As the government rolls up its sleeves to try to cut runaway spending, perhaps a good place to start would be with runway spending. Specifically, that of Nancy "Friendly Skies" Pelosi.
In the past two years, as Speaker of the House, Ms. Pelosi has demanded private use of Air Force aircraft on 90 separate occasions, sticking the Air Force (and therefore the taxpayers) with a bill of over $2,000,000.
This figure, as high as it is, doesn't include the little "goodies" that Madame Pelosi enjoyed while jetting above "flyover country," during which time she and her entourage racked up an additional $100,000 bill for snacks and alcohol.
According to a "Freedom of Information" request, for a single 5 day congressional jaunt the Speaker's bar was stocked (and we assume depleted of) Johnny Walker Red scotch, Grey Goose vodka, E&J brandy, Baileys Irish Cream, Maker’s Mark whiskey, Courvoisier cognac, Bacardi Light rum, Jim Beam whiskey, Beefeater gin, Dewar’s scotch, Bombay Sapphire gin, Jack Daniel’s whiskey, Corona beer and several bottles of wine. After which, no doubt, the high-flying Dems made nothing but positive impressions on foreign leaders, and wise well-considered decisions, when they weren't taking turns holding each other's hair back from the toilets.
In ancient times, political rulers were carried on litters by slaves. Today, political rulers make slaves of taxpayers by demanding they pay insane airfare charges. Which got us wondering: just how many taxpaying families does it take to carry Nancy's elegant litter?
If we very-optimistically assume that an average family household earns a total of $50,000...then it means that every member of 40 American families would have to give every cent they earned (not just taxes) to keep Nancy Pelosi in Air Force jets and Courvoisier cognac. If we limit their contributions only to actual tax money, then her travel habits use up all of the taxes paid by hundreds of working class Americans who are stuck on the ground.
Put another way, Nancy Pelosi isn't even bothering to treat taxpayers like litter-bearers. Just trash.
She has plenty of money for air travel, the airforce should tell her to go fly a kite.
ReplyDeleteSomebody needs to throw a bucket of water on Pelosi...
ReplyDeleteThis is *not* "News"... I recall hearing about this at the time - but for some reason no one had the cajones to call her on it.
ReplyDeleteDis-friggin'-gusting...
Not like there isn't a whole fleet of congressional planes hanging out waiting to fly people around... or at least there USED to be - they may have actually been de-funded?
Necron99. I think she got a cup of "tea" tossed at her. Very posh and non-violent of course. And "on the House."
ReplyDeleteI have no doubt that if Speaker Boehner were to get an extra packet of macadamia nuts on a commercial flight he paid for himself, the media would be on him like white on rice. How dare you take macadamias from the mouths of the poor, Mr. Speaker. Have you no shame? Now, justify your very existence before these microphones so that we may cluck-cluck in shocked disbelief.
ReplyDeleteAnd they were worried about a few outfits for Sarah Palin?????
ReplyDeleteI realize that our leaders deserve special treatment, but in times like these its a shame that our leaders are throwing million dollar parties in the air while the middle class scrapes together enough each week to feed their family and pay their Obamacare copays......I don't have class envy, but that's just over the top.
"Judicial Watch?" Is that Scaife front-group still twitching? It may have washed its face and hands and put on clean underwear, but it's still suspect.
ReplyDeletePete(Detroit)- You say this is not news, and you're right. Sort of. A year ago, there was a brief stink about Pelosi's use of Air Force planes, and then the public's attention moved on. So a new report focused on how her travel expenditures and fiscal excesses might have changed "post-scandal." Answer: they didn't change in the slightest.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous (directly above)- You may not like Judicial Watch (even as I'm not keen on the Annenberg Group, who you link to for rebuttal) but the stats are from Freedom of Information documents which were written to put Pelosi in the most positive light possible before being given to Judicial Watch.
In fairness, I think it's appalling that elected representatives on both sides of the aisle seem overly-comfortable with abusing taxpayer funds for their own benefit - including the cushy healthplans, frequent raises, lifelong pensions, and the ability to opt-out of the financial rules they impose on the peons.
A somewhat dated report about upgrades to the 'congressional fleet' the Air Force maintains...
ReplyDeleteAug, 09
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124960404730212955.html
It was probably (one of) these that Princess Pelosi was gallivanting around on...
I dont believe our 'public servants' in D.C. 'derserve' any special treatment other than protection from some wacked-out person (Tucson?).
ReplyDeleteSad thing is, hardly a 'workin man' (or woman) can get elected unless they already are fairly wealthy! So most of our 'representatives' in Washington dont come from our 'common' way of life most of America's citizens deal with on a daily basis. It creates an elite 'ruling class', and we 'peasant citizens' are at their mercy. Thank God we still can vote! 'bout all we got left!