Traveling In Style

Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., believes in traveling in style. After Congress recessed for the Thanksgiving holiday, Lott and his wife avoided the commercial airport hassle and hopped a BellSouth corporate craft from Washington to Jackson. Cost: $1,335. Comfort: priceless. The Senate is debating new ethics rules this week that would make the trips much more expensive, changing the rules to apply the cost of chartering the aircraft instead of paying the first class rate, and making them much less attractive to the companies, which would be prohibited from having their lobbyists on board. Lott, the most frequent user of corporate jets in Congress according to the independent Website politicalmoney line.com, made at least 16 trips on corporate aircraft in 2006, reimbursing the companies more than $40,000 at the first class ticket rate.

It must be nice to get to fly on a private jet instead of having to fly commercial like the rest of us have to do. I think they should be required to fly commercial, with no first class malarkey cram them into business class or coach so they can see how the other half has to live.