Tommy Sowers demands that Rep. Jo Ann Emerson reveal details of taxpayer-funded junkets

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User-submitted story by Jonathan Feifs

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Tommy Sowers

Rolla, MO (December 16, 2009)- Congressional candidate Tommy Sowers today demanded that Representative Jo Ann Emerson release details on a taxpayer-funded trip to Scotland that included fine dining in "decadent" restaurants, sightseeing and spa visits.

"She should tell it all and tell it now," Sowers said after the trip was detailed in a story today in the Wall Street Journal.

A link to the full Wall Street Journal Article can be found here: http://bit.ly/EmersonInWSJ.

"At a time when Missouri families are out of work and struggling to make ends meet, Representative Emerson has added insult to injury by taking their hard earned tax dollars and squandering them on this trip," Sowers said. "Emerson is tragically out of touch with the realities of life in southeastern Missouri. I demand, on behalf of the people of Missouri, that she release her full and complete itinerary as well as the full cost to the taxpayers of her portion of this Scotland trip.

"In addition, it appears that over the past five years she took similar junkets with the same group to Norway, Ukraine, Germany, Georgia, Belgium, Spain, France, Denmark, Slovenia and Italy. The taxpayers deserve a full accounting for those and any similar trips as well."

According to the article, Emerson and several other legislators, who were there to attend a five-day conference, stayed for only three days during which they "toured historic buildings ... shopped for Scotch whisky and visited the hotel spa." They also had dinner at a restaurant that describes itself as "decadent" on its own website. A London newspaper review of the restaurant said it is "the preferred destination for cash-flash celebrities." The Wall Street Journal said that legislators used their "own money" to buy dinner at the restaurant but that they were provided $118 per day in taxpayer's money for expenses.

A link to Rhubarb Restaurant where Rep. Emerson dined: http://bit.ly/EdinburghDinner.

Sowers said, "The cash Representative Emerson was flashing is ours. This is a complete and unconscionable waste of taxpayer money.

"This must stop. This trip by Representative Emerson shows a complete disconnect from the responsibilities of this job and the reality of this district. Jo Ann Emerson is leading a jet-setting celebrity lifestyle at the taxpayer's expense. Someone like her who was raised in DC might not see a problem with it, but it doesn't make sense here at home. People are hurting down here in southeastern Missouri, and they are ready for someone to finally start fighting for them."

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What is this guy's position on health care again? Oh yeah, he likes it. I'm not voting for another Obama Democrat. This fellow will be owned by Nancy Pelosi.

-- Posted by ResAdjudicata on Wed, Dec 16, 2009, at 10:25 PM
Hey Tommy, why don't you talk about issues instead of slinging mud. Where are you on Cap and Trade? Where are you on Card check? We already know where you stand on Health Care. I think you'll find that the people here don't appreciate liberal views.

-- Posted by smooth01 on Thu, Dec 17, 2009, at 6:55 AM
Yeah, but what is his position on:

--abortion

--government control of health care

--expansion of government

--Supreme Court appointees

--defense

--higher taxes

--cap and trade

--environmental control

--eminent domain

and all the favorite programs of Democrats. He's still a Democrat. The stuff in the article is peanuts compared to the spending in all the Democratic programs.

-- Posted by JD420 on Thu, Dec 17, 2009, at 8:37 AM
If this is all Tommy Sowers has on Jo Ann Emerson, I feel sorry for him. He himself is running more of a "celebrity" type campaign, flying off to Manhattan and affluent neighborhoods of St. Louis to fundraise when he is receiving very little actual support from THIS district.

If this campaign's foundation is digging into the use of taxpayer dollars only (which is all it has appeared to be so far) than he is a dissapointment to the Democratic party here in southern Missouri.

The issues? Taxes? Government run health care?(Oh wait, he is with PELOSI on this one) Energy taxes? Bringing September 11, 2001 mastermind to the USA to be tried, bringing GITO detainees to Illinois? We are still waiting Mr. Sowers!!

-- Posted by aden102389 on Thu, Dec 17, 2009, at 9:33 AM
While we are making demands, I demand to know where Sowers stands on a single issue.

I have logged onto his website and on the "issues" section he does not give his stance on a single issue. How does this guy think he is going to get any votes without giving us his stance on the issues???

The only thing I can tell from his website is that he does not lack in the self confidence department.

-- Posted by Bill63701 on Thu, Dec 17, 2009, at 9:40 AM
This article is interesting. It is not a news article, but it is an article from the Sowers organization. It appears he is using this function on the SE Missourian to get free campaign ads. The author, Jonathan Feifs, is not a private citizen, but a spokesman for the Sowers organization.

-- Posted by JD420 on Thu, Dec 17, 2009, at 10:40 AM
JD420:

Thanks for letting me know who the Feifs guy is. Now that I know he is just an agent of the Sowers campaign I can discount what he writes as propaganda.

Unbelievable...

-- Posted by Bill63701 on Thu, Dec 17, 2009, at 11:00 AM
I agree with what Bill said. Here is proof that there is no platform in Mr. Sowers campaign. Have a look for yourself.

http://www.sowersforcongress.com/issues

-- Posted by aden102389 on Thu, Dec 17, 2009, at 2:23 PM
Well, Tommy's campaign manager, who is another East Coaster who has never even bothered to vote in Missouri, makes demands on behalf of the citizens of the 8th District. Why don't you at least vote in the district before making demands? Tommy's website issues: Duty, Accountability and Responsibility. Maybe rather than participating in extensive NATO parliamentary conferences and succeeding with others in getting NATO countries to make an increased commitment to Afghanistan, Jo Ann should adopt her own feel good issues. How about truth, justice and the American way?

-- Posted by VIKED on Thu, Dec 17, 2009, at 5:43 PM
It's been a long time since I've been to a "decadent" restaurant. That is if you count Red Lobster as "decadent".

That Emerson is prone to party hearty on the taxpayer's dime is no suprise. It seemed to me her speech was a bit slurred a couple of years ago at the Lincoln Day Dinner in Rolla. Maybe she had gone scotch shopping to 'pre-party'. Or maybe it was my imagination. Of course, that was pre-bailout, so I was giving her the benefit of the doubt.

In any case, it seems to me that if Emerson can fly off to Europe to a "conference" with an entourage of gophers on the taxpayer's tab and then go to decadent restaurants and spas even at her own expense, we surely must be paying her way too much.

As for Sowers, I think others have already settled his hash.

-- Posted by Audit The Fed on Thu, Dec 17, 2009, at 10:19 PM
..."James Thomson's grand hotel has a restaurant to match the sprawling decadence of this restored country house." -from the hotel website. That's the only decadence I found about that restaurant, besides...how can a country house possess "sprawling decadence" ? Sounds like the hotel website creator took a class in creative "marketing", that's all...plus, Sowers may have some class envy issues or other socio-economic status hang-ups. I agree Rep Emerson should disclose all the details...and shame on her if the first class treatment got to her head, we're all guilty of getting a little crazy while on vacations - she just did it while traveling for the people...or so they say. I really think it's just the crowd that Jo Ann has been running with these last few years - let's all hope she comes back to reality soon. Still, it aint no Maison Blanche...that place is ultra-decadence...

http://www.maison-blanche.fr/

-- Posted by jacksonjazzman on Fri, Dec 18, 2009, at 8:30 AM
I agree with "Just__Me" and IF you want solid facts check http://www.electbobparker.com/

-- Posted by bobli on Sat, Feb 20, 2010, at 1:38 PM

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