Jun 23 2008
An Example of Conservation or a Taxpayer Rip Off
Well, with taxpayers’ help, he drives an energy-saving hybrid vehicle when he travels around his lightning-bolt shaped district, which stretches from Mecklenburg to Guilford counties.
More than a dozen years ago he was leasing a “great big” sport utility vehicle, and then he went to a van. These days, he’s leasing a Toyota Prius.
“It gets 50 miles per gallon – people find that hard to believe,” he says.
From the first sound of it, Mel Watt appears to be setting a shining example for his district. He is not just preaching conservation to people, he is practicing it. It would seem admirable of him, but are things exactly what they seem?
Of course, it does come at a price. According to House spending records, the taxpayers are spending $742.80 a month for him to lease that 2007 Prius from Wilmar Inc., a vehicle leasing company in Charlotte.
Aha! That’s an awful lot of money for a car lease. You can lease a BMW for a lot less than that and I guarantee you that this Wilmar Inc. is grossly overcharging on the lease of this vehicle because they know it’s being paid for by all of us. So when you dig into the details it kind of sours on Watt’s intentions. I don’t think his vehicle switch was a very economical decision.
