
The bully
This past Friday the fiscal conservatives in the House passed a common sense amendment to remove from the state budget all the one-time funds. After the vote, chairman of the Appropriations Committee, Jim Fannin, had what can only be described as an emotional breakdown.
I’ve never seen a lege throw a childlike tantrum at the House podium. Fannin, in effect, said that he was taking his budget and going home.
The Fiscal Hawks removed less than $300 Million in one-time funds from a $25 Billion budget. Fannin said that as a result he was unable to explain any of the figures in the state budget. For the rest of the debate Fannin pouted and sulked like a child.
Prior to the amendment passing Fannin, in his best bullying fashion, had taken to the podium to threaten any lege who voted for the amendment. It was a shocking display of disrespect for his colleagues.
The back story
What Fannin seems to not understand is that the leges finally had enough of his condescending, overbearing, threatening, tactics.
Until Friday, Fannin has managed to restrain himself in public and thus has given the media and thus many in the public the erroneous impression that he is a gentleman. He’s anything but in private.
Even the meekest of us after being beaten up enough by a bully will eventually fight back regardless of the consequences. Friday, was last straw for many leges who had just been publicly threatened.
On Friday, the people of Louisiana got what they wanted – fiscally-responsible government and Fannin got what the deserved — his butt kicked.
Keep up the good work Hawks! The people are behind you.
C.B.
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CB
7:00 am