This is about arrogance. More specifically, it is about the arrogance of two men, both from Louisiana and each elected to represent his constituents to the best of his ability.
And to that end, each has failed miserably while taking his individual insolence to new levels—in very different ways. One we have written about extensively in the past. The other, not so much, though perhaps he may well warrant closer attention in the future.
We are talking about Gov. Piyush Jindal and U.S. Sen. David Vitter.
The first, Jindal, has repeatedly displayed his cowardice, his spinelessness, by taking actions to close state facilities without bothering to notify affected legislators of his plans in advance. He has consistently ignored the plight of hundreds of state employees he forced into unemployment by cutting services and corporate taxes, further exacerbating the state’s budgetary crisis.
Vitter’s vote on a Senate bill last week can only described as despicable and hypocritical.
We will get to him presently.
It was not enough that Jindal announced the closure of Southeast Louisiana Hospital in Mandeville and C. Paul Phelps Correctional Center in Dequincy without extending the courtesy of a heads up to the legislative delegation in southeast and southwest Louisiana, the two areas affected.
But in doing so, he appeared to give little regard to or concern for the hundreds of employees at the two facilities who will be adversely impacted by layoffs or, in a few cases, transfers.
Then, on the heels of the announcement of the C. Paul Phelps closure The Baton Rouge League of Women Voters held a panel discussion to discuss Jindal’s continued privatization of state agencies, including the Office of Risk Management, the Office of Group Benefits, charter schools, educational vouchers, state hospital privatization and Medicaid cutbacks.
Invited to attend were representatives of the Jindal administration and proponents of privatization as well as four opponents, including an education coalition representative and Dr. Fred Cerise, former head of the LSU Health Care System.
One end of the head table was fully represented. On the other end, not a single person appeared on behalf of the administration. Cowardice. If an administration cannot publicly defend its actions—and make no mistake, Jindal never does—then that can only be described as cowardly.
Oh, they all had excuses. Commissioner of Administration Paul Rainwater said he had to attend a State Bond Commission meeting. But that meeting was over before the panel forum began across town. Bottom line, no one from the administration could—or would—find the time to defend the governor’s program.
Of course, Jindal had plenty time to attend a Republican unity breakfast in New Hampshire a week before and agreed to participate in a Sept. 26 Leaders of Iowans for Freedom “No Wiggins” bus tour—a rally in opposition to the re-election of Iowa Supreme Court Justice David Wiggins who voted with the majority to rule the state’s one-man, one-woman marriage law unconstitutional.
We have to wonder how our governor, who, metaphorically speaking, has more snakes than he can kill right here at home, can find time to involve himself in a supreme court race in Iowa. Does the state Medicaid budget’s gaping budget hole not keep him sufficiently occupied without his having to traipse off to Iowa? Isn’t the fiscal plight of the state’s colleges and universities of enough concern to deter him from having breakfast in New Hampshire?
Or could it be more than mere coincidence that the first presidential primary and party caucus will be in New Hampshire and Iowa, respectively, in about three years? Could Jindal be that brazen, that disturbingly obvious? Well, yes. Could he really be that delusional, fooling himself into thinking he has a prayer? Yes again.
Piyush would be wise to awaken to the realization that Timmy Teepell is no Karl Rove.
LouisianaVoice has submitted a public records request to determine the cost of Jindal’s two trips including costs not only for Jindal, but for his security detail and any staff members who went along, including travel, lodging, meals and salaries—and including Jindal’s pro-rated salary for the days he is out of state.
Just for argument’s sake, let us say he made each trip in a single day. Giving his annual salary of $130,000, that would mean he should rebate the state a minimum $712 in salary while he was out of state attending to non-governor-type business—plus all the other expenses incurred on the trip for him and his entourage.
Now let’s talk about Vitter.
There was a bill up for a vote in the Senate last week. The Veterans Jobs Corps Act of 2012 would have made it easier for veterans in the future to transition to civilian life.
With veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars experiencing unemployment rates 3 percent higher than the general population, the bill would have put a lot of those veterans to work.
A majority (58-40) voted for the bill but that was two votes short of the three-fifths majority needed to overcome a budgetary point of order thrown up by Republicans.
Republicans said the bill violated the Budget Control Act by adding a program that would increase the deficit. Only five Republicans voted for the bill.
Vitter was one of 40 Republicans who voted no.
That’s correct. U.S. Sen. David Vitter (R-Louisiana), given a chance to vote up or down on a measure to help veterans, chose to vote down.
We’re talking about a $16 trillion deficit and the Republicans were quibbling over a budget item of $200 million per year over five years.
Given the propensity of Republicans to consistently vote for larger and larger appropriations for the Pentagon and military contractors and given Republicans’ support of two wars that have cost this country more than $4 trillion, a $1 billion appropriation to help our veterans re-enter the work force should not seem so unreasonable.
Given that most of these Republican chicken hawks have never experienced military service, it certainly is curious that they are so reluctant to lend a hand once these military personnel have sacrificed so much to defend the rhetoric of the pompous congressmen who while beating their collective breasts, are so quick, yea eager, to send them off to war.
It is heartless enough that military personnel with traumatic head injuries are unable to obtain adequate or timely medical treatment once they are no longer useful as fighters and as unwitting enablers of military contractors who milk the Pentagon budget of untold billions of dollars in unchecked cost overruns and outright fraud.
But when it came time to put his money where his patriotic, flag-waving mouth is, Vitter, rather than reaching out to the veterans, turns his back on them. What a coward.
And we thought his frequenting New Orleans prostitutes and cavorting with the D.C. Madam after all of his preaching about family values was hypocritical. That was child’s play, a victimless crime, as they say. His vote on the Veterans Jobs Corps Act dwarfed that transgression. There were thousands of victims of that callous action.
To demonstrate the Republican stance on American exceptionalism and righteous wars, one need look no further than to a statement made by Andrew Card, President George W. Bush’s chief of staff who, when asked about the timing of the March 2003 Iraqi invasion, dubbed Operation Iraqi Freedom, said, “From a marketing point of view, you don’t introduce new products in August.”
There you have it. A half-century ago President Eisenhower said, “We must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex.”
Despite that admonition, war—and the influence of that military-industrial complex—has become a marketing concept, a product to be introduced with the appropriately hyped mixture of patriotism, mom and apple pie, along with the oft-repeated need to defeat the newest threat to the American Way of Life, whatever that is.
And Vitter is right there with his fellow Republicans—until it’s time to help those who supported that policy—the men and women in uniform.
In 2003, he voted in favor of HR 1559, the Emergency Wartime Supplemental Appropriations Act. In 2008, he voted in favor of HR 2642 to approve funding for the Iraq and Afghanistan War—funding that has now exceeded the $4 trillion mark.
But in 2012, he and 39 other Republicans just could not bring themselves to waste a five-year, billion dollar expenditure to help military veterans return to the workforce.
We should be so very proud of our junior senator.
Louisiana Voice 
Tom … a dramatic change from your past rhetoric … rambling at best in this issue! Content over sensationalism! Name calling distracts from the facts, so emphasize facts. Ask hard questions to expose the decisions and actions of the administration, your readers can fill in the blanks.
Where does all the tax money go? Dig up the state budget from the 80’s and 90’s to compare with todays budgets. What agencies are growing uncontrolled and really need to be reined in. Look at the head counts of state departments and their accomplishments … are they successful or just chasing “feel good” political programs … follow the money, the devil is in the details.
The article was right on time including the name calling!
Name calling? Seemed like an accurate description of these two slimeballs. I thought Tom was being kind to only call them cowardly.
Such cowardice…..on the part of both of them. But that is the way of it. Vitter and many others would throw these young men and women into the grinder of war at the behest of those who perceive their interests to be in jeopardy, or worse, who want to profit from fear, but are not then willing to help those returning–wounded or healthy.
The special session needs to be pushed for and on the agenda, the impeachment of Bobby and the recall of Vitter, the latter on the grounds of his denial of support for veterans.
Recalls and impeachments could not legally be included as agenda items for special sessions. Those are two entirely different procedures, one of which (recall) does not involve the legislature.
As for impeachment, we know of no crime that would warrant impeachment, which is a very complicated an specific matter.
And when those fired state employees hit the food stamp and unemployment lines Pyush’s man, Romney, will say they feel like they are entitled, victims, lazy, etc.
It’s real serious to close down a major industry in a rural area. In these small towns the prison is often the main source of decent jobs. There aren’t many other jobs and prison guards are not necessarily trained for any other type of work. Pyush may be trying to actually INCREASE unemployment as part of his contribution to the election of Romney.
Vitter and Jindal are a disgrace to this state, but the problem is, we voted them in by large margins because we are ignorant and prejudice. Please keep educating us so maybe we can overcome our ignorance and prejudice. I will never give up. They will not denigrate my family with their arrogance. love always rrt
November will bring our nation a sea change that will be lasting. Contrary to many expectations, the US Senate will remail in the hands of the Democrats and contrary to the hopes of even the most optimistic, be augmented by actual gains for the party in power. I believe vehemently that the House will revert back to Democratic control and that the resultant change will be spectacular gains achieved through Obama’s coattails that will vaporize the tea party and most of its prophets. President Obama’s easy re-election will mandate change and force co-operation from the surviving Republicans. The only remaining Republican power will be in the Governor’s offices of our united states, but many of the Governors ushered in in the 2010 onslaught are already hurting politically and will be even more vulnerable in 2014. The return of the Democrats to the statehouses in 2014 will correct many of the absurdities of 2010 and make anomalies like Jindal and Vitter, history even in this bastion of ignorance where change is acheived not so much by a positive political opposition, but through the utter implosion of the incumbent corruption, when the fruits of their shallow selfserving machinations become undeniably evident for all to see.
Thank you for yanking David Vitter’s covers away!
His adamant support for two phony wars which were to ultimately cost our nation 4 TRILLION dollars should be enough to force him into a lobbying position beside his chums Billy Tauzin, John Breaux, and Trent Lott.
That he with a little diabolical persuasion from his masters, the Bushes(three wars and two recessions), voted to use Social Security to fund the wars with nearly 4 trillion wasted dollars, and bring on the Great Recession, should enrage us beyond apathy.
That he then ran for Senator calling for a Social Security LOCKBOX after draining the fund of what would ultimately cost Social Security 4 trillion dollars, should have us greasing the rail to ride him out of office!
I was an infantryman in Vietnam and I saw almost 300 men killed and wounded in the month of April alone in 1968.
That the cost and the horror of that war and the succeeding wars have drained our nation’s resources, evaporated our revenues, and made our nation so fiscally anemic that warworms like Vitter can now turn around and carp about the costs of these veterans programs (while always agreeing to unlimited outlays to military contractor buddys), should compel us to action!
The depth of Vitter’s guile is mindboggling! His battle cry is ” use them and lose them!” “Let there be unlimited, always available money for war and military contractors, but not one red cent for the wounded warriors!”
His callousness is the envy of even the most malevolent of his war industry bosom buddys.
Let this monster sing holy Halliburton on his way to hell! Dick Cheney will be waiting there for him with real estate to sell!
Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL), one of the co-sponsors of the legislation, voted “yea”. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) passed on voting and did not register a vote. Considering the large number of veterans and returning military families in the state of Florida, the proposed legislation could have had a significant impact on reducing the rate of unemployment of veterans and increasing the the growth of jobs within the state.