Kicking around ethics law, budget ‘can’

By C.B. Forgotston Jr.
Gazette Columnist
cb@forgotston.com

Only in Louisiana would the chairman and vice chairman of the board that oversees our Heh, Heh, Heh, Ethics Laws look for ways around the laws they are supposed to enforce.

There was a story in Saturday’s Monroe newspaper where vendors of the city of Tallulah were asking permission to give what amounts to a “kickback” to the city to avoid layoffs.

Board Chairman Frank Simoneaux of Baton Rouge and Vice Chairman Blake Monrose of Lafayette questioned whether there was a way around [the legal prohibition].

It is just another Machiavellian approach to the laws that are supposed to keep our public officials honest.

The lack of enforcement of the Heh, Heh, Heh, Ethics Laws in Louisiana is already bad enough without the enforcers looking for loopholes. They should leave some work for us lawyers.

The next time I get a speeding ticket, maybe the Trooper will give me some tips on how to get the ticket voided.

Below is from an alert from the Baton Rouge Business Report’s Daily Report.

Bobby Jindal’s decision not to make an endorsement must have come as a great relief to the remaining GOP candidates. Rick Perry’s campaign hit the skids the day Bobby endorsed him and never recovered.

Rumor has it that Newt Gingrich tried to make a deal with Perry for Perry to get Bobby to endorse Mitt Romney. Meanwhile high-ranking members of the GOP are allegedly working behind-the-scenes to get Bobby to endorse Pres. Obama for reelection.

News alert: Jindal will not make new GOP endorsement

Gov. Bobby Jindal, who gave his endorsement to Texas Gov. Rick Perry last fall, says he won’t endorse another GOP candidate now that Perry has dropped out of the race.

“While I don’t plan to endorse anyone else in the primary,” Jindal tells Daily Report, “I look forward to supporting the nominee. America cannot afford four more years of Barack Obama.”

Jindal says he had endorsed Perry because “He is a personal friend, he has a strong record of job creation, and he and the people of Texas helped our state during Hurricane Gustav.”

Perry ended his campaign just two days before the South Carolina primary and gave his endorsement to Newt Gingrich. In doing so, Perry said: “Newt’s not perfect, but who among us is?”

The budget solution

According to a recent story in the Baton Rouge Advocate the state is facing an $895 million budget shortfall for the 2012-13 fiscal year.

Ho-hum, here we go again; the colleges will close and the poor, elderly and young will no longer get healthcare.

Of course, this shortfall is based on maintaining the fiscal status quo in Louisiana which the governor and leges have maintained the last three years using all types of funding gimmicks to “kick the can down the road.”

This is getting old so I have a solution to avoid this chronic annual problem. The “can” needs to be kicked farther down the road.

Fortunately, there is a person at LSU that can assist. It’s time to bring in LSU’s All-American punter, Brad Wing.