Most LSU students traditionally seem to give elections and politics little more than a passing glance. But as our state continues to remain in the bottom rung of states, the people who lead our state carry a larger burden that affects all Louisiana residents.
Past leaders have given us failing secondary and elementary schools, an improperly funded higher education system, a dilapidated infrastructure and a virtually non-existent economy. All the years of “good-ole boy” Louisiana politicians have caused our state to spiral downward.
The Legislative Fiscal Office released a report this week titled “Louisiana in the Economic Vortex, A Blueprint for Escape.” The premise of the report is Louisiana’s state government has more than sufficient funding, but it has suffered from financial mismanagement, which has left the state spiraling to its current plight.
How could our state government have more funding than it needs? Governor Foster’s administration constantly is telling us it needs more money and a tax increase or tax renewal or vital programs will be cut. In fact, Louisiana spends $1.46 billion more a year than the Southern average of state spending. Recently, the governor floated a new tax increase idea, but the legislature was reluctant to hold a special session to raise gasoline taxes. Foster said this increase was needed to improve roads, but the Legislative Fiscal Office’s report says more than $100 million derived from the current 20-cent gasoline tax is not spent on road construction.
The spending problem seems to be due to an overgrown government and misappropriated funds. While the average Southern state private industry outperformed Louisiana’s private industry by 94 percent from 1990 to 2000, our government has continued to outgrow the rest of the South. We have 21 state workers for every 1,000 Louisiana citizens, far outpacing the Southern average of 16.9 per citizen. The state payroll is bloated by $666 million more than the Southern average, causing Louisiana to exceed the Southern state and local employment average by more than 32,000 employees, according to the report.
Spending problems can even be found in the education system. While everyone is well aware that our teachers are paid well below the Southern average, we are funding secondary and elementary education near the Southern average. The report also says higher education problems are not due to a lack of taxpayer money.
So with all this money flowing in and out of the state coffers, where are the results? On what exactly is the money being spent? With such a large and robust governmental employee force, why do many studies show that we are last in health care for seniors, last in citizen wealth, first in out-migration, first in abandoning public schools and rated near the bottom of countless other categories?
It is clear that additional funding is not the answer. We do not need another administration that solves every spending problem by suggesting additional taxes. We need leaders who will reign in government spending and reallocate wasteful spending to areas where it will benefit the state’s economy, education and infrastructure.
This report shows that we can no longer take an apathetic approach to government. If something is not done soon, the chance to dramatically improve our state may be gone forever. We should seek out leaders with new ideas and solutions who are not tied into the good-ole boy networks that have plagued the state for so long. When voting for a new governor and legislature in November, look at issues that are vital to Louisiana. Many potential gubernatorial candidates will be on hand tonight for the Student Government forum on politics and education. This will be a great time for those who care about our state’s future to get involved. The time has come for us to usher Louisiana out of the doldrums. Look past the attractiveness of a candidate welding in a tv commercial and vote for a person you know will make our state a place with opportunity for all.