Our Views: Good vetoes from Jindal
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The governor has listened to the voice of the people and responded with a veto of a big legislative pay raise.
But that was only one of the messages sent by Gov. Bobby Jindal when he met with reporters at the State Capitol on Monday.
He also listed more than $9 million in spending cuts that he vetoed from a supplemental appropriations bill, a measure spending unanticipated revenue from the current fiscal year.
The governor reminded lawmakers that in April he had promised to veto earmarks — particularly the many special state appropriations for nongovernmental organizations and local governments — unless the payments would serve the state’s interest and not purely local considerations.
More legislative earmarks are in the big general appropriations bill. The governor is still working his way through that $29.9 billion measure, but so far he meant what he said about curbing legislative appetites for the politically popular grants.
We applaud both veto decisions.
As the governor said, the money grab by lawmakers was incompatible with the spirit of reform he wants in the Capitol. The same is true with earmarks based on who you know in the Capitol.
While Jindal acknowledged that many of the earmarks represent worthy projects or causes, the state should not be the primary funding source for them. Some of them represent blatant end-runs by institutions around the budget process.
Those special appropriations also are incompatible with the idea that state government needs a big overhaul.
The veto of a legislative pay raise might not endear the governor to lawmakers. Nor will the vetoes of earmarks.
But in both cases, he has demonstrated a concern for the public’s view on pay raises and its interest in responsibly spending tax money.
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