What Do I Do With The Bonus?
Beechcraft Aircraft knows how to tap into the zeitgeist of America’s executives these days as evidenced by their new full page ad in the Wall Street Journal. They are touting their King Air 350 turbo jet as energy effcient and claiming it the “greenest” aircraft in the sky…written presumbably with a straight face. The ad goes go to claim that had the CEO’s of the Big Three auto companies joined to fly in the King Air, they would have have received a “warmer reception” from DC legislators. Cost of this carbon-saving green jet: approximately $5.2 million dollars. But here’s the good part. Lest a CEO feels embarrased to down-size to such a cheaply priced air limo, the ad goes on to claim that the flying conference room is so well appointed that “passengers will think they’ve stepped into an aircraft costing millions more!” Thank goodness. I know that I’d be terribly offended if Ace Greenberg offered me a ride in a jet that only cost $5.2 million.
Speaking of down-sizing, the Journal also reported this morning that luxury-handbag designer Lambertson Trurex is seeking bankruptcy. You know them…the company that markets handbags in the $3,000 to $5,000 range. You might not think that this is a big deal, but it means quite a bit to some people. Mrs. John Thain, for example, was over-heard complaining, “First it was the goddammed jet and now it’s my pocketbook; so now where am I supposed to keep the fucking bonus?”