Harkin: Liberal Elitism at its Best

Tucked away on the Des Moines Register’s website is a story about the plane carrying Ruth Harkin that skidded off the runway at the Waterloo airport on Friday. Harkin was in Black Hawk County for a Board of Regents meeting at the University of Northern Iowa.

I’m glad that Mrs. Harkin attends these meetings and takes her role on the Board of Regents seriously. When she was appointed to her position with the Regents, many wondered how she would attend the meetings since she lives and spends the majority of her time in the DC area. Friday’s incident at the Waterloo airport provides us with a glimpse on she is able to balance her responsibilities in DC and Iowa, the use of ConocoPhilips $60 million dollar corporate jet.

I think it’s outrageous that Ruth Harkin can use a $60 million dollar corporate jet complete with two pilots and a flight attendant for her private use. I guess I’m assuming that ConocoPhillips doesn’t have any business in front of the Board of Regents. Furthermore, one has to wonder if Ruth Harkin would receive such a generous gift from ConocoPhilips if she wasn’t married to a very powerful United States Senator.

I doubt that Senator Harkin would be able to accept such a lavish gift from any company due to Senate rules dealing with such matters. Unfortunately, those same rules don’t extend to the spouses of our elected officials.

In a time when the American public is outraged over the irresponsibility of corporate America, which was clearly illustrated by the Big 3 automakers when they showed up in DC on their private jets to beg for billions of taxpayer dollars. We should expect more from corporate America, those in financial trouble and those who are not, and we should expect more of our elected officials and their families as well.

Tom Harkin is also a hypocrite. When asked about the Big 3 flying to DC on their private jets he said, “the big three automakers "thumbed their noses" at taxpayers by flying private jets to Washington, D.C. this week rather than cutting company costs and flying commercial." Yet he must think it’s OK for ConocoPhillips to fly his wife back to Iowa to attend to her personal business. I also find it hypocritical that while Harkin has been critical of companies like ConocoPhilips, his wife and their bank account continue to benefit.

Conoco-Harkin, Liberal elitism at its best!

Oh, and I almost forgot. After reading about ConcoPhillips generosity to Ruth Harkin, one tends to understand why Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich thought he should benefit financially from having to fill President Elect Obama’s Senate seat.