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knuckleballer 
LSU Fan
Myrtle Beach, SC
Member since Jul 2012
201 posts
| Why is it that the La. Constitution only allows cuts to higher Ed. & healthcare? (Posted on 10/5/12 at 8:21 pm)
What was/ is the rational behind this? Tons of pork more worthy to butcher than this. What are the barriers to amend?
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LSURussian
LSU Fan
Baton Rouge
Member since Feb 2005
63239 posts
| re: Why is it that the La. Constitution only allows cuts to higher Ed. & healthcare? (Posted on 10/5/12 at 8:25 pm to knuckleballer)
quote:
Why is it that the La. Constitution only allows cuts to higher Ed. & healthcare?
It doesn't.
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notiger1997
Member since May 2009
17139 posts
| re: Why is it that the La. Constitution only allows cuts to higher Ed. & healthcare? (Posted on 10/5/12 at 8:26 pm to knuckleballer)
quote:
What are the barriers to amend?
Apparantly it would be tough to change because Bobby thought about it, but didn't have the balls to try and really make a push for change. Too many politicians trying to protect their little kingdomes, so none of them want to risk causing any troubles on something like this.
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LSUAlum2001
LSU Fan
Tier BP
Member since Aug 2003
23896 posts
| re: Why is it that the La. Constitution only allows cuts to higher Ed. & healthcare? (Posted on 10/5/12 at 8:27 pm to LSURussian)
Thank Edwin Edwards for that brilliant policy.
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southernelite 
McNeese State Fan
Lake Charles
Member since Sep 2009
33060 posts
| re: Why is it that the La. Constitution only allows cuts to higher Ed. & healthcare? (Posted on 10/5/12 at 8:28 pm to notiger1997)
quote:
What are the barriers to amend?
2/3 approval House and Senate
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jonboy
LSU Fan
Member since Sep 2003
2184 posts
| re: Why is it that the La. Constitution only allows cuts to higher Ed. & healthcare? (Posted on 10/5/12 at 8:28 pm to knuckleballer)
I think this was Edwin's idea.
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constant cough 
New Orleans Saints Fan
Lafayette
Member since Jun 2007
28432 posts
| re: Why is it that the La. Constitution only allows cuts to higher Ed. & healthcare? (Posted on 10/5/12 at 8:33 pm to jonboy)
quote:
I think this was Edwin's idea.
Probably thought if that was the only area allowed to be cut than it would never get cut since he could always demagogue education and healthcare.
Luckily for us we have to Lottery to pay for eduction and healthcare. 
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southernelite
McNeese State Fan
Lake Charles
Member since Sep 2009
33060 posts
| re: Why is it that the La. Constitution only allows cuts to higher Ed. & healthcare? (Posted on 10/5/12 at 8:36 pm to LSURussian)
quote:
LSURussian
You gonna throw us a bone here?
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lsu777 
Georgetown Fan
westlake
Member since Jan 2004
5619 posts
| re: Why is it that the La. Constitution only allows cuts to higher Ed. & healthcare? (Posted on 10/5/12 at 9:00 pm to LSURussian)
cough cough help us out here chief.
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TupeloTiger
LSU Fan
Tupelo,Ms.[via Bastrop,La.]
Member since Jul 2004
2197 posts
| re: Why is it that the La. Constitution only allows cuts to higher Ed. & healthcare? (Posted on 10/5/12 at 9:06 pm to knuckleballer)
To change the Constitution, it takes a 2/3rd's vote of the Legislature AND a public vote of the people. It's difficult to do that,very hard. Also, under Edwards this did pass that way. I don't think it was his idea,but, it was someone's idea that we voted for,plus a public vote that passed. I was a member of that body right before I got elected to the Senate. If you look at the budget, many things can not be cut without a crisis,such as a levee,a road, a jail or prison. Can't cut out a District Atty, a Judge, a port or railroad crossing,a bridge, etc. The only thing you can cut is an Education appropriation to colleges who can raise tuition or Medical care which people have choices to get treatment elsewhere or wait a few days. Most Medical care is Federal anyway,not state. We had a Fammily Planning facility that gave out birth control pills to welfare/food stamps enrollees. That was taken over by Planned Parenthood and ACORN when they started getting Federal funds. The state had to quit it and move out of the buildings and quit. There is some flexibility in Education and Medicine, when there's not in a highway or levee project cost.
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Dumplin
LSU Fan
New Orleans, LA
Member since Sep 2008
1342 posts
| re: Why is it that the La. Constitution only allows cuts to higher Ed. & healthcare? (Posted on 10/5/12 at 9:29 pm to TupeloTiger)
quote:
There is some flexibility in Education and Medicine, when there's not in a highway or levee project cost.
There is not much flexibility in the cost of the project, but there is flexibility in deciding whether or not to take on the project during a budget crunch.
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knuckleballer
LSU Fan
Myrtle Beach, SC
Member since Jul 2012
201 posts
| re: Why is it that the La. Constitution only allows cuts to higher Ed. & healthcare? (Posted on 10/5/12 at 9:36 pm to TupeloTiger)
With healthcare being one of the biggest (if not the biggest?) line item in the state's budget, most expenditure is still mostly federal? God this stuff costs too much.
Lets see. La. pork off the top of my head: we have bogus non-profit pocket liner organizations galore, rodeo arenas, sports stadiums, pro team subsidies, golf courses, bowl games, failed amusement parks. All this kitty money that, no matter what percentage of the budget it is, has no right to even exist as a line item in the budget. I just think if anything has to go the pet project stuff is A1. I'm not naive enough to think it will ever happen but we can definitely can do better.
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adono
LSU Fan
River Ridge
Member since Sep 2003
5173 posts
| re: Why is it that the La. Constitution only allows cuts to higher Ed. & healthcare? (Posted on 10/6/12 at 10:03 am to LSUAlum2001)
quote:
Thank Edwin Edwards for that brilliant policy.
The quote of an idiot.
Facts:
The vast majority of funding items have been Constitutionally protected by Amendments to the Constitution over the almost 40 years since its revision...the vast majority of those Amendments occurred during the Treen and Roemer administrations.
If you want to blame anyone for this mess, you can thank your Reps and Senators who have gotten one Amendment after another passed to protect their "pet projects". They always wait for a weak Governor to get them passed.
Why didn't Bobby take a stab at a new Constitutional Convention to correct this crap? The same reason Edwards didn't do in his last administration (which he wanted to do in order to protect educational funding)? Because it takes a Super Majority vote of both the House and Senate to call one and that's impossible. Why? Because you're asking the guys who loaded the Constitution with protective Amendments to create a mechanism to undo what took them 38 years to build.
One last bit of info for you, DHH seldom, if ever, really experiences true cuts. Why? Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) adjustment payments from the Feds. For every dollar of funding from state government, the Feds put up $2.50.
Those are the facts, but don't let that get in the way of your "Edwards" bashing.
This post was edited on 10/6 at 10:30 am
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GFunk
LSU Fan
Denham Springs
Member since Feb 2011
7645 posts
| re: Why is it that the La. Constitution only allows cuts to higher Ed. & healthcare? (Posted on 10/6/12 at 10:21 am to adono)
Edwards wanted a way to reign in budget cutters. He also wanted a way to punish Republican candidates who were able to sit on the sideline, coalesce behind a candidate before the primaries and then sit and stack cash and avoid a bruising Democratic Primary in a state that was intensely politically active within the Democratic Party.
Edwards took tons of body shots from fellow Democrats during the Demo primaries and had to spend lots of ad money and street money to make it out, only to face a well financed r candidate who by comparison hadn't had a glove laid on him.
So he also designed the Open Primary System where everyone runs against everyone, and the top two-regardless or party-face off in a runoff.
Turning back to Edwards views on the Legislature, Edwards theorized that drawing a Constitutionally protected line in the budgetary sand would hurt Republicans and other fiscal conservatives attempts to cut the budget or complain about state spending by only allowing for cuts in higher Ed and healthcare.
Hard to sell cutting those areas back home, regardless of party.
Edwards and Camille Gravel had huge hands in writing the Constitution and its ultimate accomplishment was to actually breathe life into what is now a dominant state Republican Party. Crossover voting allowed for Dems to vote R in the open primary system and gave many R candidates an ability to break through the sort've bi factionalism that D's in La used to dominat elections for years.
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adono
LSU Fan
River Ridge
Member since Sep 2003
5173 posts
| re: Why is it that the La. Constitution only allows cuts to higher Ed. & healthcare? (Posted on 10/6/12 at 10:27 am to GFunk)
quote:
Camille Gravel wrote the 1974 Constitution
Fixed it for you!
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Jake88 
George Mason Fan
Member since Apr 2005
5653 posts
| re: Why is it that the La. Constitution only allows cuts to higher Ed. & healthcare? (Posted on 10/6/12 at 11:19 am to notiger1997)
I recall voting on something that would change what could be cut if certain parameters were met. It was during the Foster admin. what happened to that?
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