January 5, 2007, - 12:05 pm
The Candy Desk: The Cheap, Mooching Millionaires of the U.S. Senate Seek Free Sweets
By Debbie Schlussel
The front page of today’s Wall Street Journal bears an extensive article about how U.S. Senators are trying to figure out a way to get free candy. Really. I’m not kidding.
The story is about “The Candy Desk,” the desk on the floor of the U.S. Senate that belonged to defeated Senator Republican Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania. It is close to the door of the Senate chamber, and Santorum–being from the state of Hershey–got free candy from the Hershey Company and Just Born, Inc. (maker of Hot Tamales and Peanut Chews).
His desk was filled with candy, and the cheap millionaires of the Senate would always raid the desk for the candy. This is apparently a tradition begun by the late Senator George Murphy, in 1965, according to the U.S. Senate’s official website (WSJ reporter Sarah Lueck was in error, reporting it was 1968–but her article is very insightful regarding the absurdities of Senate moochers).
But, now, since Santorum’s gone, Senators are controlled by ethics rules barring U.S. Senators from getting more than $100 in free gifts from others. Since Santorum was from Pennsylvania, he fell under an exception to the rule, which allows Senators to exceed the dollar limit for products produced in their home states.
New Pennsylvania Senator Casey’s desk is too close to the middle of the Senate floor to allow him to have the candy desk. The new occupant, Republican Senator Craig Thomas of Wyoming. And his candy-selling constituents can’t afford to send the 400 pounds of free candy per year that Santorum got from Hershey et al, which was consumed by fat and happy (and apparently cheap) U.S. Senators. (100 gluttonous U.S. Senators consumed the equivalent of 38,000 Hershey’s kisses a year–or 3,800 kisses each.)
Two-thirds of the U.S. Senate are millionaires. They all make about $160,000 per year and get allowances for cars, gas, travel, a free office, and office staff.
And these people need free candy?! Come on. That they are spending so much time and energy to figure out how to get free candy–so much so that it’s a Wall Street Journal front-pager–should tell you a lot about why they never get anything good done, why they are out of touch with America on big issues like immigration, and why America is in trouble.
Yes, America. You’re country is being run by cheap, mooching millionaires wasting a lot of time figuring out how to get free candy.
Candy Desk for Elected Candy Asses.
Tags: America, Candy Asses, Candy Desk, Casey, Craig Thomas, energy, George Murphy, Hershey, Hershey Company, Just Born Inc., Pennsylvania, reporter, Rick Santorum, Sarah Lueck, Senate, Senator, United States Senate, USD, Wall Street Journal, Wyoming
Who paid for Reagan’s jelly beans?
EminemsRevenge on January 5, 2007 at 1:59 pm