Congressman Billy Long's Tax Payer Funded Office Photo Project

Remember how Congressional Candidate Billy Long complained how the liberals were bankrupting this country? For the life of me I can't figure out how Billy Long is saving us from bankruptcy. Every time I turn around I see his name associated with wasteful government spending from appropriating funds to sponsor NASCAR teams to having one of the highest paid Congressional staffs of all freshmen Congressmen. This next story really gets me.

Billy Long loves to tweet how much money the Democrats are costing us in Washington. I don't disagree, but the problem is Billy Long thinks out of his ass and doesn't do much saving himself. His Congressional newsletter gives another fine example.

The 7th District is made up of ten unique counties that contain many natural wonders and historical sites that contribute to rich and interesting communities and cultures. To celebrate the beauty and diversity of the Ozarks, I am holding a contest on my website to choose Ozark landmarks from each county that will be professionally photographed and displayed in my Washington, D.C. office.

Oh the embellishment of the blah 7th District! Other than lake country, there's not much to see from Marshfield to Joplin. Apparently Billy Long believes there is--so much he appears to be hiring a professional photographer at tax payer expense to photograph places in all ten counties. Professional photography services aren't cheap. This little project may sound harmless but it could cost taxpayers thousands of dollars.

Why not ask high school students to take pictures of their favorite Southwest Missouri landmarks and send pictures to Long's office for consideration? That would save tax money and these high school kids would have the a memory of their picture hanging in a Congressional office. Or how about asking amateur photographers across the Ozarks to join in? Once again minimal investment from the taxpayer.

We are nearing $16 trillion, and if we are going to make a dent in it, expenditures big and small must be eliminated. Congressman Long doesn't seem to understand this, but you can be sure he will tell a lot of people he is still fed up this year all the way to November.