I’ve always thought it more than a bit bizarre how it is that so many Americans can actually bring themselves to believe the Democrats’ continuing claim that it is they, and they alone, who are the protectors of the little people. Because it is only they who are capable of truly feeling our pain. Because the stark reality of things is that it’s the Democrats who are the perpetual abusers of the little people. At least those of us little people who are still required to pay taxes. But, I guess, as long as people continue to accept that fraudulent claim as fact, it matters very little whether or not it’s actually true.
And it is one of those self-professed defenders of the little who sees himself as being entitled to, and on what is a fairly regular basis, abuse the many privileges that have been bestowed upon him by those who have put him into office. And he routinely demonstrates his disdain for those of whom he claims to be a proud defender by, quite literally, demanding that they be made to cover the cost of his rather expensive excesses, which he apparently views as being one of the perks of his high office. He seems to be of the opinion that he shouldn’t have to spend his money on anything. And who is it to whom I refer?
He is none other than that millionaire senator from West Virginia, Jay Rockefeller. Now as you might, or might not, be aware this fella comes from one of America's wealthiest families and he just so happens to represent a state only 60 miles from the District of Columbia. And yet he seems to find it necessary to travel home exclusively by way of private plane at $4,400 per trip. And does he cover the cost himself? Nope, what he does is to send the bill to we the taxpayers. I mean after all, why should an important guy like himself be forced to pay for not wanting to fly on the same plane with us common folk?
And why is it that he travels by way of a charter flight? Are there no commercial flights going his way that he could take advantage of? Well actually, there are as many as six commercial flights every single day between D.C. and Charleston, W.Va., the very city that old Jay regularly flies into and out of. And the cost of a round-trip ticket for the one-hour commercial flight? Hold onto your hats, because it’s a staggering $206. Jay's aversion to traveling as most other Americans do may be somewhat ironic, as he’s chairman of the Senate committee with jurisdiction over transportation issues.
Personally, I think when one is able to spend other people’s money one has a tendency to think that one is above those who are furnishing the money. So anyway, the travel costs this arrogant SOB billed to we the taxpayers over the just the past three years were greater than all but 11 senators, including those from Alaska, Washington state, Montana and other far-flung locales. And the esteemed Mr. Rockefeller left the confines of his plush Capitol Hill trappings to visit with his constituents fewer than 11 times per year, even though his home state is only an hour away.
What that means is that Jay goes home less often than nearly every other member of Congress, and yet his total travel costs are among the highest. But apparently such things matter very little to the people of West Virginia as they have seen fit to send this douche-bag back to Washington nonstop ever since he was first elected back in 1985. And before that, this useless f*ck was the governor of that state. So essentially this guy, besides being very wealthy, has never had to work a day in his life. Now that’s a pretty good gig if you can get it!
All together Jay's 32 trips in just the past three years have cost the taxpayers a hefty $141,408 for his chartered aircraft. And yet somehow 40 members of his staff were able to travel back and forth, and pretty regularly, for less than half that price, combined. However, what the records don't seem to indicate is whether those staffers drove or flew. And there was one trip earlier this from Feb. 28 to March 1, for example, "airfare for Sen. Rockefeller Washington DC to Charleston and return" cost $9,657. Nearly 10 grand for just two days? Really?
This guy also owns a palatial mansion worth an estimated $18 million and built on one of the largest housing tracts in the District, 16 acres cordoned off by razor wire and nearly surrounded by parkland in one of the city’s most desirable neighborhoods, Crestwood, near Rock Creek Park. Meanwhile, the state he represents is one of the poorest in the country, with per capita annual income of $22,000. He has an estimated net worth of more than $100 million, making him the nation's third-richest senator after fellow Democrats Mark Warner and Richard Blumenthal.
Rockefeller's Senate office charters his flights with a Virginia company that rents four-seat aircraft for $1,850 an hour, seven-seaters for $2,200 an hour, and 12-seaters for $4,000 an hour, plus fuel and other charges. On April 21, 2012, for example, the senator billed taxpayers $5,980 for a same-day trip from Washington to Charleston and back, presumably paying for the plane to wait while he did business in the state rather than risk having to spend a night there. He billed taxpayers $10,654 for a two-day trip on Sept. 5-6, 2013. For 12 of Rockefeller's 32 trips over the past three years, the charter flights alone cost taxpayers more than $7,000.
But old Jay is far from being the only guy that expects the taxpayer to cover his extravagant lifestyle. For example his fellow Democrat Chuckie Schumer of New York has been criticized for spending nearly $1 million on taxpayer-funded charter flights over the last three years, but Schumer left Washington four times as often as Rockefeller did and made several stops across the Empire State during most of the trips. Each time Schumer left Washington, his multistop journeys cost taxpayers an average of $7,941.
It was far more common for Rockefeller to make a simple round-trip from Washington to Charleston and back. The flight alone cost taxpayers an average of $4,419. He collected a separate per diem for each day of his trips and also billed for "incidentals" incurred, like the $12.75. Only Chuckie and one other senator, and yes another Democrat, Tim Johnson from South Dakota, spent more per trip. Meanwhile most senators spent less than $950 on travel per trip. Only four members of the Senate traveled home less frequently, each of them members from states far from Washington.
When asked why it is that the senator insists upon traveling on private planes; why he didn’t foot the bill for that preference out of his own pocket; and why he didn’t set foot in the state he represents more often, the senator’s spokesmoron chose not to respond. Which from my point of view essentially says it all. But I guess my real question here is how it is that people can continue to believe that these Democrats are, as they claim, the only ones capable of feeling the pain of those folks struggling to live paycheck to paycheck while still expected to assisted these politicians in living the life to which they have become so accustomed.
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