August 11, 2009
Setting the Jet-Setting Record Straight
The media has falsely reported that Congress bought itself three new corporate
jets at a price of $200 million to jet-set across the globe, without even a
shred of transparency as to who requested this earmarked spending.
It’s not true. One of those jets was requested by the military. Congress really
only bought two new corporate jets at a price of only $132 million.
Yes, after enviously berating auto company CEOs last year for daring to use
jets their companies had already purchased, our legislators have the
unmitigated gall to one-up them by buying new jets to jet-set about in.
You might ask which politicians are responsible for this gross excess. The
leaders of Congress, the Speaker and Majority and Minority Leaders, are most
likely to use these aircraft. But who actually made the request is being kept
from We the People.
Because this spending gets called a “program increase” rather than an
“earmark,” this insertion into the Defense budget can remain secret.
Steve Ellis, with Taxpayers for Common Sense, laments that “The more you push
for transparency, the more of this stuff goes underneath the carpet.” He called
the Appropriations Committee “the judge, jury and executioner over what is an
earmark and what isn’t and how much information we get.”
So much for transparency. The only thing transparent in Washington is the
arrogance and greed of our so-called leaders.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
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Paul Jacob is President of Citizens in Charge and the Citizens in Charge
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The opinions expressed in Common Sense are Paul Jacob’s and do not necessarily
reflect the opinions of Citizens in Charge or the Citizens in Charge Foundation.
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