As noted in the Times Picayune of 2/28 Governor Jindal for the past year has been calling the Medicaid financing formula known as FMAP "faulty" and asked congress to fix the problem. Well it is no longer a "faulty formula" but a "Katrina tax." There was no explanation why the change. Could it be to change the subject with U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu who has actually obtained a partial fix to the problem that is included in health-care reform that the governor opposes.
It was also noted the government unveiled Jindal's Louisiana GRAD plan which would give public colleges and universities more flexibility to raise tuition provided they agree to raise admission standards, raise graduation rates and other performance measures. Public institutions would like to raise tuition again because of all the budget cuts to higher education but first have to seek approval from the legislature. This would free them to do so. It amounts to the buck being passed by Jindal because he still does not have a handle on the budget.
In another announcement Louisiana will receive an additional $77 million in federal economic stimulus money to help cover cost in its Medicaid program. The same stimulus that Jindal says he opposes. Health and hospital secretary Alan Levine said he would like to plug nearly half of it, about $32 million into the current year budget to cover a Medicaid shortfall. The rest of the money will be shifted into the 2010/2011 health care budget. The stimulus money has allowed governor Jindal an opportunity to dodge the hard decision as to what he would do if there were no help from the federal government. It should be noted Florida Republican governor Charlie Crist disagrees with Jindal and said the stimulus created or maintained 87,000 jobs in Florida including those of many teachers.
Jindal is writing an autobiography according to reports. The title of which is "On Solid Ground: Returning to America's Core Values." The term core values is a conservative catch word to indicate some thing is wrong with America and its people. Well, prior to Obama's election as President the Republicans ran the country 20 of the last 28 years so it is obvious American's must have lost its core values on their watch. More ironic is the fact that Jindal served in congress for 4 years during the Bush administration who reversed the balanced budgets and surpluses of the Clinton administration and gave the country a collapsed economy and record job losses. The conservative elite have no shame.
