Another day, another report of controversy involving Scott Pruitt. And while there isn’t any shortage of news about Pruitt’s grifting ways, it doesn’t seem likely that he’ll ever face any real accountability for his actions, even if trump fires him.
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I quite suspect $1,560 must surely be near the bottom of the many questionable expenses of Scott Pruitt’s aides. This feels like reaching.
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…that you refill with crude oil.
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This is brilliant! What could be better for the environment? Almost anyone who has a $130 dollar pen is going to hang on to it. Think of all the disposable pens that are lost or misplaced. Such expensive pens will really pay off in the long run.
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Alternatively…
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Uh. I’m not going to expect them to use a $1 plastic bic pen as a gift. So a modest number of gift sets seems a reasonable use of tax payer funds.
An imaginary example, but if the mayor of an international city formally visits the EPA and meets to discuss plans and insights or even just to establish a friendly exchange of information, I think it’s reasonable to offer some token memento of the visit at the office of the EPA’s own discretion.
Some kind of reasonable price ranges should be established for diplomatic gifts based on position. If it was a $1300 gold coin as a “gift” then yea, that’d be problematic. But $130? it’s really about the volume of such gifts.
I’m not really sure why everyone is so keen on playing armchair beancounter when we ignore the tremendous corporate subsidies, military spending, foreign aid with questionable utility, etc.
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This is the Trump administration, and Scott Pruit specifically. There is no reason to assume normal government procedure was followed.
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They bought the pens at an upscale DC jewelry store called The Tiny Jewel Box on Connecticut Avenue. It’s in the same block as the infamous Mayflower Hotel.
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I hate this doofus. I hate this administration.
But as the owner of multiple 100+ dollar fountain pens my reaction to this was ‘oh that’s actually pretty reasonable I wonder if it’s a well regarded brand’.
And… it is - reasonable. Anything custom made is going to start at 100 bucks and only go up. Companies pay for this kind of thing all the time - it’s how some custom pen makers - make a living.
That said - putting his signature on them is a crass fucking move that reeks of ego tripping and ruins the value of the pen.
my two cents anyway - at least it wasn’t tens of thousands of dollars worth of furniture.
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Has anyone said otherwise.
In case you missed the point, fountain pens != drinking water fountains.
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a reasonable price, sure. Who are you arguing against there?
A reasonable expense?
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An imaginary example, but if the mayor of an international city formally visits the EPA and meets to discuss plans and insights or even just to establish a friendly exchange of information, I think it’s reasonable to offer some token memento of the visit at the office of the EPA’s own discretion.
Yeah, I don’t. What a waste of MY money, the taxes I pay. They came to discuss making the world a better place, that’s it. Jerking each other off with gifts is bullshit and should stop.
I’m not really sure why everyone is so keen on playing armchair beancounter when we ignore the tremendous corporate subsidies, military spending, foreign aid with questionable utility, etc.
Because it’s possible to be concerned about both, just as we are concerned with a $720 billion dollar defense budget at the same time we worry about $900 toilet seats for bombers.
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Great “Wait for it” connection.
Maybe EPA agents are actually up to good (behind the backs of the President and Corporate America), and Pruitt’s super villain preening is an elaborate disguise/distraction, and these expensive pens are stealthy weapons to help environmental ninjas wage secret war against polluters.
Maybe? Please? Ok, nurse i take pill and sleep now. Wake me for snack time
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Because unlike the case for corporations, this is OUR money. Paid for from our taxes. Which is why typically the government tends to be “penny wise and pound foolish.” My office used to have a corner of the wall to wall carpet that was not glued down so that every year, you could peel it up and check the inventory tag on it to make sure that nobody had stolen it. They are still very concerned about the possibility of somebody stealing by excessing equipment and then dumpster diving for it.
I’m pretty sure why ‘everyone’ is so keen on playing armchair invalidator…
but sure, your opinion on the opinion of others on the behavior of public officials is ever bit as important as their opinion on the behavior of public officials.
Thanks for being a strong check on the citizenry, you’ve done good work here today.
A $130 pen set is not a $900 toilet seat. my point is that people lack context to understand the scale to make good judgments on these things.
I would argue that a non-partisan organization evaluate and establish standards for what spending is reasonable and what is unreasonable. As my experience shows most laypeople don’t know what they are talking about. Example: my parents vote down every property tax increase in their village, but then complain there are no books at the schools and nothing for kids in town to do except cause trouble.
What better way to destroy it than to spend it do death. Stupid AND fun. [Lord, I hate this administration]
An embossed letter would serve the same function at a fraction of the cost and look way better on the wall to boot.
I’d send a Platinum Preppy (MSRP about $3.50 USD) and a letter. And save $120 per recipient.
