[StBernard] Louisiana Legislative Pay Raise, Jindal and Rally

[Westley Annis]

Mark your calendar for July 7, 2008 from 2 to 4 or Rally on Louisiana
Capitol Steps concerning legislative "pay raise veto" and "public
accountability".  Date and time is for now tentative and will be finalized
later today.  Final details will follow.

 

When Bobby Jindal won the Louisiana Gubernatorial election and a mandate
from the people of the state, we immediately felt that Louisiana had the
smartest, most able individual taking the helm of state government.  When he
promised us that he would make Louisiana government the most transparent in
its history, our hearts raced with pride with hope of a new day dawning
where government would open up its doors and allow the citizens to take
control of its own destiny.

 

However, something happened over the past five months that has put a dark
shroud over the truth concerning an issue of significant importance to the
Louisiana people.  At some point in time, Governor Jindal's administration
made a deal with Louisiana legislature leaders pledging he would not oppose
a pay raise for the legislators.  When the people of Louisiana discovered
that the raise would treble the salaries of the legislators the citizens
rebelled.  When they discovered that Jindal had also made a campaign promise
that he would not allow the current crop of legislators to benefit from the
raise, the people's anger turned to outrage.  

 

Thus, Pay Raise Gate, where the good work of the legislature has been
obscured by the secretiveness of the leaders of Government and where who
speak, know and hear no government openness. 

 

Tens of thousands of average Louisiana citizens have wondered about the
details of the "deal" made by the legislature and the Governor over the pay
raise pledge.

 

When I asked Governor Jindal last Wednesday about that pledge to the
legislature, he ignored my very detailed question, gave me a stock answer of
why he would not break his pledge to the legislature.  I wanted to know the
specifics of the pledge such as when did it occur, who was there, why was it
made since he had made a contrary pledge only months ago.

 

This was not the type of transparency in Government I had previously
expected and I personally became substantially disappointed in the Governor
that he would not reveal what so many of us wanted to know.

 

This weekend, I covered a political event in Baton Rouge and talked to a
variety of legislators about their knowledge about the details of the
pledge.  None of them knew for certain what had transpired.  Senate
President Joel Chaisson was not present at the event which was an annual
Democratic dinner.  House Speaker, Jim Tucker, and Bobby Jindal are
Republicans of course, were not there.  

 

Yet, those legislators with whom I discussed this issue said they were in
the dark and could only speculate over those details.  They spun various
theories but had no more actual knowledge about the events than any of us.  

 

So, we have a Governor who won't talk about these details of broken promises
to the people and only a few legislators who might have been at a meeting or
series of meetings or who might have been involved in communications have
not revealed any details about what occurred behind closed doors.

 

Obviously, transparency has flown out of the windows of the capitol along
with the remarkable good will of the Governor, legislative leaders and those
who passed the controversial pay raise.  

 

For some reason, those with knowledge are not talking and the citizens
remain in the dark over details they feel are important to them so they can
regain trust in Government.

 

Last Friday, out of frustration, I announced that I would initiate a rally
at the Capitol to encourage Governor Jindal to honor his pledge to the
Louisiana people.  The purpose of the rally would be to symbolically take
the government back from those who have hijacked it for their own personal
purposes, to do whatever we could to convince Governor Jindal to honor his
pledge to us, the people.

 

An organization is being formed for this rally and it appears the rally will
be held July 7 at 2 to 4 p.m. so please save that date.  A website has
already been completed to help educate the public and that site will launch
in the next few days.  Details will follow.  

 

Since making the rally announcement, I have been overwhelmed by the anger,
the frustration, the deep-rooted outrage of the people who have emailed me
wanting to help anyway they could to ensure that their "will be done".

 

The enormous outpouring of support for the rally cannot be described in
words.  People want action, are deeply disappointed in Governor Jindal and
in the leaders of Louisiana legislators for this stark unfortunate act of
secrecy.

 

They are stunned that there was no public debate over legislation so
important to them and that a deal was confected and finalized over which
only a handful of people really have actual knowledge.

 

It boggles the mind that the Louisiana people and many legislators are so
ignorant about details of a pledge that has caused many of the most staunch
Jindal supporters to break ranks with their leader.  

 

We probably will not know those details unless the Governor and the Speaker
of the House or the Senate President reveal the circumstances of the quid
pro quo that apparently occurred.  The chance of that revelation occurring
is very remote.

 

Meanwhile the rally at the Capitol will occur.  Already a recall for House
Speaker Jim Tucker is building momentum and according to organizers,
"RecallPayraiseTucker.com now has committments from 113 volunteers to assist
in collecting signatures and has received contact information from over 600
on it's sign up page"..

 

I personally am not advocating any recalls but do advocate Government
openness.  What the people want for their individual districts and their
individual legislators are obviously up to them.

 

So, after the close of the legislative session occurs this afternoon,
Governor Jindal will decide if he wants to pay raise law to go into effect
as he has pledged, which pledge goes against the will of the people and his
prior campaign promise.  Meanwhile, the rally will occur hopefully to share
our collective disappointments over the pay raise, the circumstances
surrounding the pledge and to encourage Governor Jindal to change his mind.


 

Bayoubuzz will keep its readers informed about the details of the rally so
the citizens can participate.  Governor Jindal and key government officials
will hear the voices of the disenfranchised and the faces of the outraged.
He will see that Louisiana citizens are going to hold him and others
accountable.

 

Louisiana citizens can make a difference and have control over their own
destiny.  While the legislature will enjoy a rest from their public duties
after this afternoon, many people in Louisiana will not rest until they know
justice has been done.  How this justice is defined is in the minds and eyes
of the individual citizens, but judging from the emails and communications I
have received, the voices of the people will be heard even if the details of
a secret pledge will be not..