Speaking of flaccid (see post below), here's an account of lifestyles of the corrupt and arrogant, focusing on one Tom DeLay. Tom's still staring at significant time in the Gray Bar Hotel (and with news that good buddy Jack is about to cut a deal, maybe even more time--hopefully with a roomie nicknamed "Tiny").
However, regardless of whether Bug Man gets zapped, his recent past is a testament to the kind of relentless greed--greed that is the true center of his religion (NOT Christianity, as he claims)...greed that, in times past, marked one for derision and scorn, not praise:
Over the past six years, the former House majority leader or his associates have visited places of luxury most Americans have never seen, often getting there aboard corporate jets arranged by lobbyists and other special interests.
Public documents reviewed by The Associated Press tell the story: at least 48 visits to golf clubs and resorts with lush fairways; 100 flights aboard company planes; 200 stays at hotels, many world-class; and 500 meals at restaurants, some averaging nearly $200 for a dinner for two.
The meals and trips for DeLay and his associates were paid with donations collected by the campaign committees, political action committees and children's charity the Texas Republican created during his rise to a top spot in Congress.
Put them together and a picture of an opulent lifestyle emerges...
AP's review found DeLay's various organizations spent at least $1 million over the past six years on top hotels, restaurants, golf resorts and corporate jet flights for their boss and his associates.
The spending shows how political power can buy access to the lifestyles of the rich and famous. While it's illegal for a lawmaker to tap political donations for a family vacation, it is legal to spend it in luxury if the stated purpose is raising more money or talking politics...
The destinations for DeLay or his political team include a Ritz-Carlton hotel in Jamaica; the Prince Hotel in Hapuna Beach, Hawaii; the Michelangelo Hotel in New York; the Wyndham El Conquistador Resort & Golden Door Spa in Fajardo, Puerto Rico; and the Phoenician Resort in Scottsdale, Ariz.
There's also the Ritz-Carlton in Naples, Fla., offering "dazzling views of the Gulf of Mexico, warm golden sunsets and three miles of pristine beach," plus golf, a spa, goose-down comforters, marble bathrooms and private, ocean-view balconies. Rooms cost from about $389 to more than $3,000 a night in December, the month DeLay's PAC spent $4,570 on lodging there in 2004.
"He liked to talk to people," said Pedro Muriel, a waiter at Puerto Rico's El Conquistador Resort. Muriel recalled DeLay staying in an enclave of privately owned red tile-roofed villas.
The villas have up to three bedrooms, kitchens, living rooms and French doors that open onto terraces or balconies facing the Caribbean. Villa prices average about $1,300 a night.
Guests get their own butlers. The resort offers six swimming pools and an 18-hole championship golf course.
DeLay's donors also have financed visits to country clubs and tournament-quality golf courses, including the exclusive Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, N.J., site of this summer's PGA Championship; Nemacolin Woodlands Resort in Farmington, Pa., home of another PGA event; and Harbour Town Golf Links, a course at Hilton Head Island, S.C., that was designed in consultation with Jack Nicklaus.
"World class. Dynamic. Luxury resort. Spend a day, spend a week, spend a lifetime," another DeLay fundraising spot, the ChampionsGate golf resort near Orlando, Fla., invites on its Web site.
Dining at fine restaurants also is routine. The stops for DeLay and his associates include Morton's of Chicago, where the average dinner for two goes for about $170 before tax and tip, and "21" in Manhattan, a longtime glamour spot where American caviar is $38 for a taste.
When DeLay wants to head somewhere without the hassle of commercial travel, he often asks a company for its jet and uses donations to pay for it.
Dozens of businesses have lent DeLay their planes, including tobacco companies UST, RJ Reynolds, and Philip Morris, plus energy concerns such as El Paso, Panda, Reliant and Dynegy.
R.J. Reynolds has let DeLay use a company plane at least nine times since 1999, once joining Philip Morris in making jets available for a DeLay PAC fundraiser at a Puerto Rican resort in winter 2002. R.J. Reynolds spokesman David Howard said planes are lent usually at lawmakers' request and are only done if jets aren't needed for company business.
"It's much more convenient as opposed to your regular commercial travel," Howard said, noting there is no need to go through airport security.
More convenient...but nothing can keep the Bug Man from looking like a wuss:
Thanks to Cursor for the story and pic.
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