Those Who Spend $62,950 for a 21-Day Trip Around the World Provide Ample Evidence They Can Pay Higher Taxes

First it was Columbia University, now it is New York University. The alumni association of NYU has just announced a 21-day "Around the World by Private Jet" tour leaving Orlando on November 1 by private jet. Since NYU has simply copied an earlier promotion offered by the alumni association of Columbia University, it must be assumed that similar alumni groups all over the nation have discovered that their highest-income alumni are fully capable of paying such extraordinary amounts for vacation travel. And since a part of the extraordinary fee will go to the academic institution itself, they have discovered a potent money-raising tool.

I want to protest. There are times when spending wildly excessive amounts on travel is positively immoral. In their private jet designed and configured to seat only 78 travelers, accompanied (as the literature points out) "by a dedicated physician and expedition chef," these privileged travelers will touch down in places where the population lives precariously in conditions of abject poverty. They will gaze upon human suffering from the sumptuous quarters of the world's most expensive hotels, and dine in splendor three times a day. And many of them, undoubtedly, will argue that the U.S. federal government should not restore their taxes to the levels of several years ago. Poor little rich boys and girls!

Sixty-two thousand nine hundred fifty dollars times 78 persons comes to nearly $5 million. Although the literature marketing the tour makes vague reference to several philanthropic contributions that the tour operator claims it will make to charitable institutions, never once is the amount of such contributions specified and one can only assume the most token sums.

I plan to lodge an emphatic protest with the NYU Alumni Association, of which I am a member. I plan to send a similar protest to the several unthinking professors who will be accompanying the group and (presumably) earning a free trip. They bring shame to their profession. I would hope that the organizers of this group outing will also supply the names of the 78 participants to their fellow fund-raisers, so that the latter can press each participant to make an independent $50,000 per person contribution to an NYU scholarship fund. If they can pay $62,950 for a jolly three-week escapade, they can make a $50,000 contribution to NYU.