An “Attaboy” for Pee-yew
According to this story and its forum comments from yesterday’s nola.com, little Piyush did the right, noble, and courageous thing by stepping out onto the field of battle with his pea-shooter to defend Louisiana’s maligned, misunderstood corporate interests against the giant of big-government welfare.
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.
According to the Workforce Commission, the expanded benefits would cost Louisiana companies $12 million a year after the federal money ends. The businesses, in turn, would pass those costs on to their workers.
“I don’t think it’s good policy to take temporary federal dollars to create a permanent state spending obligation, ” Jindal said.
Not so fast.
According to “a senior aide” in Senator Mary Landrieu’s office,
… the state would have to change the law to take advantage of the windfall but … the change would not have to be permanent. Instead, the Legislature could write the new law with a “sunset provision” so it expires when the federal stimulus dollars run out.
The aide, who is not authorized to speak publicly on Landrieu’s behalf, said states are under no obligation to accept the expanded unemployment benefits and that they were designed for states such as Michigan where joblessness has been particularly acute.
Louisiana’s 5.5 percent unemployment rate in December was well below the national rate of 7.6 percent. The state was one of only three that added jobs in December, along with Florida and Vermont.
This same scenario is detailed here:
… it is not clear why participating in the expanded unemployment insurance program would result in tax increases for business. By Jindal’s own estimate, the recovery package would have funded his state’s unemployment expansion for three years, at which point the state could — if it chose to do so — phase out the program.
Hmm, so why not accept the money, use it as suggested, collect the taxes paid during the upcoming three years to cushion potential future unemployment prospects and entice more business opportunities to the state, then exorcise those evil welfare demons when their time is up? But then what do you say to the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry, the state’s most powerful lobby, which has never, by its very nature and raison d’etre, had the interests of the people of Louisiana at heart?
There’s nothing noble in our governor’s actions. They are the intimidations of a playground bully showing off for his friends who are watching from the sidelines.
Maybe some brave soul in the Louisiana Legislature will rise up and point out to the people the lies our little Piyush is telling and bring about an override.
Yeah, I know. I’m ROTFLMAO even as I type.
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