RK ARCHIVE - George Allen's Subsidized Flights

Well which Senator did they decide to report on first? None other than our very own George Allen. It turns out his trip to Memphis for the early GOP 2008 contenders gathering was on a private Lear jet. Allen paid the cost of a first-class ticket for the private jet ride. The only problem is that the difference between a charter jet flight and first class one is around $12,000. The report indicated that a first class ticket cost Allen about $3,000 where as the market value for a charter jet is about $15,000.

When questioned why he flew on the private jet, Allen replied he is too busy to fly commercial. Never mind that there were two commercial flights he could have taken in between his scheduled meetings. Why should Allen use the free-market of airlines when he can use corporate subsidies to fly in private luxury?

Perhaps I shouldn't be to hard on him, though. After all, it is hard work running for President.

Comments

BAAAAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! Oh Lowell..... (phriendlyjaime - 5/9/2006 9:55:00 PM)

Just the way you phrase things is so funny....

"Perhaps I shouldn't be to hard on him, though. After all, it is hard work running for President."

Oh, the "hard work line." Nice.

Actually, I'd love to take credit but... (Lowell - 5/9/2006 10:00:35 PM)

this was written by my friend Kip. Good work, Kip, you made phriendlyjaime laugh hysterically; for that, you will henceforth and forevermore be considered a successful blogger in my book!! Ha. :)

Allen's Junket (PaulFairfax - 5/10/2006 6:16:19 AM)

Lowell, please tell us, was Allen's ticket round-trip or one-way? I'd be willing to have taxpayers foot the bill for a one-way ticket to Tennessee so Allen can stay there forever and campaign for President. However, Allen should pay all $15,000 for the fancy jet ride. Our family went to Tennessee last week. Our total cost was $120 in gas and food. Allen's junket is another piece of strong evidence showing Allen remains far out of touch with 99% of the people (and boy is he close to the top 1% of the richest).

Allen... (Dan - 5/10/2006 9:36:54 AM)

...thinks he is better than regular folk. What a champion of the peoplem, huh? He can't ride a commercial flight with the scum. Not even in first class? I wonder if my tax dollars went for his luxurious flight?

We gotta find a Dem Too syndrome... (Loudoun County Dem - 5/10/2006 10:45:50 AM)

We need to be fair AND balanced.

After detailing Allen's (R-VA) use of corporate jets for a discount and how lobbyists use it as face time, and pointing out how Santorum (R-PA) used a corporate jet days before decrying the practice on the Senate floor, the NBC story listed frequent flyers from 2001 - 2005:

Rep. Oxley (R-OH) 94 flights
Rep. Blunt (R-MO) 104 flights
Sen. Lott (R-MS) 114 flights
Sen. Frist (R-TN) flight to 2004 Super Bowl
Rep. Delay (R-TX) multiple flights to court appearances

and

Reid (D-NV) flight to Democratic Dinner

I'm not saying that Dem's aren't using this "perk" but don't you think that they would have used more as examples if they could find one that had even a dozen such trips?

See the video here:
http://video.msn.com/v/us/msnbc.htm?g=186af804-6501-46f7-9aa7-6f0cfe6b2c00&f=00&fg=copy

Even Channel 4 News Reported on 11 news (d'moore - 5/10/2006 12:04:00 PM)

I could not believe my eyes and ears when I heard NBC local news promoting the story before the news came on. They had the interview where George Allen says he's too busy to fly on commercial jets. Wow what is local news coming to when they have time for a politically sensitive story about our golden boy? I guess it was the fact that some other channel had done the story so they thought it was ok to report it. That is the first time I have seen an interview with Allen on local news in I don't know when.
Looking forward to more bad local press for George. Surely free airplane trips are only one of many transgressions.

How can he be "too busy" to fly commercial? (DangDemocrat - 5/10/2006 12:06:53 PM)

I thought the life of a VA senator was boring and slow? Surely he has the time to wait for a flight? He could spend his time studying the decisions that BushCo has made for him and marking his calender to visit what states he wishes he had been born in next.

Oh yeah-- (summercat - 5/10/2006 1:58:22 PM)

boy George is bored with being a Senator (we can help that)--but, as you've said--too busy as a Presidential candidate. Guess his constituents are a pretty quiet bunch.
I hope Webb has a tracker or two on Allen--stuff like the "too busy" quote and the earlier "too slow" quote deserve a lot of play. Jon Stewart--where are you?

They Did Not Make Allen Look Good (d'moore - 5/12/2006 4:27:50 PM)

His response about being too busy to fly commercial seemed really lame. They presented it as a scandal and did not emphasize the fact that what he was doing was not illegal. From my impression it was not a puff piece so he could present his side but maybe I just don't understand getting your message out.