When will legislators take responsibility for fiscal mismanagement?

Just how dumb do our Baton Rouge legislators think we are?  Republican House speaker, Taylor Barras, is titillating the media with the claim that our legislators are going to propose some meaningful tax reforms that will permanently solve Louisiana’s budget crisis.

For eight years under Jindal and two more under Edwards these same legislators lacked the spine to enact any worthwhile tax reform.   They basically let the LABI, oil, chemical, and gas lobbyists, and the nursing home lobbyists run the legislative sessions without opposition.

Our Republican legislators created the fiscal mess and now we are to believe that they will suddenly shun all these large election campaign donors and work for the citizenry.   I repeat, how stupid do they think we are?

However, an example of their perception of our degree of stupidity was made quite evident in a recent meeting I attended with one of our state representatives.  Let me share it with you.

Apparently our legislators’ new media by-line is that Louisiana’s entire fiscal mess was the result of the Jindal administration, and is currently continuing under the Edward’s administration.  Our Republican legislators take no responsibility for the fiscal deficit.

Perhaps they all need to review the state constitution, for it clearly states that ALL revenue generating bills must originate in the Louisiana House. The governor can propose whatever he/she wants regarding such measures, but the legislators have the final say in proposing, and passing such bills for implementation.  Even  if the governor vetoes some of their fiscal legislation our Baton Rouge reps  have the power to over-ride that veto by calling a special session; a procedure which they have NEVER  implemented since the Louisiana constitution was adopted in 1974.

In the case of Bobby Jindal, our esteemed legislators allowed him to raid and deplete dedicated state-funded accounts for the elderly, handicapped, and retirees, privatize state hospitalization care, increase corporation tax breaks, give state police a 23% raise, and continually slash funding for education and health care.  They approved 99% of his agenda and never blinked an eye.

  

Likewise with Edwards, our legislators never voted to undo, what they now claim, are unjust revenue raising measures.  Why would they?  The Republican controlled  house acted upon some of his desires by creating legislative bills and voted to implement them.

Sadly, even the many editorials that appear in our various media outlets bashing our latest governor have bought into the smoke screen erected by our legislators.  Journalists have forgotten who is mandated by the state constitution as having the ultimate control over, and responsibility for revenue raising measures in Louisiana. 

Our Republican legislators created this fiscal mess and don’t be surprised if their only solution to solving it is simply to make all temporary tax measures, set to expire in July, permanent.  The highest combined local and state sales tax in the nation!

According to them, I guess this will all be the fault of our latest Democratic governor.  It is imperative that the public continually remind themselves and our Republican legislators who is truly responsible for the fiscal woes in our state and hold them accountable.  Don’t fall for the legislators’ PR!