Party animals at TSA spent a HALF MILLIONS DOLLARS on blow-out

[Rose Siding]

WASHINGTON (AP) - The government agency in charge of airport security spent nearly a half-million dollars on an awards ceremony at a lavish hotel, including $81,000 for plaques and $500 for cheese displays, according to an internal report obtained by The Associated Press.

Awards were presented to 543 Transportation Security Administration employees and 30 organizations, including a "lifetime achievement award" for one worker with the 2-year-old agency. Almost $200,000 was spent on travel and lodging for attendees.

The investigation by the Homeland Security Department's inspector general, Clark Kent Ervin, also found the TSA gave its senior executives bonuses averaging $16,000, higher than at any other federal government agency, and failed to provide adequate justification in more than a third of the 88 cases examined.
............
The awards banquet, which cost $461,745, was held at the Grand Hyatt, which bills itself as "one of the most magnificent" hotels in the nation's capital. According to the report, the agency chose that site because it was the only hotel available on Nov. 19, 2003, the agency's second anniversary. It also was one of the few places that could accommodate about 600 honorees and as many guests.

While the inspector general noted the agency sought competitive bids for the party planner and chose the company with the lowest estimate, it found the "costs of the ceremony and reception were higher than necessary."

The event planning company, MarCom Group Inc. of Fairfax, Va., was paid $85,552 for its work and given an additional $81,767 for plaques, $5,196 for official photographs, $1,486 for three balloon arches and $1,509 for signs.

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20041014/D85N6DH81.html

Happy Days Are Here Again...:(

[Bunny]

1. The best part is the Lifetime Achievement Award to an employee at the

two-year old agency! Now that takes some chutzpah!!

[JHB]

2. Someone blew the whistle they were eating cheese.

Otherwise, it follows Accepted (by Bush) Budgetary Practices.

[ET Awful]

3. LOL . . . the way that title displayed on my laptop screen . . .

I couldn't see the "-out" at the end :)

It said they spent half a million dollars on blow. LOL.

I was going to ask if Bush was there for the party :)