My newest column at American Issues Project is up, a follow-up to my last column about gross government spending. Congress may have caved to public pressure and dumped the Gulfstreams, but they haven’t changed their stripes:

The 11-day trip began in New Zealand, where they watched fireworks at midnight. Then they headed to the South Pole, where they saw penguins and visited McMurdo station. From the South Pole, they flew to Australia, where some snorkeled and others took shallow reef dives. On the last day of their trip, they stopped in Hawaii where they stayed at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. Its website describes it as “an icon of luxury and romance”. Surely they picked up lots of great tips on climate change there. Rep. Baird, the leader of this little expedition, insists it wasn’t for recreational purposes, saying, “Are there members of Congress who take trips somewhat recreationally? Perhaps. Is this what this trip was about? Absolutely not.”

Of course, this trip isn’t out of the norm. Other trips included destinations such as the Paris Air Show, and Rep. Baird also visited the Galapagos Islands within the last six months. How much these trips end up costing taxpayers is unclear, as flight expenses are not made public. The climate change world tour, for example, was said to cost $103,000. But with flight expenses figured in, the tab skyrockets to over $500,000.

Be sure to read the whole thing.