S.C. Gov. Mark Sanford and officials at the State Department of Commerce wasted over $40,000 on two European charter flights when cheaper commercial flights were available, the Associated Press reported Thursday.
Good Lord, people. Every week South Carolina’s disgraced chief executive seems to find himself at the heart of a new airplane scandal.
Seriously, has this guy spent any time on the ground?
To recap, Sanford is under investigation for improper upgrades to first class seats, misusing the state plane for personal flights and failing to report flights that were provided by friends and political allies.
Now you can add wasteful European charters to the mix.
From the Associated Press:
South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, already facing scrutiny for expensive taxpayer-funded flights, relied on charter jet services costing more than $63,000 when traveling in Europe on two state business trips, an Associated Press investigation has found.
Sanford, his commerce secretary and two other state officials charged taxpayers more than $43,000 for use of a seven-passenger executive jet for several days of travel from France to Germany and Estonia during a June 2007 trip, state records show.
Also, taxpayers paid more than $20,000 so the governor and three state officials could fly a seven-passenger charter jet earlier this year when traveling from Poland to the Czech Republic, Germany and Switzerland, according to the records.
Commercial flights readily available for those trips would have saved the state $41,223, according to the average of current ticket prices listed on a Web booking site.
Again, the larger question is what the hell is South Carolina’s governor doing going on these totally pointless junkets?
Can he point to one job that they created?
And if so, how much did the state have to shell out in taxpayer-funded incentives to create it?
You know, for a guy who claims to be fighting for better economic “soil conditions” (and less incentive-based, government-run “economic development”), Sanford has racked up plenty of taxpayer-funded frequent flier miles in pursuit of state-sponsored “business opportunities.”
Poland, Germany, Switzerland, China … oh, and Argentina, in case anybody forgot.
By Stanley Fishburn September 17, 2009 at 6:18 pm
So do you actually read the stories before you comment on them, Will?
http://www.wistv.com/Global/story.asp?S=11151689
“What the AP writers ignore is that these high-level meetings in Europe have reaped tremendous dividends back here in South Carolina. The 2007 economic development trip alone led in large part to hundreds of jobs and hundreds of millions in investment: meeting with GE Aviation, which just recently announced a 100 job and multi-million dollar expansion at their Greenville facility and a joint venture with SKF to add another 100 jobs; meeting with Daimler Trucks/Freightliner, who moved its marketing and sales operations to York County and created 340 jobs for the state; and among other meetings, meeting with BMW leaders – which is relevant because BMW recently decided to expand in Spartanburg County to the tune of $750 million in capital investment and 500 more jobs for the community. The AP’s decision to completely ignore these huge benefits to the state is more than telling.”
By 1 + 1 = 3 September 17, 2009 at 6:37 pm
“Can he point to one job that they created?”
If there is any justice….his.
By Strom's Daughter September 17, 2009 at 6:43 pm
He’s either digging holes or flying first class.
There isn’t any middle ground with Mark Sanford.
He needs to be in a Chinese tuxedo . . . in other words, a strait jacket.
By SC Moderate September 17, 2009 at 6:48 pm
A bit off the immediate subject… Whats the deal with the story in the “Related Entries” section of this post from a few years ago (titled: “Sanford Paid Drowning Victim’s Family”).
Was this simply a liability sort of settlement. ie, she drowned in a pond that happened to be located on a property he owned in Beaufort?
By Charles_Pinckney September 17, 2009 at 7:06 pm
What a waste of time. So either he’s not doing enough to recruit jobs or he’s spending too much money while recruiting jobs. Let’s pick an angle and stick with it.
By John September 17, 2009 at 7:11 pm
Just remember Andre Bauer, with scores of undisclosed flights and ethic problems galore, will face the same scrutiny. Until investigations on Bauer are complete how can any prudent person want to chuck Sanford then face the same possibility with Bauer.
By Soft Sigh From Hell September 17, 2009 at 8:01 pm
Is South Carolina now so third-worldish that we must solicit industral investment and development from Estonia . . . Poland . . . the Czech Republic? Perhaps Haiti or Sudan might give us a hand.
By AMAZING September 17, 2009 at 8:26 pm
AP INVESTIGATION: SC gov used European charters
Sanfraud relied on charter jet services costing more than $63,000 when traveling in Europe on two state business trips?
Sanford, his commerce secretary and two other state officials charged taxpayers more than $43,000 for use of a seven-passenger executive jet for several days of travel from France to Germany and Estonia during a June 2007 trip.
Also, taxpayers paid more than $20,000 so the governor and three state officials could fly a seven-passenger charter jet earlier this year when traveling from Poland to the Czech Republic, Germany and Switzerland, according to the records.
WHAT IS SANFRAUD REALLY DOING?
HE ACTS MORE LIKE A DRUG SMUGGLER THAN A GOVERNOR.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i1C-xISvi5ddekzqmKJuvr2XJ3JQD9AP709G0
By Mab September 17, 2009 at 8:42 pm
By Strom’s Daughter on September 17th, 2009 at 6:43 pm
He’s either digging holes or flying first class.
There isn’t any middle ground with Mark Sanford.
He needs to be in a Chinese tuxedo . . . in other words, a strait jacket.
###
“ROFL”
No compromises. No surrender. :0
By 1 + 1 = 3 September 17, 2009 at 8:44 pm
Uh, Stanley…
Corporate Headquarters:
Daimler Trucks North America LLC
4747 Channel Ave.
Portland, OR 97217
BMW of North America, LLC
300 Chestnut Ridge Road
Woodcliff Lake, NJ 07675
And I’m pretty sure GE isn’t based in Estonia either.
By Jeffy September 17, 2009 at 9:13 pm
Can’t wait for Candi to point out that picture is photo shopped….and it’s cool for Luv Guv to fly the private skies.
By Interloper September 17, 2009 at 9:40 pm
Seems like no one is buying the press release from the Luv Guv quoted in the first comment. Good judgment, that.
I wonder if Mark and Maria have done it on a plane.
By Soft Sigh From Hell September 17, 2009 at 9:42 pm
SD is a hoot. Her “Hamptons meets low country pluffmud” and “channeling his inner West Columbia” are in classic form. As are others that have now slipped my (ever more slippery) mind even while remembering the laughs.
By alaindelon September 17, 2009 at 10:05 pm
At least we know that Andre Bauer is flawed and expect wild things
from him.He can be tolerated until the election.Leaving South
Carolina unattended for 6 days means you don’t care,don’t need,don’t
want your job.When your own party privately and publicly ask you to resign…An ounce of shame,would make you pack your bag.That’s why
Sinfraud is scary.
By funny September 18, 2009 at 7:58 am
Well – he WAS gonna ask Andre to fly him to those locations but remembered Andre’s LAST flight and figured he could survive spending 40k more.
By Ross September 18, 2009 at 12:09 pm
Gov. Sangfroid had to build up his political resume with foreign policy experience if he wanted to be the party’s choice for Vice President. It must have really annoyed him when Sarah Palin, who didn’t even have a passport at the time of his 2007 junket, got the nod.