The Blunt Boys: Flying High on Others' Dime

We've read and heard a lot about Matt Blunt's frequent use of airplanes belonging to corporate interests [1] with business before the state. While, as we all suspect, a portion of Matt Blunt's willingness to compromise on matters of integrity is attributable to simple casual morality, genetics also appear partly to blame.

According to a story posted today on Bloomberg.com, Matt's daddy Roy Blunt has made a cottage industry of travelling billionaire-style [2] on corporate jets while paying pennies on the dollar toward the values of the flights.

Michael Oxley, a U.S. representative from Ohio best known as a promoter of good corporate governance, is making his mark on business in another way: He's the most frequent user of company jets among all 535 members of Congress. ...
Private jets are part of good campaigning, said Keri Ann Hayes, executive director of the political-action committee of House Majority Whip Roy Blunt, 55, a Missouri Republican and the most-frequent corporate jet user after Oxley.
"Congressman Blunt believes one of his top priorities as the whip is to retain and grow the majority,'' Hayes says. "And traveling the country for members and candidates is a big part of that responsibility. Private travel enables him to reach multiple campaign events. A lot of these are in remote locations.''

Ranked number-two in the entire Congress: impressive! Apparently, laxity on the acceptance of gifts meant to curry favor is justified, in the eyes of Roy Blunt's staff, if it allows him to squeeze in a few more fundraisers around the country.

And, of course, the story can't end without an illustration of just how willing corporate behemoths are to knock 75% off the cost of a charter flight for the privilege of carting Blunt around from one rubber-chicken arm-twist to the next.

In March 2004, Blunt used a BellSouth Corp. jet to fly from Washington to the ski resort of Aspen, Colorado, to attend a fund- raiser for Representative Eric Cantor, a Virginia Republican. That was followed by a hop to Denver for another fund-raiser for Representative Bob Beauprez, a Colorado Republican, then a return trip to Washington.
The cost to Blunt's Roy B PAC: $4,450. One Sky's cheapest charter alternative: $16,108.50 for a seven-seat Falcon 10 jet.

"You're now free to move about the country in the back-pocket of corporate telecom providers and brokerage firms. Ding!"

With all this father-son flying, I'm reminded of a story. Daedalus and Icarus [3], anyone?