Governor, Legislature on a slippery slope

Let me see if I’ve got this right.

The Louisiana Supreme Court ruled that Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal’s funding process for vouchers for private schools, approved by the Legislature, is unconstitutional. In other words, using taxpayer dollars intended to fund public education to send students to private schools cannot be done.

The governor’s reaction? He says he will nd the funding in the budget through other means to continue his overhaul of the state’s educational system. If he does, and that’s a big “if,” another question probably arises. That question is, should public taxpayer dollars be used to pay for students to attend a private or parochial school? I attended a parochial high school, and my parents made many sacri ces so I could get a good education. They received no help from state government.

The state Supreme Court also said that last year’s school aid authorization bill – Senate Concurrent Resolution 99 – failed to get the needed votes for nal approval. It received 51 votes, but the court noted it should have had two-thirds approval, which was 53 votes in the House of Representatives. To continue the voucher program, the governor has to come up with $20 to $50 million in a budget that already has a $1.3 billion sinkhole. Doing so may be not that easy with the current, independent atmosphere we are seeing in the state Legislature.

Additionally, Brian Blackwell, an attorney for the Louisiana Association of Educators, one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, said that because of the court’s ruling, the state needs to collect the roughly $26 million in taxpayer dollars spent so far on vouchers in private and parochial schools. That amount would then have to be added to the amount of funding, pushing the total to at least $46 million, needed to pay for last year and this year’s voucher program. Jindal says that vouchers can be nanced with general revenue dollars, but the Legislature will have the nal say.

One thing is for sure, the ruling was a de nite setback for the governor’s plan to reform the state’s educational system. And it sets up a chaotic situation in the Legislature about whether and how to fund the effort. It re-opens a volatile topic with just four weeks to go before adjournment June 6. Ironically, Superintendent of Education John White was in Washington, D.C., touting the state’s education revamp as the state Supreme Court was declaring it unconstitutional. That had to be a bit embarrassing. Also, the national media jumped all over the judicial development about Jindal’s signature educational reform plan being ruled unconstitutional.

I am often asked, “What’s going on with Gov. Bobby Jindal?” That is, indeed, a viable question. We all know that his main agenda is to get onto the national stage. Nothing secret about that. So, is he using Louisiana as a guinea pig to come up with some blockbuster program that will gain national attention and enhance his presidential aspirations?

It seems the common thinking by this governor that he is above the law and that it’s his way or the highway. That attitude will not serve him well on the long road to the presidency of the United States, which seems to be his ultimate goal. In fact, it has already taken its toll by putting his job approval rating in his home state at an embarrassing 37 percent.

But wait. There may be an answer when you consider how some legislators are conducting state business these days, with the approval of the governor. Louisiana could secede from the Union. Case in point: The Legislature is passing two bills that are apparently in direct violation of the U.S. Constitution. One, which violates the U.S. Constitution’s Supremacy Clause, would invalidate any federal gun control legislation that restricts the ownership of semi-automatic weapons in Louisiana. Some legal scholars believe Louisiana is playing with re. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has already publicly stated that the U.S. Justice Department will take all actions necessary to stop such laws in all states that pass them.

The other bill would enforce a penalty of up to $10,000 on those who “intentionally disseminate for publication” information about concealed gun permits. Carl Redman, executive editor of The Baton Rouge Morning Advocate, told legislators that the bill is “patently unconstitutional” for restricting freedom of speech. He added, “I nd it very ironic that the very people who screamed the loudest about attempts to limit their Second Amendment rights are here eager to limit my First Amendment rights.” If both of these bills are signed into law by Jindal, he and the legislature better set aside some funds for court battles, which are sure to follow.

So, back to the idea of seceding from the Union. That way, Gov. Jindal could become President Jindal of the independent Country of Louisiana, satisfying his dream of wearing the title of “president.” At the same time, some state legislators could put those semi-automatic ri es and AK-47s on the gun racks of their pick-up trucks or strap them across their backs as they traverse the roads of the Country of Louisiana.

Am I being ridiculous? Maybe. Maybe not.

Lou Gehrig Burnett, an award-winning journalist, has been involved with politics for 44 years and was a congressional aide in Washington, D.C., for 27 years. He also served as executive assistant to former Shreveport Mayor Bo Williams. Burnett is the publisher of the weekly “FaxNet Update” and can be reached at 861-0552 or [email protected].