Bad math: Rep. allen West’s ‘Six Month Overview’ is five months long

Someone in freshman Rep. Allen West’s (R-Fla.) office needs a refresher course in mathematics.  

The lawmaker released his first “Six Month Overview” to constituents on Monday. Tiny problem: It only covers five months.

West was sworn in on Jan. 5, and the tally runs through June 5. That’s 151 days, according to West’s email, or five months, according to well, math.

To be fair, according to the same release, West has accomplished a lot in those five short months. In his 67 days in Washington alone, West claims he:

 • cast 412 votes on the floor of the House (he didn’t miss any votes)

 • attended 62 hearings or briefings of the Armed Services Committee

• attended 18 hearings or briefings of the Small Business Committee

 • held 139 meetings on Capitol Hill with constituents from Florida

 • participated in 230 total meetings on Capitol Hill; and

• participated in 135 events in Washington.

So how many things has West actually “done” while he’s been in Washington? The short answer is an eyebrow-raising 857, based on his count of events, votes, hearings, briefings and meetings. In just 67 days, that’s approximately 12.8 big tasks every day.

(And people say politicians are lazy!)

There was even one more time-consuming political necessity, one that ITK was surprised to find absent from West’s tally: cable TV news hits.

Judging by the 50 videos he has uploaded to his YouTube page from his 67 days in D.C., West’s airtime adds up, too.

A spokeswoman for West declined to comment on the erroneous title, or to elaborate on what exactly the entries for “events” and “meetings” entailed (or more specifically, whether they were interchangeable).

In the meantime, ITK applauds West for his enthusiasm.