When you think “political corruption” several locations spring immediately to mind, usually starting with Louisiana and Chicago. However, when we voted Bobby Jindal in as Governor, we were sure we were turning a corner. It’s been a rude surprise to learn that Bobby Jindal is less conservative and more of a politician than Louisiana voters believed all these years.
As soon as he got into office, he insisted on a special legislative session for ethics reform. We nodded smugly. Our guy was going to clean house. “Business as usual” was about to come to a screeching halt. And he said all the right things, and he fought the legislature, and he got it done. Except… we ended up with weaker ethics laws than the ones we started with.
The new law, which was passed during the first special session of the Legislature this year, will require that ethics violations be proved to a new, higher, “clear and convincing” standard and will make it more costly to build cases. Sufficient funding has not been allocated to support this expanded responsibility. Without additional resources, the new proof requirements will eliminate the Board of Ethics’ ability to prosecute all but the most blatant violations.
So while there are better disclosure requirements and he’s threatening to take away some of the pork which is at the heart of many ethics violations, in many ways we’re reduced to the honor system. Given Louisiana’s track record, this is not heartening. It’s akin to the John McCain border control system.
He ordered a state government hiring freeze, but in practice it’s as unenforceable as his ethics laws.
Jindal is openly fighting to give his office and his staffers the ability to evade scrutiny. He’s opposing a bill that would require his office to comply with the same public records laws everyone else does. The Governor, along with ‘chief of staff, executive counsel, policy director, press secretary, legislative director, director of boards and commissions, director of intergovernmental affairs, director of constituent services, communications director, scheduling director and “each member of their respective staff”’ would enjoy a blanket records exemption. I can’t help but wonder what the guy who ran on an ethics reform and good government platform is trying to hide.
Louisiana citizens recently enjoyed the brief hope of tax relief. Governor Jindal first opposed it outright, then proposed that it be delayed until 2009, so that taxpayers enjoy the relief when they file in 2010. He says he wants spending cuts to accompany it, yet he hasn’t proposed any cuts.
He’s proposed $240 million in new spending for “state’s Medicaid program for the poor, disabled and elderly; to a proposed new literacy program for public school students; to an expansion of the state’s free preschool program for the poor; and to the state’s public colleges.” But he didn’t propose any budget cuts anywhere else to cover that; he just proposed the spending, then complained when the legislature cut it out in order to comply with the budgetary cap.
Louisiana legislators want a 300% increase in pay. Governor Jindal is so far not denouncing them or promising to veto such a bill if it passes.
It all smacks as “politics as usual.” I haven’t thrown in the towel on him yet, but it’s very disappointing. And the news that he met with John McCain when McCain was in New Orleans recently, and the news that he and his wife are flying to Arizona to meet with McCain again, is extremely disheartening. It’s especially so given that Democrat Mitch Landreiu, brother of Senator Mary Landreiu, will replace him if Jindal steps down. Whether he stays or he goes, Louisiana voters deserve better. While he’s been described as the future of the GOP, at the moment his administration is looking a lot more like the GOP Potemkin village of the past.
Added: Hot Air has more on Jindal’s visit with McCain.
ah, this is sad. I go on vacation and come home to hear that Jindal is like the rest of them. *sigh*