Monday, legislators travel to Baton Rouge to begin a 45-day session. Legislators will be dealing with a host of serious problems facing the state. Sadly, too many legislators are preoccupied with minor issues, such as a ban on handheld cell phones and allowing motorcyclists to ride without helmets. Each year, hundreds of bills are introduced to name state flowers, poems, birds to name only a few.
Hopefully, the session will be devoted mostly to restructuring the size of state government. Last year, legislators had a plethora of money to spend and a huge surplus to allocate to favored organizations and causes. This year, we are facing a huge financial crisis due to declining oil and gas prices and the downturn in the national economy.
Some legislators are warning about the need for serious budget cuts, with higher education and healthcare being severely impacted. Some legislators are using the budget crisis as an opportunity to raise taxes, fees and fines. Bills have been introduced to increase taxes on cigarettes and gasoline and to give the State of Louisiana a major portion of the fees collected from red light camera tickets. It is never a good time to increase fees or taxes, but, with a bad economy, it is the absolute worst time right now.
Legislators should not increase any taxes, but use this fiscal crisis as an opportunity to make major systemic reform. For example, why does Louisiana, a state with 4 million people, need as many colleges and universities as the State of Florida, which has a population of 16 million people? Louisiana has three higher educational systems: the Southern University system which primarily serves African American students, the University of Louisiana system and the LSU system. This saddles state taxpayers with three higher education boards, three sets of administrators and three bureaucracies and too many four year colleges and universities.
If legislators had courage, they would streamline our colleges and universities and save taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars. Unfortunately, major change and systemic reform is unlikely this session due to the typical cause, lack of political will.
It is difficult to shake up the monster of Louisiana state government, but that is exactly what legislators should be doing right now. They should use this crisis as the perfect opportunity to make the type of changes that should have been implemented decades ago.
Jeff Crouere is the Host of “Ringside Politics,” which airs at 7:30 p.m. Fri. and 10:00 p.m. Sun. on WLAE-TV 32, a PBS station, and 7 till 11 a.m. weekdays on WGSO 990 AM in New Orleans and the Northshore. He is the Political Analyst for WGNO-TV ABC26 and a Columnist for selected publications. For more information, visit his web site at RingsidePolitics.com. E-mail him at jeff@ringsidepolitics.com
that "welfare" as has been pointed out numerous times is in fact not nearly such a large and significant item in the state budget as so many seem to think that it is. And then within the state budget everything boils down to higher education and health care as the prime areas where the state constitution allows budget-cutting. And while it's very easy to just yell "cut! cut! cut!" one almost never sees specifics. Louisiana has too many 4-year institutions, does it? OK, which one(s) to shut down or merge and why? Written by The real story is
on 4/29/2009
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As with anything, a balance is needed. Government expenditures should be treated no differently than how you manage your household expenses. The difference is government takes our money and gives it to foreign nations - without asking our consent. Government decides to take in illegal aliens and provide them with free healthcare - this cost is passed on to the taxpayer. People living on welfare - including members of my own family - are provided food, clothing, and housing, also at the taxpayers' expense. Mothers on welfare are essentially paid a bonus for having ever more illegitimate children, paid for by the taxpayers. Congressmen spend money in their districts - even when the agency responsible for that program says the money is needed elsewhere - simply to brag about the "bacon" they bring home to increase their reelection chances, paid for by the taxpayers of course. Much of what government spends - in both outlays and jobs provided - is nothing but political payback, yet more burden for those of us who work, less of our wages available for us to spend on our loved ones. So ... let my fat rear end wield the power to cut spending at either the state or national level - I can assure you - I would have no problem cutting a huge percentage of either entities' budgets; no problem whatsoever. Written by kpf
on 4/29/2009
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that all these people seem to love to whine about how spending is too high almost none offers up specifics on how to cut the budget. Where would you cut *in detail*? How much would each specific item save? Also show in detail how each specific item is waste or duplication and how that we could manage without it. Granted, establishing some priorities is indeed good policy, as opposed as just "cut, cut, cut" across the board, but doing so does take work. Some would dearly desire to get rid of all taxes, however doing so would leave the state without *any* revenue for anything at all. Seriously, how on earth would such a situation really be such a utopia as no doubt many imagine? No...absolutely not...there must be revenue for services and items that are needed and it's best for such sources of revenue to be both sufficient to fund those items and also stable. A major tax cut during a sudden spike in revenues that occurs for whatever odd reason is just as bad as spending recklessly and that's exactly what's gotten this state into this situation. Written by The real story is
on 4/29/2009
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Things are often like a pendulum ... a far swing in one direction only causes a stronger movement in the opposite direction. The funding and taxes being enacted in D.C. is causing voters (particularly "tax-paying" voters) to pay close attention. Whether anything comes of this will not be known until the 2010 elections. Written by kpf
on 4/28/2009
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Not only streamline them (The Universities and Colleges, or collages, or wutever you wants to be kalling dem), kick them in their keasters..... I saw some jackass that was a representative of USL talking about how he favors homestead exemption being reduced to 25K while he was on an LPB program.... He figures everyone owes him a living and should be taxed till they flop over and die I suppose...... He reminded me of a person that he is severly retarded when it comes to evaluating values and priorities,..... Folks, it is sort of time to figure out what we want doncha tink? Written by
on 4/27/2009
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Agreed. It is long past time to stop this wasteful duplication. The days of segregation are long gone, so why separate black colleges. Merge them all and there will be a huge savings, not to mention the opportunity for far improved teaching of our citizens, white, black, or any other color. Written by Titch
on 4/27/2009
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I'm with Quidd. Why do we have several different boards handling the colleges in the state? Written by Sid
on 4/27/2009
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It's nice of Jindal to visit Louisiana for these sessions. Written by Noladude
on 4/27/2009
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I noticed you didn't make any specific recommendations on how to streamline higher education in Louisiana. Do you want to eliminate the system management boards and leave The Board of Regents the sole authority for higher education? Do you want to merge UNO and SUNO? Do you want to merge Grambling and Louisiana Tech? Do you want to close Northwestern or LSU-Alexandria? Do you leave the existing schools in place and eliminate duplicate programs at nearby schools? Written by David Quidd
on 4/24/2009
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Jeff, it is time to face reality and to combine schools. There is no need for duplication of effort when all people can be afforded quality education in one place rather than two. This will cause upset without a doubt. However, until this city, this state, and this nation can unite we will be forced to face problems for generations to come. Let this union of campuses be the sign to the nation that Louisiana citizens will stand side by side regardless of their ethnic background and that we will seek and demand only the best for all. Written by RhettsWife
on 4/24/2009
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What you are proposing Jeff would be the best situation for the state, but unfortunately, it will probably never happen. If we are ever to have true integration and true equality, we should dismantle the Southern system. Allowing all black colleges to exist is discriminatory and has proven in this state to be fraught with problems. This is not a popular opinion, but the best solution for all. Written by Louisiana Lou
on 4/24/2009
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Monday, legislators travel to 
