I heard that the rationale for delaying the Stelly repeal was because it’s too hard to change tax rates mid-year. (so Bobby should have said, make it retroactive already!! :-) ) But I’m told he has a bit of a pattern of taking credit for popular bills that he didn’t initially back. I was a huge Jindal supporter when he was in the House, but I’m disappointed in him as Gov.

What has a lot of us riled is the sheer hypocrisy of it all. Bobby took full credit for Buddy Shaw’s noble attempt to repeal the Stelly Bill. The Shaw bill (SB87), in its pure form, would have given us a sensible income tax cut, July 1. Thanks to Bobby’s machinations, we won’t get that cut until it’s reelection time, unless we’re alert enough to ask for withholding changes come January. Nevertheless, how could Bobby not have known that we were watching and knew full-well that he and his proxies were heavy-handedly trying to stop Buddy’s bill cold? Gotta have that revenue, huh, Bobby?

Then, there was breaking the spending cap…

I’ve known Bobby well for years – faults and all. However, I and others, who know him equally well, never expected to be so highly insulted.

In all the discussion regarding McCain’s choice for Vice President, the names Bobby Jindal and Sarah Palin come up again and again. Bobby Jindal is the current governor of Louisiana. Sarah Palin is the current governor of Alaska. Both got into of…

The lege has had numerous increases since 1980, just not in the base pay. But mileage, per diems, benefits and perqs have been increased repeatedly, and the average lege takes home about $35,000 dollars, NOT COUNTING benefits like taxpayers paying up to $740 of their family’s health insurance and college scholarships at Tulane and a lot more. They are VERY well compensated which is why they did everything but sell their grandmother to get those jobs.

As for them being in session longer than they would like, they submitted over 2000 bills just this session, most of which were garbage and just excuses to rack up per diems. The Sazerac bill? Please… baseball games DURING session while a child support bill was being debated… I don’t care who you are, that’s arrogant and shameless.

The rest of us have to manage our time at work and set priorities, and so does the lege. They are a part time legislature according to our constitution. We do not want or need a full time political class, and they need to quit screwing around and stick to doing only the necessary work of the state.

Liberal MSM like the Times-Picayune newspaper are the one yelling the loudest. There is not that much outcry going on in Baton Rouge among the populace or the local talk radio WJBO, I can assure you of that.

The legislature has not gotten an increase since 1980, and they passed raises (finally) for everyone else employed and/or funded by the state in the last few years BEFORE they passed one for themselves. This may all be a moot point as the pay raise taking effect now may be unconstitional by the state.

FYI the legislators have been in session for about 6 months this year and we all know that there is work to do out in their districts all for what 30 something thousand a year and no more free rides on the backs of the lobbyists!

Welcome to my world.

I too have been very disappointed in his performance. Jindal has surrounded himself with people are not very knowledgeable in the operations of state government, and they have kept him isolated. He does not seek or listen to the views of people who are knowledgeable. I don’t know if it is that he doesn’t trust people, or what. But he cannot dismiss out of hand the knowledge of people who have been around and are familiar with state operations and expect to get things done properly. Very disappointed fan here, and I am not alone.

2008 Regular Legislative Session
Convened on Monday, March 31, 2008
Final Adjournment on Monday, June 23, 2008
Just about four months.
SteveMG on June 24, 2008 at 9:15 PM

April, May, June – Just about four three months.

I would be nice if Jindal would grow a pair. Another flash in the pan conservative. LA is hopeless.

Can you provide a thumbnail sketch of regime analysis, Kralizec? I ask because, 1) I’ve never heard of it, and 2) how does the rightness of those generalities, not impact all those states here that have pay even less than that of what’s on Jindal’s desk right now. Are you saying that the probability is inherent at 1 in 20 or 25 and that LA represents the random event 1?

Rep. John LaBruzzo, R-Metairie, in a letter to Jindal said the Legislature “grossly misjudged the issue of legislative pay” and how it would resonate with constituents. “As a result, I am recommending that you veto Senate Bill 672 so that we can come together with our constituents to determine a more reasonable compensation plan for legislators,” LaBruzzo said.

I kind of hope he refuses to veto it because if he doesn’t, their political careers are over. They know it, too, which is why they’re panicking now. It’s a nice feeling to have them on the run for a change.

Update (Ed): I’m a little mystified here myself. Minnesota state legislators get $31,000 per year for their part-time work. It seems to me that without paying the state legislators a decent wage, Louisiana risks having the only people in their legislature either be rich or able to manipulate their power to get there. That certainly was one argument about why the New Orleans PD had such endemic corruption; their starting pay was around $6 per hour a few years ago, about what a security guard made.

I think Ed is right about the generalities in these remarks, and I don’t care about the details. I wish politically engaged Americans would save their anger for critical regime issues. But they don’t even know what regime analysis is.

Oh, it’s never too late. Jindal + Legislature != Mugabe (in which case it would be too late)

Laura on June 25, 2008 at 12:20 PM

Thirty five grand for 3 months work translates to about ten grand a month. Ten grand times 12 months figures out at $120,000 per year. Apparently Jim’s sleep time is quite valuable.

On the other hand is pity, the word you truly mean?

I can only assume, that your attitude of pity derives from having been subjected to the national msm coverage given to the Katrina aftermath I, like many if not most Louisianians, owing to the fact that our power lines had been, by the same storm shredded, were never subject to. We were in the survival mode for which we had prepared, hosting our New Orleans relatives, maintaining our stores, cranking up our generators, and much busied with our chain-saws and never privy to what I only later could gather, was a travesty of emotionalism and sensationalism of monumental purportions!

As for your high hopes, well, the bloom may be coming off, but that was to be expected. This is just the beginning and its not Jindal’s fault if in the last few months, so many on the national scene have heaped such unrealisticly high expectations on the man. We knew he had a dirty job to do and we knew it would get him dirty. We just didn’t know how, how soon or much. What comes next will tell us allot.
Weather, he ends his term as Governor as presidential material or not, I suspect his future in republican politics at the national level is pretty certain.

I would not get out of bed for that wage. I would not get out of bed for the proposed raise!

Jim708 on June 25, 2008 at 11:55 AM

Let’s see… BEFORE the pay raise, they bring home $35k PLUS taxpayer subsidized health insurance to the tune of around $700 per month, plus all expenses, plus mileage, plus a boatload of other benefits and lobbyists falling all over themselves to do things for you…. you wouldn’t do three months of work for that? I would.

Laura on June 25, 2008 at 12:14 PM

Well when it is time to get rid of the trash, you usually take out the worst part first. I know how the people feel down there. We still have some “problem” children here in Alaska’s Legislature… which I have a feeling will probably be getting the push out this next election. The FBI investigation has opened some eys and given the pucker effect.

Good Luck!

besides a Rally and possibly getting set up for a recall on Jindal. Are the people of LA going to recall any of the lege?

There is not a huge appetite to recall the Gov – some, but not huge. Mostly we’re trying to recall the lege.