State Board of Education member John Bacon is billing taxpayers an estimated $500 for a conservative Christian conference he attended last month in McPherson, the Lawrence Journal-World reported. The conference was about how the Bible was integral in the founding of the United States, according to David Case, administrator of Elyria Christian School, which sponsored the event. Bacon said he went to the Christian conference because he wanted to hear information about creationism and evolution. That’s revealing, given that Bacon and other conservative board members claimed that changing the state science standards wasn’t about religion. This is the second suspect travel expense by a state school board member. Earlier this year Connie Morris got caught billing taxpayers $3,900 for a magnet school conference she attended at a posh Miami resort.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
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14 Comments
K.B.O.E
KANSAS BOARD OF EVANGELISM
I don’t care if he attended the conference, but it cost $500? That’s a pretty expensive attendence fee for a suppose “christan” conference. Somebody walking away a rich person for doing that.
I guess I’m in the wrong business. $500 a pop? Wow! Not even ex-presidents can get that much a person.
And no! Joan Bacon should not bill the taxpayers for it.
These jokers are supposed to be public SERVANTS! They’re acting like damn CEO’s. Sounds like it’s about time to send home the Bacon. Anybody for a recall petition?
I’ve been formulating a theory for some time now that the cost to the evangelical Christian church (aggregated for the purposes of my theory ;) ) of its political activism is that this aggregate church’s brand of evangelical yet political Christianity is fast becoming a kind of luxury good. My theory needs some work, but by luxury good I mean a Veblen good.
You could use my theory to predict that attendance of these conferences would increase if the price were higher. So if they had charged, say, $5,000 they may have sold the same or even more tickets (but not likely to the same basket of consumers).
It takes lots of money to be successful in today’s American politics, you know.
Perhaps bigger problem for these people might be that their religion becomes entangled in the kind of expediency that lies at the heart of political success, but they certainly don’t seem to be worried at this time.
Not sure how my harebrained theory squares with the good book, but hey. :-)
It’s cool flike, gravity is just a theory too, but it works every time!!
I didn’t think evangelicals required payment to go to church.:-)
Steven. It’s not about God. Why do you think that evangelical churches will be closed for Sunday service this Christmas.
Why are so many radical right Republican electeds so arrogant as to think that they have a right to use taxpayer money to attend something like this? They would be among the first to scream about a tax increase. I think its just like vouchers – use tax money to enrich the churches and the neocon think tanks because it will keep that tax money from being used for something important like public education, keeping the heat on during winter at the homes of the disabled, or paying police officers, ER responders and firefighters a better wage.
This is DISGUSTING! What is with this BoE? Advocating Christian beliefs in public schools; hiring a clearly unqualified commissioner; wasting money on conferences; pushing for vouchers when there is no need or desire..
What is with them??? Have they forgotten there is an election process? They have not been appointed for life to their jobs, so they are responsible to the voters.
They make me sick.
Merry Christmas everyone!
Joe, some churches truly will be closed on Christmas? Care to post a few of them? I’m tempted to drive by and take pictures. I did see one church’s sign (or is that a marquis?) that said there would only be one service on Christmas Sunday, but I wasn’t all that surprised. Most people would like to spend the day with their families, and many churches hold Christmas Eve services. There was always midnight Mass when I was a kid…
http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/12/06/churches.closed.christmas.ap/
Joe,Interesting link, but the reason churches are not holding services, or are open on Christmas is because it, one, falls on a Sunday, while most families worship on Christmas eve, and two, They think it inconveniant for the staff.
I don’t think it (the closings) have anything to do with religion at all.
The conference in McPherson clearlr was a religious function, and the tax payers should NOT have to pay for it.
But my main question is: What costs $500 in McPherson? The main street rolls up at 8pm.
J.M., isn’t that the truth? $500 in McPherson should be worth about 2 weeks stay at their finest hotel, wouldn’t you think? Or lots of chicken fried steak at Mr D.