Louisiana Voice

Posted in Cartoon, Contract, Contracts, Governor's Office, Waste | 9 Comments

9 Responses

1. on June 5, 2014 at 6:17 pm | Reply Stephen Winham

   I would really like to know who this person is – the strips are always hilarious and clearly by somebody who is on top of things.

   
   
2. on June 5, 2014 at 6:30 pm | Reply John Sachs

   Re last panel, A&M actually DOES recommend several times that additional studies (costing hundreds of thousands) be conducted. And who better to do it then they?

   
   
3. on June 5, 2014 at 6:45 pm | Reply Rose

   Brilliant!

   
   
4. on June 5, 2014 at 8:48 pm | Reply biggs

   Mr. Aswell, Can you Please tell if the state had 500 million in surplus for the office of group benefits before Jindal raided it. Ed Biersmith

   Sent from my iPhone

   
   
   • on June 5, 2014 at 8:56 pm | Reply tomaswell

     Yes, there was $500 million in the reserve fund before OGB was privatized, but to say Jindal “raided” the fund is incorrect. What happened was Jindal mandated a premium reduction because the state has to pay part of the premiums and a reduction meant the state would have to pay less on its part, thus freeing up money that ordinarily would have gone to premiums for the general appropriations budget.

     But when premiums were reduced, it necessarily meant that OGB was forced to pay benefits out of the reserve fund, thus placing a severe strain on the reserve fund and reducing the balance substantially.

     Now, of course, premiums will be increased, effective July 1 but fiscal experts, including the Legislative Auditor, forecast a continued deficit flow until the reserve will be in danger of complete depletion by the end of this calendar year.

     So, to answer your question: yes, there was $500 million in surplus but the fund was not “raided” per se. Instead, it was just another of Jindal’s accounting ploys to patch together a state budget that remains on very shaky grounds.

     
     
5. on June 6, 2014 at 8:05 am | Reply Paul Ringo

   Off topic for this post in particular, but I had a ‘vision’ of a cartoon this morning on the way to work. It was the oil execs (at least 2 big fat ones with cigars) sneering at the ‘legislature’ (spineless and contorted) tied on a chain laughing at them as ‘toy dogs’. One of the execs had a guy behind him saying ‘they actually think they deserve respect lol’.

   
   
6. on June 6, 2014 at 8:14 am | Reply Stephen Winham

   http://wrkf.org/post/insight-inside-cost-saving-report

   Amy Jeffries interviews Robert Travis Scott about this.

   In the interests of civility (I guess) the ridiculous report is treated seriously in this interview, but its weaknesses leak out. Worth reading/listening.

   
   
7. on June 6, 2014 at 8:24 am | Reply SRIRACHA

   I love this cartoon series. Too bad it’s not daily.

   
   
8. on June 6, 2014 at 9:50 am | Reply Paul Ringo

   ‘I’m asking you to once again believe in Louisiana’. That’s what the Governor has as his ‘motto’ on his website.