So everyone is talking about it… ok, maybe not everyone. Apparently, the East Coast news media couldn’t believe the Governor was in New Mexico. Frankly, I’m just as surprised. It’s rare the Governor finds the time to visit the Land of Enchantment. Although when he does, he prefers to be looking down on everyone:
Gov. Bill Richardson climbed into a state-owned airplane parked on a runway at a small airport in Santa Fe. The plane took off with Richardson and several of his staff members aboard, and landed a short while later on a high mountain airstrip.
The flight time? Ten minutes.
The destination? Los Alamos
State aviation bureau records show that Richardson has used three, multimillion-dollar state airplanes 113 times between his 2003 inauguration and mid-September of this year. Richardson has used the airplanes to travel, among other places, to Dulce, Albuquerque, Gallup, Farmington, San Francisco, Calif., Las Vegas, NM.
The latter trip, like most in-state flights by the governor, is one most New Mexicans make in a car. But while the governor was being ferried through the skies in a state aircraft, his security officers drove his state-owned Lincoln Navigator so Richardson and his staffers could use the luxury SUV at their destination, two sources confirmed.
Maybe I’m not being fair to Governor Richardson. After all, he did promise New Mexicans he would no longer speed on our highways. Obviously, he is just keeping his promise. Plus, think of all the gas expense he is saving taxpayers by flying on planes and having his security detail drive around in hybrid vehicles.