, there's a big difference in the two sad to say. Like he always tells me....sorry dad but that's the law, if you wanna change go ahead and have a go.
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Post by SB on Oct 22, 2006 21:48:46 GMT -6
I feel your pain, man!!!! I have been told that by plenty of lawyers too.  |
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Post by April on Oct 23, 2006 17:00:39 GMT -6
It seems to me that our state Constitution , Article 7, Section 14 would prohibit most of this nonsense. Buying beads from China to throw to the masses. Sounds like a watered down version of Roman debauchery. Were I a council member who rides in a float, i believe I would buy my own throws.
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Post by SB on Oct 26, 2006 21:20:35 GMT -6
Nick, I have said that on another forum. Slim is concerned about being in the company of the council. He is very picky about who he hangs out with!!! ;D
It does seem that most of this is prohibited by the Constitution, but there are opinions out there that support some of this wasteful spending. The only reason they have been getting away with it is because no one has been checking. They have an audit every year that goes to the Legislative Auditors office, but unless there are GLARING issues in the findings, nothing is even looked at. Basically it is up to us to report misappropriation of funds.
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