And they wonder why you are angry?
"House funds for slick new jets raise eyebrows" by Andrew Taylor, Associated Press | August 7, 2009
WASHINGTON - The House is ordering up three Gulfstream jets to fly Pentagon and other top government officials - including members of Congress - around the globe in conditions far cushier than coach class.
The almost $200 million appropriation to buy three C-37 jets, the military version of the Gulfstream 550, is buried in a $636 billion Pentagon budget passed by the House last week. It’s not as fancy as the version sold to private customers, but still is a very nice ride.
The Pentagon asked for only one of the $65 million planes as part of an ongoing effort to replace aging jets such as the C-20, an older Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. plane that costs about $6,100 an hour to operate, compared with less than $2,700 for the C-37, according to department figures....
The move raised eyebrows from some Congress-watchers because the planes are sometimes used to ferry lawmakers on overseas trips. Among the members of Congress who fly on the planes is House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who generally flies Pentagon aircraft between Washington and her home in San Francisco.
Related:
"Rowdy protesters overrun health care meetings
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sent her chamber home for the summer recess with a list of talking points to respond to constituents' questions about pending health care legislation. But those traditionally sleepy town hall meetings have become rowdy shout-fests across the nation, including Northern California, with opponents hanging members in effigy and mocking them with Nazi and devil imagery in an effort to derail discussions of health care
"When Pelosi and company start planting swastikas in the crowd, you KNOW they are scared out of their minds!" -- Wake the Flock UpImpeach Pelosi -- over torture if nothing else!
But Pelosi generally flies commercial on political and personal travel, such as a trip yesterday between San Francisco and Denver in which she flew first class, accompanied by a security agent. The Pentagon describes the mission of the planes as flying “worldwide special air missions for high-ranking government and Defense Department officials.’’
Hey, empire is expensive, 'murkns!
