Questionable spending

[longview]

I am sure some will say I am nit picking, but does anyone
else think it is inappropriate for Joe Biden to use Air force 2 to take
his son to the doctor?
Beau Biden at cancer center - Associated Press - POLITICO.com
I am not saying he should not be concerned for his son,
just that using Government resources for personal business,
should always be questioned.

 

[AliHajiSheik]

I am sure some will say I am nit picking, but does anyone
else think it is inappropriate for Joe Biden to use Air force 2 to take
his son to the doctor?
Beau Biden at cancer center - Associated Press - POLITICO.com
I am not saying he should not be concerned for his son,
just that using Government resources for personal business,
should always be questioned.

He didn't use AF2 to take his son to the doctor, he traveled to see his son (or he was already in Houston, I'm not clear on that) and then used AF2 to take him home to Delaware. I don't have any issue with that, but if they served any kind of food on the flight, then I'm going to be seriously pissed.

...silly posts are silly.

 

[joG]

I am sure some will say I am nit picking, but does anyone
else think it is inappropriate for Joe Biden to use Air force 2 to take
his son to the doctor?
Beau Biden at cancer center - Associated Press - POLITICO.com
I am not saying he should not be concerned for his son,
just that using Government resources for personal business,
should always be questioned.

I wonder what would happen, if the boy took a commercial flight and was kidnapped. That would be costly.

 

[AliHajiSheik]

I wonder what would happen, if the boy took a commercial flight and was kidnapped. That would be costly.

The boy? Beau Biden is the 44 year old Attorney General of the state of Delaware. He already has secret service protection and I'm sure there is some kind of security provided at the state level.

 

[davidtaylorjr]

He didn't use AF2 to take his son to the doctor, he traveled to see his son (or he was already in Houston, I'm not clear on that) and then used AF2 to take him home to Delaware. I don't have any issue with that, but if they served any kind of food on the flight, then I'm going to be seriously pissed.

...silly posts are silly.

Personal trips, including vacations, should come out of their paycheck not additional spending from tax-payers. They should have to budget themselves just like the rest of the country.

 

[CanadaJohn]

He didn't use AF2 to take his son to the doctor, he traveled to see his son (or he was already in Houston, I'm not clear on that) and then used AF2 to take him home to Delaware. I don't have any issue with that, but if they served any kind of food on the flight, then I'm going to be seriously pissed.

...silly posts are silly.

I'm curious - do you feel that family members of any government official should have free access to the perks of office that official has? Are there limits? I remember Pelosi getting raked over the coals, justly in my view, when she used a government jet to traipse back and forth to San Fran most every weekend and had family members packing the seats frequently. Since you've got Cliff as your avatar, should mail carriers be able to use the US Post Office mail vehicles to transport the kids to soccer practice if their destination is on his route? How about the local school bus operator? Should he/she be able to squire family members around while picking up and dropping of school kids?

It's easy to be flippant about such things, but having worked in government I can tell you that when people at the top abuse privilege, those on down the line look at those examples and say "why can't I do that" and often they then do.

 

[joG]

The boy? Beau Biden is the 44 year old Attorney General of the state of Delaware. He already has secret service protection and I'm sure there is some kind of security provided at the state level.

Yep! Does it make it better? As AG it would be bad were he kidnapped. As son of the US VP, we would have a problem. What would you say? Would they let him be killed?

 

[AliHajiSheik]

I'm curious - do you feel that family members of any government official should have free access to the perks of office that official has? Are there limits? I remember Pelosi getting raked over the coals, justly in my view, when she used a government jet to traipse back and forth to San Fran most every weekend and had family members packing the seats frequently. Since you've got Cliff as your avatar, should mail carriers be able to use the US Post Office mail vehicles to transport the kids to soccer practice if their destination is on his route? How about the local school bus operator? Should he/she be able to squire family members around while picking up and dropping of school kids?

It's easy to be flippant about such things, but having worked in government I can tell you that when people at the top abuse privilege, those on down the line look at those examples and say "why can't I do that" and often they then do.

He's the Vice President of the US and a Constitutional officer. It has been determined that when he travels he travels on AF2 (by definition, anything he flies in becomes AF2). If he flew with his son to Houston, then I see no issue. As for Pelosi, Congressional leaders are required to use government planes as well since 9/11, the issue with Pelosi was whether she should use a plan that could make it to California without stopping. She was compared to Hastert who didn't need such a large plan because he only had to fly to Illinois. There is nothing I like about Pelosi but I can't see hammering this over this issue.

As for the Postal Service or any of the other examples you indicated, I would defer to the company policy of that organization.

 

[CanadaJohn]

He's the Vice President of the US and a Constitutional officer. It has been determined that when he travels he travels on AF2 (by definition, anything he flies in becomes AF2). If he flew with his son to Houston, then I see no issue. As for Pelosi, Congressional leaders are required to use government planes as well since 9/11, the issue with Pelosi was whether she should use a plan that could make it to California without stopping. She was compared to Hastert who didn't need such a large plan because he only had to fly to Illinois. There is nothing I like about Pelosi but I can't see hammering this over this issue.

As for the Postal Service or any of the other examples you indicated, I would defer to the company policy of that organization.

Fair enough, even if I don't necessarily agree, thanks for the clarification. Perhaps what's needed is a "company policy" for the political class when it comes to use of government services and/or more teeth to conflict of interest provisions.

 

[AliHajiSheik]

Yep! Does it make it better? As AG it would be bad were he kidnapped. As son of the US VP, we would have a problem. What would you say? Would they let him be killed?

Sorry, your questions are getting too weird. The question is about the use of the government plane and you are talking about kidnapping.

 

[AliHajiSheik]

Fair enough, even if I don't necessarily agree, thanks for the clarification. Perhaps what's needed is a "company policy" for the political class when it comes to use of government services and/or more teeth to conflict of interest provisions.

My understanding is that there are policies for the "political" class. Sometimes they are legislative rules, or laws, or even requirements of the Secret Service. There are also reporting requirements for when such services are provided by outside interests. If something is violated, then there should be consequences and/or government reimbursement, etc.

 

[joG]

Sorry, your questions are getting too weird. The question is about the use of the government plane and you are talking about kidnapping.

Ahh! That was earlier in the morning. The use of the plane I thought justified, because I do not like the risk of the son of the VP being kidnapped.

 

[fmw]

Pretty small inappropriate expenditure when compared to the trillions of dollars of other inappropriate spending.