[Default] On Mon, 20 May 2013 16:58:03 -0400, while chained to a desk
in the scriptorium Dave Smith <
adavid...@sympatico.ca> wrote:
> $On 20/05/2013 1:50 PM, John Fleming wrote:
> $>
> $> Just listening to the segment on the Senate expense account scandal.
> $> Yes, Duffy should fry. Sounds like Wallin will be next into the
> $> frying pan.
> $>
> $> The whole issue got me thinking, especially in the context of only one
> $> Member of Pariiament ever making her expense claims public.
> $>
> $> I'm willing to bet Duffy, Wallin and Brazeau are only the tip of the
> $> iceberg. Further, if a detailed audit was done of the expense
> $> accounts of all Members of Parliament--both Senate and House of
> $> Commons--we'd find a lot of rot. Further, I expect we'd find members
> $> of all the major parties in Parliament--Conservitive, Liberal, NDP and
> $> BQ--with their fingers in the cookie jar.
> $>
> $> I think the best way to clean up the rot is to make it mandatory for
> $> all Members of Parliament to (a) publish the details of their expense
> $> accounts and (b) have their account audited *every* year.
> $>
> $> Parliament has to come clean.
> $
> $
> $That should not be necessary. They are supposed to be people who can be
> $entrusted to pass legislation for the benefit of the people of the
> $country
If Mr. Duffy and Mr Brazeau and (possibly) Ms. Wallin are any
indication, they can't be trusted with public funds without some kind
of independent oversight. The three mention are the ones who, so far,
have been caught. I'm willing to bet there are more where they came
from, and the only reason they have got away with it is because
government auditing (or lack thereof) is letting them fly under the
radar.
> $If they are found to be thieves and liars they should be fired.
> $They are not to be trusted in Parliament or in the Senate. I worked
> $for a provincial ministry and had a provincial gas credit card. The
> $rules were quite simple. They were to be used only for fuel for ministry
> $vehicles, and ministry vehicles were for ministry used for ministry
> $business. One guy in our district got caught using his card to put some
> $gas in his personal vehicle. He was not given the chance to pay back the
> $money. Nor did someone upper management pay it back for him. He was
> $fired. If they can fire one of the lowest paid on the rung over $20
> $worth of gas, it seems appropriate that someone with a 6 figure income
> $who screwed the government out of $90,000 should face at least the same
> $penalty.