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Lately we’re hearing about an alleged $1.3 BILLION shortfall for next year’s state budget.

I say “alleged” because neither we citizens nor do even the leges even know if it is true. Only the governor’s office knows for certain.

The transparency of state spending promised by Bobby Jindal has yet to be seen.

The recent press releases about the new budgetary postings on the state’s website is nothing more, in fact, it is less than the information about the state budget that can be currently found on the state’s websites.

But I digress.

Let’s assume for the sake of argument that the 2009-10 state budget will have a shortfall in the neighborhood of $1 BILLION. That’s chump change in a budget of over $33 BILLION.

The last time we had a budget shortfall of a billion dollars was when Buddy Roemer took office as governor. At that time the state budget was still in the single-digit billions.

The fix

There is a simple, easy, way to fix the current alleged shortfall.

Not only is the fix easy, but it is common practice for all businesses and individuals in LA.

The fix will not only quickly balance the budget, but it just may force Jindal and leges to address some problems we citizens are facing in the private sector.

FREEZE THE BUDGET!!

Freeze vs. standstill

Don’t confuse a budget “freeze” with a “standstill” budget.

A “standstill” budget means each agency gets the same amount of money it got the year before, PLUS an “inflation factor” to pay for items such as auto-magic Civil Service pay raises, their accompanying benefits increase, higher costs of utilities, gasoline, insurance, etc.

In other words, the same inflationary factors (minus the pay raises) us individual taxpayers on static incomes face each year.

In the recent past (before the state budget had grown to over $30 BILLION) a “standstill” meant an extra $600 Million plus per year in additional spending. Today, I’d venture the figure will be closer to a billion dollars.

A “freeze” will require each agency head to look within their own budget to determine how to pay for the annual inflationary increases. Who better to know where is the fat than those who larded it up.

State spending in the current budget increased by $1 BILLION from the prior fiscal year. What items do they currently have that they did not have last year that they cannot function without?

Benefits from fix

There are twin benefits from the internal look at the budget.

First, it will mean a continuation of government services with no layoffs and no tax or fee increases.

Second it just might force Jindal and the leges to focus on the problems facing the individual taxpayers of LA.

What’s to lose?

I realize this idea is too simple for the politicians in LA. It relies on common sense, which is not in abundance at the state Capitol.

Until we citizens start demanding common sense solutions to simple problems caused by our government, we can only look forward to reduced government services, more debt and higher taxes and fees.

What do we have to lose?

C.B.

1 CB 9:14 am

While Bobby Jindal travels the country making headlines across the nation, he continues to fail our state.

Bobby talks about what he has done, not how our state has benefited.

To date, Bobby’s major accomplishments are: 1) being mentioned as a Vice Presidential candidate, 2) passing some new, unenforceable, ethics laws and 3) renaming the LA Department of Labor.

How have the citizens of our state benefited?

Out-migration

The story in Sunday’s Baton Rouge paper should be a wake-up call for everyone in LA. (See here.)

Our “best and brightest” and thus our future continue an unabated out-migration. This is a primary symptom of the on-going failure to address the real problems that LA faces; none of which are being given anything, but lip-service.

Government’s response

The response by our public officials to every major problem in LA is to throw more money at it.

Since the 1997-98 Fiscal Year state spending has grown from $12.4 BILLION to the current level of $33.3 BILLION plus.

In 12 years, we’ve thrown an extra $21 BILLION into the government morass and yet we remain ranked last in everything that is good and first in everything that is bad.

How have we benefited?

Economic development and education

“Economic development” and “education” are buzzwords that regularly and easily flow from the mouths of the politicians in Louisiana.  It is nothing more than rationalization for spending more money.

Billions of our hard-earned tax dollars are spent by state government, annually, under the guise of “economic development.”

We have 90,000 job vacancies with nobody to fill them.

For the most part, they are the jobs which those leaving the state don’t want because they are over-qualified, over-educated or merely ambitious.

The best-paying jobs created by the Jindal Administration are government jobs.  It’s ironic that the person in the administration most responsible for the lack of performance in the area of economic development is the highest paid cabinet secretary.

How have we benefited?

Billions of dollars more are spent on elementary and secondary public “education” despite an ever-declining enrollment.

We still rank last or next to the last in public education in the U.S.

How have we benefited?

Accountability

What’s the solution to our problems?

One word: ACCOUNTABILITY!

Benefits to the citizens must come before more government spending.

One doesn’t have to see a more blatant example of the reverse than the obscene pay raise the leges voted themselves after being in office for 6 months. How were we to benefit by having some of the best paid leges in the country?

We get what we demand as citizens of LA.

It’s time Bobby stopped campaigning and started governing.

Otherwise, the rest of the country will soon ask how have the citizens of Louisiana benefited?

C.B.

1 CB 7:07 am

It doesn’t get anymore ironic and hypocritical than the story by “Watchcat” Robert Travis Scott. (See here)

Bobby Jindal told us we needed to pass the new “gold standard” of ethics in order to change the state’s image in order to attract businesses to Louisiana.

Stephen Moret is Jindal’s head of economic development tasked with convincing businesses that the new laws will make a difference. However….

While lobbying for stronger ethics and lobbyist disclosure laws Moret failed to register as a lobbyist as required by then-existing laws.

Here’s an excerpt from what Bobby said about his new lobbying laws (see here):

“Pillar No. 5: Breaking the rules will result in expulsion and criminal proceedings.”

Here’s what Bobby says about Moret’s violation of the law:

“[Jindal] expects Moret to continue in his position.”

More of Bobby saying one thing and doing another.

What will the people in Iowa say.

C.B.

1 CB 6:03 pm