$700,000 for SSA Conference!?

While President Obama may not want businesses who have received taxpayer bailouts to “take a trip to Las Vegas or down to the Super Bowl on the taxpayers' dime,” he apparently doesn’t seem to be as concerned when government agencies funded exclusively by taxpayer money do that same.

An Arizona ABC News affiliate is reporting:

A Social Security Administration motivational management conference held at a high-end Valley resort last week cost $700,000, the SSA told the ABC15 Investigators.

Costs for the conference at the Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa included airfare, hotel entertainment, dancers, motivational speakers, and food, an administration official said. …

A spokesperson from the SSA's regional office said the conference was essential, that teleconferencing was not an option, and that all 675 managers needed to meet in person.

As a reminder – the Social Security Trustee’s Report stated in May that by 2017, just 8 years from now, Social Security expenditures will begin exceeding income, meaning the program will become insolvent.