Belt-tightening for thee, but not for me:
Flaherty's pricey budget flight irks critics
Finance Minister Jim Flaherty is facing the ire of opposition critics who say the minister isn't leading by example, after it was revealed that he used a private jet to sell his belt-tightening budget Friday.
The day after he unveiled the government's new budget, the finance minister flew from Ottawa to London, Ont., on a Challenger jet so he could do media interviews at Tim a Horton's [sic] coffee shop.
The opposition says the flight cost taxpayers $9,000, compared to a commercial flight, which runs about $800.
But here's the pants-pissingly best part:
Flaherty's office told CTV Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife that the private flight was necessary because of scheduling. The office said that Flaherty would be returning to Ottawa on a commercial flight.
However, it costs another $9,000 just for the jet to return, Fife added.
In other words, the damage had already been done, but Flaherty proceeded to ding taxpayers for yet another air fare while the Challenger returned to Ottawa empty. Is it even physically possible for a human being to be stupider than Finance Minister Jim Flaherty?
No. The answer to that would be no. I just thought I'd save you the time.
2 comments:
If King Stephen had had the presence of mind to give what's-her-name a private jet to fly to PEI and back, he would have saved himself a ton of grief. So it;s not such a bad move after all.
No. The answer to that would be no.
And I actually was all set to fire up Movable Type and post 'til I saw that.
Post a Comment