Public officials live the high life with taxpayer funds
WashingtonTimes.com
Members of Congress couldn't control their outrage last year when automobile
executives flew to Washington in private jets. Their point was that it was
unseemly for executives to travel in such high style while their institutions
were strapped for cash. Apparently, the same rules don't apply to Congress.
Late last month, the House of Representatives approved $197 million to buy
three elite Gulfstream jets to fly around members of Congress and administration
officials. In an effort to upgrade its service for Congress, the Air Force had
requested just one jet, with a price tag of $65 million. That wasn't enough for
our public servants. The House Appropriations Committee set aside another $132
million for two more luxury aircraft.
Democrats tried to hide this questionable allocation of taxpayer money.
Instead of treating the expenditure as an earmark, which would have required
disclosure of the member who requested it, they included the additional planes
as an expansion of an existing Defense Department program.
It's a surprise that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi didn't learn her lesson about
the political scandal that can result when elected officials demand expensive
special travel arrangements. In 2007, she demanded that the Pentagon break its
rules and provide a jet that could fly her all the way back to her San Francisco
congressional district without having to make a pit stop to refuel. Mrs. Pelosi
also has raised eyebrows for the large amounts of money consumed so she can
travel in style on international junkets.
In March, Judicial Watch obtained internal Pentagon correspondence in which a
Defense Department official expressed concern about Mrs. Pelosi's abuse of
government-sponsored travel, which is provided by the Pentagon with military
resources.
Regarding her numerous requests for transportation, the official wrote: "Any
chance of politely querying [Mrs. Pelosi's staff] if they really intend to do
all of these or are they just picking every weekend? ... [T]here's no need to
block every weekend 'just in case' ... [Mrs. Pelosi's office has] a history of
canceling many of their past requests."
The current era of uncontrolled government expansion has skewed the
understanding of what's appropriate in the public and private sectors. In
principle, there's nothing wrong with corporate executives flying in executive
jets. Private money pays for that, and it can provide an efficient way for busy
business leaders to work and travel at the same time. The same rules don't apply
to public officials on the public dole.
Sitting in coach with average taxpayers might help Speaker Pelosi understand
public outrage at her profligacy at their expense.