I saw where our governor, Mrs. Kathleen Babineuaux Blanco, has proposed a state budget in excess of $20 billion. No, that is not a typo. $20 billion! Keep in mind we are the poorest state in the nation, with one of the lowest median incomes. Bear in mind our state suffered the devastation of two major hurricanes. The state coffers will have an estimated $500 million less in tax revenues due to the businesses that were destroyed in New Orleans. So what do you do when your income is decreased...spend mo (Meaux in south Louisiana) money! That is the economic philosophy of our governor and most politicians in Louisiana. The federal government has allocated over $60 billion for hurricane recovery efforts. Americans have given over $3 billion to charities and organizations helping rebuild Louisiana. And yet our hungry politicians won't more. If you feed a stray cat, they will keep coming around. I am all for rebuilding our state and helping those whose lives were devastated. I am not for giving money to greedy fat cats in Baton Rouge or elsewhere. As Jerry McGuire would say, "Show me the money!" What is the money going to? Is there accountability? We all know our state's history. We know we have governors who have served time in prison and one who is currently serving time. I want to know that taxpayers hard-earned dollars are being spent approriately. I also don't understand how anyone can justify a $20 billion state budget. When Blanco moved into the governor's mansion the state budget was already a whopping $17 billion. Now after Katrina and Rita roared through she is proposing to spend even more money. Most of us if faced with a loss of employment or income, we would make cuts. We would prioritize our spending. But not the government, they spend more money when they have less income??? Which brings me to another issue and that is the philosphy of politicians who believe spending more money is always the solution to the problem. Wake up fat cats! Spending more money does not guarantee anything except higher taxes on the people. The time has come to call for sanity in our government, especially in the governor's mansion. The men in white coats took a governor by the name of Earl Long to a big room with padded walls many years ago...it could happen again.
2 comments:
As I teacher, I'd like to set the record straight. Blanco isn't offering a pay raise to make us happy- she's doing it to save her own skin. We have all, as have all Louisianians, sacrificed due to Hurricane Katrina. No one has been beating down the governor's door asking for a raise. We live in this state too and want it to succeed and prosper as much as everyone else. And for the record- even if teachers did get a raise by Blanco- we could still be getting cuts from a vote by BESE which would end up being an overall cut in pay. I don't know a single teacher who has complained or "squeaked" about pay raises during the last year as the metaphor goes. We've all taught extra children from across the state as our own and done so gladly. This pay raise isn't serving anyone! Its simply Governor Blanco's own feable attempt at saving what's left of her reputation. P.S.- I don't appreciate being called a clown or being lumped in with the whole "union" category. Not all teachers support the unions or what they represent politically. I agree that we have to get our priorities straight as a state- what I disagree with is how obviously unimportant education is in that priority list. If we want to improve the education in Louisiana, we need to improve the teachers; part of that will come in an increase in pay. We are currently $4,000 below the Southern average and $9,000 below the national average. Sure, we can go somewhere else to teach, but some of us believe in this state and want it to improve. At the same time, we'd also like to live and feed our families on one income rather than work 1 or 2 additional jobs just to make ends meet. So, Nightwatchman- shame on you for fussing at teachers for something we didn't ask for. Don't forget- if you can read this-thank a teacher too!
I agree with Emily. Blanco is simply trying to save her career by cow-towing to a particular group. The teachers represent the largest union in our state. Blanco has to salvage her political career somehow. I do take umbrage to the often quoted figure that teachers in La. are paid lower than the southern average and the national average. Check the facts: Police in Louisiana are paid below the southern average and well below the national average. Sanitation workers in La. are paid below the southern average and national average. Ministers in La. are paid below the southern average and national average. Do you see a pattern? Most employees in La. are paid below their counterparts in the south and America. Why, you ask? Well the southern average includes the pay of states like Florida, Tennessee and Virginia which pay their workers quite well. Another factor is WE LIVE IN THE POOREST STATE IN THE SOUTH. It only makes sense our median incomes and overall salaries would be lower than average. All one has to do is look at the Census reports each year as well as different surveys of employee pay. We only hear the quote, "Teachers in La. are paid below the southern average and national average" because they have a huge union that repeatedly makes that argument. Love on a teacher. They need our encouragement. But please tell the teachers to use a better argument, flawed logic never succeeds.
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