Why should we be spending millions to fly around member of Congress?

Question

As from the press reports we have members of the congress and the house flying around on our tax dollars. Why should these people not have to fly in normal air carriers and why should they not be required to fund that from there own office funds? If this is not a sign of kings and not a elected body of citizens what is. We have people starving in this nation, people that are with out homes, and sleeping in tents. This makes a great statement of the moral decay of the Congress. As they are spending millions on flying these fat cats around and no spend anything from the real people of need in this nation. So do you think it is time we booted them out of Washington and started over? Your thoughts please.

Amen Michael, The problem is this when congress is in session the members should be in Washington. We have this new invention called a telephone in which a member of congress can actually call any place on the face of the earth. That cost about 11 cents a min. in these times.
And weather it is the vice president or the speaker of the house. These people are not God nor due the status of Kings we are a nation of equals and these people are wanting to live as kings. The simple fact is these people are stealing from the public. If the speaker of the house died we have replacements. Also we are to be as secure as any one is when traveling. How do we expect to have our airports secure unless we require the members of congress to fly on them as well. Of course they are not concerned with throwing our money down the toilet. They are private air craft that the government has access to also. The military is to defent the nation not the private army of congress.

Answer 1

I think, first and foremost, that people who want to rule us for a living ought to get real jobs. That being said, I think these people should be flown around on their own personal budgets. I don't want them, their taxes, or their laws so why should I pay to fly them around comfortably in private jets (yeah, they're not privately owned, but we'll never get to ride on one!)?

So what if one of them dies in a terrorist attack? They're politicians! Liars and thieves are a dime a dozen and another Pelosi will sprout up instantly.

Answer 2

I would tend to agree with you on this to a certain point. However, the press reports you are talking about recently is the crap about Speaker of the House Pelosi asking for an airplane to fly her around and Secretary Mike Leavitt of Health and Human Services.

Pelosi is 4th in line to the president. Leavitt is at the bottom of the list for succession 14th or 16th. In anycase Leavitt (my former governor of Utah) is taking advantage of the use of government aircraft. Which is typical of his behavior he gets everything he can get and doesn't feel the least bit obligated to explain anything. I'm a distant realitive of the Leavitt family and they are greedy people.

Pelosi on the otherhand, is in a much more powerful position in government and no matter who holds the position of speaker of the house, i believe they need the added security to use government flights.

As for the rest of the members of congress, they should be flying coach class when they are out and about the country.

Every state includes air-travel costs in their elected congressional delegations budget. But, if they run out of money, they will always have more given to them for travel.

I would support more oversight on this. Cause Senator Sununu is the biggest offender where it comes wasting money on flying.

The law's and Constitution does not allow the entire congress to be replaced at once. I wouldn't want the entire congress to be filled with people that hand no experience in the workings of government.

Answer 3

The only situation I've heard of recently is Pelosi, and until becoming Speaker of the House she generally flew commercial. Apparently, the only reason the DoD is trying to come up with a plane that can fly her all the way home to San Francisco (as opposed to the previous Speaker's plane, which only had to get as far as the midwest to bring him home) is because she's 2nd in line to run this country if anything happens to the President, and thus gets extra security.

Answer 4

Correction above - Pelosi is 2nd in line to the Presidency. Cheney is 1st in line, and Pelosi is 2nd.

She should not have to change planes or take off and land more than once to get across the country, it is less safe.

Remember, we hide Cheney in a bunker every time there is a raised threat. Pelosi didn't ask for a plane or anything else - she wasn't even part of the discussion.

Answer 5

Well, it is unrealistic to think we can boot them all out of Washington.

Fifteen million dollars a year. That is what Nancy Pelosi believes the American taxpayers should pay to fly her back and forth from D.C. to San Francisco. It is ridiculous.

Take a friggin bus lady.