TVA spends $472,000 flying chairman from his home in Miss.

[Judi Lynn]

January 7, 2004

TVA spends $472,000 flying chairman from his home in Miss.


By Duncan Mansfield
The Associated Press

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Valley Authority has spent $472,000 since 2000 to fly Chairman Glenn McCullough on the company plane from his home in Tupelo, Miss., according to an audit released Tuesday. (snip)

(snip) McCullough said Tuesday he has no plans to move from Tupelo, but he will work to reduce travel costs and limit his use of the TVA plane.

"I intend to use the most efficient mode of transportation available to meet scheduled business commitments," McCullough said. "I will primarily rely on commercial airlines and travel by car to and from my official duty station where it is consistent with TVA business needs."

McCullough, a Republican championed by former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott of Mississippi, was appointed to the three-member TVA board in 1999 by President Clinton and elevated to chairman by President Bush in 2001.
(snip/...)

http://www.clarionledger.com/news/0401/07/b05.html

[xchrom]

1. incredible

what a waste -- and can you imagime how many qualified folk there are to do his job that don't make a quarter of his travel expences?
but it's a great picture of the corporate universe we live in.

[chelaque liberal]

2. That's considered a legitimate business expense so they write it off....

Wonderful!

But don't you just hate those lazy, no-good welfare moms who are taking all of our taxes?

[discordian]

3. Wag the dog

This is over a four year span, so it's about $118,000 a year. While that is a lot of money for travel, in the big picture, it's hardly even a drop in the bucket. There are executives and officials who travel at an expense of $20K-$50K per trip, on a very frequent basis. If they can keep our attention with this micro-expenditure (by government standards), then maybe we won't notice some multi-billion dollar item somewhere else. Don't let them fool you.