The Minister prefers the helicopter

Brambilla, Minister of State for the tourism prefers the helicopter flights, paid for by taxpayers. Even for the meetings of her party Michela Vittoria Brambilla preferred an helicopter of the state and paid for by taxpayers. Already the Minister has a small record of 157.000 euro (220.000 CAD) spent traveling - and she is a ministry without portfolio (with no budget to spend for ) - against an estimated budget of 27.000 (36.000CAD). ...
It is December 9 last year, the minister takes by car (blue-paid but taxpayers), to drive the four and a half kilometers separating her home in Calow, near Lecco, to arrive to Kong Airfield, a small hamlet of Monte Marenzo on the SS 639. At that point, citizens have already spent 500 euro for the sole use of the car (this is the price expressively revealed in September 2009 for the hire of the vehicle). Which stood there, from nine in the morning, with at least one ambulance at the request of Central Calolziocorte 118 of Lecco( same that canadian 911) and a car of the firemen. Yeah, because when the minister moves, all the forces converge to prevent problems. When the ambulance finally back home are 11.20. Two hours later, however, the car goes out again to await the return of the helicopter of the Carabinieri, which travels on the minister....
The same scene is repeated at least once during 2010, how the daily was able to document. On March 13, the day when the minister is in Rimini, to meet the electoral committee of the PDL, then to attend a public meeting with local economic operators. And another service there for a month is booked and canceled at the last moment. On 16 October, then, in Caiolo, Valtellina, the minister is expected for the opening of a golf course, but the helicopter - tas written local newspapers - will not start because of weather conditions and mrs Brambilla was forced to give package. Each time the message arrives a day before the move. In this way all the necessary resources can be alerted. Refunds are then downloaded onto taxpayers. In the specific case of the ambulance, for example, the output is paid by the Convention between 118 and Regione Lombardia.
The number of trips, however, may be higher. The airfieldof KONG, a small private strip of asphalt between the mountains and the edge of a swamp, in fact, freely admits to not always know the names of passengers seeking to use helicopters on the track. "In my memory will be three or four trips a year - says Nadia Ferrari - but sometimes it's the pilot to contact us directly." Moreover, says the manager of Kong, to use the runway, normally intended for ultralight, many are almost always known. as r Minister Roberto Castelli, who lives about five miles to the east ....
But who pays for all this and on what basis? The prefecture of Lecco not confirm and do not detract from "substantive." But point out that it is "okay". For the office of the prefect, in fact, the movements of the Minister shall be approved directly by the flightoffice of the Presidency of the Council. That is paid by us. The same explanation comes from the core of the police helicopters in Orio al Serio, the nearest airport (27km) to the Kong. Colonel Margins, which controls the nucleus, confirming that a flight must be approved by Rome. About the deployment of emergency vehicles, is "a good idea'. We are more reassured if there are ". Even if you do not get answers from Rome - the office flights "is not open to the public, so we can not answer such questions" - is actually hard to believe that everything is in order.
So Let's watch the rule. Because whatever the official version, it is difficult to understand on what grounds the Minister can fly at the expense of citizens. The legislation on state flights, which was launched a few months after the establishment of the executive Berlusconi, provides for only two reasons, which must act together, to grant the privilege to the Ministers of the Republic.
We read the directive of 25 July 2008 for authorizing the flight must be no "compelling evidence and transfer needs related to the effective exercise of official duties." And above all it must not be "scheduled, or other available modes of transport with the effective conduct of those duties." Is this the case? On December 9 last year, for example, the minister is in Piazzola sul Brenta, Padova. Navigator in hand, for a common driver it is are two hours drive. Much less with a flashing light on the roof of the car. Enough to justify the flight of a helicopter? Not to mention the meeting in Rimini on 13 March. The reason to use of a helicopter was a meeting with the Election Committee and is this participation a public meeting?
Moreover, the minister feels important - a "leader for people" she said of herself in Vanity Fair - in Calolziocorte is a matter of some irony and a lot of hassle. Many remember the blue car parking everywhere or the jumping in the hairdresser salon jumping the line, fines that appear and disappear. So far as to create a funny anecdote about the Grand Prix in Monza, which already cost to Rutelli and Mastella,(previous ministers) guilty to have got there with a flight of State in 2007. Two years after we have the Brambilla and some say that the Minister for spawning the helicopter has arrived at her destination twenty minutes before her own car. And for once she had to wait.