The House’s plan to spend $550 million to buy eight business-class passenger jets to ferry senior government and military officials around the globe. . . .
According to the Wall Street Journal: “It forces us to take money from things we do need to fund and redirect it for things we don’t need,” Geoff Morrell, a spokesman for Defense Secretary Robert Gates, said Friday. “And in a time of war, we just can’t afford that.”
The request for additional executive jets, which pales next to the multibillion-dollar weapons systems targeted for cuts by Mr. Gates, comes at a time when the Obama administration is trying to shake up Pentagon budgeting and contracting.
According to greensrealworld.blogspot.com: This Congress isn't short of hypocrisy. Most of the Democrats and their environmentalist allies are reflexively opposed to private jet travel because of its excessive carbon footprint. Or, at least, they are opposed to private jet travel for others.
Neither does it recognize irony. CEOs of the Big Three automakers were excoriated (condemned) for traveling in their private jets last year to testify in Washington.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
I understand since Nancy Pelosi is number three in line for the presidency she needs to be on a safe and secure aircraft, but this is ridiculous that she is requesting $500 million dollars of taxpayer money to purchase eight VIP luxury planes to fly congressmen and her family around the country during these tough economic times. Maybe they've got a "Cash for Clunker Jets" program we are not aware of.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.puma08.com/2009/08/08/pentagon-protests-houses-appropriation-of-500-million-from-military-budget-to-buy-jets/
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124969431303416161.html
http://greensrealworld.blogspot.com/2009/08/jet-setting-congress-in-down-ecomony.html
