Louisiana Voice

First of all, let’s debunk a vicious rumor that’s been floating around:

There appears to be no truth to the report that Gov. Piyush Jindal has plans to suspend the payment of salaries of state civil service works in all months containing a vowel.

He does, however, intend to retain the right to suspend cost of living increases for state retirees—unless you happen to be a retired schoolteacher or a hazardous duty employee.

Sen. Jody Amedee (R-Gonzales) even attempted to exempt judges from the COLA freeze but he was joined only by Sen. Richard Gallot (D-Ruston) in voting in favor of that amendment.

It must be heart-warming to the judges to know that Amedee and Gallot, attorneys both, were trying to protect their interests over those of rank and file retirees who, Sen. Karen Peterson (D-New Orleans) was quick to point out, don’t earn six-figure incomes.

Apparently Amedee and Gallot were so peeved at not being able to take care of their friends in the judiciary that they ultimately voted no on the bill.

Senate Bill 740 by Sen. Elbert Guillory (D-Opelousas) passed the full Senate last Thursday by a 20-15 vote and now goes to the House. All future cost of living increases for retirees would be suspended until the pension systems’ assets cover at least 80 percent of their long-term liabilities.

Given the past performance of the state’s failure to live up to its own mandate to pay down the $18.3 unfunded accrued liability (UAL) of the state’s four pension systems, rank and file retirees and those who work in higher education could be waiting a long time for any cost of living increases.

It was the state, after all, that reneged on its self-imposed obligation to pay down the UAL in the first place and thus put the pension funds in the box they find themselves in today so who’s to say they can’t try to sneak that curveball by us again?

Sen. Francis Thompson (D-Delhi), one of 15 who voted against the bill, was quick to ask the most important question of the debate: when will the systems hit the 80 percent mark that would allow cost of living increases for retirees? “Would that be in the next five years, next two years or the next 30 years?” he asked.

Guillory, Jindal’s Senate lackey in the retirement overhaul fight, replied in typical lame fashion that it would be difficult to accurately calculate the timing.

Oh, that’s nice. Let’s approve an open-ended restrictive bill that will squeeze state retirees even more.

Thanks, anyway, Sen. Thompson. At least you tried to get an answer out of this administration. That’s proving more difficult than teaching a pit bull to like kittens.

Remember, if the state had the power and wherewithal to not live up to its requirement to pay down the UAL (as it surely did), it might well have the ability to actually inhibit the systems’ reaching the mandated 80 percent mark—indefinitely.

And since Jindal has proven himself a heartless overlord in his insistence that the UAL now be paid down by state employees who had no part in the politicians’ welshing on their legally-mandated promise, if he can require that the pension funds be balanced on the backs of civil servants, he and his equally heartless—and clueless—flunkies in the legislature can also place the onus on retirees.

Count on it.

For that reason, we thought you’d like the names of those who voted for this cold-blooded, unfeeling measure. Here they are:

• Robert Adley (R-Benton);

• John Alario (R-Westwego);

• Bret Allain (R-Franklin);

• Conrad Appel (R-Metairie);

• Norby Chabert (R-Houma);

• Dan Claitor (R-Baton Rouge);

• Page Cortez (R-Lafayette);

• A.G. Crowe (R-Pearl River);

• Jack Donahue (R-Mandeville);

• Guillory;

• Ronnie Johns (R-Lake Charles);

• Bob Kostelka (R-Monroe);

• Daniel Martiny (R-Metairie);

• Jean-Paul Morrell (D-New Orleans);

• Dan Morrish (R-Jennings);

• Ben Nevers (D-Bogalusa);

• Barrow Peacock (R-Bossier City);

• John Smith (R-Leesville);

• Mike Walsworth (R-West Monroe);

• Rick Ward (D-Port Allen).

Thanks, guys. Now just wait until you again try to give yourselves a pay raise. You think the backlash was bad two years ago? You ain’t seen nothin’ yet.