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Will Jindal let burglars in the house?
Published Tuesday, June 17, 2008
We’ve long believed the Louisiana state capitol in Baton Rouge had more than its fair share of con men inside.
But until recently we had no idea that burglars outnumbered the cons by such a whopping margin.
You do know the difference, don’t you?
Easy. A con man will rob you in plain sight, even while you’re watching. A burglar steals when no one is looking or when you’re asleep.
And unless Gov. Bobby Jindal decides to grow a spine over the next few days, the hard-working taxpayers of Louisiana will be burglarized by a majority of both the House and the Senate.
Lawmakers pushed through a bill that would more than double their own pay when no one was looking. They even waived their own procedures to get the matter to a quicker vote. The final bill passed Monday.
All that’s left is for Jindal to either sign the bill into law or veto it. Jindal has said publicly he will not veto the bill for fear that his veto will hamper efforts to get his agenda passed by the Legislature.
The bill gives legislators a 223-percent pay raise. The increase is so amazing, so utterly astounding that one would think the story were made up, part of some outlandish joke.
Unfortunately, it’s true and no one, but the lawmakers who sought the pay raise, are laughing.
Of the lawmakers representing Concordia Parish the two Democrats, Sen. Francis Thompson and Rep. John F. “Andy” Anders, both voted in favor of giving themselves the fat pay hike. Republican Sen. Neil Riser voted against the measure.
Jindal is the only sheriff taxpayers have to prevent the burglary of their funds.
The only thing worse than a burglar is a con man, who has the power to intervene, but chooses to stand by and watch you get robbed.
Comments
Posted by gemccull (Gary McCullars) on June 17, 2008 at 5:04 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Let's see. If one gets a 10% raise, then you would multiply the old rate of pay by 1.1 (1 plus .1) for the new rate of pay.
So if the LA legislative members are currently paid 16,800 per year and the proposed pay is 37,500, the percentage increase would be 37,500 divided by 16,800 minus one. While it is true that pay will increase by a factor of 2.23, the percentage increase is 123%
Posted by Yeahuhuh (anonymous) on June 17, 2008 at 8:49 a.m. (Suggest removal)
If it were a 223% raise (above their salary at present) they would be making an additional 223% above their present amount. $54,300
They should have said it would increase the salary to 223% of their present salary.
That's a big enough difference to put you in prison for a felony if you used that sort of math to tabulate a bill you charged for.
But don't listen to me. I'm from Mississippi.
Otherwise, if legislators do their work full time they probably earn the increase. That doesn't mean that Jindal is a reform minded governor -- he just said he was during the campaign.
What is more worrysome is the suit festering against the some of Foster's old legal buddies and how Jindal's team has handled that.
Regarding a bayou dredged in the Atchafalaya Basin ostensibly for water quality that was evidently mainly used for oilfield expansion and a transfer of the state's mineral rights to a private individual who helped design the project, Jindal's new inspectors claimed one examination of the case closed before they even sought evidence they were told existed. They then claimed secrecy priviledge of the governor's office when Sierra Club asked them for documents. Meanwhile the Corps of Engineers finds the project in violation even on water quality grounds.
Louisiana politics as usual. What's worrysome is how much Jindal owes the national GOP for financing two elections with money from elsewhere.
Posted by fire39212 (anonymous) on June 17, 2008 at 12:08 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I don't think Jindal will allow this....He has shook LA up for the good...He has put 11,000 kids on insurance....But, then again who am i to say lol...
Posted by noneya (anonymous) on June 17, 2008 at 1:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)
What I can't believe is that Andy Anders voted himself a raise. That's a shock to me. I thought his daddy raised him better and he had higher standards in serving his state and community than that. He knew what the pay was when he ran but now he wants more. Just like all the rest. Now, no matter what he does, he will always have that label and will never stand apart.
Posted by EnKiKur (anonymous) on June 17, 2008 at 4:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)
He's a tractor salesman noneya. He just couldn't resist that Additonal Dealer Markup.
Posted by grrbrts (anonymous) on June 17, 2008 at 9:07 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Not my State. But, if it were, then it's 'hog wash.'
Posted by hopefloats (anonymous) on June 17, 2008 at 11:04 p.m. (Suggest removal)
News reported that Jindal was traveling so extensively that he was rarely seen...dining with mccain on one occasion...when the cats away the mice vote for the cheese.
Posted by rushinghjr (anonymous) on June 19, 2008 at 12:15 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Point- When the votes were taken last week on the Pay Raise, Jindal was in Baton Rouge. That is the original votes and the amended votes. As a friend of Jindals, he is "between a rock and a hard place".
Posted by Yeahuhuh (anonymous) on June 21, 2008 at 12:31 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Burglar? Con man?
Louisiana legislators are assumed to require 2/3 of their time to fulfill the requirements of their office.
They presently receive about $35,000 in combined per diem, expenses and salary.
Professional legislators, who are assumed to require all their time as legislators receive an average of $69,000 per year nationwide.
The increase the Louisiana legislators wish to acquire puts them above $50,000 (combined salary, expense and per-diem) but far less than the $69 thousand of professional legislators.
You get what you pay for. Keep legislative wages low and the Democrat will always have legislators to complain about.
Maybe this is the Democrat's way to encourage bad government policies for selfish journalistic motives, He,he!
But even if Jindal is being reasonable not to oppose the raise, he still owes all those bureaucrats at the GOP for getting him elected$, and we should watch him like a hawk.
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