Our Views: Solons’ votes bought again
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At nearly $34 million, the Legislature has sent us a telegram.
Message follows: There is no budget crisis.
If there really were a budget crisis, how could a conscientious legislator and his colleagues vote for almost $34 million in “member amendments” — the political appropriations that allow lawmakers to brag they’ve brought home the bacon for constituents?
Who knew we’d have this much gravy in the state budget?
Gov. Bobby Jindal and legislative leaders warned about the $1.3 billion fall in state revenue; colleges and other agencies across the state were cut in January; another series of cuts is provided for in the budget for the fiscal year that began July 1.
But in that budget, despite all the cuts to programs that legislators call their priorities at election time, there are member amendments totalling almost $34 million to fund pet projects for individual lawmakers, according to the Public Affairs Research Council.
As always, these are not necessarily unworthy projects — whether for nonprofit organizations or local governments. But they are political green stamps that are given to powerful members to brag about back home.
Why does Town A get a grant for a sewer system and Town B does not? It’s because the former’s legislator has toed the line and supported the leadership or the Governor’s Office. Aren’t there more important priorities? Not to the politicians.
Jindal is the final gatekeeper of the budget and could have done much more to eliminate this corrupting process by using line-item vetoes. Jindal cut back the slush to $31 million, a modest decision at best.
When this kind of insider influence-peddling adds up to more than $30 million in a budget year that is the worst in a generation for the state, what does that tell the people?
Nothing good about the 2009 Legislature.
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