When you need to fly somewhere for business or
pleasure, how would you like to take off whenever you choose, avoid the
hassle of airport security, never have to change planes, enjoy a plush
leather seat, and eat four-star food? It’s all yours — if you’re a member
of Congress. A little-mentioned perk of congressional life is that an air
force of corporate jets is available to zip Congress critters around the
country. BellSouth, U.S. Tobacco, R.J. Reynolds, and FedEx are among the
frequent fliers, transporting lawmakers in luxurious style for only a
fraction of what the trips actually cost the corporations. In addition to providing ease of travel and tasty
edibles, the corporations also graciously provide traveling companions:
corporate lobbyists. Thus each trip becomes an exclusive, encapsulated
schmooze opportunity for a lobbyist to be up close and personal with
someone who writes America’s laws. Amazingly, a FedEx lobbyist denies that these flights
give corporations undue access to Congress members. “They get on the
airplane and they either read or sleep,” says the lobbyist.
“They don’t want to talk to anyone from FedEx.” Really?
So why go? Others are more honest. “You can sit down and
have a cocktail and talk casually about a matter,” confides a veteran
influence-peddler. And BellSouth’s lobbyist adds that a congressional
flight “gives us an opportunity to form relationships, to have a long
stretch of time to explain issues. . . . If it wasn’t useful, we
wouldn’t do it.” And you wonder why Congress keeps siding with
corporate interests, rather than the public interest? Hey, say the
lobbyists, it’s a free country — if regular folks expect to get
a break from Congress, they can offer plane rides, too.
This article appears in Apr 13-19, 2006.
