Telling the truth is not supposed to be noteworthy. It is assumed and should be the norm. However, that it is not the case when it comes to LA politicians.

No, they don’t all lie all the time.   Some seem to be inflicted with spontaneous temporary memory loss (until confronted with the facts).  Others suffer from cloudy thinking that causes obfuscation of the truth when the truth reflects badly on them or their colleagues.

Thus, it is most noteworthy that a state lege exposes the truth about himself and his colleagues.

In Sunday’s Baton Rouge paper, Michelle Millhollon, has a story ( see here) exploring the myth about the leges’ collective hands being tied in the appropriation of funds because of “dedications.”

Most of the “dedications” are merely statutory. That means that the leges can dip into them whenever they choose. Doing so would significantly redudce the drastic cuts to higher education and healthcare which we are told are the only places than can be cut when there is a rare shortfall of revenues.

In response to being confronted with the facts about these so-called “dedicated funds”, State Senator Eric LaFleur, D-Ville Platte says to use the funds would take “lots of political will that we don’t have.”

In other words, the problem with the leges hands being tied is that they don’t have the will to untie their own hands.

Kudos to Michelle for exposing a lege myth.

C.B.