Pundits are calling it the “con-con,” which I suppose is short for “constitutional convention.”
I would suggest, however, that it be called the “con-con-con,” for “constitutional convention con,” because what Jeff Landry is selling doesn’t look like a good buy from just about any vantage point.
There can be no disputing that the current Louisiana State Constitution, like its predecessor, is far too long, crammed as it is with more than 200 amendments (and those are just the ones voters passed) over the past 50 years. And at more than 77,000 words it is more than 17 times the length of the U.S. Constitution. The Public Affairs Research Council tells us it is the fourth-longest state constitution in the U.S.
There also is little argument that a new constitution might not be such a bad idea – so long as the process is carried out carefully and fairly – and not turned into a partisan rush job with little or no public scrutiny.
Unfortunately, Jeff Landry is trying to do just that: a two-to-four-week work session in which a new document will be drafted. There will be no traveling road show to give voters an opportunity for public input. Landry doesn’t like an informed public, remember?
That’s a fool’s errand. The last constitutional convention, back in 1973, took more than a year to write and it was written by delegates chosen by the people. Some of those delegates were also state legislators, but many were not. Then-Gov. Edwards had campaigned vigorously for a constitutional convention in the quest for his first term as governor. Landry uttered not a peep about rewriting the constitution during his campaign and sprang it on the state only after he took office.
Still, done right it could be a constructive endeavor. But one has to wonder why the urgency? Why fast track it this way? Or, a more sinister question: What is it that Landry wants to do that he doesn’t want us to know about? What are his true motives?
Rather than elect delegates, Landry wants delegates to consist of sitting House members. In a sense, I suppose, it could be said they were elected; but they were elected as legislators, not delegates to rewrite the constitution. A fine sticking point, to be sure, but a sticking point nonetheless. Edwards appointed 27 delegates and Landry wants to do the same.
And while I don’t profess to know a lot about many of his proposed appointees, I do know a little about one of them and have written about some of his actions in the past.
Eric Skrmetta has been involved in past activities that should have raised a few red flags with voters in his district. His latest was a proposal to withdraw Louisiana’s membership from the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), a nonprofit association that manages the power grid for 15 states and Manitoba Province in Canada. It oversees the uninterrupted provision of electric power to 42 million people and Louisiana has been a member since 2013.
Texas is not a member of any cooperative grid, relying instead on the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT). And you may remember what happened in that state a couple of winters ago. If you don’t, just ask Cancun Ted Cruz.
To read more about that effort by Skrmetta, go HERE.
If you’re not convinced, you can read other stories I’ve written about Mr. Skrmetta by going HERE, HERE and HERE.
Skrmetta is also one of the three Republican Public Service Commissioners who earlier this month APPROVED a quickie proposal by Entergy to slap you with another hike in your electric bill to help the company finance a $1.9 billion project to improve its grid. These people are not your friends.
Both Democrats voted no, by the way, so just who is it that’s trying to protect consumers here? The plan was introduced by Entergy on a Monday and approved later that same week. Kind of a rush job, don’tcha think?
Well, this cockeyed proposal to rewrite a state constitution in a couple of weeks is kind of a rush job, too.
Unless, of course, certain people, Landry included, convened surreptitiously sometime in the past, along with a few hand-picked lawyers, and have already written the document that will be passed under the noses of delegates/legislators for their rubber stamp approval in a few weeks.
And with Landry proposing to shield the “deliberative process” from public disclosure, we will probably never know if that is the case.
But let us assume that the House and Senate pass muster on the new constitution and it is ultimately approved by voters.
It’s a done deal. Now consider this: How long do you think it will take for the amendment proposals to start flowing out of the legislature? If it’s a slapped-together document, as it will have to be if truly done over a couple of weeks, you can anticipate the first amendment proposals to show up next year and every single year after that.
The more things change, the more they stay the same…especially in Louisiana.
Completely unrelated to the con-con-con, I came across this little meme which you might find amusing if it were not so close to the truth relative to Entergy’s proposed rate hike of up to $8 per month:
Electricity Bill:
Usage $40.21
Distribution Fee $152.35
Processing Fee $76.83
Accessing Fee $45.34
Transmission Fee $38.75
Fee Fee $16.90
Fee Fi Fo Fum Fee $17.75
Might as Well Fee $5.00
What You Gonna Do Fee $3.75
What the Hell, Another Dollar Won’t Hurt Fee $2.00
Louisiana Voice 