Chicago Way- IG report: Amtrak paid hotel bills for locals

The Washington Times reports:

Citing the distractions of home life, Amtrak spent tens of thousands of dollars on hotel rooms and meals for 10 employees attending classes for train directors in Chicago — despite the fact each of the employees already lived and worked in the Chicago area.

One official said the $75,627 spent through the summer of 2008 was required to "avoid the stress and personal distraction that being at home can create," an explanation that Amtrak's office of inspector general didn't buy.

Investigators also found Amtrak paid for hotel rooms on weekends and that rooms sometimes were left unoccupied for nights at a time, according an inspector general's investigation into the expenditures. A report on the investigation was recently obtained by The Washington Times through the Freedom of Information Act.

Your tax dollars at work! Obama's vision of high speed rail management.