Calling John Galt

By the fact that Congress is spending like crazy, on JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING…  Weren’t these overseas junckets seen as wasteful and ineffective less than two years ago?  Who would have guessed that things have changed.

The cost of so-called congressional delegations, known among lawmakers as “codels,” has risen nearly 70% since 2005, when an influence-peddling scandal led to a ban on travel funded by lobbyists, according to the data.

Lawmakers say that the trips are a good use of government funds because they allow members of Congress and their staff members to learn more about the world, inspect U.S. assets abroad and forge better working relationships with each other. The travel, for example, includes official visits to American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.