STICKER SHOCK

Interior Secretary's Bathroom Cost $222,000, According to Federal Audit

You'll believe it when you see it

Jan 17, 2013 by Dain Fitzgerald

Staff Writer t

Image: ABC

Bathrooms are a simple in-and-out experience for most folks, but when you're dropping (so to speak) over 200k on that particular room in the house, one might be tempted to stay for a while.

Yahoo! informs us of the newest iteration of the infamous $600 pentagon toilet seat that comes in the form of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar's $222,000 bathroom. To be fair, the pricey renovation apparently occurred under George W. Bush's administration, making Salazar simply the lucky inheritor.

The room, which some would be privileged to call a home, includes a $3,500 sub-zero refrigerator and a $689 faucet, among other items costing more than what people typically pay for bedroom furnishings.

Yahoo! ends with this amusing (or maddening, depending on your perspective) remark:

In a classic bureaucratic understatement, the audit report noted, 'A number of the items incorporated into the renovation project call into question the need for luxurious materials.'

Via Yahoo!. H/T Politix user JesseJaymes.

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?	Should this type of government spending be banned?

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Yes, it's ridiculous

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No, it should be discretionary

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Comments (view in Forum)

Jan '13

Denizen_Kate

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Is this another trick question, Politix?
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Jan '13

RobertJHarsh

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What?!?!?! PolitixDain obviously loves guv-ment spending! We all should. Because if you hate guv-ment spending you are with the terrorists!
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Jan '13

PNWest

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Whoever was responsible for this should be brought up on charges regardless of which party they represent. This is the kind of crap that Americans are feed up with. Throw the bum in jail.
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Jan '13

mtkopf

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"This is the kind of crap that Americans are feed(sic) up with."

Pun intended?
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Jan '13

PNWest

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@mtkopf Freudian slip. The public is fed up with this kind of crap!
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Jan '13

martydotcom

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I know a few contractors who with a straight face would say " how did he ever bring that job in so cheap"
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Jan '13

Mogal

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@martydotcom So do I, yikes!
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Jan '13

Knightkore

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Agreed....
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Jan '13

Fishbone345

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Every man needs a throne.
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Jan '13

marine1

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Deservingof their true character.
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Jan '13

Denizen_Kate

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With a fridge full of beer nearby.
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Jan '13

Fishbone345

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@Denizen_Kate you saucy Ginger! You know the ways to a mans heart.
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Jan '13

Thunderchicken

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Are you the lone "It should be discretionary vote"?
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Jan '13

Fishbone345

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@Thunderchicken No, I thought about it mind you but alas my conscience got to me at the last moment.
You should know by now Chicken that I abhor government over spending in all of its forms. I've argued Ron Paul's ideology about it, probably since I came to this site. Probably not as much in the beginning, but eventually.
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Jan '13

LGRepublican

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$222k on a bathroom? But I thought we couldn't POSSIBLY cut spending (unless it's the defense department that is). Cases like this are exactly the reason many of us would like to see a complete review and audit of government budgets.....
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Jan '13

Quantummist

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We haven't had a budget to even think about auditing for almost 4 years so it's all cool...
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Jan '13

Waynestew

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$222k on a bathroom? But I thought we couldn't POSSIBLY cut spending (unless it's the Entitlements that is). Cases like this are exactly the reason many of us would like to see a complete review and audit of government budgets.....
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Jan '13

woodtick57

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Now, would you want a tacky looking bathroom in one of our nation's Capitol buildings?
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Jan '13

Mogal

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Thats a fugly bathroom.
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Jan '13

woodtick57

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@Mogal

Kind of hard to tell from a split picture of two seperate parts of the room, isn't it? have you ever been in any of our Capitol buildings? they tend to have that stodgy, heavy wood look. probably ain't gonna change to Scandinavian modern anytime soon...
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Jan '13

Mogal

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@woodtick57 I Googled it and lifted the pics so I could look at them in high-res.
Interior design is what I do. ;)
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Jan '13

woodtick57

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@Mogal

Careful... you criticize his bathroonm, he might "punch you out"!
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Jan '13

woodtick57

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@Mogal

it looks like pretty much most of the rooms I've been in at Capitol buildings...
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Jan '13

Mogal

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I've done higher end bathrooms than this in my career as an interior designer, but those were in private homes.
This is ridiculous.
Oh, and this bathroom is ugly.
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Jan '13

Mogal

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Almost forgot, the light fixture over the sink, which is known as a Hollywood fixture, is available at Lowes for less than $30.
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Jan '13

Fishbone345

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@Mogal I kinda like Hollywood fixture lights. Though it does tend to call attention to my grey hairs and wrinkles in the mirror. So I guess that's a downside.
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Jan '13

stepped_in_it

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@Fishbone345 They also allow you to clearly see your nose and ear hair.....oh, wait a minute, that's me...
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Jan '13

Mogal

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@Fishbone345 Some people do, I professionally despise them because of the harsh lighting. ;)
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Jan '13

marine1

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Who says they are not flushing our tax dollars down the toilet?
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Jan '13

Thegrif

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Unreal!!! Well at least we all agree on this.

So far
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Jan '13

Mogal

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I'm marking this on my calendar, it will NEVER happen again, lol
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Jan '13

Fishbone345

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I almost voted no, just to change the demographic info Politix has. Every now and then I like to be a turd.
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Jan '13

Waynestew

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I voted no by mistake.
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Jan '13

its_my_freedom

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and they have the nerve to whine about the "fiscal cliff" and social security being an entitlement??? with spending habits like these it's no wonder this country is broke! The problem is these guys live life with a blank check....make then earn a living and have to actual budget where their money goes for a year...FORCE them to live like average citizens with house payments and bills, and if they dont pay, then like everyone else, they get foreclosed and utilities shut off...these people get everything handed to them and have the gall to scream about entitlements??? give me a break!!!
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Jan '13

kathyparsell

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And some want a vote to RAISE the dept ceiling.
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Jan '13

Bambi

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When you think of the people in need of affordable housing, and I mean those who really need it, it makes me hang my head in shame over this. No matter who was in the WH at the time. It's a disgrace. Programs for protecting abused children get cut and other very needy and worthwhile programs, but someone has a john fit for a king.
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Post @Bambi
Jan '13

stepped_in_it

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Must be the politician that authorizes the military contracts. Toilet seat costs what? Sure, send the bill to Uncle Sam!
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Jan '13

its_my_freedom

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oh, and i hope a big nasty spider crawls out from under that seat and bites him right on the....yea
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Jan '13

Dan_Tien

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Our government officials make the Caesar's look like penny pinchers.
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Jan '13

cleverusername

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or saddam look like a hobo. Golden toilets...sheez...heck the united states comfy politcos are yelling "king kong aint got nothin on me"
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Jan '13

TheJimmy

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He must have been wiping his behind with dollar bills.
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Jan '13

PNWest

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More likely with $100's.
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Jan '13

marine1

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@PNWest Now we know how they put the skids to the $500.00 bill.
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Jan '13

PNWest

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@marine1 Or at least the skidmarks. Ewwwwwwwwwwww.
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Jan '13

MongoAPillager

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Well for pete's sake,He is the "Interior"secretary
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Jan '13

woodtick57

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OK, that was funny!
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Jan '13

Mogal

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Good one!
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Jan '13

Fishbone345

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I'll give you this one. It was funny and you didn't mention the President... yet. Voted up.
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Jan '13

MongoAPillager

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just goes to prove even a neo-con can smile,(while eating his kitten flambe)
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Jan '13

tomincali

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it should come out of their pay. then again all waste in gov should come right out of whoever is wasting tax dollars pocket.
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Jan '13

jessejaymes

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Lets us note Ladies and gentlemen that this expenditure took place during the Bush II regime. It's not just the Dems folks. It's the right just as bad. REELECT NOBODY 2014.
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Jan '13

tomincali

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i also see million dollar vacations on the tax payers dime as just as bad,not caring who in office does it no one deserves a vacation like that unless they fund it themselves.
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Jan '13

kathyparsell

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Nobody in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018....EVERYBODY needs to go!
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Jan '13

DARSB

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I think we need to keep some cool spaces to impress foreign dignitaries and the like, but the "working stiffs" in the Congress and Executive branch should just have lots of reminders of how the people they serve actually live.

By the way, does it occur to anyone else that a fridge of beer in a bathroom is as close to a perpetual motion machine as we'll ever see?
- B1 • Vote Up r10 Replies
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Jan '13

jessejaymes

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I know a contractor who is about as good with a bathroom as it gets. I asked him what is the high end for a small bathroom and he said if it costs over 30 grand someone is stealing money.
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Jan '13

artjeb

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Around and around they go just watch the beer flow. when they drink enough watch something else flow
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Jan '13

Mogal

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@jessejaymes I did a bathroom once that was 8k square feet, totally paneled in flame mahogany,
Wont bore you with the details, but that bathroom came in 32k.
Some people have WAY more money than sense.
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Post @Mogal
Jan '13

jessejaymes

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@Mogal My contractor buddy that specializes in bathroom renovations says he can't figure a way to spend 30,000 on a bathroom that size unless you use all imported marble.
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Jan '13

Mogal

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@jessejaymes It was an 8,000 square foot bathroom with 14 foot ceilings, totally paneled in hand carved flame mahogany, its easy to spend that kind of money when one is doing very high end work.
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Jan '13

Thunderchicken

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Give him a Bumper Dumper to use.

http://www.bumperdumper.com/bumper2.htm
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Jan '13

Thegrif

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I got to ask, what would a person need a sub-zero fridg for in a bath room for? Just what would the jerk off in that office need to freeze.

Things that make you say Hmmmm?
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Jan '13

woodtick57

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Sub-zero is a brand name of high-end refridgrerators...
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Jan '13

Thegrif

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@woodtick57 lol, yea I know. But thought they gave me a chance to kinda be funny by setting the ball on the tee, so I took a swing at it.

Still who needs a fridg in the Jon?
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Jan '13

woodtick57

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It's not as cheap when you can't go to the local home depot and pick up day laborers at the curb....
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Should this type of government spending be banned?

Should this type of government spending be banned?