McKenzie Plays the Media Card

Senator Curt McKenzie’s overally defensive Reader’s View on his and John McGee’s use of per diem in the Statesman begins:

Reporters can create controversy — or the appearance of it — by reporting half the story or taking details out of context. Conservative voices such as Rush Limbaugh report on the national media bias each day, but here are examples of sensationalist journalism closer to home.

Now, how the heck did Rush Limbaugh get into this story, we might ask? It seems to me that McKenzie is trying to play himself up as a victim of media bias in the hopes of gaining sympathy from Conservatives. Well, it doesn’t work, at least not for me.

McKenzie and McGee’s use of the higher rate of per diem is in the news not because they’re the two most conservative Senators in the legislator (they’re not) but because it’s a massively inappropriate use of the privilege.  Legally, they can do it.

But there’s a bigger issue here both ethically and in leadership by example. As an ethical matter, the purpose of the Per Diem for members who live within 50 miles of the Capitol is to pay for them to stay in the City of Boise. Now, McKenzie can talk legalities until he’s blue in the face, but the reason the extra per diem money is given is not to compenstate members for having to put up with living in Boise, but rather to defray the costs of staying in the city. If you’re not spending money to stay here, and are sleeping with relatives like Senator McGee, you’re gaming the system.

McKenzie goes on to make the point that our legislators don’t do the job for the money and are very modestly paid. While this may be true, to quote that great statesman Superchicken, “You knew the job was dangerous when you took it.”  The low rate of pay (which McKenzie claims not to be complaining about) doesn’t justify grabbing for all the taxpayer benefits, whether they’re in accord with the Spirit of the law or not.

In a time of economic crisis, when police officers and teachers are having to do with less, it sends the wrong message for legislators to be taking thousands extra per year by gaming the per diem system.

The Statesman Editorial Board lambasted both McGee and McKenzie on this and while the Statesman is often biased, even a broken clock is right twice  a day. The criticism has been well-deserved and it seems both men could learn a thing or two about leadership.