Da Gov's attack on the Middle Class and the Poor isn't flashy or headline-grabbing like Scot Walker, Rick Scott, or Chris Christie, but it is relentless. Yesterday, Lt Gov Jay Dardenne told the House Appropriation Committee that State Parks, libraries, Arts, and tourism would be hurt by Jindal's budget. Jindal created this budget crisis by cutting taxes on the rich and corporations (the same thing happened in Florida, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin) and he is using this fake crisis as an excuse for cutting all Public Works.
In a related story, LA will opt out of creating a Health Insurance Exchange and is returning the million buck grant to the Feds. This, however, is a good thing for us. The Feds will now administer the Exchange for Louisiana, moving us closer to true National Health Care.
Showing posts with label War on Louisiana. Show all posts
Showing posts with label War on Louisiana. Show all posts
24 March 2011
28 February 2011
Jindal Killed Jobs in Louisiana
How this story didn't see the light of day is beyond me, but BJ's rejection of stimulus money to build a rail line between Baton Rouge & New Orleans has had a very negative effect on job creation and tax revenues.
Creating that line would have spawned over 10,000 permanent jobs. Hard to believe? The rail line (killed by Scott Walker) in Wisconsin between Madison and Milwaukee is 90 miles long and, according to a 2006 economic analysis, it would have created nearly 10,000 jobs.
A 90 mile train line would need an infrastructure to support it, not just the porters and conductors and brakemen. There would also be repairmen, cleaning crews, station employees, restaurant employees, food purveyors--the list goes on and on.
The state would benefit from sales tax collected on everything sold to the passengers AND the $18 million annual cost cited by Jindal is compleatly bogus. The Feds would pay nearly all the maintenance costs. And if you don't think that people would use that train just to go to and from the Airport, well, you've been drinking the Tea. That travel alone would reduce traffic on the I-10, and so reduce accidents and the public cost of dealing with those accidents and the traffic snarls they cause.
Creating that line would have spawned over 10,000 permanent jobs. Hard to believe? The rail line (killed by Scott Walker) in Wisconsin between Madison and Milwaukee is 90 miles long and, according to a 2006 economic analysis, it would have created nearly 10,000 jobs.
A 90 mile train line would need an infrastructure to support it, not just the porters and conductors and brakemen. There would also be repairmen, cleaning crews, station employees, restaurant employees, food purveyors--the list goes on and on.
The state would benefit from sales tax collected on everything sold to the passengers AND the $18 million annual cost cited by Jindal is compleatly bogus. The Feds would pay nearly all the maintenance costs. And if you don't think that people would use that train just to go to and from the Airport, well, you've been drinking the Tea. That travel alone would reduce traffic on the I-10, and so reduce accidents and the public cost of dealing with those accidents and the traffic snarls they cause.
09 February 2011
Jindal Attacks the Healthcare Reform Law
The Gov's hypocrisy continues. He (along with 20 other Republican governors) is asking Obama to make 6 major changes to the 2010 Health Care reform IF the Supreme Court doesn't overturn it. He wishes states had been given more opportunity to provide input when the Act was being drafted. He argues that the Act will create a huge unfunded mandate on the states.
This is baloney. He has seen the CBO's assessment of the cost of the law and he knows it will actually reduce Medicare costs to the states while increasing the number of people covered.
He is also concerned that the federal government will end up running the health exchanges instead of the states. I say, bring on the Feds! Jindal has proven that he wants to destroy public health services. When he was Secretary of DHH, his claim to fame was "saving money" by closing dozens of clinics across the state. He closed down the Youth Psychology Clinic in New Orleans when we were in dire need of it in the aftermath of Katrina, the Federal Flood and the BP disaster.
But think about this: if the Supreme Court doesn't overturn the law, why would Obama change it for the worse? This is another publicity stunt by Jindal to stay on the national stage.
This is baloney. He has seen the CBO's assessment of the cost of the law and he knows it will actually reduce Medicare costs to the states while increasing the number of people covered.
He is also concerned that the federal government will end up running the health exchanges instead of the states. I say, bring on the Feds! Jindal has proven that he wants to destroy public health services. When he was Secretary of DHH, his claim to fame was "saving money" by closing dozens of clinics across the state. He closed down the Youth Psychology Clinic in New Orleans when we were in dire need of it in the aftermath of Katrina, the Federal Flood and the BP disaster.
But think about this: if the Supreme Court doesn't overturn the law, why would Obama change it for the worse? This is another publicity stunt by Jindal to stay on the national stage.
05 December 2010
War on Louisiana: Jindal's Agenda, Part 2
I heard this, La. Drops Use Of Christmas Trees To Save Coast, on TV yesterday, but combined with the news about LSU, it was too much bad stuff to write about.
Now I can.
The meager program costs $175,000 and has the added benefit of recycling Xmas trees and so reduces garbage costs. It started in 1991 and has helped to rebuild and slow the loss of vital wetlands. Jindal tossed this cheap program, thereby putting more pressure on local budgets, yet he thought redesigning the State flag was a priority.
The story about LSU ran on the front page of the T-P yesterday. The upshot is that LA Flagship Coalition, a non-profit formed by Sean Reilly of Lamar Advertising and Lane Grigsby of Cajun Contractors to take LSU out of the University system, would free LSU to run its own affairs and opt out of Civil Service rules. It would hire non-union workers to reduce costs. LSU was ranked as one of the best universities in the US the last 2 years, based on 2007 and 08, and before the draconian budget cuts by Lil Bobby in 08. Reilly speculates that the LSU System would benefit by sharing the money that LSU would have gotten from the state. But Jindal is certain to cut the budget by that amount so he can continue to toot his horn about his "fiscal responsibility".
Now I can.
The meager program costs $175,000 and has the added benefit of recycling Xmas trees and so reduces garbage costs. It started in 1991 and has helped to rebuild and slow the loss of vital wetlands. Jindal tossed this cheap program, thereby putting more pressure on local budgets, yet he thought redesigning the State flag was a priority.
The story about LSU ran on the front page of the T-P yesterday. The upshot is that LA Flagship Coalition, a non-profit formed by Sean Reilly of Lamar Advertising and Lane Grigsby of Cajun Contractors to take LSU out of the University system, would free LSU to run its own affairs and opt out of Civil Service rules. It would hire non-union workers to reduce costs. LSU was ranked as one of the best universities in the US the last 2 years, based on 2007 and 08, and before the draconian budget cuts by Lil Bobby in 08. Reilly speculates that the LSU System would benefit by sharing the money that LSU would have gotten from the state. But Jindal is certain to cut the budget by that amount so he can continue to toot his horn about his "fiscal responsibility".
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