According to commentary in the New Orleans Advocate of 10/12/21 by Mark Ballard, Edwards' Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne told the Press Club of Baton Rouge the state ended its fiscal year June 30 with a $1 billion surplus. The surplus was helped by an influx of federal dollars because of COVID and a rebounding Louisiana economy that pushed Corporate and individual tax collections higher than anticipated. The article also stated that Louisiana would have approximately $450 million to spend after spending stipulated in the constitution is satisfied.
So once again it is another democratic governor that balances another Louisiana budget. Something that escaped republican governor Jindal and the republican controlled state legislature for 8 long years. And Edwards took office with Louisiana's fiscal house in chaos and inherited a budget deficit of over $1billion. But governor Edwards was up to the task, fought the republican controlled legislature with sound plans and policies that reversed the budget cuts that hurt Louisiana and its people.
The last previous Louisiana governor to balance the state budget was democratic governor Kathleen Blanco who left office and Jindal with a $700 million surplus which Jindal and his republican legislation blew just like President George W. Bush blew away the budget surplus President Clinton left him. And Bush accomplished that in his very first fiscal year in office.
It is a pattern on the federal level and state level that democratic administration balance the budget or reduce deficit spending while republican administrations do just the opposite. And as everyone knows, governor Edwards has handled the COVID problem better than Trump or any republican congressman or Attorneys General.
Now we wait governor Edwards next budget plan and see his vision of what should be accomplished with the current surplus. Precedent tells us it will be fiscally responsible. What the republican controlled legislature does with it will define their allegiance.
Thanks go to governor Edwards for his commitment to fiscal policies that are positive for the state and the people and thanks for his serious attitude.
This commentary written by Joe Lorio
