Would a thank you note suffice?

McAllen Monitor - October 26, 2009 - MCALLEN SPENDS $15100 TO FETE “CHUY” HINOJOSA

The city spent $15,100 to throw a dinner party for state Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, D-McAllen, Oct. 15, and city leaders defended the expense as a well-deserved thank you to the powerful senator, despite recent budgetary cutbacks. Hinojosa became vice chairman of the state Senate Committee on Finance this past legislative session, a powerful position in Austin in which he, in part, directs the flow of hundreds of millions of state dollars.

City leaders say Hinojosa was instrumental in several important projects for McAllen and the Rio Grande Valley at-large in the last session, which ended in June.

http://www.themonitor.com/articles/mcallen-31899-spends-chuy.html

Frankly, if Sen. Hinojosa has been representing his constituents well, isn't that in his job description? Thanking him with an extravagant taxpayer-funded dinner party is inappropriate while folks are losing their jobs. Get a grip, folks, it isn't rocket science. Elected officials should get a thank you when appropriate, and it need not be on engraved stationery.