Cindy Rougeou, executive director of the Louisiana State Employees’ System (LASERS) has been openly critical of Gov. Bobby Jindal’s retirement package for Louisiana Civil Service employees.
Jindal has offered sweeping retirement reforms for some 58,000 active employees—reforms which Rougeou says targets workers who are barred from lobbying on their own behalf, which attempt to force state employees to work longer for reduced benefits, which give legislators false information on the percentage that employees contribute to the cost of their retirement, which ignore that the current unfunded accrued liability (UAL) came about because of legislators’ reneging on their obligation to pay the state’s required contribution, and which violate both the Louisiana and U.S. constitutions.
What’s more, Jindal is concentrating only the LASERS’ $6.8 billion unfunded accrued liability, which is just over a third of the total UAL for the four state retirement systems—teachers, school employees and state police are the others.
But it seems there may be one more: The Jindal Retirement Alternative Plan Enhancement.
Also known as J-RAPE, as in raping state taxpayers, this is an unofficial plan to enhance former legislators who the governor feels were loyal to him before either losing their re-election bids or becoming term limited.
In other words, while the state struggles to find funds to balance the budget for yet another year, the administration sees nothing wrong with padding the state payroll with pathetically unqualified former legislators—so they can enhance their state pension.
Example: former Rep. Noble Ellington spent 24 years in the legislature. If his three highest earning years in the legislature averaged $35,000, he would qualify for a yearly retirement of $21,000.
But wait. He somehow managed to land a job as second in command to Jindal ally Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon at a cool $150,000 per year. If he remains in that position another three years—five years if Jindal’s retirement reform passes—he will be able to retire at $105,000 or $108,750 per year, again, depending on passage of Jindal’s retirement package. Either way, that’s a 400 percent increase in retirement benefits as a political favor from our fiscally-responsible governor.
J-RAPE.
Then there is Jane Smith, another legislator-with fewer years than Ellington-who was term limited but nevertheless landed a $107,500 per year job as deputy secretary of the Department of Revenue, a stroke of good luck that will bump her retirement from $10,500 to $43,000—in addition to her benefits from the teachers’ retirement system. Both she and Ellington possess woefully inadequate experience or qualifications for their positions.
J-RAPE.
An infuriating aspect of these—and other appointments—is that the average retirement for state civil service employees is around $19,000 per year. Yet, neither the appointees nor the governor show any remorse for such blatant misuse of political patronage—all while Jindal holds himself up to voters as the citadel of ethics and all things good and decent.
Troy Hebert is another. After 11 years in the legislature, he was eligible for a whopping $9,650 per year in retirement benefits. But then he was appointed Commissioner of the Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control. His $107,000 job will qualify him for an annual pension of $40,000 if he stays on for four years, an increase of more than $30,000. If he remains for nine years, giving him 20 years of state service, his retirement would be $53,500.
Another aspect of all this that is particularly grating is that no one in the media asks the obvious questions: How can you possibly justify thumbing your nose at taxpayers and state employees by handing out these six-figure jobs to political cronies? Where is that transparency, that accountability now?
When someone like Edwin Edwards, probably the most media-accessible, media-friendly governor in this state’s history did things like this, reporters were all over him like red beans on rice.
But when Jindal, who seldom holds press conferences because he despises reporters, abhors the media, loathes the fourth estate, does it, no one says a word.
The silence is deafening.
Where’s the outrage?
J-RAPE.
Louisiana Voice 
Jindal is just like all the other good old boys, taking care of all his political chums. Cowboy boots, cargo pants, a preppie shirt and a religion different from his parents (how far do you think he would have gotten worshipping Brahma, Vishnu (Krishna) and Shiva (the destroyer)? Good idea to be a Christian in a state where 90% claim that they are the same. All these people who have done nothing to keep the state running on a day to day basis, will get huge pensions, in some cases six figures for working a very short period of their lives in a job where they do nothing. Meanwhile, state workers, are adressing the education of children, climbing grocery, gasoline, utility bills, taxes, house notes etc. The state workers are actually citizens of this state and this country and should be treated as such. Mr. Jindal is going to wake up one day and need the votes of those 58,000 workers (not to mention the other ones who have been dismissed already), as well as the votes of their friends and family. Mr. Jindal should realize that state workers pay taxes, support businesses, who in turn pay taxes and spawn other businesses. The more state workers he puts out of work, the more unemployment goes up, the more unemplyment goes up, the less money coming into the tax coffers and the more money going out. Piyush needs to take a lesson from one of his heroes, Ronald Reagan and realize what trickle down is all about. Bobby, how long do you think it will take before the rest of the citizenry who put you in office realize the destruction and havoc you are causing in Louisiana? I’m guessing that you think that Louisiana residents are too stupid to realize it (maybe because they aren’t “All Asian” like you). Hopefully this boy wonder will tip his cards so that the people who keep electing him will finally realize that he is not helping the state, but helping himself.
You’re absolutely correct Mr. McGuire. Also, what people in Louisiana don’t realize is that Jindal is selling Louisiana off to his national political friends. Case in point; State employees/agencies for years used a Louisiana based travel agency for travel. Since Jindal has been elected, the State travel is handled by a travel agency/company (Short’s Travel Service) in Waterloo, Iowa. Go figure!!! Taxpayer’s money is supporting a travel agency in Iowa. Who you think he helped out on the national level?? I’m sure someone connected to Washington politics. Plus he took business away from a Louisiana based company. He wants to contract or privatize state agencies to companies outside Louisiana. He’s selling off the State and using taxpayer’s money in the process. And I’m sure he’s getting a kick-back on each transaction. That’s why he has a multi-million dollar campaign fund. Trust me, people will remember him if he runs for anything else in Louisiana.
I plan to press charges if any of my money is stolen from me.
I wonder what his motivation is for this compulsion to eliminate state workers, who he views as his pawns is this political chess game. Does he plan to run for Senator?? I don’t see him beating Landrieu, even in Louisiana’s currently Republican dominated political climate. Perhaps, he’s hoping for a federal cabinet appointment, but he’s already been a Washington policy wonk with Health and Human Services. He can’t seriously think that he’ll be a viable presidential candidate in 2016, assuming Obama is reelected this year?? Regardless, he will soon learn that privatization of most state run services will be more expensive in the end analysis. He will cost the state’s taxpayers additional millions in legal challenges to both federal and state violations in his attempts to penalize LASERS, which currently has an outstanding assets to liabilities ratio of 100:1. He knows he will be challenged in court, and probably realizes that he’ll lose in the end, but litigation will be dragged out so long that the exodus of state workers will continue, which is what he’s banking on. Meantime, citizens will continue paying the same taxes for declining state run services. Incidentally, prefiled HB 54 and SB 51 are already expected to be declared unconstitutional as there is are provisions in both bills calling for an end around in that event; ie, there are provisions mandating enforcement of the law regardless of what the courts decide, as if that could really happen. The hubris and stupidity of this man is frankly incomprehensible.
Thank you to people like Cindy Rougeou of LASERS and Tommy Teague, formerly of OGB for their hard work, truth, transperancy, and doing a damn fine job.
Please consider running for governor for 2016. Just think how many good things either one of you can do for this state if elected. (Not to mention undue the injustices this ALEC loving joke of a man has done to this state)
I will smile the day he either gets indicted or embarrassed on a National Level – I say “divide and conquer” his inner circle and sit back and watch – someone will sell him down the river – there are to many questionable things being done!!
“I will smile the day he either gets indicted or embarrassed on a National Level …”
Apparently that’s what it will take to turn the tide. An indictment is probably out of the question, but if the national media chose to look at things objectively, embarrassment might not be.
Many thought his Mister Rogers Mardi Gras speech was it, but after a very brief period, his national image got its halo back. The local media sometimes reports the other side of his stories, but the general public seems to prefer the Kool-Aid.
He is further polishing his national image with remarkable craftiness. His education, retirement, roads, and other “reforms” just now being proposed will very likely not have a chance to fail before he moves up to the next step on his career ladder and, even if they do, he can always blame somebody else – pure genius, no?
Jindal’s set regardless of what happens to him politically. Short of indictment, even when he loses he’ll simply move into a lucrative career at one of the many think tanks that are busily drafting these crazy cookie cutter bills slashing and cutting state services. His strategy — the strategy of the radical Republicans on a national level — is based on “starving the beast.” Government bad. Corporations good.
They want to send us all back to the 1890’s. The man has been paid by taxpayers his entire life, yet he acts like those of us who draw a paycheck from the same pool are pond scum. He’s the worst kind of dangerous: he’s a true believer. He’ll destroy the lives of Louisianians and walk away thinking he’s Jesus.
Civil service seems to have given up the fight. It’s good that the LASERS board seems to making some attempt to push back.
We need a SuperPac. We can’t contribute for or against a candidate, but we can donate for causes: “Citizens Against Privatizing Services” (CAPS).
What is the name of his game plan? Piyush is not smart enough to come up with this stuff on his own. I have heard it referred to before, but I cannot remember where his blueprint came from to destroy the state employee morale and privatize everything to the benefit of himself and many friends. State travel is a perfect example. How come a liberal democrat lawyer from Opelousas is sponsoring the retirement bill in the senate? Can you spell future benefit?
ALEC: the American Legislative Exchange Council
ALEC + American Enterprise Institute + American Heritage Foundation.