“People are going from the Legislature to other branches of government and spiking their retirement benefits.”
–Sen. Dan Claitor (R-Baton Rouge) speaking in support of his Senate Bill 727 which would have prohibited lawmakers from leaving the legislature for high-paying state jobs and joining the Louisiana State Employees’ Retirement System (LASERS) to boost their retirement incomes–particularly at a time when the administration is trying to gut retirement benefits for rank and file state employees.
“We have a bad reputation in this state as legislators and public officials because we keep filing bills like this and telling people we are crooks.”
–Sen. Dan Martiny (R-Metairie), in a snit as he spoke out against Claitor’s bill, possibly because it might one day adversely impact his own retirement. The Senate defeated Claitor’s bill, thus doing nothing to dispel Martiny’s perception of legislative ideals.
Louisiana Voice 
Well, Dan, if the shoe fits, wear it!
Dan Claitor is my hero.
Interesting frontpage article in the Sunday Advocate details the proposed changes to several bills. Here is what it says about SB-749
“We are building in some additional protection for people with 20 years as of June 30, 2013,” Guillory said. Guillory said the 20-year employee has certain “vested rights,” according to LASERS.”
“Rougeou said LASERS agrees with the proposal to remove vested members from the bill. But she said the 20-year change does not cover all employees who have vested rights in LASERS.”
“Under the proposal, Guillory said the new retirement ages would be altered as follows: for employees with 15 to 20 years, the age would be 59; those with 10-15 years, age 61; those with five to 10 years, age 63; employees employed June 30, 2013, with fewer than five years on that date, age 65; and new hires, age 67.”
http://theadvocate.com/news/2684167-123/state-pension-plan-may-be
As always, Jindal’s lawyers weren’t available for comment, but someone repeated the claim that, by honoring their contracts with employees, the state is diverting money that could have been spent on education and healthcare. Really? How much money is diverted from education and healthcare due the many crony’s Jindal put into high paid positions? How much has spiking retirement benefits added to the UAL?
This isn’t about education and healthcare, nor is this about UAL. This is purely about Jindal’s philosophy that civil servants should be replaced with contract employees who work for corporations which pay almost no state taxes and which donate fortunes to Jindal and his wife.
The most amazing thing is that Jindal thinks he can just break contracts spelled out in the Constitution in order to seize the private property of citizens in the process.
Thinks, hell! He can and will, as long as the people (us) allow those who represent them to get away with it.