government

No More Luxury Stays For Chinese Officials

Filed under: Wealth

All around the world governments are cracking down on spending. Most recently it was members of the Chinese government who got in trouble for a junket. The Daily Telegraph says that 14 officials from the southern province of Guangdong ended up in one of the flashiest hotels in the world, the seven-star Burj al-Arab in Dubai. The stay at the hotel was part of a two-week tour around Africa and the Middle East that reportedly included a trip to buy diamonds. Chinese bloggers exposed the story and now the leader of the trip has lost his job and has to repay costs that work out to around $65,000.

These trips seem to be a persistent problem in China much as they are elsewhere as government waste exists in all places. Last December, officials from Zhejiang spent around $95,000 on a trip to the U.S. and officials from Xinyu spent around $48,000 on a trip to Canada. China's economy is in the doldrums too and so Beijing has issued new rules which require politicians to set an example of modest fiscal behavior. Expense accounts have been restricted and there is also a freeze on building new government offices.

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Tags: burj al arab, BurjAlArab, china, dubai, government

Pricey Rug For The Governor's Mansion Causes Controversy In New York

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Government watchers are up in arms in New York about a $21,000 antique Turkish rug from Stark Carpet which was shipped to the Governor's Mansion in Albany, New York this summer. This news was recently revealed after stern warnings from Governor David Paterson to state agencies to cut spending as budget deficits in the state have soared to $2 billion this year alone. The Office of General Services says the purchase was part of routine maintenance on the historic mansion. But some are angry, feeling that it shows government waste. The AP also says that the Texas House of Representatives ordered about $140,000 in items for its lounge, including antique chandeliers and big screen televisions.

Gallery: Tales of Excess

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Tags: government, governors mansion, GovernorsMansion, new york, NewYork

The Bush Administration Gets Pricey Gifts

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Celebrity Shopping

The official record of gifts given to President Bush last year reveals that he got some very luxurious gifts. The top gifts include an $11,000 Cartier Santos Dumont watch, given to Bush in April 2006 by Thailand's prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra and a pair of black leather Hungarian riding boots stitched with an off-white leather "W" from Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany. Bush has also received more standard gifts such as silver plates, cufflinks and vases.

The President isn't the only one hauling in the gifts, the First Lady received a silver sculpture from a Mexican governor, a cashmere shawl, silk scarves and many books and jewelry items last year. Condoleezza Rice has gotten gifts of white gold and diamond jewelry from Saudi King Abdullah worth a total of $32.000 in 2006. Saudi Arabia also doled out gifts to gifts to Vice President Dick Cheney, Cheney's wife and members of Cheney's staff, and various members of the State Department. Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, also ggot a a Cartier watch from the attorney general's office in Qatar.

The National Archives and Records Administration stores gifts to the president, the vice president and member of their families. The AP reports that under a 2006 rule, recipients may not keep gifts from foreign officials that are worth more than $305 but they are accepted on behalf of the American people.

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Tags: george bush, GeorgeBush, government, laura bush, politics