Big Three auto CEOs flew private jets to ask for taxpayer money

CNN by Josh Levs | Nov. 19, 2008 (News Report)

"There is a delicious irony in seeing private luxury jets flying into Washington, D.C., and people coming off of them with tin cups in their hand, saying that they're going to be trimming down and streamlining their businesses," Rep. Gary Ackerman, D-New York, told the chief executive officers of Ford, Chrysler and General Motors at a hearing of the House Financial Services Committee.

"It's almost like seeing a guy show up at the soup kitchen in ... Full Story »

Posted by Michael Bugeja

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Dwight Rousu
2.4
 by Dwight Rousu - Nov. 21, 2008

The headline and Sherman's question focused on the trivial rather than the core questions of what (if anything) is needed to preserve 7 million? good jobs inside the United States. There was not analysis presented of the value of private jets transporting high paid executives directly without limitations of commercial schedules, hub routes, security screenings, and functioning during flights. Bad congressman. Bad journalism.

Whether the executives are paid too much is a valid question, but also needs analysis. Private corporate jets can be the test economic use of resources for dispersed corporations. Whether corporations should be so big is a valid question.

When contacted by CNN, the three auto companies defended the CEOs’ travel as standard procedure. Like many other major corporations, all three have policies requiring their CEOs to travel in private jets for safety reasons. “Making a big to-do about this when issues vital to the jobs of millions of Americans are being discussed in Washington is diverting attention away from a critical debate that will determine the future health of the auto industry and the American economy,” GM spokesman Tom Wilkinson said in a statement.

After the blaring headline, CNN does sneak in some reality.

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