Bobby Jindal: Bring the Rhetoric Home!

Source:  Louisiana Progress - Dec. 7, 2012

Gov. Jindal called for Republicans to rethink their approach to the so-called "fiscal cliff" negotiations and instead fight for structural reforms, such as instituting a federal balanced budget amendment, requiring a super majority to raise taxes or creating term limits.

 

While he didn't suggest that Republicans should drop their opposition to tax increases on the wealthy, he argued that the party's focus should be elsewhere.

 

Jindal wrote in an op-ed published in Politico, "[I]n the negotiations, Republicans certainly should fight to at least get something done that will matter. At present, any reading of the headlines over the past week indicates that Republicans are fighting to protect the rich and cut benefits for seniors. It may be possible to have worse political positioning than that, but I’m not sure how."

 

Pot Meet Kettle… 

 

Clearly the reinvention of Governor Bobby Jindal and his national political rhetoric has skewed his reality.   

 

Back in the Real World of Louisiana: 

 

Louisiana has not had a balanced budget in the five years of the Jindal Administration.  Every year, the budget is patched together with one-time money and massive mid-year budget cuts.  In fact, a group of Republican legislators have revolted against the Governor over his poor fiscal management.

 

Louisiana continues to eviscerate higher education, social services, health care and public education, but finds the money to give away massive tax breaks to out of state corporations.

 

Big Business Tax Breaks 

 

As Jindal continues to tout his ever changing personality as the kinder and gentler Republican, Louisiana Budget Project estimates that, "Louisiana spends at least $1.79 billion a year on corporate subsidies and incentive programs at the state and local level, which comes to $394 for every man, woman and child in the state.”

 

LBP’s analysis of Louisiana’s tax exemptions found that the cost of “tax incentives and exemption contracts administered by the Department of Economic Development climbed from $59 million in 2001 to nearly $400 million a decade later—a 573% increase.”

 

The state capital outlay budget is always over subscribed to available funding and managing debt is a principal function of the state budget.

 

Dismantling Services to Children, Seniors and Disadvantaged

 

There is always enough money for big out of state businesses, but no money for the people--funding for schools has been frozen, public hospital are shuttered and the average working family still struggles to make ends meet.

 

Meanwhile, the schools are crumbling, the universities are withering, the public hospitals are being sold at bargain prices.

 

Louisiana would rather make out of state national health care and insurance conglomerates rich, rather than focusing on providing adequate access to health care to Louisiana citizens.

 

The impact of political rhetoric and positioning on the national stage….

• How about refusing to cover the 124,000 children and 771,000 adults (20% of Louisiana) who are uninsured through the Affordable Care Act?
• How about denying the citizens of Louisiana the opportunity to create a health insurance exchange and design our own package of Essential Health Benefits?

What is the Impact of National Political Positioning?

 

Governor Jindal considers himself a possible 2016 presidential contender and has embarked on a campaign to rebrand himself and his party since the election. Last month, Jindal told Politico, “We’ve got to make sure that we are not the party of big business, big banks, big Wall Street bailouts, big corporate loopholes, big anything. We cannot be, we must not be, the party that simply protects the rich so they get to keep their toys.”

 

It is clear that the political rhetoric from Governor Jindal gives on the national level does not match the actions here in Louisiana. If being Governor of Louisiana is the job he wants, as he always says, then maybe he should fix the mess in Louisiana. 

 

Out of state, out of touch and out of ideas…

L.E.A.R.N. Protests Gov. Jindal's Privatization of Public Education in LA

See photos from the protest here.

"I grew up in the public education system in Louisiana and I got a fantastic education. It pulled me out of a family that had lived in poverty forever. My son will be graduating next year and going to a state school, and every child in the state of Louisiana should have the same opportunities that he does," says member of the movement and parent, Debbie Engle."

Read entire story here:  http://www.ktbs.com/news/Citizens-gather-to-protest-education-reform-bill/-/144844/12533166/-/k3ibjj/-/index.html
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Visit the L.E.A.R.N. website for news and updates.
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"Teacher Mike Myers said the future of Louisiana's education will no longer be in the hands of community members who hope to better the areas in which they grew up, but instead will be corporate start-up charters looking to make a profit off of Louisiana's $8 billion-a-year education system.

'These carpetbagger schools are going to come in solely to get their hands on public money,' he said. 'They have no interest in bettering local education.'

Debbie Engle, a parent of a junior at C.E. Byrd High School, said her son is a successful student garnering excellent grades and acing standardized tests. However, she wishes more students had the same opportunities as her son and the state was working more to help teachers and classroom instruction.

'Public education is under attack, and it's about money and political favor,' she said."

Read the entire story by Times reporter Mary Nash-Wood here:  Grass-roots organization assembles ed reform protest

Call your local State Farm agents. Tell them you want the company to Ditch ALEC!

More evidence your activism is working! 

ALEC has announced that it is disbanding its "Public Safety and Elections Task Force," the working group responsible for advancing model legislation like the controversial Voter ID and "Shoot First" gun laws that have proliferated around the country. 

Of course the move is a transparent attempt to stem the hemorrhaging of support ALEC's facing, thanks in large part to our efforts, but it's big symbolic victory and shows we have them on the defensive. 

ALEC's trying to whitewash their role pushing extreme legislation that endangers the safety and lives of Americans -- but we won't let them. 

ALEC now claims they will only focus on legislation that will 'put the economy back to work,' but will they work to undo the immense harm that have already caused? 

And it begs the question of how they will use a so called 'jobs agenda' to justify laws -- which they presumably will still be pushing -- that undermine workers' rights, privatize public education, and make it harder to hold corporations accountable for poisoning our air and water or selling us dangerous and defective products. 

We will continue to work with our friends to shine a light on ALEC's agenda and hold members accountable for supporting that agenda.

In another major victory, Blue Cross Blue Shield became the latest company to pull out of ALEC. We are going to keep up the momentum by turning the focus of our next round of grassroots pressure on State Farm.

Please use the link below to find the State Farm agents near you -- contact one or more of the agents directly and tell them you want the company to stop supporting ALEC, the American Legislative Exchange Council.

http://www.statefarm.com/agent/results.xhtml?ak_proof=1&zipCode=71104-3130

You can use the same call report form you've been using for calls to State Farm and Johnson & Johnson executives to let us know how your calls go.

Hopefully this local, bottom-up grassroots pressure will be what it takes to make State Farm join Blue Cross, McDonald's, Coca Cola, Pepsi, Intuit, Mars and the other companies who have so far said "enough" to ALEC's destructive right-wing agenda.

Thank you for your activism!

Don't Just Pressure ALEC's Corporate Sponsors - Name and Shame ALEC Legislators

by John Nichols on April 7, 2012 - 9:53 AM ET

What's happening with ALEC is good. But not good enough.

Pressured by a coalition of civil rights, clean government and religious groups to quit their memberships in the American Legislative Exchange Council, multinational corporations are indeed exiting ALEC. Now, it's time to demand that the 2,000 legislators who have joined ALEC do the same.

Coca-Cola quit ALEC Wednesday. PepsiCo revealed the same day that it had quietly decided to let its membership lapse. Intuit Inc. confirmed that it is exiting ALEC. And Kraft Foods has announced that: “Our membership in ALEC expires this spring and for a number of reasons, including limited resources, we have made the decision not to renew.”

Translation: Kraft -- like other corporations that produce consumer products and, thus, must appeal to the great mass of Americans -- no longer wants to be associated with a shadowy group that links corporations and legislators in order to advance extreme (and extremely unpopular) agendas.

Since the Center for Media and Democracy's "ALEC Exposed" project was developed last summer in cooperation with The Nation, millions of Americans have become aware that ALEC uses corporate money to craft one-size-fits-all "model legislation" that its member legislators then propose and pass in the states.

The "ALEC Exposed" project revealed the backstory of how this 40-year-old group uses an elaborate system of corporate-guided "task forces" to promote:

* Restrictive Voter ID laws and array of related initiatives that threaten to suppress voting by residents of rural regions, students, senior citizens and people of color.

* Anti-labor laws designed to limit the ability of Americans to organize and have a voice in their workplaces and the public life of their communities, states and nation.

* Tort "reform," deregulation and corporate tax-slashing schemes that eliminate tools to assure multinational corporations act responsibly and contribute to the communities and states where they operate.

* Money-in-politics initiatives that seek to remove barriers to domination of elections by corporations and billionaire right-wing donors -- such as longtime ALEC supporters Charles and David Koch.

* Privatization schemes that undermine public education and public services, posing particular threats to rural communities and urban neighborhoods that rely on strong public institutions.

* Kill-at-Will laws that prevent police and prosecutors from effectively investigating shootings such as that of Trayvon Martin in Florida, Bo Morrison in Wisconsin and others who have been killed since states began to enact so-called "Castle Doctrine" and "Stand Your Ground" laws.

The response to revelations regarding the role ALEC has played in warping the legislative processes of the states has been remarkable.

Civil rights groups such as the NAACP and the Urban League have focused on concerns about the damage done voting rights issues, unions have focused on concerns about attacks on labor rights and threats to economic fairness, immigrant rights groups have raised issues. And, following the Trayvon Martin shooting, ColorofChange began to challenge corporations to reconsider their association with ALEC.

Responsible corporations -- or, at the very least, corporations that do not want to lose market share in the face of consumer boycotts -- are exiting ALEC.

But the group's most extreme backers are doubling down. A representative of the Koch Companies announced that, "Yes, we plan to continue our membership in and support of ALEC." That decision, along with indications from tobacco and drug companies that they will stick with ALEC for now, have the potential to keep the group going.

But ALEC will loose a good deal of infuence if major companies continue to respond to the call from groups such as ColorofChange to "stop supporting the American Legislative Exchange Council, an organization which has worked to disenfranchise African Americans, Latinos, students, the elderly, the disabled, and the poor."

That's vital to challenging the one-size-fits-all assault on lawmaking in the states. But just as the challenges to the corporate sponsors of ALEC are essential, so too are challenges to the legislators who maintain membership in the groups.

These legislators are not thinking for themselves. They are taking their cues from an inside-the-beltway, corporate-sponsored group that effectively demands that they dismiss the will of their constituents in favor of the demands of those corporations. It's a dangerous calculus for democracy. And it is time to start asking legislators why they are answering to multinational corporations rather than hometown voters.

The Maine's Majority movement has asked legislators in that state to give up their American Legislative Exchange Council memberships, "Given what we now know about ALEC and its detrimental effect on Maine's public policy, there's no excuse for Maine legislators to continue their involvement in the organization," says Maine's Majority executive director Chris Korzen. "The fact that Coke, Pepsi and Kraft have left ALEC speaks volumes to how toxic the group has become. It's time for Maine's ALEC members to follow suit."

Maine Majority is naming and shaming Maine legislators who are allied with ALEC -- identifying "known ALEC members" and urging them to "terminate their ALEC memberships."

Activists in other states can be just as bold.

The ALEC Exposed project maintains a list of legislators who are allied with ALEC. Here's the link: http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=ALEC_Politicians.

Now that multinational corporations have begun to bow to grassroots pressure and agreed to end their affiliations with the American Legislative Exchange Council, it's time to demand that elected legislators Exit ALEC.

(Source:   The Nation)

Play Ball! An opening day manifesto.

Today is the opening day of the 2012 Louisiana Legislative session.

This is the Louisiana we see.

1) The Governor’s so-called solutions to the state’s challenges are not about Louisiana; they are about his burning ambition to become the Republican nominee for President in 2016. Louisiana needs fixing, but we need real solutions that respond to the real needs of our state — not ideologically driven plans designed to raise your profile while driving down our state. “Hey Bobby, Stop Running for President on Our Backs!”

2) The Governor is calling on legislators to violate the Louisiana Constitution not once, but twice, just two months after taking an oath to uphold it. He wants legislators to ratify a decision rammed through the Board of Elementary & Secondary Education last month that would provide Minimum Foundation Program (MFP) funding for voucher students. This move violates Article VII, Section 13 of the Louisiana Constitution restricts the spending of MFP dollars to the support of public education. The Louisiana Constitution binds the government to honor the retirement commitments made to teachers, policemen, firefighters, and other public employees. Governor Jindal wants legislators to break those promises and to violate Article 10 Section 29 of the Louisiana Constitution. Hey Bobby, The Constitution Matters! Hands off the MFP and state worker retirements!

3) In every fiscal year that Bobby Jindal has been governor, the budget numbers endorsed by the administration during the session have not made it through the end of the calendar year, forcing mid-year budget cuts on the usual victims — higher education and healthcare. This year will be no different. This year the smoke and mirrors have smoke and mirrors. The first time the administration missed on the budget might have been an accident, the second time was on purpose, and now doctoring the budget numbers is a bad habit. The administration’s budget manipulation concentrates budget powers in its hands, beyond the reach of legislators. After four years of these sleights of hand, higher education has been decimated, healthcare providers are being choked, and essential health and mental health services are being eliminated. “Hey Bobby, your budget is a lie and people will die!”

4) The Governor and his minions says that the cuts are necessary because of tough times. That’s a lie! The governor says our economy is growing yet we can’t fund essential services. The real problem is that the Governor and the Legislature have given an unprecedented wave of tax exemptions to corporations and cut the highest rates on personal income taxes. These policies have benefited the most powerful interests in our state while forcing budget cuts that harm those who rely on state services. These are not cuts of necessity but are instead conscious choices of the Governor to comfort the comfortable and afflict the afflicted. “Hey Bobby! Stop the phony crisis; make your cronies pay!”

5) Since 1994, Louisiana has exempted severance tax payments on oil and gas obtained using directional drilling and fracking. This exemption alone has cost the state hundreds of millions of dollars in severance tax revenue that it otherwise would have gotten on natural gas produced in the Haynesville Trend in Northwest Louisiana — THE MOST PRODUCTIVE shale gas field in the United States. Severance taxes are the social contract between the people of this state and the energy companies that want access to our mineral resources. Denying the state severance tax revenues on that mineral wealth breaks the social contract. To deny us access to those severance tax revenues demonstrates (as did the BP Gulf Gusher) that the interests of the oil and gas industry and those of our state are not the same — and that, given a choice, the Jindal administration regularly sides with the industry against the people. “Hey Bobby! Which side are you on? LOGA’s or the people’s?"

6) The Governor says he wants to ‘reform’ the state employee retirement system. That’s a lie! He wants to tax state workers to fund his privatization schemes. The Governor says state employees should pay more of their wages to support their retirement. But, the Governor’s plan would not put that money into the retirement funds. No, he wants to put that additional money into the state General Fund to pay for things like privatizing state prisons, mental facilities and Medicaid services. “Hey Bobby! Tax the people who can afford it; leave state workers alone!”

7) The Governor says he values teachers and public education. That’s a lie! His voucher plan (even if constitutional) does not include even basic accountability for the billions in state tax dollars that will pour into the hundreds of new schools that would sprout up to tap this flush revenue stream. Parents will not have the tools needed to evaluate the quality of the private schools that they might want to use the voucher money to send their kids to attend. Vouchers and the attacks on teacher tenure are justified under the guise of accountability but the governor refuses to apply accountability to those who would receive the money as a result of his unconstitutional plan. “Hey Bobby! You’re a Hypocrite! Accountability for all — including you!”

8) Once again, the Governor wants to sell and/or privatize the operation of state prisons. This is a profoundly immoral proposal in this state with the highest per capita incarceration rate in the United States. The Governor would turn over Louisiana citizens — 70% of which are jailed for non-violent crimes — to the GEO Group, CCA or any other contributors to his campaigns and to the Louisiana Republican Party. He would sign long-term contracts with those companies to keep those jails filled. This is nothing less than human trafficking! Prisoners are humans. They are our brothers and sisters. We owe it to ourselves to do more than just warehouse them. Jindal has no policy in mind; it’s all about an ideological preference for privatization, mixed in with taking care of the people who support his campaigns and his party. “Hey Bobby! Don’t sell our prisons or our prisoners! Keep Louisiana out of the human trafficking business. ”

9) The Governor’s supporter Boysie Bollinger wants the right to take water from the Toledo Bend Reservoir (owned by the state) and sell it to Texas. Supposedly he wants to sell it to communities. Selling millions of gallons of water on a no-bid contract during worsening drought conditions in Texas and western Louisiana makes no sense. It would drop the water levels in Toledo Bend by at least a couple of feet, which would impact its value as a tourism and recreation destination — a vital business in the poor western parishes of the state. “Hey Bobby! We want clean air and clean water, for our sons and our daughters!”

10) Finally, the Governor and his allies want legislators to hurriedly rubber stamp his reckless, hastily conceived proposals. The Legislature is a coequal branch of government. The Governor can propose but legislators must decide. Bobby Jindal will be long gone before the impact of these proposals is fully clear. Legislators who are being asked now to defer to his judgment will be left holding the bag when the contents of it hits the fan. “Hey Legislators! Do Your Jobs! Think don’t follow!”
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Source:  L.A.J.U.I.C.E.

Mission:  To change the political conversation in Louisiana by engaging the Jindal administration and its allies in an asymmetrical conversation during the 2012 Regular Session of the Louisiana Legislature.

Description: LAJUICE is the place for you! Bobby Jindal has proposed a radical series of proposals that would wreck public education, put essential state responsibilities in the hands of private corporations, turn the Louisiana budget into a revenue machine for private companies while gutting state services, and continue the massive wealth transference from Louisiana's middle class to the wealthiest families and corporations in our state. We recognize that these initiatives are not about what is best for Louisiana but what will best position Jindal to run for the Republican nomination for president in 2016.

Jindal will be long gone before the ruinous impact of his policies becomes fully evident. We will be left to clean up the mess.

We must resist and we must stop him now. We can do that by standing together to resist his divide and conquer approach to securing the victories he seeks by standing together and delivering a resounding "NO!"

Jindal was re-elected by winning a majority of one of the smallest turnout elections in our state's history. He was given no mandate to wreck our state! Whatever mandate he thinks he has, we are urging our fellow citizens to stand together and take it back!

Top 6 Corporations to Occupy

By:  Suzanne Merkelson 2.22.2012 at 12:13 PM

The Occupy Wall Street movement has permeated across the country – the 99 percent has changed the dialogue of the 2012 election and beyond. As organizers start to regroup and set their sights on the spring, groups in 34 cities have agreed to “a day of nonviolent direct action” on Feb. 29 against corporations they accuse of working against the public interest.

We nominated six we think deserve an Occupation (some are already on an initial target list):

 
1.    Corrections Corporation of America
Headquarters: Nashville, TN

Profiting off keeping people locked away is certainly a siren call for protesting the practices of Corrections Corporation, the country’s largest for-profit prison company. The corporation has recently sought to purchase prisons in 48 different states. But this offer will do little to lessen the long-term strain on state coffers. Even worse, the corporation stipulates that state prison populations must remain at least 90 percent full – not something any democracy should ever strive to pursue. To complicate matters, Corrections Corporation has deep pockets and uses its considerable might to lobby, finance, and otherwise influence politicians across the country. Corrections Corporation, based in Nashville, manages over 60 facilities in 19 states and D.C.

Meanwhile, the Occupy movement is already starting to join up with prison reformers, who seek to change the conditions that make American prisoners the most abused population in our society. Hundreds of protesters gathered at California’s state-run San Quentin prison this week to demonstrate against high incarceration rates and deplorable living conditions for inmates. Recognizing that prison reformers and Occupiers share similar goals, one Occupier, activist Barbara Becnel, quoted a message she said came from San Quentin death row prisoner Kevin Cooper: “We have merged the prison rights movement with the Occupy movement. The 99 percent has to be concerned about the bottom 1 percent.”

That should go for the bottom 1 percent who are under the jurisdiction of companies like Corrections Corporation.

 
2. Exxon
Headquarters: Irving, TX

ExxonMobil raked in huge profits last year. The oil company’s profits increased by 31 percent in 2011 as compared with 2010. But somehow, this happened while its oil and gas production fell – by 5 percent over that same period. So how does Exxon make more money while producing less oil and gas?

Tax breaks.

Exxon paid an effective tax rate of 17.6 percent, which as the Center for American Progress points out, is 3 percent less than what the average American family paid in taxes. Exxon and other big oil companies don’t pass on the benefits of these tax breaks to consumers. Instead, as CAP writes, “their board members, executives, and shareholders are the ones that profit.”

So how do these oil companies like Exxon get to spend American tax dollars on themselves? By putting even more money into the political system.

Exxon joined four other oil companies in spending $65.7 million on lobbying to retain their tax breaks. For every $1 spent on lobbying, they received $30 in tax breaks, a 3,000 percent return. Additionally, Exxon and its brethren donated over $1.6 million in campaign contributions last year, further securing the policies they like in the future.

Exxon is especially dirty among the Big 5 oil companies. It lobbied for the Keystone XL pipeline and supported climate change denial campaigns, spending $16 million between 1998 and 2005 to such groups. That’s the wrong way to spend taxpayer provided subsidies. All of this is reason enough for some to have already called for an Occupation of Exxon.
 
3. General Electric
Headquarters: Fairfield, CT

GE is one of the world’s largest corporations, with 2010 profits of $14.2 billion ($5.1 billion of which came from U.S. operations). But how much did it pay in taxes that year?

Nothing.

In fact, as the New York Times reports, G.E. claimed a tax benefit of $3.2 billion. Furthermore, from 2008 to 2010, G.E. spent $84 billion lobbying the federal government, joining 30 other major corporations spending more on lobbying than on taxes.

In October, Occupiers recognized the symbolism behind G.E.’s exploitation of the tax system, and set out to demonstrate on CEO Jeff Immelt’s front lawn:

“In the land of the free they tax me but not G.E.!” read the invitation to take an hour bus ride to Immelt’s family home to join the protest, organized by liberal political party Connecticut Working Families. “General Electric made billions last year; they paid no taxes, outsourced thousands of jobs, and got over $3 billion in tax refunds! Join us on a free bus trip to G.E’s CEO’s front lawn to see how our friends in the 1% live.”

Given all that and considering the fact that Immelt serves as chair of President Obama’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness, even though during his tenure GE has steadily shipped jobs overseas, perhaps it’s time to re-Occupy.

 
4. Monsanto
Headquarters: St. Louis, MO

This giant agricultural biotechnology company is already the focus of activist groups and for good reason. Not only is Monsanto the overwhelming leader in producing genetically engineered seeds used in the United States, it also actively works to squeeze out competitors and control seed prices. The company has also targeted small farmers with ruthless legal battles, essentially forcing them to use Monsanto-branded seeds. Because of these dirty practices, Monsanto was the target of an antitrust investigation last year.

Meanwhile, Monsanto has considerable pull within the U.S. government. Most notably, former Monsanto vice president Michael Tyler is now a senior advisor to the Food and Drug Administration. A petition has circulated recently demanded that the Obama Administration “cease FDA ties to Monsanto”:

“President Obama, I oppose your appointment of Michael Taylor,” the petition on Signon.org reads. “Taylor is the same person who was Food Safety Czar at the FDA when genetically modified organisms were allowed into the U.S. food supply without undergoing a single test to determine their safety or risks. This is a travesty.”

 
5. Bank of America
Headquarters: Charlotte, NC

“It’s not me, it’s you,” read one. “Just kidding, it’s you.”
“I’m not falling for ‘phase out’ again.”
“Who’s too big to fail?”
“It’s over, BofA.”

These were some of the Valentines sent by Occupiers to Bank of America earlier this month to break up with the bank over its controversial practices seen as unfriendly to consumers, including a recent attempt to impose a $5-a-month debit card fee. It’s too bad the government hasn’t also followed suit. BofA spent $3.2 million lobbying the government last year and about $3 million on campaign contributions in 2008.

Even while he has criticized the bank for the debit card fee and engaged with the bank on mortgage settlement talks, President Obama has decided to accept the Democratic Party’s nomination for president in Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC, in part to sell more skyboxes to moneyed donors.

 
6.    Walmart
Headquarters: Bentonville, Ark.

This one might be a “Duh.” But Walmart is both deserving of an occupation and easy to occupy. Sure, the company’s Arkansas headquarters aren’t exactly easily accessible for Occupiers from across the country.

But Walmart’s thousands of stores nationwide are an easy target for citizens concerned with the company’s standard-setting low wages, labor issues, and steamrolling of local businesses. Moreover, while the corporation had long ago inserted itself in rural America, it now has its sites set on the country’s cities.

Walmart plans to open four stores in Washington, DC, for example, and has its sites set on even more locations.

Occupy has already targeted Walmart, most notably to protest the company’s decision to cut health care benefits for full-time workers and eliminate insurance for new part-time workers. But with Walmart continuing to spend about $7.8 million a year lobbying on issues including taxes and labor, it’s worth a continued Occupation.

Source:  RepublicReport.org