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In Friday’s Baton Rouge paper was a story (read here) about 17 state employees going to a Medicaid conference in Chicago this week.

The cost to the taxpayers for the conference is $33,000.

According to the story a state official says that most of the $33,000 in expenses are being paid by the federal government. The state is putting up $11,500 of the $33,000.

Is that supposed to make me feel better? Federal and state government money comes from the same pockets — mine and yours.

We are being told by the same state agency that is sending these employees to Chicago that LA is going to be short $700 Million to fully fund Medicaid payments to citizens of Louisiana.

In terms of government dollars that $33,000 is chump change. However, to some poor or elderly person, $33,000 in medical treatment might be the difference between life and death. Isn’t one person’s life more important than 17 people attending a conference in Chicago?

Financial problems?

Maybe the state really doesn’t have financial problems in Louisiana, but our public officials are sure doing a great job of poor-mouthing.

If one of us mullets had a spare hundred dollars would we spend it to take care of a sick child or would we use the money to go out to dinner and a movie?  The answer is obvious to everyone, but our public officials.

If the conference is more important than healthcare for the needy, send one person to take notes and report back to the rest.  Ask to attend via tele-conference.  Read about the latest changes in the law.

I don’t want to hear about any more “budget problems” in Louisiana.  Let’s tell it like it is; the state’s politicians and bureaucrats simply have priority problems.

This latest expenditure is just rubbing salt in the wounds of the taxpayers. Now that’s a real medical problem!

C.B.

1 CB 8:00 am

The LA leges must live in some parallel universe. We can see them, but they can’t see us.

It seems like only yesterday that the leges gave themselves an obscene pay raise because they were overworked and underpaid.

We heard that leges were losing so much money being away from their lucrative private sector jobs and businesses that there might be mass resignations.  Tears were shed by leges over other leges that had resorted to sleeping in their cars at the Capitol during the session.  One of the leges said he was unable to afford milk for his baby.

Despite the hardship of serving the public (a job they asked for), after Bobby Jindal (forced by irate taxpayers) vetoed the raise none were forced to resign to find honest work.

One of the leges who voted for the pay raise actually ran for a position in the opposite chamber for the exact same pay.  Talk about dumb. Another lege that voted for the raise actually closed his business and became a full-time lege. What’s that about?

Just a month ago, there was all that weeping and wailing about cutting higher education and healthcare for the poor.   It was so bad that many of the leges tried to increase taxes on us mullets.

Sunday in the Baton Rouge paper (story here), we learned that some leges, despite the financial hardship for being away from their jobs and businesses (and the lack of money for the children and the poor) are taking another (3rd in recent weeks) junket at taxpayer expense.

Reality

This time the junket will cost us taxpayers over $13,000. The money could have been used to pay the increased tuition at one of our public colleges for 130 young people. The same amount of money could have been used to match over $50,000 in Federal Funds for a combined amount of $63,000 in medicines for the poor and elderly.

It’s highly unlikely any of us ordinary folks would take a vacation if it meant that our children would go without medication or tuition.  However, that’s exactly what the leges are doing.

It’s time for the leges to join us here in Louisiana and leave whatever universe it is in which they seem to be living. There are major financial problems in my universe; that sure isn’t a problem in the one in which they live.

If we must sacrifice then those who asking us to sacrifice should also; if nothing else for symbolic reasons.

C.B.

1 CB 8:00 am

What he said

When running for governor in 2007, Bobby Jindal made the following statement in his campaign brochure entitled “Government Reform: Controlling Runaway State Spending”:

Close the spending loophole that allows departments to request funding for state workers that do not exist in order to reprogram that funding for other purposes.

Any funding allocated to a department for a state worker should be returned to the treasury if those workers are not hired or needed.

—- Bobby Jindal

What he did

Here is an excerpt from an email Thursday from LSU-Baton Rouge Chancellor Mike Martin regarding money found to avoid staff furloughs:

Governor Jindal’s Executive Order 2009-11 established a “freeze” on filling vacant positions through the remainder of the fiscal year. However, to assist institutions during this budget crisis, the governor has generously allowed universities to retain the savings.  So, any plans you have heard about furloughs are now indefinitely on hold and are not scheduled to take place at this time.

Bobby may be gracious, but it’s with OUR money and it’s exactly the opposite of what he promised.   When will government begin to make the same sacrifices that are being made by those of us in the private sector?

To quote Bobby Jindal: “It’s time to match action to our rhetoric.”

It’s time to hold Bobby accountable.

C.B.

1 CB 8:00 am