Perry Socks It To Texas Taxpayers

When it comes to spending money to help the people of Texas, Rick Perry is very stingy. His cuts to social programs, education, and any other service to help ordinary Texas have been enormous and hurtful. But Perry doesn't seem to have that same attitude when it comes to spending taxpayer money on himself. While the governor's mansion is being remodeled, the taxpayers are footing a bill of $10,000 a month to rent Perry a mansion to live in.

But even that is small potatoes when it comes to what the governor's security is costing the taxpayers. While those costs weren't too bad when he was in Texas, those costs have skyrocketed since he became a presidential candidate -- at least $400,000 a month. And he is the only Republican candidate with government paid security. Here's how the Texas Tribune puts it:


Available records show that spending on out-of-state travel has skyrocketed since Perry began crisscrossing the nation in pursuit of the Republican nomination.

Online reports from Comptroller Susan Combs show that the public safety department has spent more on out-of-state trips from September to mid-December of this year — more than $1.4 million — than it did in the entire 2011 fiscal year, when it spent $1.1 million.

The public safety department said last week that the governor’s security for out-of-state trips cost $486,904 in fiscal year 2011. A department spreadsheet shows that the agency spent more than $397,000 to protect the governor on trips in a single month, between Sept. 5 and Sept. 28this year.

That included $161,786 for airfare, $8,140 for baggage fees, $50,648.84 for food, $6,442.24 for fuel, $112,111.81 for lodging, $54,356.65 for rentals, $2,990.26 for parking and $1,238.57 in an unspecified “other” category.

There is no category or amount listed in the spreadsheet for overtime pay, which generally increase during out-of-state road trips.

Perry has tried to justify the skyrocketing expense of his taxpayer-paid security by saying he is representing the people of Texas when he travels out of state. But frankly, I don't think he's doing a very good job of representing Texas. He's been more of an embarrassment than anything else. As State Rep. Jessica Farrar of Houston says, "If he's promoting Texas, he's been an embarrassment. He could have paid for this out of campaign funds, especially given that he's asked the Texas taxpayers to tighten their belts."

I guess this shouldn't surprise any of us though. After all, this is a man who has made himself a millionaire even though he's never held a real job in his adult life, other than as an elected official. He's always been willing to use his elected offices to enrich himself, and soaking the taxpayer is just another facet of that.

(Thanks Marc, for tipping me to this story.)