Jimmy Breslin would love this group—Piyush Jindal and his minions—that calls itself an administration and which apparently believes it is doing a magnificent job of running the State of Louisiana.
Take the sudden emergence of IRS eligibility of Jindal’s new retirement plan, for example.
Stand by. We’ll get to that in a minute.
The only difference between this administration and the Three Stooges is that the administration contains far more than three slapstick lovable clowns. And they aren’t lovable. It would appear, instead, that these people are multiplying like rabbits. We can only hope that is a dream and we will soon wake up.
Breslin is a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for the New York Daily News who once wrote a best-selling book called The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight which was made into a movie that typically didn’t do the book justice.
His fame is as a “street columnist,” meaning he gets his political column ideas from New York’s seedier bars, cops on the beat, garbage collectors—anyone but the politicians themselves.
He has written some memorable lines in his career of 40-plus years—like the one about a subject’s receiving “immediate lacerations of the credibility,” or “…designed by architects with honorable intentions but hands of palsy,” or, our personal favorite: “Media, the plural of mediocrity.”
But we digress. Let’s get back to why Breslin would love Piyush Jindal, Timmy Teepel, Kyle Plotkin, et al.
The shocking speed (or should we say Shock Doctrine speed) at which the legislature approved Jindal’s education reforms is still seared into our collective memories. Well, okay, some of our collective memories. There are those so caught up in Dancing with the Stars and TMZ that they are not even aware there is a legislature, let along education reforms.
One of the “reforms” in that education package was the approval of vouchers. But guess what? The vouchers were approved without the administration’s or the Department of Education’s having bothered to establish accountability guidelines. Thus, we have 315 vouchers going to a Ruston school that for all intents and purposes, doesn’t even have books, desks, or buildings to accommodate 315 students. Then there’s that school in DeRidder whose administrator is on court-ordered probation to exercise no financial authority over anything. Yet it received approval for vouchers worth hundreds of thousands of dollars—and school officials couldn’t even correctly spell “Scholarship” on its portable sign set up outside the school.
Oops.
In pitching his education reform, Jindal made a big deal of saying he wanted to rid the state of failing teachers. Yet, his new law allows uncertified teachers to teach in charter schools while traditional public school teachers still must have certification.
When a teacher in a public school is found to be a pedophile, in violation of drug laws or of prohibitions against sex with underage students, the one weapon heretofore available to school administrators was the ability to yank the teacher’s certification so that he could never again teach in Louisiana. That safeguard does not exist in charter schools.
Oops again.
Before the school reform debacle, there was the Office of Risk Management which the state paid F.A. Richard and Associates (FARA) $68 million to take over and then added another $6.8 million sweetener less than eight months down the road. Within weeks of the approval of the $6.8 million contract amendment, FARA sold out to an Ohio firm, which less than four months later, sold out to a New York firm—all despite a clause in FARA’s original contract which specifically said its contract could not be transferred without “prior written approval.” When asked by LouisianaVoice for a copy of the prior written approval, the word from the Division of Administration was that no such document existed.
Double oops.
Now about that retirement SNAFU.
Jindal failed to gain approval of all but two of his state employee retirement bills. One that did pass was the changeover to a 401(k)-type pension plan for new hires but the administration again managed to get the proverbial cart ahead of the horse by not tying up a few important loose ends—like, oh say, will the approved plan be a “qualified plan” under IRS regulations and thus be tax-exempt?
If not, vested contributions by employees would be subject to taxation, according to Cindy Rougeou, executive director of the Louisiana State Employees Retirement System (LASERS).
Jindal took time out of his busy nationwide speaking schedule and jockeying to become Mitt Romney’s running mate (which has about as much chance as Rosie O’Donnell’s being chosen Miss America–but Lord, wouldn’t it be fun to watch Jindal and Joe Biden in a vice-presidential debate?) to try to get a clarification—again, well after the fact.
Piyush on Friday authorized Commissioner of Administration Paul Rainwater to apply to the IRS for a determination letter on the eligibility of the “cash-balance” plan, scheduled to go into effect on July 1, 2013.
The issue of whether or not the new plan would be considered the equivalent to Social Security also created a new legal wrinkle that must be considered.
A tax attorney also told the LASERS board on Friday that should the cash-balance plan not be considered equivalent to Social Security, then new employees would be required to be enrolled in Social Security in addition to the 401(k) plan. That would mean the state would have to match employee Social Security contributions, thus adding significant costs to the state whose employees are not now members of Social Security.
“It is the responsibility of the employer—the state of Louisiana—to provide the equivalent benefit,” Rougeou said. “They (the state) are the ones (who are) going to be on the hook for paying for Social Security,” she said.
Only one other state, Nebraska, has a cash balance system, Rougeou said, but she pointed out Nebraska state employees also have Social Security.
The real absurdity in all this is that the LASERS board was first at the starting gate in deciding to seek the IRS ruling Friday morning but Jindal, as is his wont, jumped in front of the parade later that same day and shouted, “Follow me!” in an effort to make it all seem as if it were his idea.
In his executive order, Piyush said that as pension plan sponsor, the state would be the “appropriate party” to fill applications with the IRS. LASERS is not the only state retirement plan for which a determination must be made, he sniffed; there are three other systems that must also be considered. He said in his order that it would be better to coordinate applications “in a manner that avoids multiple, duplicative and conflicting submissions.”
Jindal can’t say he wasn’t given a heads up on this issue. LouisianaVoice, well before the spate of retirement bills ever came up for debate, posed the Social Security question. If we, with our admittedly (like Jane Smith) limited knowledge of such matters, could see the problem, then where were the political geniuses?
Of course, we know that Jindal probably wasn’t even in the state. He was too busy campaigning for others, raising campaign funds for himself and hawking his book to attend to such mundane fiscal matters.
Still, the question lingers: why wasn’t Jindal, with all those whiz kids around him to give him the benefit of all their wonderful knowledge, made aware of the potential IRS and Social Security problems—before the retirement bills were written, introduced, and voted into law?
Why indeed.
It’s a question that should not be allowed to go away.
All together now: Oops.
Louisiana Voice 
I try to separate my dislike for Bobby Jindal from his actions but it is difficult. My experience with Bobby goes back sixteen years when he was appointed as the boy genius to head the Dept. of Health and Hospitals. Having a lifetime of experience solving healthcare problems, Bobby didn’t surprise anyone with his performance. He didn’t need to consult with any senior employee, he knew everything and within months it was “mission accomplished”. As Governor, again he hasn’t needed to talk to anyone with experience in education, healthcare and retirement. As a matter of fact, he doesn’t talk to anyone–legislators and the press included. Just think of the great things he will do for the Nation; it’s scary but think.
Why? because that info wasn’t in the copy of ALEC legislation that they used verbatim, except for changing the letterhead. (They can learn from experience)
Our citizens should know that instead of going to law school, medicat school or entering a Ph.D. program which virtually all Fullbright/Rhodes scholars do on their return to the United states, Mr. Jindal went to the McKinzie group for his “doctoral” work with the likes of the chairman of Enron. His “Ph. D.” is in disaster capitalism, better known as “venture capitalism” or “privatization” of everything movable. Remember that this is NOT free enterprise where one becomes an entrepreneur by investing his own talent and money, not stealing that of others. There is nothing conservative about this group. Conservatives respect the past and learn from it.
Corrupt and incompetent – what a disaster!
And why didn’t the Legislature do its due diligence by posing such questions before approving these bills?
Carol, legislators who tried to question and seek answers to any questions that appeared to go against Jindal’s agenda were shut off from the beginning, Jindal had a firm hold on too many of the lawmakers. Look at what happened to those who dared move against the Governor.The same thing was true for those in education who tried to point out flaws of the education reform. Those that had an alternative plan and were denied ample time to present it. Educators were not to be heard. Everything in this legislative session was treated as if it were on a racetrack and had to reach the finish line before Jindal took off for another fund raising event.
There were a few legislators who stood up to Jindal from day one. They should be applauded. I do applaud them,
Shock Doctrinie for sure. That is Piyush’s style. Piyush and gang have effectively destroyed Louisiana’s state government and are raping Louisiana’s tax payers. In the end Piyush and gang will walk away laughing all the way to the bank and the people of Louisiana will suffer for having all of its institutions destroyed.
Louisiana politics in the past have been so infamously corrupt, that your statements about the governor not talking to the ‘experienced’ people make a lot of sense.
Vouchers work. Teachers unions do not. Simply truth. Look at Washington, DC for an excellent example; or NYC or Philadelphia, or …
The problem is that it’s Jindal who is corrupt. He’s worse than Edwards, but there’s so much money behind him that the public remains unaware. The “D”s couldn’t even field a strong candidate against him.s
Vouchers don’t work. Check the Philadelphia situation. In Louisiana they can’t work, because that’s not at all necessary to their funding success.
What do the following politicians have in common?
Marco Rubio. Chris Christie. Piyush Jindal.
A.) They are all being considered as Mittford’s VP choice.
B.) They may all be indicted for corruption.
C.) Their politics are all Koch brothers-ALEC inspired.
D.) They are all Tea Party hero Governors.
E.) All of the above.
If you guessed E.), step to the head of the class.
The NY Times dropped a bomb on Christie this past weekend, up to his immensely fat derrière in corruption it appears, with for-profit prison operator, Community Education Centers and its non-profit front, a shell corporation.
Marco is being actively investigated by the FBI for his state senate involvement in the for-profit Blackwater (River) for-profit prison scandal in Florida, a contract written to sodomize the state in the interests of GEO Group, also one of Rick Scott’s pet corporations.
Piyush tried to sell off four state prisons last year, presumably for the benefit of CCA and GEO Group. Foiled by community resistance in that effort, he has punished opponents by closing the J. Levy Dabadie prison in Pineville, making sure that the profiteers are full to the brim with prisoners they are unable to properly manage.
If there was any justice in the world, the three would be made to wear skirts and be triple bunked in one of the very prisons that their corruption has enabled to thrive.
I would put Jindal at the head of the “infamously corrupt” list. As for teacher unions, the state with the highest percentage of teachers belonging to unions–Massachussetts–is also the state with the best proficiency scores in reading and math. Bill Gates was already proven wrong when he tried to make this correlation between scores and teacher’s unions. But like Gates, we know JIndal’s agenda is privatization–no matter who or what the cost. This last session was NOT about improving education for our children; it was about a national spotlight. Where is he this weekend? As for failing grades, look up Jindal’s report card on roads, poverty, ethics, etc.
Jindal may be a Rhodes Scholar, but the man and his cronies, don’t have a lick of good old “Common Sense” and will have to one day pay the PIPER. Some politicans have common sense, but all those with Jindal seems to have misplaced theirs!!!
I underestimated Governor Jindal when I began commenting on his education reforms and repeatedly called him “chicken little” which did not recognize his more sinister capabilities as the self fullfilling prophet who while pulling the rug from under our education system chortles that the teachers seem to be off balance. His sophomoric political crew while embroiled constantly using their juvenile political tactics and their incessant inane banter fail to recognize that the education system that defeated Kaiser Wilhelm, Adolph Hitler, and the Communists is not likely to succumb to the likes of Walmart, Exxon, and all the other members of the corporate beast, much less the antics of feckless politicians from Louisiana.
Still, I find it amusing to read the transcript of Jindal’s speech after the Wisconsin Gubenatorial election results.”Politicians are like the boy who cried wolf, they always say the sky is falling, a wolf is coming, the end is near, etc. It’s been said so much that people don’t believe it. But the truth is that America is the proverbial frog in the pot, it’s coming to a boil, but we think it’s cozy and relaxing. This time, however, the sky IS falling, and the wolf of debt and bankruptcy really IS at the door. We simply have to win this election.”
I moved to teaching with 22 years of Social Security contributions. If this retirement plan will force the state to make SS contributions for new hires, which makes them eligible for SS, will the rest of us be eligible?
MiddleSchoolEd, this may not be the same premise, but it is similar. I began working for the state in 1977, and in about 1987 or so (don’t remember the year exactly), we were required to begin paying Medicare tax on all new hires. The employees paid their share, as well. Through the years, I asked several times if we could voluntarily pay it on everyone, but was told no. Finally, a long-time employee who worked with the social security office convinced somebody that the state was going to end up paying out more money in the long run by not allowing the old employees to be covered. Eight years ago there was a one-time option for the left out employees to start paying the Medicare tax through an irrevocable decision. I was not fooled into thinking this was because the powers that be had my best interest at heart. The bottom line is that it would eventually save them money. The people who work for the retirement system would be the best qualified to answer, but my best guess is that they would fight it because it would cost more money. The state would be making the required contribution to the retirement system, in addition to social security, so I don’t see it happening. If they find out they have to cover new hires with social security, it would not surprise me to see them substantially bail out of the new plan.
I doubt that retired employees would benefit by entering into SS. Some states with TP/Koch governors like LA, have dropped defined benefit plans and substituted defined contribution, creating 3, 4, 5 tiers of retirees with less and less benefits.
So, a lot of people are hollering here about Pyush’s corruption. Has anyone figured out what to do to IMPEACH him? It would be much quicker and simpler than the recall I would think and might squish his political ambitions permanently. Would not really want to see him locked up, however, just jobless and having to go hunt for something in his beloved “private sector.” This is, however, only because he has young children.