Of all the things to wish for, Sen. Colleen Hanabusa is introducing a bill to allow the State (i.e., you, the taxpayers) to purchase a private jet for $1.9 million. The excuse? The high cost of travel for elected officials who need to get from island to island.
Seems to me some legislators have decided to become more high mucka mucka and have a private jet at their beck and call. The Gov. and the DOT are disavowing any knowledge of the bill.
So just how many RT airfares on go! could state officials buy for $1.9 million? And that just covers the cost of the plane, not the fuel and ongoing maintenance charges!
Can you say, "political junkets, here we come" to the tune of $1.9 million plus $250/hour of flight time?
Miulang
Seems to me some legislators have decided to become more high mucka mucka and have a private jet at their beck and call. The Gov. and the DOT are disavowing any knowledge of the bill.
So just how many RT airfares on go! could state officials buy for $1.9 million? And that just covers the cost of the plane, not the fuel and ongoing maintenance charges!
SB1977 was introduced by Senate President Colleen Hanabusa, by request. Hanabusa said someone approached her to introduce the bill at the last minute, but she couldn't remember whether it was forwarded to her office by a fellow lawmaker or a constituent.
"Right now, I'm not in my office so I can't tell you who asked me to introduce the bill. It's not a bill that I came up with," Hanabusa said in a telephone interview yesterday.
Hanabusa said Wednesday's hearing should be interesting. She recalled a similar discussion when she was Judiciary Committee chairwoman several years ago and a bill to buy a plane to transport prisoners came up.
..."The state does spend a lot of money in terms of travel costs," Hanabusa said. "But the question is going to be whether the additional costs, of course, the maintenance and the personnel cost and so forth, how that all becomes justified.
"Right now, I'm not in my office so I can't tell you who asked me to introduce the bill. It's not a bill that I came up with," Hanabusa said in a telephone interview yesterday.
Hanabusa said Wednesday's hearing should be interesting. She recalled a similar discussion when she was Judiciary Committee chairwoman several years ago and a bill to buy a plane to transport prisoners came up.
..."The state does spend a lot of money in terms of travel costs," Hanabusa said. "But the question is going to be whether the additional costs, of course, the maintenance and the personnel cost and so forth, how that all becomes justified.
Miulang
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