Hightower Lowdown

Rich people have problems,too. For example,what's the use of being richif you can't be pampered?Take corporate jets.Your top CEOs don't travelFirst Class, they travelTheir Class in privatejets—no lines, no wandingof their private parts, nomingling with us peons.Their new favorite isGulfstream's G450 jet,which will fly eight passengers5,000 miles nonstopand PDQ. Price tag: $33million, plus another$4 million or so to installthe deerskin sleep seats,mahogany cabinets,Persian carpets, mutedlighting, flat-screen videodisplays with surroundsoundsystems, walk-inshowers, and, of course,24K gold plating for the fixtures.As one jet-maker putit, the interior "should lookmore like a multi-milliondollarhome" than anairplane.Yes, but what to say tothe small shareholders andthe workers, who reckonthese flying mansions arenothing but extravaganttoys for over-pamperedexecutive fat cats? CEOsget cranky when askedabout this, but now they'vecome up with an executiveexcuse: A jet encouragesin-flight productivity, theyclaim. It’s just another worktool, like a carpenter'slathe or a schoolteacher'sbook bag.If Persian carpets, goldfixtures, sleeper seats, andsurround sound encourageproductivity—let’s bring’em on for all the workers!