Jindal still won’t stop pay raise (JindalWatch® Alert)

The Advocate ^ | June 25, 2008 | MICHELLE MILLHOLLON

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Gov. Bobby Jindal admitted Tuesday that he blundered in allowing legislators to pass a bill that would more than double their base pay.

“I’ve learned my lesson,” he said during a news conference outside the Governor’s Mansion.

However, Jindal said he still plans to allow the pay raise to become law.

Vetoing the bill would give legislators a reason to reverse his initiatives, including changes to the state’s ethics laws, he said.

“Everybody knows it would be in my own self-interest politically to veto this bill,” he said. “I’d probably be the most popular governor in modern polling history if I did that.”

Jindal said he will be more proactive in the future.

“Going forward, we’re certainly going to keep a much tighter rein on the Legislature in future sessions,” Jindal said.

The pay raise is presenting the governor with the harshest criticism since he took office six months ago.

He has until July 8 to veto the measure. Many are suggesting that a veto is the right response for a governor who characterizes himself as a reformer.

But Jindal said he does not want to spark a battle with legislators.

“I don’t want to give the Legislature any excuse to slow down the reforms we’ve started. I don’t want to give them any excuse to throw sand in the gears,” he said.

Earlier in the day, protesters greeted Jindal in Shreveport. One protester held a sign that read “Veto and represent the people who cast their vote for you.” Another sign said “Veto Pay Raise — You Promised.”

Jindal was in north Louisiana to sign a bill that creates a $359 million tax break.

Last week, during the final days of the legislative session, Jindal was on the road nearly every day, usually far away from the State Capitol.

On Monday, the last day of the legislative session, the governor opted to hold a private business meeting rather than the traditional news conference that usually marks the end of a session.

The news conference was pushed to Tuesday and featured a number of the governor’s cabinet secretaries talking about the governor’s legislative package of workforce reform, education and economic development.

As in Shreveport, though, the focus quickly shifted to the pay raise issue.

Jindal vowed during the gubernatorial campaign last year to “prohibit legislators from giving themselves pay raises that take effect before the subsequent election.”

Senate Bill 672 by state Sen. Ann Duplessis, D-New Orleans, would benefit the lawmakers currently in office by increasing their $16,800 annual base salary to $37,500. Legislative leaders — such as the speaker of the House and the president of the Senate — would get more money.

Legislators also get a $6,000 expense allowance and $143-a-day per diem payments for every day in session or committee.

Asked Tuesday whether he will keep his campaign promise, Jindal said he told lawmakers he would give them latitude during the session that just wrapped.

The governor said he wanted to make the regular session the legislators’ session after the back-to-back special sessions he called shortly after his inauguration.

For the most part, he said, that latitude worked.

It did not work on the pay raise, Jindal acknowledged.

The bill has sparked a public backlash.

A recall petition was launched Tuesday against state Rep. Joseph Lopinto, R-Metairie. There also are efforts to oust House Speaker Jim Tucker, R-Terrytown, from office.

Approval has been granted for a protest rally to be held at the State Capitol on July 7.

The controversy is getting national notice.

The New York Times published a story Tuesday with the headline “Legislators Raise Pay, and a Governor Pays the Price.”

The article suggests that Jindal’s image as a reformer “has recently taken a beating.”

In the future, Jindal said, his administration will be more involved with the session by issuing veto threats and by speaking up when bills go through committee. .submission

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JindalWatch® - Wednesday, June 25, 2008

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JindalWatch® Ping

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http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/politics/21025119.html
Pay raise protest planned; recall notice filed

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/politics/21023924.html
PAR report says session low on reform, high on pay

http://www.2theadvocate.com/opinion/20994484.html
Letter: Jindal has let La. taxpayers down

http://www.2theadvocate.com/opinion/20993844.html
Letter: Suspend governor title for Jindal

http://www.2theadvocate.com/opinion/20993359.html
Letter: Is the pay raise a form of bribery?

http://www.2theadvocate.com/opinion/20992929.html
Letter: WWJD about legislative pay raises?

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http://www.thetowntalk.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080625/NEWS01/806250337/-1/NEWSFRONT2
Debate over legislative pay raise continues

http://www.thetowntalk.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080625/NEWS01/806250338/-1/NEWSFRONT2
Jindal still not budging on veto stance

http://www.thetowntalk.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080625/OPINION03/806250303/1014/OPINION
Your mail: Jindal, lawmakers let us down

http://www.thetowntalk.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080625/OPINION03/806250302/1014/OPINION
Your mail: Politics as usual

http://www.thetowntalk.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080625/OPINION/806250305/1014/OPINION
Maginnis: What else legislators did, besides that

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http://www.theadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080625/OPINION/80623023/1002
GUEST COLUMN: State senator defends legislative pay raise

http://www.theadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080625/OPINION03/806250330/1002
Lawmaker pay raise would pay for itself

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http://www.thenewsstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080625/OPINION01/806250305/1014/OPINION
Pay twice for this?

http://www.thenewsstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080625/OPINION02/806250304/1014/OPINION
On pay: It’s time to reconsider

http://www.thenewsstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080625/OPINION03/806250328/1014/OPINION
Lawmakers running wild

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http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/base/news-11/1214371461219130.xml&coll=1
Jindal unfazed by pay raise critics

http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/capital/index.ssf?/base/news-6/1214371530219130.xml&coll=1
Pay raise sparks push to oust lawmaker

http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/editorials/index.ssf?/base/news-4/1214371273219130.xml&coll=1
EDITORIAL: A session under a shadow

http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/editorials/index.ssf?/base/news-4/1214371278219130.xml&coll=1
EDITORIAL: Wasting time and our money

http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/letterstoeditor/index.ssf?/base/news-11/1214371337219130.xml&coll=1
Bashing of raise unwarranted

http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/letterstoeditor/index.ssf?/base/news-11/1214371280219130.xml&coll=1
Hard decisions are Jindal’s job

http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/letterstoeditor/index.ssf?/base/news-11/1214371614219130.xml&coll=1
Raise is political monkey math

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http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080625/NEWS01/806250379/1002/NEWS
Jindal joins Shaw for ceremonial signing of Stelly tax repeal bill

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http://www.thetowntalk.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080625/NEWS01/806250332/1002
La. legislators not only ones getting raises

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http://www.2theadvocate.com/opinion/20992424.html
Inside Report for June 25, 2008

http://hotair.com/archives/2008/06/24/angry-louisianans-warn-jindal-not-to-approve-legislatures-pay-raise/
Angry Louisianans warn Jindal not to approve legislature’s pay raise; Update: Now with angry e-mails!

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Louisiana Blogs and links

http://www.bayoubuzz.com/
http://www.louisianaconservative.com/
http://forgotston.com/
http://www.thedeadpelican.com/
http://www.legewatch.com/
http://centrallapolitics.blogspot.com/
http://www.thereductbox.com/
http://www.recallmichot.com/
http://www.recallpayraisetucker.com/Home_Page.html
http://www.moongriffon.com/
http://jeffsadow.blogspot.com/
http://www.lapolitics.com/
http://onlyinlouisiana.wordpress.com/
http://ringsidepolitics.com/
http://www.wwl.com/
http://redstick.wordpress.com/
http://biggs-bullets.blogspot.com/
http://www.conservativecajun.blogspot.com/

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http://www.legewatch.com/
Tune in tomorrow at 7:30am

Published by Laura under Press

We’ve been lax about letting you know when LegeWatch is in the news.

Robert Davis will interview with Tonya LaCoste, host of “the Morning Report”, on KPEL-FM, 105.1, located in Lafayette, Louisiana. For those who don’t reside in close proximity to receive the signal, they may streamline the show “live” by going to www.kpel1051.com and listen.

The show airs from 5;30am- 9:00am, but he will be on live at 7:30am.

Also - Rob will be on Ringside Politics next week. If you happened to catch any of the coverage in BR and Monroe today, let us know! And if you are able to record any of these things for us, we could really use a volunteer in each city to do that - if you’re interested, please email me, admin@legewatch.com.

http://centrallapolitics.blogspot.com/
In my almost 52 years, I cannot recall seeing the people of Louisiana so outraged over an act of the Legislatiure. The heroic protesters of Shreveport should be copied at every appearance which Gov. Jindal makes.

http://www.houmatoday.com/article/20080624/OPINION/806240309/1032/SPORTS&title=Jindal_s_reform_policy_is_going_backwards
Jindal’s reform policy is going backwards

http://jeffsadow.blogspot.com/
25.6.08
Jindal’s imprudence on pay raise imperils his agenda

Like zombies they seem to awake from the torpor of extended isolation (109 out of the last 135 days in session) in an artificial environment that bears no relationship to reality (the Capitol building, Pentagon Barracks, and a few Baton Rouge watering holes). But the one that hunkers down on the fourth floor who matters the most apparently still hasn’t cleared his head.

[The Cajun]

“I’ve learned my lesson,” he said during a news conference outside the Governor’s Mansion. However, Jindal said he still plans to allow the pay raise to become law.

The bloom is now officially off the rose. It was good while it lasted.

[Mila]

This entire debacle makes me so angry! The way it's shaping up now, Jindal is going to be consistently run over by the legislature. Well, at least Anne Duplessis, who I understand represents the lower ninth ward, will get a little extra help making payments on her $75,000 Mercedes-Benz. I tried to find the picture of her during that victorious fist pump that was on the front page of the paper last week, but no luck. A picture of the back of her car will have to suffice.

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This is all very distressing to me. When I began posting about Jindal’s shortcomings several weeks ago during the Stelly Rollback debate, I was excoriated by FReepers who still believed the ink Jindal’s handlers were putting out.

I voted for and supported Jindal. I wanted him to succeed and do right by our state. Maybe he can turn it around.

Anyway, I decided to make daily posts of all the blogs, articles, letters to the editor, etc. that I could find. If this guy has national aspirations, it behooves us to know all there is to know about him.

God knows, we got enough RINO’s running around now.

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http://ringsidepolitics.com/The-News/Political-News-and-Updates/KA%11CHING!/

[The Cajun]

I voted for and supported Jindal. I wanted him to succeed and do right by our state. Maybe he can turn it around.

Same here, but we have been fooled (lied to) so many times in this state before. It won't take much more for me to say "Screwed Again".

[bmwcyle]

Jindel loses his backbone.

[The Cajun]

Jindel loses his backbone.

Time will tell (and I don't think too long a time), maybe he's just a country club Republican elite and never had one to start with.

[olezip]

Gov. Bobby Jindal admitted Tuesday that he blundered in allowing legislators to pass a bill that would more than double their base pay. “I’ve learned my lesson,” he said during a news conference outside the Governor’s Mansion. However, Jindal said he still plans to allow the pay raise to become law.

The pay raise may have been justified. It is not a new problem for lawmakers to have to deal with pay raises for themselves. If the cost of living goes up, then their pay needs to go up. Bobby Jindal should just 'fess up to his part instead of denying he knew.