What an ignorant post. Did you ever consider that WE pay taxes too so it is also OUR money--not just yours?

Yes, we give a RA about the use of money. And yes, we would actually take the time to find the lowest fare....I know many of us would. However, as some of the following posters share, we don't have that luxury. We can't use Priceline.com or Hotwire.com to book hotels, even though we have explained that we can save money. They will not alllow 3rd party reservations, plain and simple. But more importantly, as someone else pointed out, it is more our ability to cancel w/out penalty.

As a state employee, I get $84 in most counties, $140 in Alameda and SF and $110 in San Diego & Los Angeles, period. If I spend less, then GREAT...no bonus and I don't get to spend more on food per diem. And of course if there is a less fee option available, WE BOOK IT! How ridiculous to think otherwise.

I am often forced to cancel various legs of my trip and I use Southwest exclusively. So it has nothing to do with "taking the time to find the lowest fare," as you suggest, but rather, chosing the only option available to us, which is a state rate, as not to cause the state extra money in the event our travel is turned upside down, which is so often the case.

I also turn in tax exempt vouchers at every hotel I visit, which are accepted 75% of the time. Yes, I give a RAs about YOUR money and MINE.

Perhaps you worked with some atypical government workers that didn't give a RAs about spending government money (trust me, no one gets rich on per diem...I get $6 for breakfast, $10 for lunch and $18 for dinner, and yes, I'm often out of pocket because I typically leave more tip money than the $6 a day I am given for incidentials). But I can tell you that whatever experience or perception you have about government workers, it should not be made as a whole because it simply does not cover everyone as you suggest.

Dawn