John Boehner Makes Pledge to Fly Commercial as Speaker of the House

House Speaker John Boehner announced on Wednesday that he will no longer use a military jet furnished by Nancy Pelosi, current speaker, to fly from Washington D.C. to his home district. Instead, Boehner will rely on commercial flights to accommodate his routine travel, which is a practice that has been increasing after government spending has been magnified in light of the recent economic woes plaguing the country. Boehner, R-Ohio, has used commercial flights since his career began when commuting back to his home district, and reiterated that all security precautions are in place to continue utilizing the public transportation.

Pelosi's own use of a military jet to fly between San Franciso and Washington has angered many Americans, who say it's a waste of tax payer money.

New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayote won her election by a 2-to-1 margin with a campaign focused on being a Washington outsider. The public has been searching and demanding for outsider candidates who relate to the average American during the 2010 midterm elections. The American people have been growing exceedingly upset with excess spending by politicians while they preach to the public about cutting costs and savings. The tide is turning, and the American public isn't accepting the norm, which is reckless spending, Washington insiders who abuse the system, and career politicians who have ingrained themselves into a broken system of false checks and smoke screens. Time will tell if these incoming politicians running on this platform will indeed backup their claims, or any hope they have of re-election looks dim.

As noted, your track record can prove to be costly, such is the case for two-term incumbent Democrat Blanche Lincoln, who lost her re-election campaign during the 2010 midterm elections after her past performance contradicted her Washington outsider approach. Her campaign ran ads showing young children throwing money around simulating the excessive spending and ineffective politicians in Washington. However, her voters saw through the veil and determined she wasn't quite the outsider she was trying to portray herself as. Career politicians have been hard-pressed this midterm election to maintain office and not be ousted by an outsider running on change and reduced spending.

The pressure on politicians to limit spending isn't just focused on the USA. British Prime Minister David Cameron flew to the US on British Airways, a move that saved taxpayers over $300,000. Britain is in its own economic slump and, in light of this, Prime Minister Cameron used standard fare commercial and opted to skip the upgraded first-class ticket. $300,000 in savings on one single flight is a huge reduction in costs. If more politicians began flying commercial, the United States taxpayers could save substantial sums of money over the course of a year.

Sources:

Associated Press, Embattled Blanche Lincoln Falls in Arkansas, Arkansas Business
Jack Cafferty, British Prime Minister Flies Commercial to U.S., lesson for our politicians?, CNN
Boehner to Fly Commercial as House Speaker, Fox News
KJ Dell'Antonio, Kelly Ayote Should Really Go to Washington, Slate