Ever hear of technology? What a wasted expense.
http://www.cisco.com/web/about/humannetw...

More in-your-face luxury spending by a bureaucrat for self pleasuring. A California resort? Indeed. Meanwhile, other State Employees are taking forced unpaid time off, forced pay freezes, and others are being laid off. Where is the outrage?

I'm all for networking. How about Skype?

It must have been a pretty nice place:
"National Association of State Treasurers to receive the special $240 conference rate, single or double. A $12 per person porter charge and a $3 daily maid gratuity will be automatically added to your account."
Here is the web site for the conference if you want to see what the registration was on top of the above hotel expense: http://www.nast.net/2009annual/welcome.h...

Maybe I have the wrong conference? I don't see anything where it is limited to 50 people as janesvillean states.

Considering it is the only professional association for a select group of public servants (max. 50), I would consider this one essential to be supported annually. Especially in lean times it is important for people to network and share the lessons learned during the recession.

Most companies in the private sector have eliminated travel and most training in these lean economic times. I expect government and not for profits to do the same.

She could explain her much gathered information.
I wonder haw many with out a degree
in accounting would understand the logic .
Not trying to be a rube but lot of this
information is probably technical that makes sense only to those involved in day to day operations.

Attending conferences is an essential piece of professional development. I have attended good and not-so-good conferences, and the good ones make me re-think how I do things or give me new energy/resources/tools to accomplish tasks. If her department is woefully behind, new ideas may be needed.
.
I agree that employees who attend conferences should be expected to bring back useful information and share it with their colleagues. Perhaps there are already mechanisms in place for the state treasurer to do this.

frusion - I agree with what you are saying. In addition to notes and/or powerpoint presentation I also like it when they bring me souvenirs.

can you be more specific than "new ideas and useful information...." PLEASE

I want the same from Sass as I do for my employees that attend conferences. Notes and or a Power Point that outlines exactly what was learned at the conference. I've seen too many junkets where people come back in to the office and can tell you where the great food and drinks were but little of the conference benefits.

Just as an experiment, why not schedule a couple of these all-important conferences in Lincoln, Nebraska (nice central location) & see if just as many bureaucrats consider THOSE essential?