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| Jindal rejects $98 million in stimulus spending |
| 2009-02-21 |
| I didn't know where to post this. Can we start a little tiny category called "Honest Politicans"? Saying that it could lead to a tax increase on state businesses, Gov. Bobby Jindal announced Friday that the state plans to reject as much as $98 million in federal unemployment assistance in the economic stimulus package. Jindal, who has emerged as a leading Republican critic of the $787 billion spending and tax-cut bill signed into law this week by President Barack Obama, said the state would accept federal dollars for transportation projects and would not quarrel with a $25-per-week increase in unemployment benefits. Both of those items are financed entirely with federal dollars and require the state only to accept the money. The part that Jindal rejected would require permanent changes in state law that the governor said makes it unacceptable. But U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., disputed the governor's interpretation and said the new unemployment benefits are designed to be temporary. Given the exceptional record of Congress in ending federal programs that outlive their intended purpose, it's hard to quarrel with the Senator's logic. For example, there was the...and the... "This bill is an emergency measure designed to provide extra help during these extraordinarily tough times, " Landrieu said. "To characterize this provision as a 'tax increase on Louisiana businesses' is inaccurate." Good point. It's actually a tax on Chinese businesses. A pot of money, valued at $65.6 million, would be available to Louisiana only if it agreed to other, larger expansions of benefits. For example, the state could extend benefits to part-time workers or change the law so that people could collect unemployment if they voluntarily left their job for "compelling" family reasons. As the Jindal administration interprets the law, Louisiana would be required to keep providing the expanded benefits even after the federal stimulus dollars run out at the end of 2010. That, in turn, would lead to higher costs on businesses, whose taxes finance the state's unemployment compensation fund. "You're talking about temporary federal spending triggering a permanent change in state law, " Jindal said. |
| Posted by:Matt |
| #5 Is it $98 mil or $65mil? Either way, for that much cash, Jindal should be calling out Landrieu for being an incompetent cheapskate. As a Demoporker, the best she could get for her state was 1% of Porkulus? |
| Posted by: Skunky Glins 5*** 2009-02-21 21:38 |
| #4 Hey Ship! MG Tuesday. |
| Posted by: Matt 2009-02-21 13:25 |
| #3 I didn't know where to post this. Can we start a little tiny category called "Honest Politicans"? Reads Matt and laffs. How small a category? A singulrity? :) Also: Hi! |
| Posted by: .5MT 2009-02-21 12:55 |
| #2 Jindal is correct but politically it is going to hurt him a lot. On the other hand, there are still job openings around here, and our housing prices never went through the roof, and thus have not cratered, so our local mortgage industry is still solvent, etc. If you don't mind hurricanes and (incompetent) crooked politicians, it's really not a bad place to live right now. And the food and music are still great. |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2009-02-21 11:21 |
| #1 ...Pity he didn't think to set aside all of it for Katrina repairs/upgrades, then remind people that Bambi didn't reserve a dime for it. Mike |
| Posted by: Mike Kozlowski 2009-02-21 09:05 |