Congress Gets Upgraded AIRPLANES!

Congress Gets Upgraded AIRPLANES!

online.wsj.com

WASHINGTON -- Congress plans to spend $550 million to buy eight jets, a substantial upgrade to the fleet used by federal officials at a time when lawmakers have criticized the use of corporate jets by companies receiving taxpayer funds.

The purchases will help accommodate growing travel demand by congressional officials. The planes augment a fleet of about two dozen passenger jets maintained by the Air Force for lawmakers, administration officials and military chiefs to fly on government trips in the U.S. and abroad.

The congressional shopping list goes beyond what the Air Force had init

(visit the link for the full news article)

So as Americans lose more jobs, as more business sink and more homes are lost, Congress wants upgraded airplanes! AIRPLANES! As they travel more, they need newer planes.

Why are they traveling more then previous Congresses? To sell the bloated BHO Health Care Plan? To talk to townhalls and see what the public wants? I think it is just more wasteful spending.

Hope? Change? Must be Indonesian for BS!

online.wsj.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Does anyone have any info on whether or not Pelosi actually ordered a bigger, more lavish plane?

Pelosi

Or this Pelosi?

[edit on 7-8-2009 by Roadblockx]

I for one... think they deserve it.

I mean it's not easy work bull ------ an entire country, and they've been trying their best, though they could try harder.

Kudos, you go get that airplane you so and so.

If UFO's are real, Pelosi would have one, she's like a kid in a candy store with conservative parents and limited money.

Well, if congressmen/congresswomen took public flights how long till a plane gets knocked down, or pelosi ends up dead in the bathroom.

[edit on 7-8-2009 by Republican08]

The real question is, why can't they use commercial jets like a bunch of other people/business do?

Why do they need private jets? Can't they just use American Airlines, or some other airline?

[edit on 7-8-2009 by ALLis0NE]

Originally posted by ALLis0NE
The real question is, why can't they use commercial jets like a bunch of other people/business do?

Why do they need private jets? Can't they just use American Airlines, or some other airline?

[edit on 7-8-2009 by ALLis0NE]

I refer you to my post. Humbly

ME!

Well, if congressmen/congresswomen took public flights how long till a plane gets knocked down, or pelosi ends up dead in the bathroom.

[edit on 7-8-2009 by Republican08]

They publicly criticized corporate leaders for using private jets at a time when their companies were in deep debt, they insulted them for attempting to use their own aircraft to do business.

Now this government has approved hundreds of MILLIONS of taxpayer dollars to buy new private jets of their own to fly around in at taxpayer expense.... While spending trillions and adding to the largest deficit in our history.

If the American people cannot see what they are doing here, and their overt hypocrisy then all I can say is ... Enjoy the flight!

This kind of right in your face bull$h!t is the reason I think we are supposed to try to take the country back.

It will give them a reason for martial law and will further their agenda against home grown "terrorists".

Though it's been a few years back in the late 1980's and early 1990's I worked as a professional Travel Agent and a number of my clients where U.S. Congress People.

They always travelled full fare coach per Congressional Policy since many discount tickets would not allow for changes in travel dates or times.

The airlines would typically upgrade them using their own frequent flyer miles or in some select cases just a good will gesture. If a flight had Business Class they were upgraded into Business Class if had no Business Class they were upgraded at no cost to the Tax Payer to First Class.

Congress people, especially those on Committees and especially ranking members of Committees and Chair Persons of Committees often end up travelling overseas and often to places Commerical Flights travel very infrequently or not at all.

Some destinations in Africa, the old Soviet Union, and parts of the Middle East are very hard to get in and out of on Commercial Flights, very often Congressional Jets are used for Congressional Fact Finding missions for instance the California Congressman who died investigating Jones Town flew down to Guyana on a Congressional Jet because of limited commercial service.

Commercial Service to some places in the world is not daily but weekly, if you flew in commercial on Thursday you aren't going to get out until next Thursday unless you want to take six busses 4 camels 3 canoes 2 trains and 1 pack mule through 3 third world countries to catch a commercial flight back to the U.S. sooner.

Hey I could put it all together for you if you needed to go that route and find you a nice thatched roof hut to stay in here and there along the way.

I don't believe under any circumstances does any single Congress Person or Senator get to take a government jet as a sole passenger back and forth from their district.

They are used by Congressional Delegations on fact finding missions...

How did I get so many Congress People as clients you might ask...The Powers that Be referred them to me, because I really could get you six busses 4 camels 3 canoes 2 trains and 1 pack mule through 3 third world countries to catch a commercial flight back to the U.S. sooner.

It's a small world, but not so small that having a Jet lying about here or there doesn't come in handy at times!

reply to post by ProtoplasmicTraveler


I understand that, but is it not hypocrisy, considering they chastised the auto company heads for using private jets and not flying coach?


[edit on 8/8/2009 by Lemon.Fresh]

Originally posted by Lemon.Fresh
reply to post by ProtoplasmicTraveler

 

I understand that, but is it not hypocrisy, considering they chastised the auto company heads for using private jets and not flying coach?


[edit on 8/8/2009 by Lemon.Fresh]

They rarely use those jets domestically though, most often internationally or when a group of congress people really have official business that they have to travel to as a group.

Some congress people will serve their entire terms, even multiple terms without ever getting on a congressional jet.

If you are the Chairman of say Asian Economic Development and you are going to take a trade delegation of American businessmen to say Jakarta chances are you are going to request to use a Congressional Jet by asking the Congressional Travel Office if you can use it.

You are likely doing it for two reasons, no American flagged carrier gets there anywhere remotely on your schedule or your delegation is to large to be equitably accomodated on the same commercial flight, in other words it's you and 30 other people, and business class only olds 15, first class only holds 10, and there aren't 30 seats left available in coach.

Lets say you are on the armed services committee and you want to get into Iraq with 40 people in your delegation or Afghanistan, the comercial flights just don't exist.

Congress People really do travel to some out of the way destinations and as the Town Hall Meetings demonstrate but really the best example is Senator Geary in the God Father II movie shaking down Michael Corleone and saying "Look lets cut to the chase, I really don't want to be here one second longer than I have too".

They never do want to be any where one second longer than they have too either, even if it's a wife, mistress or homosexual lover they are meeting with.

These people have to fleece a lot of people in one day! Time is money you know.

The reality is they really do need private Jet aircraft on select and limited basis to conduct their business.

If Nancy Pelosi asked the Travel Office for a Jet to go to New Mexico for the day to see an arts and craft fair they would say no. If she wanted it to make a campaign trip they would say no.

If she wanted to take the Congressional Blue Dogs to the Lyndon B Johnson Library for the afternoon to dedicate a new building there, they would probably say yes, if no one ranking on an important committee didn't need it for more important business.

These jets are only at their disposal when it makes economic or logistic sense.

Everything still has to go through the Government Accounting Office afterwards and if it's cheaper and just as efficient to load up 10 people coach on a flight, than it is to fuel a jet and pay a pilot and flight crew then they really are going commercial if it's available.

There are over 500 congress people and a 100 senators and a pool of what a dozen jets? Do the math.

I can tell you this once Christopher Cox former Congressman of Newport Beach and former Head of the Securities and Exchange Commission asked me to book a flight for Alan Keyes from Baltimore Maryland to Costa Mesa California to appear at a campaign dinner, which Chris said to bill him personally for and not the Treasury Department. When Keyes called me he insisted he would only attend if he was going to be flown first class, at the time Keyes headed a not-for-profit corporation named "Citizens against Government Waste". I told Chris he was being difficult and he said "Screw him, tell him he goes coach or stays home" he ended up getting Peter Ueberoth to speak instead who drove down on his own dime from San Francisco.

These guys really take congressional travel policies very seriously.

There are lots of special interests groups that will fly them by private jet or first class if they really want to go some place that way, they don't need the government to pamper them.

All I can tell you is that as someone who made a career of working out the logistics of getting people from point A to point B, often beyond and then back again, and a number of them who were Congressmen, Agency Heads, White House Counsels etc., that there really are times and places where they logistically need a jet to get there and back in a timely and efficient way. That's when they use the jets and to my knowledge the only time they use the jets and most experienced travelers know that the best way to end up splattered in a corn field or on the side of a mountain top is a small poorly maintained jet, commercial is much safer, and I have lost some clients over the years to mountain tops and corn fields that didn't heed my advice, smart travelers do though.

To me this isn't an issue, there sure are a whole slew of other things this corrupt government does that are issues for me.

I agree that congressional members should use government owned planes. And new upgraded ones if they are needed. Because if they used private sector planes it would seem as if they are favoring one company over the other. So this seems logical to me.

Originally posted by breakingdradles
This kind of right in your face bull$h!t is the reason I think we are supposed to try to take the country back.

It will give them a reason for martial law and will further their agenda against home grown "terrorists".

Dead-on! There is another thread on ATS discussing the White House encroaching on our free speech here. As you and I and the other Joe Citizens protest, don't be surprised when you end up on a list. You know, because this administration is all about change and hope.... Jokers.

reply to post by wiredamerican


Fair point. I still think there should be a way, ANY way for these congressmen and women to find a way to CONSERVE money on travel. Share a ride. Use a bus. Take a train. Try to make all of their stops in one trip rather than multiple trips.

Here are just a couple examples of what congress does when they have money to spend on travel. They waste it.

#1

Even before the great one was elected

#2

Way to go congress.Now you can view the bread lines forming as you fly over our cities from the confort of your new million dollor seats.

Update!!

Heat growing over purchase

reply to post by Roadblockx


Well, I guess this would be an update to the update.

Air Congress Hits Turbulence

House leaders hope that dropping plans to spend $550 million on elite Gulfstream jets to fly members around the globe will dissipate public ire. I'm not so sure.

"Not so sure" is right!

It took a public outcry, (which I'm surprised they even listened to), to get them to not buy these planes, for $550 million, while the country is essentially bankrupt!

They should be ashamed of themselves for even thinking about buying them in the first place!




[edit on 8/12/2009 by Keyhole]

Existing thread here:
www.abovetopsecret.com...

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