Louisiana Voters Threaten Recall Over Legislative Pay Raise
Posted June 30th, 2008 in Activism, All, Inside New Orleans, Legal, Politics and Take a look...
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal vetoes legislature’s self-approved pay raise.
Less than a week after assuring the Louisiana state legislature that he would stay out of their affairs, Governor Bobby Jindal announced that he will veto a bill which would have doubled the legislature’s salary. The legislation, which was passed only two weeks ago, has for some reason lit the spark under voters in a way that massive national scandal previously failed to do. At least two recall petitions have been filed against the governor, as well as several notable legislators including the state’s Speaker of House. Rallies and protests targeting the controversial bill been called off in response to today’s announcement.
Although I personally agree that the legislature’s base salary of $16,000 is too low, I’m also aware that every single one of those legislators asked for the job. Louisiana voters who - let’s face it - will take a lot of crap from their elected officials, apparently draw the line at voting to double one’s own salary at taxpayers’ expense. Too greedy to even allow the salary change to take effect after the next election, it seems legislators have finally found ground upon which even their flocks will not be fleeced. Naturally the voters feel that, while there are plenty of worthy causes since the storm which deserve to have the legislatiors’ full attention, their own salary is not one of them. Why these people couldn’t just take bribes like any other local politician is entirely beyond us.
