Republicans Fly High, Slash Healthcare

GOP Blows More Than $1 Million on Private Jets

For Immediate Release: March 27, 2008

TALLAHASSEE - So much for fiscal conservatism.

"I Believe... Sound (sic) money management should be our goal," vows the Principles section of the Florida Republican Party's website.

But Florida election reports show that the GOP spent more than $1 million on private chartered jet travel in 2007 alone, the New York Times Regional Newspapers reported today.

The news comes in the midst of a Republican effort to slash healthcare for more than 40,000 low-income senior, disabled and seriously ill Floridians - heartless "proposed reductions that left Senate budget-writers shaking their heads." [Orlando Sentinel, 3/27/08]

"The irony of this runaway spending is that it literally flies in the face of the fiscal conservatism that Charlie Crist, Marco Rubio and other Republican politicians claim to support," Florida Democratic Party spokesman Mark Bubriski said. "Maybe if they spent more time on Earth, the Republicans in power would have noticed that their policies had sent Florida's economy into a downward spiral."

Republican Chairman Jim Greer tried to put lipstick on the pig: "When it comes time to get out and speak around the state, it's important that we have the ability to travel there and that we accomplish as much as we can in any given day... You will see that the party is much more engaged in traveling the state..."

But which state is he talking about? New York?

A closer look at the Republican Party's report reveals "high-flying expenses from last year with tens of thousands of dollars in ritzy New York hotels, thousands of dollars in limousine services and thousands of dollars more in regular air service." [Sarasota Herald Tribune website, 3/27/08]

Crist and other Republican have railed against wasteful spending.

"We're asking local governments to tighten their belts, too. We are tightening ours. We can do no less... I feel for our students and I feel for their families... They are paying higher insurance rates. They are paying higher property taxes. They are paying higher gas prices." - Gov. Charlie Crist [Miami Herald, 5/27/07]

"If we don't get to print money, we're going to have to do with what we've got." - Senator Durell Peaden (R-Crestview) trying to justify the healthcare cuts [Orlando Sentinel, 3/27/08]

"If a family with two young boys can tighten their belts to live within their means certainly our cities and counties can also." - Gov. Charlie Crist [Governor's Press Release, 6/21/07]

"We cannot ask our state and local governments to tighten their belts if we continue to support frivolous spending." - Rep. Alan Hays (R-Umatilla) [Orlando Sentinel Central Florida Political Pulse blog, 11/26/07]

"Experience also proves that government in Florida does not have a revenue problem -- it has a spending problem." - Senate Republican Whip Mike Haridopolos [http://www.senatormike.com/issues.php]