As I'm writing this week's blog, I'm hovering somewhere over Kansas or Oklahoma. That's right - I'm venturing out of New Hampshire. I told you that I was going to use that economic stimulus check wisely and I didn't let the government down. Ten days on the west coast. Outside of the northeast. No more rain. No more cold.
I got my $900 stimulus check in the mail back in May and I bought a $350 dollar plane ticket that same afternoon. I've been dreaming about this for months.
And as much as I've been looking forward to the trip, I can't help but wondering (or worrying) what my credit card statement is going to look like at the end of all this. Food. Hotels. Gas in California (yikes!). It's not going to be pretty.
And this train of thought got me to thinking (because as a member of the Choose or Lose Street Team '08, I couldn't possibly go a week without pondering something political), if I'm worrying about how much I'm spending on the road, what ungodly amounts are John McCain and Barack Obama spending as they travel the campaign trail?
So, during my layover in Philadelphia, I did a little research.
Brace yourself.
According to numbers released in late July from Obama's most recent campaign finance report, he has spent over $29 million on travel alone. That doesn't include the $437,000 he has spent for "food/meetings" or the $13.6 million he has spent on campaign rallies at the various places he does travel.
Want some examples of how Obama is spending his dough? A few interesting items include:
- Chartered air travel for his campaign on Nov. 5, 2007: $464,587
- A hotel room at the La Quinta Inn in Greenville, S.C. on Jan. 4, 2008: $78
- A meal (or several) at All Star Pizza and More in Marietta, Ga. on May 18, 2007: $151
It sort of feels like you're poking around into someone else's online banking account.
Now, everyone knows that Obama has gobs of money to spend, right? I mean people are practically throwing money at him! But let's move on to John McCain.
Unlike his wealthier rival, John McCain has spent a measly $12.5 million on travel expenses since his campaign got off the ground (and then nearly died and then got back off the ground again.) Likewise, according to figures published in late July, he has spent only $133,000 on "food/meetings" and $2.5 million on campaign rallies.
In case you were wondering, here are a few of McCain's interesting expenditures:
- Back on June 4, 2007, the McCain campaign spent $2,050 on a room at 70 Park Avenue Hotel in New York, N.Y. (I guess that beats the La Quinta Inn.)
- On March 20, 2007, he spent $435 at the Waldorf Astoria in New York. (No wonder his campaign was nearly broke.)
- In New Hampshire on June 2, 2007, he spent over $1,000 for a car rental from Regal Limousine.
Well, it's apparent that these candidates are putting my travel budget to shame. I'm stuck flying coach while they are chartering planes and reserving rooms in ritzy hotels.
C'est la vie.
In case you're interested in these numbers and want to hear more (about how the candidates are spending their cash, not my vacation), visit this Web site: http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/index.php
Until then, fellow youth, do your own research. Come November, it will be your turn to choose or lose.