When is enough, enough?

One has to wonder if our state representatives are in touch with reality.  Tuesday’s headline in The Star was entitled, “Senators relieved, but reticent about impact of cuts.”  The article can best be summarized by quoting Sen. Ronnie Johns, R, from St. Charles Parish when he states, “We honestly thought that these cuts were going to be a heck of a lot more devastating to the average citizen out there.”

One day later we learn that the state budget is so out of whack that we are to the point of prioritizing health care for our citizens.  The Department of Health and Hospitals released information Wednesday that the funding of the hospitals that service the poor will now be prioritized.   The hospitals serving New Orleans and Shreveport are ranked one and two respectively, with Lafayette General being ranked third and Baton Rouge’s Our Lady of the Lake fourth.   The reason given by DHH is that “If there’s an across the board cut for all of them, then there’s not enough money for any of them to stay open.”  Consequently, only the number one and two prioritized hospitals will be funded.  Since the contractors that run the privatized hospitals have a clause in their contracts that they can simply stop running the hospitals at any time they desire with a 30 day notice, it’s most certain that operations would cease at Lafayette and Baton Rouge and other hospitals throughout the state. 

What could be, "a heck of a lot more devastating to the average citizen out there,” than making decisions about which group of people will have access to health care in this state?

Sadly this tragedy continues to play out while the corporations, businesses, churches, and even Mardi Gras krewes sit silently in the background knowing that their state tax breaks are secure because of the perks they afford to our legislators.  How much more devastation is needed to get our representatives to admit enough is enough and switch their allegiance to the people who elected them?