re: If you were Governor of Louisiana, what policies would you enact?

This makes good political talk, but in reality, you could close every university in this state, and not make a very big dent in the state budget. To really make a difference, you're going to have to cut where the big bucks go, which is to health/hospitals and public schools.

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When 90% of government is untouchable nothing changes.
Call a constitutional convention.

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90% of state tax revenue? I don't think you know what you're talking about. Listening to bloviators doesn't count.

Name some programs that need to be cut but, according to you, can't because of the constitution? Do you know enough of them to even free up $1b?

Do you think gas tax dollars should be earmarked for roads?

Do you think the higher education initiatives fund should be unlocked?

How about TOPS funding?

How about fees for services, in general?

Are you aware that most of the state budget is funded by the Feds and that our constitution doesn't get to say how we spend Federal dollars?

Around $2.2b is constitutionally protected. The rest of the "locked" statutorily dedicated money ($4b or so) is only locked at the discretion of the legislature and the governor. That's right, more funds could be unlocked by regular legislation than ever could be through a constitutional convention - that is, unless the new constitution completely removes the ability for the legislature to decide how funds are spent.

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If you were Governor of Louisiana, what policies would you enact?

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1) Somehow get out of the Medicaid expansion mess that JBE got us into.
2) Enact that tort reform bill that was killed by SENATOR RICK WARD'S committee.
3) Enact legislation to limit/remove billboards for trial lawyers.
4) Baton Rouge Bridge
5) Authorize major drainage projects around the city.
6) Reduce corporate tax rates.
7) Reduce sales tax by at least 2%.
8) Cut all state offices by 15%.
9) Audit the COA and fire every person that is involved.
10) Audit every single state agency.
11) For every tax increase proposed, an equal amount of funds must be cut from state agencies.
12) End the regulation requiring 3 tier distribution for breweries.
13) Fire the head of the ATC and replace with someone with common sense.
14) Enact legislation outlawing any city in Louisiana from declaring itself a sanctuary city.
15) Offer tax incentives for high tech industry to come to the state.
16) Reduce onerous regulations on oil and gas while strengthening common sense pollutant regulations.
17) Restructure our oil and gas deal with fedgov so where it benefits our state more.
18) Audit regulatory/permit offices so they are more streamlined. No more waiting months to receive permits for building/opening a business.
19) Restructure TOPS to where if you are in danger of losing it, you must pay back the amount.
20) Somehow figure out a way to restructure the student loan program to where the state has more of a say than FEDGOV and actually reduce the costs of higher education.
21) Audit CATS. Fire everyone currently involved.
22) Stop the silly "Tax oil and gas at the pump 20%, but also provide oil and gas 20% worth of incentives." Incentives must be earned, and you shouldn't over tax or over incentivize any industry. All it's doing is driving up costs to the consumer.
23) Strengthen our trade school program. We have a lot of people who aren't academically gifted but are gifted in the trades. These are good paying jobs and should emphasized just as much as college. Encourage cross training with other disciplines, even with college courses so a college grad isn't stuck with only the options of academics, but also a fall back of a trade and vice versa.
24) DEREGULATE - Just a general deregulation of most private industries so government isn't as powerful or impactful on private business. Being an entrepreneur shouldn't be something only attainable for someone with million in startup capital. Bureaucrats shouldn't be determining the success/failure of a private business.
25) No state politician can serve on any board or committee that that same politician also has a private interest in.
26) Crack down on lobbying.
27) Stringent work requirements for food stamps.

Step 1: I would introduce the "2020 Can We Get a Do-over Act". Petition the federal government to remove our statehood. Refuse all dollars and oversight from SNAP, Medicaid, the department of education, the EPA.

Step 2: Do nothing except provide basic government services until the dependant population moves to Mississippi

Step 3: Introduce a conservative state constitution and re-apply got statehood.

Step 4: profit.

Eta : of course I'm not serious, but we seriously need to burn it down and start over.

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5.) Reroute TOPS to only be applicable to VOTECH System Degrees and Certifications.

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Those degrees are already cheap as shite. We already have enough blue collar workers.

Agree with TOPS should be paid back if you move out of state within the first 4 years of your career. I am sick of LA covering the expenses for Texas' workforce.

Very little short of a Constitutional Convention will mean much.

A popular answer is always something like "be more like Texas," but our forms of governance are very different. Power in Louisiana is largely centralized in state government where as Texas has more power at the local municipal level.

We can't copy a lot of successful models because of our structure and complexity. We ultimately need a massive reduction in state government, and an expansion at the local level. Until we address this constitutionally we are going to just bob along with no real direction.

1) Completely rewrite the state constitution with the idea of sending power back to the local parishes and communities. This would result in a smaller state government with fewer resources needed to fund it.

2) All non-freeway-model state highways that begin and end in the same parish, will be delisted as state highways and given to the parish, with the parish responsible for future maintenance. State highway spending is then limited to freeways and state highways that involve multiple parishes.

3) Encourage metro areas to form toll road commissions. Provide a state match for money raised by local tolls to build AND MAINTAIN new tolled freeways.

4) Reduce the state department of education to a small office that simply ensures basics of education are being met and doing the school/district grading system. Eliminate LEAP and all it's cousins.

5) Remove the homestead exemption, and remove most state spending on local school districts. Education should be funded and managed locally.

6) Close a half-dozen, if not more, universities. Offer to the alumni and local communities the ability to re-open the closed college as a private school, if desired. Transfer all property and related debt to the new group running it.

7) Continue criminal justice reform, with an eye on true remediation where possible. Stop housing state prisoners in parish jails.

8) With a much smaller state government, and increased property taxes, the need for a state income tax is much less, so we can dramatically reduce or eliminate it.

9) Allow all forms of gambling at a state level, subject to parish election

10) Convert TOPS to a loan guarantee / forgiveness program. Each semester, up to 8, you have to sign a loan agreement with the state. Payments begin 6 months after you are no longer in school. If you get a degree from a state university, all 8 semesters of loans are torn up.

This makes good political talk, but in reality, you could close every university in this state, and not make a very big dent in the state budget. To really make a difference, you're going to have to cut where the big bucks go, which is to health/hospitals and public schools.

TOPS should be completely eliminated. It is a type of social program.

Universities have been cut so much, they are, for the most part already privatized, receiving very little state funding. How are you going to force kids to go to technical schools/community colleges if they want a 4 year degree? We seem to be going in the opposite direction. I believe LSU has lowered its admission standards in recent years, probably to increase enrollment. LSU should maintain or even increase admission standards, forcing some to go to less expensive (in terms of cost to the state) regional universities. I agree with you about TOPs; it is welfare and should be eliminated. There are plenty of need-based and merit scholarships. Cut TOPs and give it back to ALL LA citizens in the form of a tax cut.