The Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous: Rick Perry

We are at the tail end of a recession but don’t tell Texas Governor Rick Perry that because he feels like making it rain … with taxpayers money of course.

On the eve of a budget shortfall to the tune of $11 billion, the Associated Press has uncovered that Perry has spent close to $600K of taxpayer money in the last two years to live in a rental home.

Perry wastes $10K of your money and my money to rent and maintain a five-bedroom, seven-bath, three dining rooms mansion. The man has a toilet for every day of the week and can technically eat breakfast, lunch and dinner in three separate dining rooms.

If that is not offensive … consider the fact that he has thrown down over $1K in custom window coverings from Neiman Marcus, $700 clothes rack, $8400K for maintenance of a heated pool and $44K (a public school teacher’s yearly salary) on landscaping.

Poor Rick Perry … times are soo tough that he has had to resort to only one full-time chef … the second chef works part time and one housekeeper has to clean all five bedrooms, seven baths and three dining rooms by her lonely self.

Texas Democratic Party Chair, Boyd Richie chose to humorously make an analogy between Perry and Louis XIV. The Austin American-Statesman PolitiFact decided to entertain the allegation that Perry was "spending Texans’ hard-earned money to live like Louie XIV."

Although it was tongue in cheek … I am still surprised that time and effort was used to address Richie’s assertions. Was there nothing else that the truth-o-meter could have tested last week?