Jindal continues to ignore state’s problems

Wednesday, at the Annual Meeting of the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry, “The Roads Scholar” missed a perfect opportunity to assure the public and especially the business community that he has a plan for addressing the state’s $1.6 billion “fiscal cliff.”

If there is one thing that businesses fear is uncertainty.  Jindal did nothing to allay those concerns.

Instead of showing leadership and that he has a plan to address the uncertainty; Jindal showed once again, that, at best, he is a policy wonk.

Jindal floated another “trial balloon” for charter schools for which he asked the business community to help fund.   Without certainty, why should business invest the dollars they do have in another wonkish idea?

Other than to say he won’t raise taxes, Jindal said little in terms of specifics.  Such words ring hollow when one considers Jindal’s support of significant college tuition increases and a tax increase on our drivers’ licenses during the 2010 Regular Session.

Recently, Carl Redman, executive editor of the Baton Rouge Advocate, described the impact of college tuition and fees as falling “like a tax, on [students] and their parents.” Sunday Advocate, January 9, 2011.

Jindal said nothing to allay the public’s concerns over cutbacks in vital state services.  Nor did he mention any significant governmental structural changes.  Nor did he suggest that he will set real priorities by eliminating funding for non-state mandated services (including NGOs).
Just mentioning some specific plans to address the fact that the “fiscal cliff” may have amounted to nothing but political rhetoric, they would have at least shown that Jindal was concerned about the impending problems facing our state in less than 6 months.

As the state hurdles on the road towards the July 1 “fiscal cliff,” Jindal ignores the cliff and suggests planting spring flowers on the side of the road to distract us from the reality of the fiscal train wreck ahead.

Because Jindal has no plan (nor do his top administrative people or the lege leadership) he simply chooses to ignore the problem.

That is not leadership. That is cowardice.

 

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