The Wanderlust of Rep. Jason Smith

by Pa Rock

Taxpayer

My congressman, a Republican from rural southeast Missouri by the name of Jason Smith (who probably prefers being referred to as House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith), likes to travel, especially on somebody else's dime.   During his freshman term in Congress, Jason went to South America with his good buddy, Rep. Aaron Schrock of Illinois, on a sweet little junket that included time for a trip to the beach in Brazil.  That ill-advised trip was paid for by the government of Brazil.   Receiving anything of value from foreign governments can lead to concerns that those governments are trying to purchase influence in the American Congress.

Last September Jason took a walk down memory lane when he again visited South America, this time as the head of a bi-partisan congressional delegation that met with leaders and important officials from several countries.  American taxpayers paid for that excursion.

As chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, Jason bragged about bringing government to the people, and he set up listening sessions around the country where he and his committee would go to hear the concerns of actual people who live out beyond the beltway.  Those sessions at least provided poor Jason (who brags about sleeping in his office when Congress is in session), with the opportunity to occasionally sleep in a more comfortable motel room.  Interestingly, the congressman does not do listening sessions or town halls in his own district.

(Do the congressmen who sleep in their offices pay tax on their employer-provided housing - like ordinary people would have to do?  Enquiring minds want to know.)

According to on-line news reports today, Jason Smith is about to set off on another excursion south of the border, this time to El Salvador.  The following snippet is from "Punchbowl News" this morning:

"Smith and a group of lawmakers are going on a codel over the House recess that includes a visit to the notorious El Salvador prison, CECOT, where the Trump administration has sent hundreds of migrants - including at least one wrongfully so.  DHS Secretary Kristi Noem also visited the prison in late March."

Secretary Noem's trip seemed to center around a photo op which showed her standing piously in front of an extremely large cage of prisoners, presumably the ones that the Trump administration snatched off of the streets of the United States.   It's probably a safe bet that there will soon be photos of Jason Smith and his traveling companions standing in front of the cages also.  Nothing says 'law and order' more forcefully than pictures of sanctimonious politicians looking down their noses at caged human beings.

That photo will look great on Jason's office wall, right next to the one of him standing behind Trump at his desk in the Oval Office, a perk that presumably all GOP members of congress get to do - if they are on Trump's 'good list'.    A good photo from the El Salvadoran prison might even qualify for inclusion in this year's Christmas card.   Nothing says "Happy Birthday, Jesus" more than a large cage of suffering  humanity.

And, on top of getting to lord it over several hundred sub-minimum wage roofers and field hands, El Salvador is also known for it beaches!  Oh, the taxpayer work that is going to be accomplished on that "codel."

(Who collects the travel rewards when politicians travel at taxpayer expense?  Enquiring minds want to know that, too!)

Enjoy your trip, Jason, and when you get back a "thank you" would be nice!  Also, the Supreme Court on a unanimous said that Maryland dad, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the man whom the Trump administration has admitted was deported by mistake, must be returned to the United States.  Maybe you all could earn admissions to heaven by giving the poor man a ride home.

(Pa Rock's word for the day:  "Codel:"  a parliamentary delegation or 'congressional delegation,' and an official visit abroad by a member or members of a legislature.    'Codel' should not be confused with 'junket' which means the same damned thing but is easier for voters and taxpayers to understand!)

Happy trails, Jason!