Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee: Terror of the skies since 1995

“Don’t you know who I am?” The eternal call of the classless big shot.

(From The Washington Examiner)

The Democrat has developed a reputation for making life hell for any clerk, stewardess, or pilot unwilling or unable to make her three-and-a-half-hour flight anything less than glamorous. She takes advantage of federal travel perks to book multiple flights (only to cancel at the last minute and at no charge). She demands an upgrade to premier seats. She expects, in her words, “to be treated like a queen.”

Sometimes it gets ugly. For instance, when one peasant of a flight attendant failed to serve the food Jackson Lee requested, the congresswoman went wild. “Don’t you know who I am?” she reportedly shrieked. “I’m Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee. Where is my seafood meal? I know it was ordered!”…

…What’s an honest airline to do anyway? Airlines are one of the most regulated industries. Sure, they have an obligation to get passengers from A to B. But they also have a larger obligation to their stockholders. Angering an influential lawmaker doesn’t help the bottom line, and so it just isn’t done.

Of course, it would be nice if business saw everyday citizens and lawmakers the same. Some goodhearted congressmen like Rep. Ron Estes, R-Kan., who recently insisted on giving up his seats on an overbooked flight to Wichita, bristle at any distinction. But that’s not the way Washington works. Quite simply, there are rules for the rulers and rules for the rest of us.

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