Politicians nickel-and-dime taxpayers

Check out this recent post at Policy Blog about the continuing flap over politicians wasting tax dollars on calendars to promote themselves.

Nathan Benefield provides several links to recent coverage of the wasteful spending, including a new story that says Lt. Gov. Catherine Baker Knoll also billed taxpayers for calendars.

"These calendars serve no purpose other than self-promotion," Benefield writes. "When I get a free calendar or giveway from a business, it is clear they want to promote themselves or a product they are selling. Same thing with lawmakers. Calendars are no different than a campaign mailer, only paid for by taxpayers. They are indefensible as an expenditure of state government."

Benefield expands the argument to show that these "little things" add up to big money in the state's $27 billion annual budget.