I DON’T MIND, so long as they don’t lecture the rest of us about global warming:

Indeed, as the number of billionaires worldwide keeps climbing—Forbes now pegs the figure at 946, up 23 percent in just a year—so are sales of private jets. Boeing counts among its clients Russian oil magnate Roman Abramovich and Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin (they share a 767). Bombardier’s Global Express line has attracted buyers such as Bill Gates, Steven Spielberg, and Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte. Oprah Winfrey purchased a Global Express XRS in 2006 through her production company. Virginia-based entrepreneur Sheila Johnson favors Dassault’s Falcon jets, as does Swiss travel-industry tycoon Sergio Mantegazza. Steve Jobs got a Gulfstream GV as a bonus in 1999. . . . The very rich love their planes. Many billionaires are intensely competitive and delight in the knowledge that their own jet is bigger, faster, or has a longer range than that of a friend or rival.

But, really, I don’t want to hear from any of these people about Americans’ wasteful lifestyles.