Motown comes begging - in three private jets

Subject: Motown comes begging - in three private jets Thu Nov 20, 2008 4:38 pm

THERE are 24 daily non-stop flights from Detroit to the Washington area. Richard Wagoner, Alan Mulally and Robert Nardelli probably should have taken one of them.

Instead, the chief executives of the big three US car makers opted to fly their company jets for their hearings in Congress this week - an ill-timed display of corporate excess for a trio of executives begging for an additional $US25 billion ($38 billion) from the public trough this week.

"There's a delicious irony in seeing private luxury jets flying into Washington DC and people coming off of them with tin cups in their hands," the Democratic congressman Gary Ackerman, from New York, advised the pampered executives at a hearing on Wednesday.

"It's almost like seeing a guy show up at the soup kitchen in high-hat and tuxedo . . . I mean, couldn't you all have downgraded to first class or jet-pooled or something to get here?"

The big three said nothing, which prompted Brad Sherman, a Democrat from California: "I'm going to ask the three executives here to raise their hand if they flew here commercial." All still at the witness table. "Second," he continued, "I'm going ask you to raise your hand if you're planning to sell your jet . . . and fly back commercial." More stillness.

"Let the record show no hands went up," Mr Sherman grandstanded. By now, the men were probably wishing they had driven - and other members of the House Financial Services Committee had not finished riding the chief executives over their jets.

"You travelled in a private jet?" contributed Nydia Velazquez, a Democrat from New York.

Patrick McHenry, a Republican from North Carolina, felt the need to say: "I'm not an opponent of private flights, by any means, but the fact that you flew in on your own private jet at tens of thousands . . . just for you to make your way to Washington is a bit arrogant before you ask the taxpayers for money."

It was a display of stone-cold tone-deafness by the chiefs of the car makers. In their telling, they have no responsibility for the industry's current mess. Threatening the nation with economic Armageddon if they are not given government aid, they spent much of the session declaring what a fine job have been doing in Detroit.

"Chrysler really is the quintessential American car company!" Chrysler's Mr Nardelli boasted.

"We have products that are winning car and truck of the year regularly," General Motors' Mr Wagoner proclaimed.

LNK

Motown comes begging - in three private jets

Motown comes begging - in three private jets

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