Jindal – A Bit Weary Of Democrats Bearing Gifts
Feb 18th, 2009 by JohnFeroce
Finally someone willing to roll up his sleeves and doing his job the old fashioned way and not with his hand out. Maybe our Democracy has a chance after all.
Governor Bobby”Jindal (born June 10, 1971)
– BATON ROUGE, La. – You would think with Louisiana staring at a possible $2 billion budget shortfall next year, Governor Bobby Jindal would anxious to get a hold of the state’s nearly $4 billion cut of the federal stimulus package.
But, instead, the republican governor appears to be a bit weary of democrats bearing gifts — especially when he’s set to give the GOP response to President Barack Obama’s first State of the Union address.
“We’ll have to review each program, each new dollar to make sure that we understand what are the conditions, what are the strings and see whether it’s beneficial for Louisiana to use those dollars,” Jindal said at a recent gathering in Jefferson Parish.
State House Speaker Jim Tucker says the governor is just being cautious, not playing politics.
“The fear is that it requires the state to continue a program, once the federal program has stopped,” said Tucker, R-Terrytown. “If that’s the case we have to look and say first, is this a program we’ve been doing or we want to do, and secondly is this a program we can assure we’ll have funding for down the road?” – Full Story
We’ll have to review each program, each new dollar to make sure that we understand what are the conditions, what are the strings and see whether it’s beneficial for Louisiana to use those dollars
I watch what I eat – I watch it very carefully, and then I eat it.
Noman – I think he’s wise to not just take everything thrown at his state without review.
Remember Community Oriented Policing Services, or COPS that Clinton established? Although it now has been expanded to include assistance other than hiring new officers, at the time, the “funding” caused many small communities problems.
How? It only funded the first year. In most places, the probationary period for a new officer is one year, so you can’t let him go even if you don’t have money.
Thus they picked up ONLY the first year and the towns were left having to figure out how to fund the next 19yrs and then the pensions on top of that!
the towns were left having to figure out how to fund the next 19yrs and then the pensions on top of that!
The Clinton boom gave them a nice head start on that.
Jindal is smart. States and cities across the country are practically chomping at the bit to get some of this cash for “projects” that are often yet to be defined.
The politicians and those who work in government are LOVING this……gives them job security. What it means on a long-term basis is yet to be known, but I’m glad that someone is taking a real hard look at it.
Sometimes you SHOULD look a gift horse in the mouth.
“The Clinton boom gave them a nice head start on that.”
Are you talking about the period fueled by the sector that came to be known as “The DotBombs” ? (which provided the smoke and mirrors of the true state of the economy, as the housing market did from 2003 to 2007)
Two Delaware banks were encoraged to participate in TARP even though they could have survived without it and they did. Right now they wish they didn’t, because of some of the clauses tucked away in the “stimulus” law that was just signed.
It isn’t just the stuff that is in the current bill you have to worry about. Future bills can and likely will have clauses that will have a retroactive effect on the beneficiaries of prior government bailout funds.
“Future bills can and likely will have clauses that will have a retroactive effect on the beneficiaries of prior government bailout funds.”
Great point Tim.
Are you talking about the period fueled by the sector that came to be known as “The DotBombs” ? (which provided the smoke and mirrors of the true state of the economy, as the housing market did from 2003 to 2007)
This is ideologically driven economic frippery. I will be charitable and simply suggest that you beef up your knowledge of economics, and familiarize yourself with the actual statistics during the 1990s.
The 1990s boom was broad based and healthy despite the dot-com bubble which formed at the end of the decade. The medium-sized bubble was inflated to the point of no return by the Republican-authored RETROACTIVE capital gains tax cut of 1997.
The Clinton boom was authentic and based on good economic policy. The full scope of Clinton’s policies allowed the boom to be broad based and enjoyed by many people beyond the top brackets.
“I will be charitable and simply suggest that you beef up your knowledge of economics, and familiarize yourself with the actual statistics during the 1990s.”
Thanks for the charity…not. I’ll return the favor and suggest you not selectively apply your stats to brief windows in time and look at investor and consumer behavior whose effects would play out years later as well.
Governor makes some casual remarks about taking a close look at the incoming money to make sure it’s the right kinda money. Now there’s a real maverick? You betcha’. Isn’t Louisiana the State that just got $20 billion in Federal money to repair hurricane damage?
Louisiana gets way more money for Corps of Engineers civil works projects than any other state, about $1.9 billion; it goes for flood control. California was a distant second with less than $1.4 billion, even though its population is more than seven times as large. In Congress the budget for Corps is generally regarded as all earmarked or pork. The maintenance, repair, and upgrade of the levies are all Corp of Engineers. I wonder if the new will change this as a matter of principle. New Orleans should save itself.
look at investor and consumer behavior whose effects would play out years later as well.
Can you point me to something that would indicate what you are talking about?
At the beginning of the 1990s investors were responding to the prospect of deficits as far as the eye could see brought on by 12 years of Reaganism.
The trend toward deficit was corrected by Clinton’s modest tax increases and investors responded. (I thought tax increases were supposed to destroy investment? Oh well, one more myth shattered).
Selected windows in time? The Republican timeline begins in 1980 (everything before that was the Dark Ages). After 1980, everything good that happened was because of Reagan (or Newt), and everything bad that happened was because of Clinton.
Ideological frippery.
An ancient warning could well be updated to “Beware of Feds bearing gifts.”
Desperate and foolish people have always been thirsty for snake oil.
Ideological frippery . . .watch the language there noman
The Governor of Texas is singing a similar tune:
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/hotstories/6268076.html
I would actually respect them if they didn’t take the money. At least that would be consistent with their talk.
“I would actually respect them if they didn’t take the money. At least that would be consistent with their talk.”
I have a feeling Democrats will remind voters of all the “jobs” it will impact if they don’t take it though, right?
Louisiana has the fourth lowest median income and is one of the poorest states in the union, and oil income is drying up. If he doesn’t take the money, the voters will come after him with torches and pitchforks.
But he needs to make noise about not taking the money to keep the Repub base interested in his national candidacy.
“I have a feeling Democrats will remind voters of all the “jobs” it will impact if they don’t take it though, right?”
Of course, they would. That’s politics – exactly what Jindal is playing here. Unless… you actually believe Jindal is serious?
And Dave, I wouldn’t blame them for taking the money either, I would, however, point out the hypocrisy – probably gleefully, which really should be beneath me.
“I have a feeling Democrats will remind voters of all the “jobs” it will impact if they don’t take it though, right?”
Yeah, all those cheesy “jobs”. We don’t need no jobs. We can feed our families principles.
Today’s American kids will be able to negotiate with today’s Chinese kids about the money we owe them tomorrow. We can refinance the zillion in debt or get a bail out. China and India Saudi Arabia they owe us and they know it. What’s the value of the goodwill we have incurred with the iPod iTunes and iPhone? Not to mention internet porn. The world owes us. If they’re lucky we might repay the debt. Get tough. Our kids and grandkids will thank us for not sinking back into the agrarian age.