Congressman Billy Long Addicted to Other Peoples' Money: More Luxuries at the Expense of Hard Working Southwest Missourians

If you heard Billy Long on the campaign trail, chances are you heard his tell voters too many politicians in Washington are addicted to OPM--other peoples' money. The joke usually got a laugh or too; although sometimes people thought we might be fighting the war in Afghanistan to get the fix for a few Washington establishment types.

Well, as you should know by now, there are two sides of Billy Long. The public side that comes up with a sound bite to deliver the Southwest Missouri that describes Long as above Washington's status quo, and there is the side the proves that Long is Washington's status quo. Billy Long is addicted to OPM.

Consider these two instances where Long used OPM for his own social self-fulfillment. Last week, Randy Turner dug through Long's recently filed campaign reports. The self proclaimed fiscal conservative (which he isn't) has been caught spending a lot of OPM thanks to the required FEC filings. Of course last week, we discovered campaign contributions from hard working Southwest Missourians who probably thought their donation was going to help defeat liberals were spent so Long could join the exclusive social club known as the Capitol Hill Club.

Now we are finding out that Long lounges around on his donors' dimes as well. Turner reports:

Commission shows Seventh District Congressman Billy Long used campaign cash to pay for several weeks of lodging at a swank Washington D. C. hotel.

According to the documents, Long paid $3,692.58 on Jan. 10 and $2,147.81 on Jan. 31 for lodging at the W Hotel, which describes itself in the following fashion on its website:

"W puts the capital in Washington, D. C., where a policy of pleasure is always executed with legislative luxury."

Revel in the full-serve Bliss Spa and abide by the first 'ahh'mendment of ooh- do we spy a contented sigh."

One of visitors' favorite amenities at  the W is the luxurious W Living Room "where you can open your mind and feel alive while indulging in cocktail caucusing>'

And, of course, there is the Wine Bar which offers "a robust selection of eclectic and sophisticated wines from around the world.

There's even the J & G Steakhouse right on the premises.

The W Hotel was not the only luxury item campaign contributors paid for, according to the FEC report. As noted in the April 13 Turner Report, Long spent $1,333 for "initiation and dues" for the exclusive Capitol Hill Club.


End of Turner's article.


You might want to think twice before making a campaign donation to the multi-millionaire named Billy Long. It doesn't appear to be going to defeat Democrats, rather, it's going to give Long the posh life that he could be paying for himself.