House Unanimously Loosens Restrictions On "Friends'" Providing Free Air Travel

Hysterical. The Democratically controlled House limited chartered airplane flights provided by lobbyists and deep-pocketed advocates -- a not terribly disguised sort of campaign contribution verging on outright graft -- and now they all (including Republicans!) reverse the restrictions so long as the lobbyist/donor giving you the pricey flight is a "friend."

The change stipulated that members of Congress can fly their own airplanes on official business as well as accept "personal use of an aircraft ... that is supplied by an individual on the basis of personal friendship."

...

"As long as you call a lobbyist your personal friend, it is apparently OK," says Sloan, who believes the ethics enforcement process is crippled because only members of Congress can file complaints against their colleagues. "I don't see a member filing a complaint against another member for flying on someone's plane, saying they are not really friends."

With friends like these, who need bribery?

Instapundit points out it's particularly stunning given the two-fer nature of it: One, it's an inarguable surrender to the "Culture of Corruption," Two, it's absurdly hypocritical for liberals to encourage more unnecessary private air flights given their supposed jihad on carbon dioxide.

Here's a hat-trick: The do-nothing Democratic Congress is not only not achieving any of its program, but it's actually already undoing the minor inside-baseball stuff it passed just weeks ago.

posted by Ace at 07:43 PM

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