Is Leon Panetta Worth The Price?

My first impression was; no one would ever know that the USA is in the financial crisis it is in based on how it’s officials some tax payers money.

Taxpayers shell out an average of $20,000 a week to allow Defense Secretary Leon Panetta to return to his California walnut farm on weekends. Amid outrage over excessive spending of the GSA and other agencies, the trips may have become an unaffordable luxury for Panetta.

Since he has become Secretary of Defense Leon (Noel spelled backwards) has flown home 27 times to shake the walnuts out of the trees on his farm every weekend.

Is it really necessary that Mr. P flies home on a military airplane that is so costly to operate? There has to be a more economical way of transporting Panetta back and forth to his farm than spending $ 20,000.00 a week. It is a good thing he does live in Hawaii to would cost triple.

After my initial reaction to this news I did a little research and found it is 2321 air miles from D.C. to Monterey Ca… The average jet flies at 350 miles per hour = approx. 7 hour flight time X 2 for a round trip = 14 hours of flight time. A decent size corporate jet rental starts @ 1500.00 per hour and up – $ 1,500.00 X 14 hours is  $ 21,000.00 round trip.

So for the first time since I have been following the governments’ irrational spending habits, these trips for Panetta seem like a bargain. It just too bad he doesn’t live a little closer. I wonder if they give the Secretary a boxed lunch or is it a gourmet dinner while in flight? Remember no peanuts.

Based on the fact that Mr. P. is the Secretary of Defense and needs to be in constant contact with D.C. 24/7 it does make sense to me that he has the government planes at his disposal. What is more important in this country than the defense of its citizens?

It would probably would be a little more logical to me if the “little women” came to visit him every other weekend; $ 650.00 round trip.

At least these trips are basically in the line of duty and not some extravagant whims someone’s wife or daughters are having.

Beside all the facts and Panetta is Italian, I will have to give him a pass on this one.

With a nose like that and those hand gestures he certainly can not deny coming from the BOOT.