Lege Watch

The budget is going to Governor Jindal’s desk, and if I could convey anything to him, it would be just three words.

Line. Item. Veto.

Governor Jindal made it clear that the legislature is coercing him into letting these pay raises go through. Now is the time to play hardball, and there are $20 million opportunities for him to administer a much needed attitude adjustment to the legislature.

The budget came in about $50 million below the cap, leaving legislators room to make mid-year adjustments without a two-thirds vote.

House Speaker Pro-Tem Karen Carter Peterson, D-New Orleans, said the Legislature should be applauded for restraining spending as tax revenues bulge.

“When you have so much money to spend in government, it’s real easy to spend it all,” Peterson said.

When it left the House last month, the budget bill contained about $122 million less in general fund spending than proposed by Jindal, owing to cuts in health care and higher education programs. Senators, however, restored most of the cuts and earmarked at least $20 million more for local projects.

“I am very sorry to see the Legislature do this,” he said “More than doubling legislative pay is not reasonable and the public has been clear on that”.

He’s sorry! That’s it? Should we just accept his apology and turn our heads? Ignore this unprecedented legislative pay raise as it appears our state leader is prepared to do?

As stated in Jindal’s Action Plan pamphlet, one of his key points was “PROHIBIT legislators from giving themselves pay raises that take effect before the subsequent election. Any increase in salary approved by the Legislature should take effect after the next election so the public can decide who deserves the compensation.”

The fact that Jindal mentioned legislative pay raises in his campaign brochure makes one wonder just how much discussion was going on about pay raises behind the scenes prior to the gubernatorial election.

Bobby, Bobby, Bobby…….exactly WHO is going to PROHIBIT it? The citizens of Louisiana obviously can’t PROHIBIT it.

Melissa, please find Bobby’s copy of “Governing For Dummies” and give it to him…….while you’re at it, look through those 5,000 pens on his desk and find the one that says “Veto Pen” and give it to him.

Terrible video, but worth it just for the last five seconds - Jindal admits to Stephen Sabludowsky that the lege is coercing him. Raises for reforms. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss!

CB Forgotston shows that Jindal’s failure to veto this pay raise is a clear violation of a campaign promise - and has the campaign literature to prove it. So Jindal would evidently rather keep his word to the legislature than he would to the voters who put him in office.

So much for the Jindal Revolution - it’s obviously going to be more politics as usual.