FACTS:
* ’04 to ’06 was a 19% Decrease in Cost, not a 248% Increase
Obama Administration figures claimed that a 248% WRC increase occurred between conferences in 2004 and 2006 under the Bush Administration. While the Obama Administration claimed that the 2004 conference cost only $93,000, figures from GSA indicate that the actual cost was $401,024. Instead of costs going up 248% between 2004 and 2006, as had been claimed, costs were actually reduced - from $401,024 in 2004 to $323,855 in 2006 - a 19% decrease in cost.
* Lavish GSA Partying and Waste in 2010 Drove Huge Cost Increases from Previous Conventions
What Americans have perhaps found most outrageous about the 2010 Las Vegas convention haven’t been the hotel room costs, or the travel costs, or even the planning costs - though there were problems with all three - but rather other outrageous expenses: a mind reader, a $75,000 bike building exercise, costume rentals, and lavish partying. It’s perhaps no wonder then that the category GSA refers to as “other event costs" billed taxpayers for 312% more than any previous GSA WRC convention.
“Other Event Costs" category for GSA WRC conventions:
2004 - $10,567
2006 - $32,863
2008 - $45,859
2010 - $188,826
* Excluding travel, cost of Obama GSA convention more than doubled any previous WRC convention
While airfares can vary as destinations and the price of oil change, examining the costs of WRC conventions excluding “event travel costs" reveals the extent of lavish spending on the 2010 Las Vegas convention and the “planning" that occurred beforehand. In Las Vegas 2010, such costs were 119% higher than the 2008 convention in New Orleans and 260% higher than the 2006 convention in Oklahoma City.
Convention cost excluding event travel:
2004 - $169,387
2006 - $142,535
2008 - $234,463
2010 - $513,465
