Congress' "Jets for Jerks" Program

Maybe we should drive the Big 3 auto execs back to Washington and ask them what they think of this:

"Last year, lawmakers excoriated the CEOs of the Big Three automakers for traveling to Washington, D.C., by private jet to attend a hearing about a possible bailout of their companies," Roll Call reports.

"But apparently Congress is not philosophically averse to private air travel: At the end of July, the House approved nearly $200 million for the Air Force to buy three elite Gulfstream jets for ferrying top government officials and Members of Congress."

The Air Force had asked for one jet as part of an upgrade program, but the House Appropriations Committee added two more at its own discretion.

Of course, San Fran Nan will tell you that expensive private jets are vital to the smooth operation of congress, but not vital to the smooth operation of real companies that actually produce things.