The Arrogance of Air Pelosi

"The budget should be balanced, the treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled, and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed lest Rome become bankrupt." Marcus Tullius Cicero, circa 63 B.C.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi promised to make the concerns of "the people" her first priority as the first Democrat Speaker of the House since the early 1990s. Most political observers assumed that these people were the poor and disenfranchised. However, her recent demands for what is essentially a 757 jet to meet her travel needs, makes her appear like just another political boss. Her new plane, according to Fox News, will cost approximately $15,000.00 an hour to fly and will seat over 150 passengers.

This stands in stark contrast to the plane former Speaker Dennis Hastert use to fly -- the 12-seat Gulfstream 3 jet the government provided. Remember, if you will, that Hastert was also a really big guy. His flights cost a fraction of the projected $300,000.00 a flight that Pelosi will be expecting. That will translate into over $15 million a year.

Pelosi has done nothing but complained about government spending being out of control and the government being out of touch with the people. She could take a giant step in the direction of restoring responsibility and even humility to government by taking a different approach to her transportation needs.