SFGate
Talk about flying solo.
Passengers did a double take on Southwest Flight 896 from Sacramento to Burbank on Thursday when they saw California Gov. Jerry Brown sitting among them – sans entourage – on his first trip to Los Angeles since being sworn in last month.The Democratic governor was in budget-cutting mode, sitting in an economy seat after he opted not to pay the $16 extra for Southwest’s “business select” seating. That’s not all: Sources say Brown also relishes taking the airline’s senior discount.
Found by CinĂ edh.
Congratulations, John! It looks like you finally got yourself a good Governor – once again. You should be very proud of your Mr. Brown.
đ
And Jimmy Carter had cut down on electricity use at the White House. Whoopie. It’s nothing more than posturing. Oh sure, he might save the State a couple of thousand dollars a year. Perhaps he might even save a hundred thousand dollars a year. However, when your budget shortfall is in the billions, saving $16 by flying coach won’t mean squat. It’s meant to help sell his budget.
This guy is an idiot for not spending $16 of his own money for the upgrade.
But I agree with him that the taxpayers shouldn’t foot that bill.
Good on him.
Getting down with the people is necessary to serve them well. I did not say it is sufficient.
George Bush Sr. took Mubarak to Orioles game
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/The-time-George-H-W-Bush-took-Mubarak-to-an-Ori?urn=mlb-320181
Target left
>This guy is an idiot for not spending $16 of his own money for the upgrade.
There’s a reason it only costs $16. It doesn’t get you a better seat, just you are earlier to board, and can pick out the seat you want, and then the people who come later will sit right next to you. So the $16 at best guarantees you a window or aisle seat, up front, that’s all.
I don’t mind if he wastes an extra ten million a year. It’s a good deal if he cuts spending to balance the budget.
I imagine that it costs more than a couple of thousand PER FLIGHT in a State airplane.
I spoke to Jerry Brown during his first term as Governor and for that 30 seconds or so, I felt like I had his full and complete attention. It was a remarkable experience and caused me to think even more highly of Jerry Brown.
As an aside, Governor Brown was living in a Jesuit Seminary during the 1960s and already knows how to live a life of poverty.
Whats the big deal? Usually he flies high without a plane altogether.
It’s little things like this that give me the hope that there is an adult in charge of California now. It’s been awhile.
Lucky I didn’t crash that one. Whew!
# 9 Bhelverson said, “Brown was living in a Jesuit Seminary during the 1960s and already knows how to live a life of poverty.” He also dated rock stars. How does either fact help him govern a state in chaos?
What Thomas said in #2. Especially the part about posturing. By the way: How did the entourage travel? Probably by State-owned Gulfstream from the Executive Terminal…
Brown has my vote for President.
There are those that talk about hope and change, and there are those that CHANGE.
It’s called leadership folks. You can’t ask other state employees to cut back if you are riding around like a king.
i as a senior in HS back in 1992, but i was old enough to vote in the PA primary that year (turned 18 in January of 1992). I actually voted for Jerry Brown over any of the other Dem candidates, since i actually liked his style and platform better. ended up voting for billy boy in the fall, but i was swept by the charm. 1996, i went perot.
#16 – an obvious product of a California secondary education.
Good old fashioned common sense. I’m sure Sarah Palin would approve.
I would suppose the guy actually lives pretty well considering his position, and the ‘ascetic’ posturing is possibly just some kind of political poster that he carries around.
But then again, maybe if he’s in the habit of it, at least it’s a little example to others in his trade.
“Show me a priest who actually lives up to the vow of poverty, and I’ll show you a guy with only one suit in his closet.”
– Lenny Bruce
@15 Sure you can, just see Missouri Gov. Jay I fly free Nixon.
This is not a political posture. This is just Jerry Brown being “different” (not suggesting better or worse, just different) from your typical politicians. He generally says and does what he believes, though you may not agree with them. I don’t think he has the ego and narcissism many politicians tend to have (like Antonio Villaraigosa). I think JB will give a honest try to do what he believe is needed for California, and he will be fairly honest in communicating his attempt with the people. But not sure he can succeed with the same-old legislatures we have in the state.
So there is something wrong or soft about saving money in practical ways?
actually mr ed, i went to high school in northeast pennsylvania and to college at penn state. never was out in california in my life (much to the chagrin of a lot of folks).
21 –
Yeah, political posturing may be the wrong wording for it…but hey, here’s the man (he’s back!) who once seemed to advocate spending public money researching all that “Governor Moonbeam” stuff, which got him looking like he thought it was possible for aging New Age hippies to levitate out to their own hot-tub equipped space colonies.
(In another sense, though, maybe it wouldn’t have been such a bad idea after all, if they would just stay there)
Well at least he’s not taking secret taxpayer funded flights to South America like Governor Sanford. its typical for radical right morons to criticize Brown for thrift then have a memory hole about some of their own concerning excessive use of taxpayer funded flights. (Sanford, Palin, etc…)
Why not? Sac has a great airport and SWA has awesome service within Calif. I take them all the time.
Not the first time. Back in 1970 or 71, I flew from Sacramento to LA on PSA, and sat right behind Gov. Regan. He had 1 man with him, I assume security. I was in the Air Force at the time. I noticed his hair was orange.