brother, can you spare a ride?

I've had a lot of fun at the expense of the Detroit Three and their profligate ways, including with executive jets. Well, it seems that GM is turning back two of its five airplanes (not selling them, as the headline claims--the planes are leased, not owned). Meanwhile, in the Wall Street Journal, Fay Vincent points out that the biggest critics of the corporate jet are also addicted to using them. Nancy Pelosi for example wanted a military plane that could fly her nonstop from Washington to California without stopping to refuel (security concerns, you know). Congressmen "routinely cadge rides on company jets," Mr. Fay points out, "and when they travel overseas on their fact-finding junkets they ride on military jets well cosseted by uniformed support.... Do you think any member of Congress or the Senate has been to Iraq on a commercial jet? Of course not. Never."

Blue skies! -- Dan Ford