North Dakota Democrats Making Trip To Cuba

For the last week or so Democrats have been roundly criticizing the state Republicans for taking a trip to Antigua to discuss trade relations and internet gambling, a trip that was paid for by the Antiguan government.
Now, however, state Democrats are taking a trip of their own. To Cuba. And who is picking up the tab for this trip?
North Dakota taxpayers.

Fargo Forum – North Dakota Republican legislators who took a trip to Antigua early this month, paid for by the Antiguan government, pounced when they saw Agriculture Commissioner Roger Johnson, a Democrat, announce he’s leading a trade trip to Cuba this week.
State Democrats have roundly criticized the Antigua trip, even though no law prohibits state officials from accepting gifts or trips from businesses, lobbyists or foreign governments.
Why doesn’t Johnson’s news release say who is paying for his Cuba trip? the Republicans asked.
We asked Johnson, who said the state Agriculture Department’s marketing budget is paying for the Cuba trip.

Democrats have blasted the Republicans and their Antigua trip as “pandering to foreign interests,” among other things. Yet the Dems seem to have no problems making a similar trip themselves. The only difference is that they’re going to bill the taxpayers for this trip. The Republican trip didn’t cost taxpayers a nickle.
Also note the interesting way the Forum reports this story. When state Democrats “pounced” on the trip to Antigua it certainly wasn’t reported that way by Janell Cole in the Forum. Janell reported the trip and then gave plenty of room for quotes from Democrats condemning the trip while giving the short end of the stick to the Republicans trying to defend their trip.
Now, when the roles are reversed, the story doesn’t even merit it’s own article and the Republicans are depicted as a bunch of back-biting malcontents.
A little balance from the Forum should would be nice.