Biden's Amtrak "Per Diems" Exceed Palins

Okay, it's travel not a Per Diem - but maybe Americans might like to know who foots the bill for Joe Biden's AMTRAK ride. Gee, couldn't he stay in DC for a couple grand a month? Or do we foot the bill for some of those nights, as well? via OpenSecrets h/t commenter LaLa

AMTRAK Wilmington, DE $336 February 01, 2007 Travel
AMTRAK Wilmington, DE $399 February 02, 2007 Travel
AMTRAK Wilmington, DE $129 February 02, 2007 Travel
AMTRAK Wilmington, DE $54 February 02, 2007 Travel
AMTRAK Wilmington, DE $28 February 07, 2007 Travel
AMTRAK Wilmington, DE $64 February 08, 2007 Travel
AMTRAK Wilmington, DE $376 February 09, 2007 Travel
AMTRAK Wilmington, DE $266 February 11, 2007 Travel
AMTRAK Wilmington, DE $193 February 12, 2007 Travel

Update: To be clear - this is election travel expense data. But it gives a general idea of what Biden's AMTRAK travel costs run. And some of them require some explanation - perhaps buying multiple tickets in advance on the same day?

AMTRAK Wilmington, DE $500 April 01, 2007 Travel
AMTRAK Wilmington, DE $460 April 01, 2007 Travel
AMTRAK Wilmington, DE $426 April 01, 2007 Travel
AMTRAK Wilmington, DE $338 April 01, 2007 Travel
AMTRAK Wilmington, DE $258 April 01, 2007 Travel
AMTRAK Wilmington, DE $252 April 01, 2007 Travel
AMTRAK Wilmington, DE $241 April 01, 2007 Travel
AMTRAK Wilmington, DE $232 April 01, 2007 Travel
AMTRAK Wilmington, DE $232 April 01, 2007 Travel
AMTRAK Wilmington, DE $232 April 01, 2007 Travel
AMTRAK Wilmington, DE $230 April 01, 2007 Travel
AMTRAK Wilmington, DE $224 April 01, 2007 Travel
AMTRAK Wilmington, DE $202 April 01, 2007 Travel
AMTRAK Wilmington, DE $190 April 01, 2007 Travel
AMTRAK Wilmington, DE $169 April 01, 2007 Travel
AMTRAK Wilmington, DE $108 April 01, 2007 Travel
AMTRAK Wilmington, DE $101 April 01, 2007 Travel
AMTRAK Wilmington, DE $101 April 01, 2007 Travel
AMTRAK Wilmington, DE $101 April 01, 2007 Travel
AMTRAK Wilmington, DE $101 April 01, 2007 Travel
AMTRAK Wilmington, DE $101 April 01, 2007 Travel
AMTRAK Wilmington, DE $101 April 01, 2007 Travel
AMTRAK Wilmington, DE $101 April 01, 2007 Travel
AMTRAK Wilmington, DE $101 April 01, 2007 Travel
AMTRAK Wilmington, DE $90 April 01, 2007 Travel
AMTRAK Wilmington, DE $90 April 01, 2007 Travel
AMTRAK Wilmington, DE $90 April 01, 2007 Travel
AMTRAK Wilmington, DE $82 April 01, 2007 Travel
AMTRAK Wilmington, DE $54 April 01, 2007 Travel
AMTRAK Wilmington, DE $54 April 01, 2007 Travel
AMTRAK Wilmington, DE $-10 April 01, 2007 Travel
AMTRAK Wilmington, DE $-64 April 01, 2007 Travel

Comments

[WAHOO WILLIE]

Well he *was* going back to take care of his kids after his wife was killed....but aren't they all grown now?

[SacTownMan]

My wife commutes on Amtrak daily (100miles)from Sacramento to Oakland for her job and her entire monthly rail pass is under $400.00!

Just how far is his commute that it justifies such a huge expense?

[JustADude]

I have read that Biden was spending 6 hours a day in congress and then 4 hours a day on the train.

[Steven Den Beste]

APRIL FOOLS!!!

(How can a ticket have a negative price, by the way?)

[Neo]

Obama gets personal .. don't let it get ugly.

"You can put lipstick on a pig, it's still a pig."

Everybody take a deep breath while Obama destroys himself.

[Lala]

"Biden even has a family connection to Amtrak. His younger son, Hunter, is a lobbyist and the vice chairman of Amtrak's board of directors, having been nominated to a five-year term on the board by President Bush in 2006."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/01/AR2008090102391.html

I wonder if Amtrak board members get free travel for themselves and family members. I know employees who do, not sure if parents are eligible.

Off the subject but when the Kennedy clan used to fly New York to W. Palm Beach they bought the cheapest coach tickets possible and then wrangled their way into First Class. Even Rose did it.

[JustOneMan]

Come on Dan...Joey Hairplugs is just an average blue collar commuter...of course that blue collar is on his $500 hand made, custom, Egyption Cotton, Italian sewed blue shirt....with the initials JB on the cuffs of course!

[Worst President Ever]

Funny you should bring up the per diem thing, cause it looks like Ms. Palin - the one of the Bridge to Nowhere Flip Flop - seems to have been charging the state for nights she spend in her own house. NOW there's some change you can believe in.

"Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has billed taxpayers for 312 nights spent in her own home during her first 19 months in office, charging a "per diem" allowance intended to cover meals and incidental expenses while traveling on state business"

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/08/AR2008090803088.html?hpid=topnews

[Lala]

WEP

you're not keeping up, that was discredited this morning.

[seekeronos]

Methinks we, the People, are getting fleeced by one Mr. Joey "The Hair Plug" Biden.

For $45,000, he could have bought or leased a car, or rented an apartment to keep his loved ones nearby in DC.

[Eirik]

A negative number probably means a refund. Perhaps a ticket that was purchased by accident on a credit card, then refunded at the same time. If the sale went through, it would still be listed.

The wild differences in price are kinda strange. Aren't these all supposed to be Wilmington to D.C.? Shouldn't the cost be more-or-less the same?

And, another possibility for the multiple purchases, could he be buying tickets or rail passes for his staff as well? I'm sure some of his staff members must live in Wilmington.

[seekeronos]

"--- The wild differences in price are kinda strange. Aren't these all supposed to be Wilmington to D.C.? Shouldn't the cost be more-or-less the same? ---"

Maybe it works similar to the system that airlines use for booking flights (short notice seats being much more expensive than seats bought weeks or months in advance?)

Although, whenever I check prices for me to go to Montreal or to DC and back, usually the quotes I get are within a consistent range of about $380 - $450, if I recall correctly (been a while since I checked) and that's with picking the cheapest seats and planning several weeks in advance.

Unfortunately, AMTRAK is way overpriced for the crappy, slow, and over subsidized service it offers. Planes got them beat by a long shot: JetBlue will get me to DC for about $200ish, round trip.

AMTRAK should be defunded and their assets sold off to whichever local entrepeneurs want to try their hands at building intercity regional rail service.

[melanzan]

Is it possible that Biden buys more than one seat so he doesn't have to sit next to (or talk to) the common folk?

[w3]

I hate to throw cold water on this, because nothing would make me happier than to show that Biden is having taxpayers pay for his travel back and forth to DC, but opensecrets.org is a campaign money site and it tracks campaign donations and expenses.

Aren't these just campaign expenses? What proof is there that the taxpayers are footing the bill?