The present Louisiana budget that ends June 30 has already been cut by millions of dollars and now Commissioner of Administration Angele Davis said the budget could still be short between 250 and 400 million dollars for the current fiscal year. That would depend on a review of revenue at the end of March which is down from previous projections.
The Jindal administration inherited a billion dollar surplus from the previous administration and has quickly vanished. Jindal and his people have a conservative ideology toward the budget so they have no original thought. There mantra is cut the budget, give tax breaks and incentive's to business and reduce taxes by eliminating the Stelly plan even though they knew of the short fall in revenue. What has happened is college tuition increases with more to come that hits the middle class the hardest, a 70% increase in driving license fee and now a new announcement there will be no merit pay raise for thousand of civil service workers, the first time that has happened in 20 years.
Conservatives have mastered how to keep the business community from paying their fair share and sticking it to the average tax payers in so many different ways. Make no mistake, college tuition will continue to rise for the average citizen and more fees will increase on various services. Conservatives do not like to use the word taxes.
Jindal likes to have it both ways, he says Louisiana has done better with the economy than most states, however, unemployment is going up on Jindal's watch. January unemployment rate was 7.4% compared to 5.7% in January 2009. Greg Albrecht, an economist with the Legislative Fiscal Office said Louisiana is not hiring. Albrecht also said as of February, revenue from sales taxes and income taxes were indicating a 20% decrease for the year instead of the 15% and 13% decrease earlier forecast.
If it were not for Federal Stimulus dollars Jindal would be a basket case. The governor has proven over and over his lack of courage in leading the state to solve its own problems. He is just waiting for the national economy to revive Louisiana's economy so he can run for a higher office. The fast talker is way out in front of himself.
