Citizens for Ethics: Jindal is one of the worst governors in the country

Citizens for Ethics (CREW) has named Bobby Jindal #4 in the worst 11 governors in the country. These are their charges.

Bobby Jindal
Bobby Jindal (R-LA) was elected governor of Louisiana in 2007 and is running for reelection in 2011.
Gov. Jindal:
• Prevented the public release of government records and has fought legislation to make
government more transparent
• Weakened the authority of the state ethics board
• Refused to accept federal stimulus funds to expand unemployment insurance and to fund
other important programs
• Rewarded campaign donors with government jobs and contracts
• Has been fined for ethics violations

CHARGE ONE: TRANSPARENCY
During the 2009 legislative session, Gov. Jindal killed a bill that would have greatly expanded
transparency in the governor’s office. House Bill 169 would have extended the Public Records
Act to the governor’s office and made most books, records, writings, accounts, letters and other
executive branch communications available to the public on request. Gov. Jindal said the bill
would violate executive privilege and helped to kill it in committee.
Instead, Gov. Jindal backed Senate Bill 278, a rival measure riddled with loopholes, but which
became law on July 10, 2009. Gov. Jindal asserted the new law would increase government
transparency, but opponents charged that it would forever seal some records regarding who and what influenced a governor’s decisions.
Gov. Jindal has voiced his opposition to legislation aimed at expanding access to records of the
governor’s office. During the 2010 legislative session, two state legislators introduced bills to
strengthen the open records policy by making clear that gubernatorial records are public and
creating narrow exceptions to shield specific documents from the public domain. One bill
directs the governor’s office to preserve records exempt from public disclosure and transfer them to the state archives at the end of the governor’s tenure; the documents would become public.

CHARGE TWO: UNDERCUTTING ETHICS ENFORCEMENT
After a special legislative session passed Gov. Jindal-backed legislation gutting the Louisiana
Board of Ethics, ten of its 11 members resigned. Seven of the ten members resigned because
the legislation transferred ethics enforcement power from the state ethics board to administrative
law judges, rendering the board useless. Under the new law, administrative law judges,
selected by an appointee of the governor, determine the guilt or innocence of public officials.
Opponents of the legislation contend this will hinder ethics reform and promote political
gamesmanship because lawmakers may be able to choose the judges they will face. The new
law also requires a tougher standard for evidence to prove ethics violations. Gov. Jindal
proposed the legislation while he was under investigation by the Louisiana Board of Ethics.
Other proponents of the new law were accused of holding grudges against the ethics board.

CHARGE THREE: HYPOCRISY IN REJECTING STIMULUS MONEY
Gov. Jindal declined $98 million in federal stimulus funds intended to help the state expand
unemployment insurance. He also rejected $9.5 million in stimulus funds to temporarily
expand Medicaid to families who left welfare for a job and turned back $55.3 million to provide
health care for people without insurance. Gov. Jindal also refused to apply for $300 million in
stimulus money to potentially fund a high-speed rail line between New Orleans and Baton
Rouge, upsetting even some fellow Louisiana Republicans, including Rep. Anh “Joseph” Cao.
In marked contrast, Gov. Jindal accepted and dispersed one billion in stimulus money to shore up
Louisiana’s budget. The governor also publicly presented a $521,000 check he signed
personally to the First Baptist Church in Anacoco, but failed to disclose its source: the muchmaligned federal stimulus law.

CHARGE FOUR: PATRONAGE FOR DONORS
Gov. Jindal appointed more than 200 campaign contributors—who donated in excess of
$784,000 to the governor’s election campaign in 2007 and 2008—to positions in Louisiana state
government. In addition, 12 of the 16 doctors appointed by Gov. Jindal to the Louisiana
Medical Advisory Board were found to be campaign donors as well.
Gov. Jindal has sought to keep such connections from becoming public. During the 2009
legislative session, the governor helped kill House Bill 243, a measure which would have
required him to disclose the names of campaign contributors appointed to government
positions. It was not the first time Gov. Jindal tried to keep the legislature from forcing him to
divulge his ties to donors; he vetoed similar legislation in 2008.
Gov. Jindal also has awarded millions of dollars in work and incentives to campaign donors.
In one egregious case, the state announced plans to invest $10 million in the Port of Terrebonne, to the benefit of Gary Chouest. Mr. Chouest, his business and his closest family members
were responsible for at least 18 separate donations to Gov. Jindal’s campaign war-chest, totaling
$85,000.30

CHARGE FIVE: ETHICS VIOLATIONS
Gov. Jindal was fined $2,500 by the Louisiana Board of Ethics for violating campaign finance
laws by failing to disclose in a timely manner more than $118,000 in direct mail expenses the
Louisiana Republican Party made on his behalf.

H/T to Central La Politics

Proposed budget asks for Police, Corrections cuts

The legislature will convene week after next and tackle the proposed 2011 budget.
Among the cuts proposed by the Governor is a 5% across the board cut in police supplemental pay. This would equal about $25 per officer.
The only local legislator we have contacted, Henry Burns, said that he will vote against this cut.
The new budget also calls for cuts in the corrections budget, but I don’t have any details at this time.
We will outline more details of proposed budget cuts in the coming days.

Bobby Jindal's Flim Flam Medicine Show

Lie
1. A false statement deliberately presented as being true; a falsehood.
2. Something meant to deceive or give a wrong impression.

Liar
One that tells lies.

In last year's inaugural address, Gov. Bobby Jindal vowed to rally Louisianians to build a state "where our leaders and our people set the highest standards and hold every member of our government accountable."
At the urging of the governor's staff, House and Senate committees last week killed mirror-image bills by Rep. Wayne Waddell and Sen. Robert Adley that would have eliminated the broad exception for the governor's office in the state's open records law.
The identical measures, House Bill 169 and Senate Bill 278, still would have shielded documents related to ongoing economic development negotiations that are held by the governor, his chief of staff and his legal counsel. That addressed worries about the state's ability to negotiate with private companies. The bills would not have affected exceptions in other laws, such as protections for records involving the governor's safety and security.
Unfortunately, Gov. Jindal and his staff are not only blocking reform -- they are backing a rival measure that would further restrict access to records held by the governor's office and other agencies.
Senate Bill 278 by Sen. Jody Amedee extends those exceptions to records held outside the governor's office, meaning other agencies could shield documents by arguing they were "used, held, or prepared on behalf of the governor," according to the Public Affairs Research Council.
Robert Adley served sixteen years in the House and one term in the senate as a Democrat. Just after last fall’s election he switched to the Republican Party because he shared the philosophy of the new governor. At the time, Adley said "I have worked with a number of reform governors and spent years trying to get reform in Louisiana. We've gotten close; we've never gotten there. I really believe this administration has that chance and I want to participate in that."
Adley is singing a different tune now. The Advocate reports that after the defeat of his bill he said "It's so blatantly bad," said state Sen. Robert Adley, a Benton Republican who offered legislation that would remove a governor's exclusion from state public-records laws. His bill was opposed by Jindal - and defeated. "He's making horrible arguments and the Legislature, because of all the lobbying he's doing, is swallowing the whole thing," Adley said. "Transparency is gone. Checks and balances are gone. I'm beginning to believe I'm sitting in a communist state.”
It’s good to see Adley on the right side of this issue. It hasn’t always been so. Last year, he opposed a bill that sought disclosure from those municipal officials that he depends on for his livelihood. He also was unable to find his conservative values when he voted for the exorbitant pay raise last year which Jindal ultimately vetoed, after promising the legislature that he would not.
Read editorial comments in The Times-Picayune and The Times.

Several references at LaNewsLink.

News Flash: Politicians Lie!

And Bobby Jindal is a politician. Tuesday night his lips were moving, so . . . .

Looks like the game is up.
Remember that story Bobby Jindal told in his big speech Tuesday night -- about how during Katrina, he stood shoulder-to-shoulder with a local sheriff who was battling government red tape to try to rescue stranded victims?
Turns out it wasn't actually, you know, true.
Jindal had described being in the office of Sheriff Harry Lee "during Katrina," and hearing him yelling into the phone at a government bureaucrat who was refusing to let him send volunteer boats out to rescue stranded storm victims, because they didn't have the necessary permits. Jindal said he told Lee, "that's ridiculous," prompting Lee to tell the bureaucrat that the rescue effort would go ahead and he or she could arrest both Lee and Jindal.
But now, a Jindal spokeswoman has admitted to Politico that in reality, Jindal overheard Lee talking about the episode to someone else by phone "days later."

Thanks to LaNewsLink

Wonder why Louisiana has a decreasing population?

Louisiana is suffering from population loss, the largest any state has suffered in the last 60 years. In the near future, we will probably lose a congressional seat.

We rank dead last in healthcare, near last in education, we are only 2^nd to Mississippi in the number of families living in poverty.

Keep in mind that we are last in the United States, which ranks behind Finland, Australia, Belgium, Austria, Hungary, Netherlands, the United Kingdom, South Korea, Japan & Singapore in education.

Before he came into office, Bobby Jindal promised to

Improve the caliber of math and science education in our high schools

A strong proficiency in math and science has been shown to be a needed

skill for many of the current and projected high-wage jobs in Louisiana, as

well as a key indicator in college achievement and higher ACT scores. For

those districts having trouble attracting and retaining teachers qualified to

teach these subjects, we need better training programs and on-line courses

to help those teachers succeed. We should also better pursue talented

graduates of multiple fields (e.g., physics, math, or biology) to make up for

teacher shortages and expand alternative certification programs so that

working professionals with expertise in these subjects can be taught the

skills needed to relay that knowledge in the classroom. School partnership

programs with local employers are critical to educate students on the

usefulness and value of strong math and science skills. Louisiana has a

large manufacturing base that uses technology daily and we should leverage

that presence to improve math and science instruction in the classroom.

This sounds good, considering that the governor is a smart guy, holding a degree in biology from Brown University.

Sounds like a dream, in fact. A governor educated in science who desires to attract business and research facilities to our state so we can keep our kids here and build our future.

Good in theory, but bad in politics, and Bobby Jindal is a political animal. He lives and breathes political opportunity and that seems to be in conflict with his scientific training.

Of course, politics trumps all.

Jindal supported Sen. Ben Nevers “Academic Freedom” (read creationism) bill and signed it into law, making Louisiana the only state to have such a law.

Although Nevers played the innocent, saying “This is strictly about teaching science in the classroom, it has nothing to do with religion”, the bill as intended opens the door to exactly that. Otherwise, why pass a bill saying that you can ‘teach science’ and have critical evaluation of scientific theory in the classroom? We have had that for as long as we have had schools.

Improve the caliber of math and science education indeed!

Science deals with natural phenomenon, religion with the supernatural. The two will never meet, and were never intended to. Belief in scientific findings are based on empiricism. Religious beliefs are based on faith.

Science should be taught at school, religion at home and in church.

The Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology has now informed the governor with this letter that the SICB will not come to New Orleans for the 2011 annual meeting because of the state law that undermines science education and attacks teaching evolution.

P. Z. Myers, a biologist and associate professor at the University of Minnesota, notes that

“After the Louisiana legislature passed the LA Science Education Act, a total of nine national scientific societies publicly called on Jindal to veto it. He ignored them, as well as everyone else who contacted him requesting that he veto the bill, choosing instead to help execute the agenda of the Louisiana Family Forum (LFF), the Religious Right organization on whose behalf Louisiana Sen. Ben Nevers introduced the bill and on whose behalf Jindal signed it. Jindal is a staunch ally of the LFF. The citizens of Louisiana, whose educational well-being the governor claims to be so concerned about, are now paying the price--literally--for his loyalty to his conservative Christian base. Sorry, Louisiana. You are a lovely state, but scientists won't be supporting you as long as you're going to be dedicated to anti-scientific foolishness.”

Do you still wonder why we rank last in education, and why our kids have to leave the state to find opportunities?

H/T to Your Right Hand Thief

Drive By Politics: A Tale of 2 Bobbys

From LaNewsLink, the first edition of Drive By Politics, a new program that will be aired soon and will be posted on their YouTube channel.

Jindal Flying High on Gambling $$$$

Governor Jindal has been flying all over the country holding fundraisers for his 2011 run for governor (not for president, wink wink). The poor fella hit a snag the other day when the plane that had been arranged to take him to North Carolina became unavailable. No problem, our boy has friends.
In an exclusive, The Old River Road reports that Jindal found alternate transportation:
The private jet, which seats seven, has a cost of $2,500 per hour! But not to worry — Jindal is not paying a dime. Rather, Alton Ashy, a fellow passenger on this trip and Louisiana’s top gambling lobbyist, is footing the bill.
A free ride to pick up fundraising checks in a private jet funded by the state’s top gambling lobbyist — now that’s something even ol’ Edwin would be proud of.
The Old River Road, in an attempt to keep up with our high-flying governor, has a new regular feature “Where’s Bobby?”. We will link it on our sidebar so you can keep up regularly.

Jindal 2012?

With the sound defeat of the McCain-Palin ticket and the election of Barack Obama as president, the Republican party will be looking to 2012 to stage a comeback. A lot of people and pundits are touting the name of Bobby Jindal.
A few are suggesting a Palin-Jindal ticket. In my opinion, this will never happen. I think that by 2012 Palin fever will have cooled dramatically, while Jindal will have been working the rubber chicken circuit, fundraising and making lots of new friends.
Jindal says, of course, that running for president is the furthrest thing from his mind.
Right.
That's why he will be in Iowa later this month for a fundraising appearance.

Bobby in Benton

Governor Jindal held a short Town Hall meeting at the courthouse on Tuesday afternoon; he said a few words, got on the news and had pictures made with a group of students.
It is not his first visit to Bossier's Parish seat and won't be his last. Bossier Parish, after all, is one of only two parishes in the state with more folks registered as Republican rather than Democrat. If you would like to see the registration in each parish here is a link to the Secretary of State's website.
Here are Bossier's numbers:
Total Voters 66,331
Democrat 24,359 36.7%
Republican 25,264 38.1%
Other Party 16,708 25.2%
While I have hardly been a Jindal fan, I believe that John McCain did himself a disservice by picking Sarah Palin over Bobby Jindal as his running mate. Jindal has a much better grasp of the issues and is a better communicator.
Frankly, he comes across as smarter than Sarah Palin.
In any event, he is headed to Iowa next month. Policiticans don't visit Iowa by accident; it is a clear sign that he is looking ahead to 2012 and is starting to develop his prospects.
A lot of blogs and commentators are already mentioning Jindal for President in 2012. Don't look for a Palin/Jindal ticket, however. He isn't going to play second fiddle.

Jindal Vetoes Pay Raise

Faced with a recall petition and public outrage, the governor today vetoed the pay raise bill.

Complete story here.

Papers Filed for Jindal Recall

According to LaNewsLink, papers were filed with the Secretary of State to recall the governor.

According to the office of the Secretary of State, the papers were filed by Ryan Fournier of Jefferson Parish.
A recall requires signatures from 1/3 of registered voters.
The governor issued a statement saying ""The voters of our state are angry that the legislature more than doubled their own pay and I agree with them. It was excessive and they should reverse it. I'm sure more voters will take extraordinary steps to show their anger over the pay raise before this is all said and done - that's how a democracy works."

Read ABC News article 'Jindal's Hometown Headaches'

Recall Jindal?

People all over the state are furious at the legislature for passing a huge pay raise, and they are angry at the governor for failing to veto it, as he had promised to do when campaigning last fall.




From Jindal Watch

GOP Buzzing over Bobby

From the U S News & World Report comes this article:

(excerpt)
Conservatives are buzzing this week about whether one of the party's young up-and-comers, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, has made presumed GOP nominee John McCain's short list for his running mate.
Democratic strategists, meanwhile, say they'd welcome the contrast between the 36-year-old Indian-American and the 71-year-old senator. "There's a mixed bag on [Jindal]," one high-ranking Democratic Party official told U.S. News. "With McCain, a young vigorous running mate is potentially a negative—it highlights his age."


From Bill Kristol's column in the New York Times:
Maybe that’s why, in separate conversations last week, no fewer than four McCain staffers and advisers mentioned as a possible vice-presidential pick the 36-year-old Louisiana governor, Bobby Jindal. They’re tempted by the idea of picking someone so young, with real accomplishments and a strong reformist streak.It might also be a way to confront the issue of McCain’s age (71), which private polls and focus groups suggest could be a real problem. A Jindal pick would implicitly acknowledge the questions and raise the ante. The message would be: “You want generational change? You can get it with McCain-Jindal — without risking a liberal and inexperienced Obama as commander in chief.” I would add that it was after McCain spent considerable time with Jindal in New Orleans recently, and reportedly found him, as he has before, personally engaging and intellectually impressive, that the campaign’s informal name-dropping of Jindal began.

Louisiana Ethics 101