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| Subject: So what? | |
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Author: Stephen |
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Date Posted: 07:39:59 05/01/07 Tue In reply to: Oropan 's message, "How not to lower your carbon footprint" on 05:45:52 04/27/07 Fri Do you have a point to make other than the fact that you are an old sourpuss? >2008 Candidates Rely on Private Jets > >By JIM KUHNHENN >Associated Press Writer > >April 26, 2007, 6:44 PM EDT > >WASHINGTON -- A flock of small jets took flight from >Washington Thursday, each carrying a Democratic >presidential candidate to South Carolina for the first >debate of the political season. > >For Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Barack Obama, Chris >Dodd and Joe Biden, it was wheels up shortly after >they voted in favor of legislation requiring that U.S. >troops begin returning home from Iraq in the fall. > >No one jet pooled, no one took commercial flights to >save money, fuel or emissions. > >All but Biden, who flew on a private jet, chartered >their flights -- a campaign expense of between $7,500 >and $9,000. > >Federal Election Commission rules allow candidates to >pay only the equivalent of first-class fare to fly on >private jets owned by corporations or other special >interests. But a Senate ethics bill approved earlier >this year would require senators flying on corporate >jets to pay full charter rates. The legislation must >still be reconciled with a House bill and has yet to >become law. > >Several senators running for president are abiding by >it anyway, either paying charter cost or avoiding >corporate jets altogether, as Obama and Republican >Sen. John McCain have done. Dodd pays full charter >rates when he flies on private planes. The Clinton and >Biden campaigns did not immediately explain their >policies. > >Candidates who follow the more lenient FEC rules have >a financial advantage. > >Democrat John Edwards, for example, regularly uses a >jet owned by Dallas trial lawyer Fred Baron, who is >also the finance chairman of his presidential >campaign. His campaign pays first-class rate for those >flights. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney >also flies on corporate jets and pays first-class >rates. > >Under FEC reimbursement regulations, a candidate >flying in a corporate or union jet must pay the >first-class rate unless the flight's destination does >not have scheduled commercial service. In that case, >the candidate must pay the cost of chartering the >plane. > >For candidates who are now eschewing corporate jets, >the cost difference can be significant. > >For example, a one-way first class ticket on United >Airlines with four days advance notice is $694 per >person. A typical one-way charter flight on a small >Lear jet seating six people would cost about $9,000. > >Critics of corporate jet flights for politicians say >the difference in cost makes a private jet an >extraordinary special benefit and can give corporate >executives or union leaders unusual access to a >candidate. > >Thursday's debate, set on the campus of South Carolina >State University in Orangeburg, S.C., made for some >whirlwind scheduling. Clinton, for instance, was >scheduled to return to Washington Friday morning for >an 8 a.m. address to the New York State United >Teachers 35th Annual Representative Assembly, then fly >back to South Carolina for an 11 a.m. event in >Greenville. >Copyright 2007 Newsday Inc. [ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ] |
| Subject | Author | Date |
| Do as I say not as I do! | Oropan | 09:07:04 05/01/07 Tue |