Johnny O’s Gym

From the Department of Are You Freaking Kidding Me? comes a report this morning that in the midst of The Great Recession and supposedly a $3 billion state overspending deficit, a brand spanking new exercise room is being put into the Nevada legislative building. Staffers reportedly were setting up treadmills and elliptical machines this morning. Film at 11.

In addition, I’ve also heard rumor that incoming Speaker-elect John Oceguera is doing some serious remodeling work on the office formerly habited by former Speaker Barbara Buckley who coughed up major taxpayer dollars just two years ago for a major renovation of the digs.

These people are shameless.

UPDATE: Sources now tell me that Johnny O spent $32,000 of taxpayer money to build his own little in-house gym, using a room which was formerly used to print bills in-house. Apparently it’s OK to use outside private sources for government printing, but elected officials can’t be bothered with using local, private fitness clubs for workin’ out.

In his defense, Johnny O has told reporters that he’s paying for his gym with the money he’s saved by out-sourcing government printing. How nice of the Democrats to finally embrace the conservative notion of “offset” spending; how shameful to do it for their own personal convenience.

Oh, and I’m also told that Johnny O’s office renovation is to build a new conference room because, let’s face it, Barbara Buckley and every other Speaker before him were completely and totally unable to do the people’s business without yet another conference room in a building filled with conference rooms. The tab, at least the part that’s actually being reported, is said to be in the neighborhood of $60,000!

To put this in perspective, while we constantly hear griping and kvetching about not spending enough on education, Johnny O is spending the equivalent of two elementary school teachers’ salaries for an entire year on a private gym and office remodeling in the middle of the worst recession in memory and while Nevada’s unemployment rate is still over 20 percent.

Like I said, these people are shameless.