Have legislators and people gone crazy?
As an observer of the political realm for five decades, I find myself in disbelief with what is going on in the Louisiana Legislature, other governmental entities, and with special interests groups and out-ofstate billionaires. It seems that they have all gone crazy or, at the very least, are stuck in a past century.
First off, do we still have government for the people and by the people in Louisiana? Apparently not. The Senate Health and Welfare Committee last week killed a bill, which would have allowed the voters to decide if the state should participate in the federal expanded Medicaid program. The legislation would have put a constitutional amendment on the ballot in November.
How can any legislator not vote to allow the people to decide if this is something they want. But I guess six members of the committee were afraid to go against Gov. Bobby Jindal – who is more unpopular than President Barack Obama in Louisiana – and the leaders of the Louisiana Republican Party.
And one of the six was our area’s own Republican Sen. Sherri Smith Buffington. She was joined by Sens. Dan Claitor of Baton Rouge, Bret Allin of Franklin, Dale Erdey of Livingston, Elbert Guillory of Opelousas and Fred Mills of Breaux Bridge (all Republicans). Two Democrats voted for the bill – Sens. Ben Nevers of Bogalusa and Yvonne Dorsey-Colomb of Baton Rouge. It was a shameful display of representative government – or the lack thereof. All six, if they are not termlimited, should be defeated next year.
Twenty-six states are already participating in the expanded Medicaid program. And as you would expect, the states that need it the most, such as Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee to name a few continue to reject it. So thanks to Buffington and her GOP colleagues, 240,000 poor Louisianians will continue to be without healthcare. I hope they sleep well at night.
But wait. That’s not all. As legislators while away the hours and days trying to make the Bible the state book, put more guns in the hands of irresponsible people, keep dogs out of the back of pick-up trucks and refuse to raise the minimum wage, they also refuse to help the vulnerable among us. For example, they refused to put a cap on the interest of payday loans or a limit on the number a person can obtain, which affect mostly the poor who cannot afford the high interest rates that are charged. They also refused to pass legislation that would prevent discrimination against gay, lesbian and transgender people and others because of their sexual orientation or gender identity in the workplace.
Another backward-thinking decision of a Senate committee was to vote down a bill that would reduce penalties for marijuana possession, which would have been a step toward meaningful sentencing reform in our state which has the largest incarceration rate in the entire country. The measure would have saved the state $20 million a year from costs of housing prisoners. Area Sen. Robert Adley, R-Benton, fought for the bill he co-authored with Sen. J.P Morrell, D-New Orleans. It would have made possession of less than an ounce of marijuana a misdemeanor. Texas and Mississippi already have such a law. I wonder how many legislators have smoked marijuana – and how many still do. The way they are voting in this session causes one to wonder.
On another subject, we have outof-state billionaires, such as the Koch brothers and Americans for Prosperity, spending millions of dollars in Louisiana to defeat Democratic U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu. They are being joined by some Republicans and even some Democrats. And after all she has done for the military in this state, some men and women in uniform, and some retired, are trying to defeat her.
My position is this. I don’t care what letter is behind the name, if someone from Louisiana has that kind of clout in Congress, I will vote to re-elect him or her. If you want to make sure Barksdale AFB and the Cyber Innovation Center and Fort Polk prosper, I suggest you vote for Landrieu. If Republican U.S. Sen. David Vitter is elected governor and should Landrieu be defeated, the state will have no seniority, A.K.A. power, in the Senate where seniority remains supreme. Are these opponents more interested in party rather than people who stand to benefit in this state with Landrieu as chair of the Senate Energy Committee? She has already delivered billions to benefit Louisianians.
And at the local level, it appears that some people of means are more interested in spending money to renovate buildings to house worthless art rather than in helping to establish a safe place for women who are victims of domestic violence. Why did Providence House wait so long to reveal it needed help with its domestic violence arm? And why has no one stepped up to help? Seems like misplaced priorities to me.
I am downright disappointed, disillusioned and befuddled by what is happening in our little corner of the world. It is no wonder that Louisiana is at the top of every bad list and at the bottom of every good list. I wonder if there is any hope for us.
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 louburnett@comcast.net.
