Posted on 11/05/2005 11:09:18 PM PST by caryatid
Gov. Kathleen Blanco chopped $431 million in state spending Saturday in a move that could keep some state colleges closed indefinitely.
Blanco made the budget cuts a day before legislators are scheduled to convene at the State Capitol to begin addressing the devastation caused by hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
The reductions are on top of the $70 million that the governor expects to save through an earlier spending freeze. Coupled together, the fiscal tightening would get the state about halfway toward resolving a nearly $1 billion tax revenue shortfall caused by the storms.
Higher education, which is already grappling with a $54 million loss in tuition and fees from students displaced by the hurricanes, took the biggest hit -- a reduction of $71.4 million.
The $222 million cuts in health care look huge at first glance. However, the state is spending $169 million less on patients since the storms because some hospitals are closed and many residents remain out of state.
A few areas escaped the budget axe, including the TOPS college scholarship program, the military, wetlands restoration and teacher pay.
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(Excerpt) Read more at 2theadvocate.com ...
Here that America? Your greed and refusal to accept new taxes is putting lazy, government boondoggling leftists out of work all over the state of La. I hope you're proud of yourselves.
(/sarcasm)
This state was likely in dire financial straits before this hurricane ever came. Think about it. Baton Rouge wasn't hit. Never was Shreveport. The only way that they are in this much of a mess is that they were spending a heck of a lot and depending on mighty New Orleans to just keep bringing in tourist dollars.
If you've ever been down there...there are community and normal colleges in almost every corner of the state. By the time they pay out these professors at $80k each, and run up all kinds of bills...the financial status of the state is a joke.
"Higher education, which is already grappling with a $54 million loss in tuition and fees from students displaced by the hurricanes, took the biggest hit -- a reduction of $71.4 million."
Education and health care is where "they" look first.
"The $222 million cuts in health care look huge at first glance. However, the state is spending $169 million less on patients since the storms because some hospitals are closed and many residents remain out of state."
LOL! That's why they are stressing education.
Good post!
Thank you. ;o)
Shreveport is pretty small compared to New Orleans. And don't forget that Lake Charles was hit bad too. And well as many smaller towns that you aren't hearing about.
They do have community colleges in the larger cities, but compared to Nashville which has over 20 colleges alone, Louisiana looks reasonable. And they aren't major universities, they are community colleges with fairly barebone facilities.
Imagine Colorado trying suddenly to cope with the lost of tax revenues of all of Denver and trying to rebuild Denver at the same time.
So much for craddle to grave Socialism.
Gee, Blanko is cutting education and health care?
Where are the screams from the moonbat left? How come she isn't raising taxes on the rich instead? Better get those Casino's up and running, Blanko. Think of all the money the government ISN'T making on all that aide money 'floating' (pun unintended) around
A dem cutting spending?! I need oxygen.
The entire southern coast was basically wiped out from the Texas border to the Mississippi border. The damage to the state is roughly 100 miles inland in some areas affecting the majority of the population of the state. Our oil and gas industries took a HUGE hit. That is where the bulk of our income comes from.
Tourism and gambling also took a huge hit because FEMA has booked up all of the hotel rooms in the state for a block of six months and that causes a two fold problem, the tourist and gamblers from Texas have nowhere to stay and FEMA is tax exempt and wasn't paying the taxes. They did finally agree to start paying those taxes and that is about a million dollars a week in revenues we are able to get back.
As far as the number of state and community colleges there's not that many and they are located throughout the state in basically each region. The majority of teaching staff does NOT make 80k per year, especially in the community colleges. Both types of higher education are money well spent IMO because the money invested is usually returned over and over after the person graduates. If you want to look at excessive colleges and community colleges go to Mississippi.
She finally read the memo from the Fed that said she and her ilk ain't getting the blank check they thought they were getting........Blanco draws a blank.....
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