"Hip-Hop Mayor" Likes His Perks

According to the Detroit Free Press, Kwame Kilpatrick, Detroit's mayor, sees himself as a "fun-loving leader with a hip-hop lifestyle." Apparently the "hip-hop lifestyle" includes spending the taxpayers' money on yourself to the tune of over $210,000--Mr. Kilpatrick was already listed by Time magazine as one of the three worst big-city (over 500,000 pop.) mayors in the country last month, in part because Detroit had to foot the $24,995 bill for his wife's Lincoln Navigator lease while facing a $230 million budget deficit--now it has come to light that Mr. Kilpatrick has run up $210,000 on his city credit card, including $85 bottles of champagne and restaurant tabs around the country, including Sean (P.Diddy) Combs' restaurant in Atlanta (love that "hip-hop" lifestyle! Hip, hop, there goes your money, Detroit!)

Not to worry, says a Kilpatrick spokesman...the charges for meals are actually less than 10% of the total, the rest is mostly travel...oh, only $20,000 to eat...doesn't this guy ever eat at home? Apparently not if he travels to the tune of $190,000. I hope the voters don't forget this when the primary comes up this fall.