[StBernard] Political Health for Life

[Westley Annis]

The bigger question for St. Bernard residents, why did Rep. Nita Hutter and
Sen. Walter Boasso both vote for this bill?  I fully expected Rep. Ken
Odinet to support it, almost surprised he didn't write it, but Hutter and
Boasso are a big disappointment on this one.

It also begs the question, again, especially for Boasso, did he actually
vote for it or did another Senator, such as Romero, cast the vote for
Boasso?  I mention this only because Romero was quoted in a news story
several weeks back of having a "voting stick" that he used to cast votes for
his fellow Senators who happened to be missing from the floor at the time of
a vote.

Here's hoping Blanco gets this one right.

Westley

-----Original Message-----

Thursday, June 22, 2006 

SPECIAL EDITION: 


Dardenne Takes Lick on Lifetime Healthcare for Politicians
<http://www.wafb.com/Global/story.asp?S=5062605> 

WAFB TV
Governor Blanco's office tells 9 News she has not decided if she'll veto the
insurance plan for legislators that's far better than a state worker gets.
WAFB's Julie Baxter reports on a plan to have the state pay for 75% of
certain legislators' health insurance premiums for the rest of their lives.

In the quiet after the legislative storm, these last-day-of-session words
spoken by Representative Pete Schneider, R-Slidell, sound prophetic: "There
is legislation going through the process that we will discover in the next
60 to 90 days that is going to enrich special interest groups and possibly
some legislators." 
Within 24 hours came word that legislators -- among them 18 senators and 50
representatives who are term-limited out of legislative chambers in 2008 --
have cut themselves a lifetime health insurance deal. 
What has so many of the state workers talking now, is that while a part-time
legislator with ten years of service can get 75% of their premiums paid for
life, a full-time state worker -- and that includes most teachers,
university and faculty and staff members -- would have to work 20 years to
get the same deal on their health insurance.

"To start with, it's a part time job, and I don't think when I leave I
should be getting health insurance through the state," says Amedee. "When
I'm outta here, I'm outta here."

Many south Louisiana legislators voted for the new health insurance deal ,
including Senators Sharon Broome, Jay Dardenne , Cleo Fields, Clo Fontenot
and Representatives Don Cazayoux, Carl Crane, Yvonne Dorsey, Avon Honey,
Michael Jackson, Tom McVea, and Bodi White (who was absent for the second
house vote).

Voting against the bill were Senator Amedee and Representative Gary Beard,
as did Hunter Greene and Eddie Lambert (those two were absent for the first
vote) and three legislators who voted for the bill the first time -- William
Daniel, Dale Erdey and Mert Smiley -- voted against the bill the second time
around.

With more than 100 e-mails already hitting Senator Amedee's blackberry, it's
likely no legislator will soon forget their vote on this one.

LPNS COMMENTARY: Senator Dardenne, a candidate for statewide office,
professes to be a good government proponent?