Remember the angst over the temporary shutdown of the Louisiana Department of Education’s (LDOE) web page a little over a week ago because the Division of Administration (D)A) had neglected to pay the $280 bill for the domain subscription?
It was a “technical glitch,” we were assured by DOA Director of Communications Meghan Parrish. “This was not purposeful,” she said, and not part of the ongoing Common Core catfight between those two behemoths of machoism, Gov. Bobby Jindal and Superintendent of Education—“Dude, you are my recharger”—John White.
Well, we were prepared to give the administration the benefit of the doubt that it was simply an oversight and not, as White claimed, because of the state’s refusal to make payments. We are, after all, reasonable and we understand that sometimes things slip through the cracks—even as Jindal was careful to take the necessary steps to strip LDOE and the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education from employing legal counsel to sue the governor.
Never mind that the governor has now moved forward with his own lawsuit against the federal government over Common Core. Apparently, while he doesn’t want to be a defendant over Common Core, he has no problem being a plaintiff and thereby further enriching his own legal counsel Jimmy Faircloth with at least $300,000 more of your taxpayer dollars in addition to more than a $1 million he has already been paid in other lost causes as, in the words of Bob Mann on last Friday’s Jim Engster Show, “the most successful loser” in Louisiana legal circles. http://wrkf.org/post/friday-bob-mann-carley-mccord (move your curser to the 19:40 minute of the show for the quote.)
But now LouisianaVoice has learned of a much more serious situation involving non-payment of electric and natural gas utilities at the Bridge City Youth Center a couple of months back.
Also surfacing are reports that despite assurances of Commissioner of Administration Kristy Kreme Nichols to the contrary, the administration and its $7.5 million hired gun Alvarez & Marsal (A&M) aren’t nearly as concerned about the welfare of 230,000 enrollees in the state’s Group Benefits program as they would have you believe.
A&M was initially hired for $4.2 million but the contract has been illegally amended—does this administration give a damn about the State Constitution?—at least twice in violation of the 10 percent maximum over which legislative concurrence is required (though neither Senate President John Alario, R-Westwego, nor House Speaker Chuck Kleckley, R-Lake Charles, seems to possess sufficient spinal makeup to hold the governor accountable on that little technicality).
A&M, probably best described as McKinsey Lite, is charged with trying to find $500 million—an updated number by the Baton Rouge Advocate puts the amount at $1 billion—in savings over five years. Its consultants have swooped into state agencies with their iPads and Smartphones and their instant expertise.
The problem is that neither A&M nor its army of consultants has ever run a business; they have never run a state agency; they have never interacted with the very people whose lives they are consulting to impact in a very adverse way. Yet incredibly, with all that proficiency and foolproof know-how gleaned from literally days and even a week or two of studying theoretical scenarios for each agency visited, the most consistent solution to cost cutting is: “Lay off personnel, reduce your workforce.”
A&M does have one thing that is critical to its mission: the full blessings of Bobby Jindal and that apparently is all that matters. The human element is not a factor in this pathetic exercise. That’s because Jindal himself is not human; he’s a droid, devoid of compassion or feelings and programmed to spew statistics and factoids at such a rapid pace as to trick the listener into mistaking rote recitation for intelligence.
And if he believes he can fool the national media the way he has the Louisiana media, we can assure him that task will keep him busier than a one-legged tap dancer. He will have greater success shoveling water with a pitchfork.
But we digress. Because A&M is banking on motion being interpreted as progress, it has come in and created a lot of dust, wind and noise, but little substance. Conflicts were inevitable and shouting matches have erupted in various agencies between professionals who know their jobs and pseudo-professionals who are deep on theory but short on practicality. Or who, in the words of former Texas Gov. Ann Richards in her characterization of George W. Bush, are “all hat and no cattle.”
Faced with protests by agency heads over the impossibility of meeting payroll after A&M imposed cuts, the A&M suits invariably offered the same adolescent solution of firing workers.
And for that we’re paying $7.5 million?
And now those 230,000 state employees, retirees and dependents covered by the Office of Group Benefits (OGB) are facing what Kristy Kreme Nichols calls the “right-sizing of benefits to costs.” http://theadvocate.com/home/10132562-171/state-employee-insurance-changing Translated, that simply means an average 47 percent increase, including higher premiums and out-of-pocket expenses, including 100 percent higher co-pays and new and higher deductibles. Let’s not forget, most state employees will get their first pay increase in 5-6 years – 4 percent – just in time to meet those higher insurance expenses. Interesting timing.
One of our readers correctly pointed out that Naomi Kline, in her book The Shock Doctrine, lays out the game plan now being followed to the letter by Jindal and his $7.5 million consulting firm. It should come as no surprise that the A&M suits are smugly referring to the upcoming Oct. 1-Oct. 31 open enrollment as “War Games.”
War Games? Yes, War Games. To them, it’s just a way of keeping score with the fate of state employees, retirees and dependents as only an asterisk, an afterthought.
That is, after all, what this administration is all about: Jindal and his boot lickers against state workers; Republicans against the middle class. And if you don’t believe it is true class warfare, we invite you to read another book by Hedrick Smith, Who Stole the American Dream?
Smith includes in the appendix of his book the August 1971 Lewis Powell memo to the chairman of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce that set in motion the creation of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), the Cato Institute, and Americans for Prosperity and the eventual steamrolling of the American middle class by Corporate America. Barely three months after writing that blueprint for the consolidation of corporate America’s power over our government, Richard Nixon appointed Powell to the U.S. Supreme Court. http://reclaimdemocracy.org/powell_memo_lewis/
Meanwhile, there’s the matter of that unpaid utility bill at the Bridge City Youth Center.
The Bridge City Youth Center houses about 150 troubled youth, down from about 300 in 2002.
Since 2008 when Jindal took office, the Office of Juvenile Justice (OJJ) has had its budget slashed by over 50 percent, and a couple of months ago, representatives from electric and natural gas utility companies showed up at the door of the Bridge City Youth Center with an order to cut services because of unpaid bills.
The amount owed? $50,000. A small partial payment was made to prevent the utilities cutoff—for now.
Granted, these 150 kids may not be up for their Merit Badges but the state in its wisdom has taken over responsibility for their housing, feeding, clothing, education and hopefully, some degree of rehabilitation.
So if the state is going to accept those responsibilities, it’s only fair to ask that the state meet those same responsibilities and pay the bills.
OJJ’s business functions were “consolidated” with DPS some time ago, and now those responsibilities have been transferred to DOA, DOA is responsible for those non-payments.
That’s the same DOA that forgot to pay LDOE’s web page subscription.
And that’s the same DOA that is an extension of the governor’s office. That’s why it’s called the Division of Administration.
Why did DOA not pay the bill? For that answer, we would have to go back to that huge budget cut imposed by one Bobby Jindal. The money simply is not there.
And it almost wasn’t there for OJJ and other agencies to meet payroll recently but A&M had a ready answer for that knotty little problem: impose layoffs.
And thrown into the mix, doesn’t is somehow seem a bit curious how this administration, which can’t lay its hands on sufficient cash to pay a $50,000 utility bill, can somehow find $18 million for a private hospital in Baton Rouge to keep its emergency room open to handle the indigent patients coming over from the state-run Earl K. Long Hospital after it was closed by the governor? Is it even legal for the state to fund a private business at all, much less without legislation? In a cash-strapped administration, where did $18 million magically and immediately appear from? http://theadvocate.com/news/10108601-123/br-general-jindal-administration-reach We’re just sayin’…
And keep in mind, the state has already had to borrow $24 million from this fiscal year’s (2014-15) budget to balance last year’s budget, meaning we’ve already started the new fiscal year, which began on July 1, $24 million in the hole.
And yet he found $18 million for a private hospital to keep its ER open for one year.
The question now must be asked: What happens next year when it threatens to close again?
Louisiana Voice 
And haven’t the newly privatized owners of the LSU hospitals in Shreveport and Monroe already defaulted on over $25 million owed to LSU?
You’re doing a heck of a job Brownie—as in Little Brown Weasel Governor.
It seems like the most feasible cost cutting measure A&M could make would be to recommend laying off that bone-headed part-timer we let stay in that white mansion near the Capitol whenever he’s occasionally in town. Of course that would mean no more contracts for A&M but oh well.
If the legislators would put on their big boy shorts and stand up to him by passing bills with a veto-proof majority, we could get things done. The very first thing I would like to see is the elimination of his out-of-state travel budget so that he would have to go before a bipartisan legislative committee every time he wanted to go to Iowa or Florida or Texas to campaign on taxpayer money, they could say a big fat NO and tell him if he wanted to go to get the state GOP to pay the expenses, including the pay of the state troopers. The man is ridiculous! He is NOT going to be the next president because he is short, brown, has a whiny voice and is the child of immigrants. The National GOP does not want him! But in this state, his boots are licked.
You may recall that Alario, I believe it was was promised a new stadium with Astroturf for pushing his school destruction bills through. At least Edwin Edwards, for all his apparent siphoning of funds for personal use, cared about Louisiana and helped the people. Jindal has done nothing but make things worse. And there is no telling what kind of tax breaks he has given to these businesses coming here (temporarily),
Thanks for another great article. This needs as wide a dissemination as possible. The Jindal administration is at war with reality, and getting the truth out there is one of the ways to fight back.
The truth shall set us free. Can’t happen soon enough.
I am completely baffled as to why with all this exposure no one seems to want to address any of these issues. Are we so beaten up that we are now complacent? Where is the outcry? Where are the investigative news media? I am at a loss why all of this political bullying is going on and very few are up in arms about it. Someone please help me to understand what is really going on. BTW, I am a retired state employee.
It is unbelievable to witness the chaos Jitler has brought to our state with barely a peep of protest from the majority of our elected officials. Dear senators and representatives, do you think we will overlook how you threw us under the bus with your inaction? Ignoring the weasel until he leaves is not the answer. A bigger weasel is waiting in the wings. Does the Louisiana constitution allow for malfeasance, corruption and abuse of power by our governor? Why don’t you do something – like your job? Or are you on the same payroll? Doesn’t anyone have a conscience anymore? Tom, great post as usual.
Right on! With each passing day, Jindal’s political capital decreases a bit. How weak does he have to get before our public officials stand up to him? He’s a lame duck. He is damaged goods. He is a fool on the national stage. He will not be going on to bigger and better things politically. Please, officials, do something!
@Veritas: It’s just like Tom said:
neither Senate President John Alario, R-Westwego, nor House Speaker Chuck Kleckley, R-Lake Charles, seems to possess sufficient spinal makeup to hold the governor accountable on that little technicality
Alario in particular doesn’t seem to give a d@mn about anything except his PACS, campaign contributions and having his suites at Tiger Stadium and the Superdome paid for by the same campaign contributions.
Here’s Alario in one of his native habitats in N.O. East!
Where are our elected officials? The state employees and retirees are being screwed. Does anyone care?
John Bel Edwards and Karen Carter Peterson have clearly shown they care, but they are in the very distinct minority.
One reason so many legislators kowtow to the governor is that by doing so they can perpetuate the myth that he is somehow legally empowered as the most powerful governor in the U. S. They don’t have the answers to our problems either, so they use him as a convenient scapegoat and whine, “I wanted to do the right thing, but the governor wouldn’t let me.” Most citizens buy this argument, apparently, and refuse to accept that the governor has assumed powers that are not his, legally or any other way.
So far, including today’s report, the governor is batting .0000 when his actions have been litigated, but is it reasonable to spend millions of dollars litigating matters that should be plain common sense?
All of us who say we have to hold our elected officials accountable have to put our votes where our mouths are. Those who are too apathetic to care will retain their ignorance and vote accordingly, or simply stay home. Those of us who are paying attention and care about our state and its people have to outnumber them in the voting booths. In many cases we will be better off with inexperienced unknowns than the incumbents who have betrayed our interests.
Mr. Winham is correct – Rep. John Bel Edwards (D-Amite) DOES care because I have contacted him personally, & he told me about his request for the meeting (he’s not even my Rep., but I have always had responses from him when I’ve written legislators in the past about different matters). But he can’t do it ALONE. Unless EVERY State retiree and employee bombards Jindal’s office & then the offices of their own legislators and vehemently voices his/her opposition to what’s about to happen to our health insurance on 1/1/2015 , nothing will be done. I keep writing, e-mailing, & calling everyone I can think of to BEG THEM TO DO THIS, but although everyone is very upset about it and admits they can’t afford these changes/increases any more than I can, nobody seems to be doing anything about it. They keep waiting for “everybody else” to get it done. Duh??? How hard is it to pick up the phone even if you can’t write or send an e-mail?
The problem is that the ones screwing us are the elected officials.
You are right, Kathy. You know that some of the worst representatives have their websites set up so they only accept emails from people in their own district—-the ones who put them in office. So no one who would tell them the truth can even get through to them.
I have long been impressed with John Bel Edwards, especially when he tried to block Jindal’s destruction of the public schools. I am also impressed with Pat Smith who, in addition to important statewide issues, assists local government representatives.
I will not dispute anything you say about A&M, Kristy Kreme or the damage to OGB and state employees. I do not know the story on Bridge City, but have little doubt it was due to the consolidation of “back office” accounting within the DOA. Many payments were and continue to be delayed by procedures implemented by the former head of that department and high turnover of employees that found it impossible to work for her. The DOE web site issue however was created by the DOE all on their own. They had a non-standard URL and the email notice that the renewal was due went to a DOE IT staff member.
If A&M would start at top of the chain with layoffs/cutbacks/firings that’s where the money is and starting there will solve Louisiana problems and get rid of a lot of freeloaders who do nothing for the state but take, take, take and spend, spend, spend money that doesn’t belong to them. The State would be prosperous again and as was state many years ago “every man would be a King” instead of a peasant as jilter would have us to be.
This is an abuse of power.
Those in office now that do not step forward and stop this MUST NOT BE RETURNED TO OFFICE.
Call and contact your senator and state representative. Go see them.
Do it over and over.
Get your family and friends to do it.
Ask them specifically to tell you what they are going to do about this.
If you do not get an answer, or a satisfactory answer, tell them that you will never vote for them again and will ask everyone you know not to vote for them.
They are all up for re-election next year.
Any time a business or agency calls something “rightsizing” you know there are going to be cutbacks and layoffs. The Benefits department has already been “rightsized” almost out of existence and now they want to charge the workers more to give them less.
The only solution to this problem is to dispose of the Republicans, making them a minority in government. But we have these stupid “value voters” who continually vote for whatever candidate says he’s “pro-life”, or who has “conservative Louisiana values”.
Something really good could happen if all the state employees who have been right-sized, privatized, or laid off would join with the teachers and the people in North Baton Rouge who no longer have a hospital and throw out the trash as well as getting the Louisiana Family Forum’s non-profit number wrenched from Ayatollah Gene Mill’s deadly grip.
Well, I agree with all of you, However, Jindalites are laughing at us. With all of the money and thus great propaganda, they have won the communication war, and they are always right even when they are wrong .ron thompson
It certainly seems that way when reading the daily paper and watching the news on TV, doesn’t it, Ron?
There is a real problem developing that IMO, could threaten our Republic, there is an effort to control media, my La. 4th District Congressman, bans anyone who has a dissenting opinion from commenting on his/our official Government Facebook page, John C. Fleming, and the fact that his followers don’t see anything wrong with it, is shocking. If, you are anything, other than what his ideology dictates, then you are the enemy. Same with Jindal, and most of the Legis. they have an agenda, and fairness, honesty, and ethics have NO place….. I have always maintained that as rich as Louisiana is in natural resources, we should be at the top of ALL the good lists, we should have the best infrastructure, people we are being looted. As I have said before if it weren’t for Bloggers, we would be in total darkness, but many are not internet savvy, so the darkness continues.
Most of Louisiana’s conservatives are not going to care about this issue because it’s not affecting them. That’s the law of Conservative Land.
I am watching a train wreck!