Citrus Growers Forum

dauben · Posted: Thu 06 Aug, 2009 3:23 am

Quote:

Last year, lawmakers excoriated the CEOs of the Big Three automakers for traveling to Washington, D.C., by private jet to attend a hearing about a possible bailout of their companies.
But apparently Congress is not philosophically averse to private air travel: At the end of July, the House approved nearly $200 million for the Air Force to buy three elite Gulfstream jets for ferrying top government officials and Members of Congress.
The Air Force had asked for one Gulfstream 550 jet (price tag: about $65 million) as part of an ongoing upgrade of its passenger air service.
But the House Appropriations Committee, at its own initiative, added to the 2010 Defense appropriations bill another $132 million for two more airplanes and specified that they be assigned to the D.C.-area units that carry Members of Congress, military brass and top government officials.

http://hotair.com/archives/2009/08/05/congress-buys-3-private-jets-for-200-million/

Also found here: http://abcnews.go.com/WN/story?id=8261754&page=1

Phillip

Brancato · Posted: Thu 06 Aug, 2009 3:36 am

Philip this is a topic that has always gotten to me as well. It was extremely hypocritical for lawmakers to cast stones when their expense accounts come out of tax payers pockets and they still do not hesitate to go for broke. I'd have to guess that 95% of politicians at the federal level are already millionaires by the time they get to office and there is simply no reason for their expensive travel tastes to be coming at the tax payers expense. I agree that there should be some serious perk reform since reform seems to be the word of the decade.