Wall Street Journal Column on Bobby Jindal

The Wall Street Journal's John Fund has a column on Bobby Jindal's win.

Blanco Caves in to Teachers Unions

Governor Kathleen Blanco caved in to teachers unions, vetoing a tax deduction for families paying private school tuition (Senate Bill 45). The amount of the deduction in comparison to the bloated state budget is so minimal that she couldn't even try to blame it on budget constraints.

Blanco Hurts Businesses

Governor Kathleen Blanco vetoed tax relief for businesses, saying she's concerned they may be unaffordable in the long run. She just rammed the biggest increase in the size of state government in history through the Legislature -- where was this concern with affordability then?

Louisiana Citizens for Educational Choice

Louisiana Citizens for Educational Choice encourages people to urge Governor Blanco to sign Tuition Deduction Bill SB 45.

Bill Increases Required Auto Insurance to $25,000

Some Louisiana vehicle owners will have to have more liability insurance coverage if Gov. Kathleen Blanco signs into law a bill the Senate sent her Tuesday. On a 25-12 vote, senators voted to expand the present $10,000 coverage for property damage or a single injury or fatality in an accident to $25,000. The bill also expands the coverage for multiple injuries or deaths in an accident from $20,000 to $50,000.

The current 10/20 compulsory minimum is laughably low and means that we all have to essentially self-insure ourselves against at-fault drivers through uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage. The number of uninsured drivers and drivers with only the minimum $10,000 coverage means that UM premiums are much higher than they should be. The irony is that we essentially have to self-insure for accidents, yet because we are not a no-fault state, the coverage is expensive because of the massive cost (read: attorney's fees) of our tort-based system. Increasing the minimum required coverage from 10/20 to 25/50 is an adequate start, and the state should increase enforcement of minimum coverages and impose stiffer penalties for violations.

State Sticks Head in Sand on Road Home Fiasco

The State has decided to stop counting how many billions of dollars short they are on funding the Road Home program. Let's see, it was supposed to be a $5 billion arithmetic error, but since they're refusing to crunch any new numbers, let's assume that $5 billion is on the low side and will increase significantly when Baton Rouge decides to give the people an update. If a business mismanaged its operations this way, its leaders would be fired immediately.

Blanco's $5 Billion Arithmetic Error

The tab for Governor Kathleen Blanco's incompetence in funding the Road Home program continues to spiral out of control. The latest estimates is that the program is underfunded by $5 billion, with a B, not an M.

Blanco Fails to Fund Road Home

The State has funded the Road Home program with $7.5 billion in federal taxpayer money, but based on present statistics, Bobby Jindal points out that the giveaway program is $2 billion short. Governor Blanco admits that the program is underfunded, but I am shocked to report that she blames someone else for the problem and wants Washington to bail her out by giving the State more money.

Governor Blanco Drops Out Of Governor's Race

Governor Kathleen Blanco officially dropped out of the Governor's race this evening. The worst kept secret in Louisiana politics for months has been that she would either drop out of the race or be forced out by the Democrats. Tonight, she made it official, clearing the deck for former Senator and current Maryland resident John Breaux to run.

Louisiana's law expressly prohibits Breaux from running, given that he lives in Maryland, votes in Maryland, pays taxes in Maryland and has a Maryland driver's license, among other things. I don't recall any recent out-of-state carpetbaggers seeking state-wide office in Louisiana, but it seems to be a relatively common occurrence for Louisiana politicians to run for legislative seats in districts in which they do not reside, claiming that they reside in their newly discovered district because their mama lives there. Louisiana courts seem to buy this legal fiction and read into the statutes an invisible caveat that the candidate for office "or his mama" live in the district. Breaux has already been playing the mama card and taking it to a nonsensical new level, claiming that his mother, unfortunately now passed away, used to live in Crowley, and he inherited half of two vacant lots there from her, which somehow makes him a resident of Louisiana.

Instapundit's Thoughts on the Competence of Louisiana Politicians

"A tradition of competence in Florida . . . . Louisiana, not so much." An understatement. Link here.

Great Blanco Cartoon

From Steve Kelley.

Bobby Jindal Makes It Official

Bobby Jindal is officially running for Governor. Voters should consider who they want running the State in the unfortunate circumstance of a category 5 hurricane bearing down on us: Jindal or Blanco.

Dinner with Blanco Auctioned for $1

The Monroe Chamber of Commerce auctioned off a dinner at the mansion with Governor Blanco. The one and only bidder for the dinner bid a grand total of $1. An embarrassment for the Governor, to say the least.

Disputed Special Session Ordered

Governor Kathleen Blanco's proposed pre-Christmas special session will take place despite opposition on many fronts. Blanco quote: "This unprecedented revenue allows us to buy my reelection give money back to the people of Louisiana in a targeted manner that will help families, spur our economy and continue to strengthen our businesses."

Update on the Governor's Race

The Times-Picayune has an update on the race for Governor. Possible challengers include Republican Congressman Bobby Jindal, Republican state Sen. Walter Boasso of Arabi, Democrat Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell of Bossier City and Republican businessman John Georges of Metairie.

Rep. Jindal: "I Want to Run for Governor"

Rep. Bobby Jindal came close to formally announcing his run for Governor, sending an e-mail to supporters seeking contributions and saying he wants to run.

Rep. Jindal to Decide Soon about Running for Governor

Congressman Jindal will decide by early next year whether or not he will run for Governor in 2007.