Louisiana Lt. Gov. Landrieu: Jindal Wrong To Reject Recovery Funds For Unemployment Insurance
Posted in Main Blog (All Posts) on February 23rd, 2009 5:32 am by HL
Louisiana Lt. Gov. Landrieu: Jindal Wrong To Reject Recovery Funds For Unemployment Insurance
On Friday, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R-LA) announced that he would reject nearly $100 million in unemployment insurance funding from the federal government. In doing so, Jindal ensured that at least 25,000 unemployed Lousiana residents would not be eligible for unemployment insurance. In response, Louisiana’s Lt. Gov., Mitch Landrieu (D), said that “Jindal needs to […]
On Friday, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R-LA) announced that he would reject nearly $100 million in unemployment insurance funding from the federal government. In doing so, Jindal ensured that at least 25,000 unemployed Lousiana residents would not be eligible for unemployment insurance. In response, Louisiana’s Lt. Gov., Mitch Landrieu (D), said that “Jindal needs to choose whether to represent the state of Louisiana or be the spokesman for the national Republican Party“:
Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu said in a telephone conference call that Jindal needs to choose whether to represent the state of Louisiana or be the spokesman for the national Republican Party. … “Those interests don’t always line up,” Landrieu said. “It puts the governor at risk of sending mixed messages. … Louisiana should be very aggressive in going to get this money.” […]
Jindal on Friday refused to accept $98.4 million, calling the money an incentive to expand the numbers of unemployed people who could receive benefits in way that eventually would require the state to raise taxes for businesses and employers.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-CA) responded to new of Jindal’s decision by quipping, “You just tell them that anyone that doesn’t want to take the money: I’m ready to take their money and rebuild California.” Gov. Jennifer Ganholm (D-MI) made similar remarks in reference to the possibility of Govs. Tim Pawlenty (R-MN) and Mark Sanford (R-SC) following Jindal’s lead.
As New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin (D) observed last week, Jindal’s decision appears to be little more than a thinly veiled attempt to burnish his conservative credentials for a possible presidential campaign in 2012. Matthew Yglesias, however, suggests that Jindal’s maneuver may also be premised on a “‘begger thy neighbor’ strategy” to artificially reduce his state’s unemployment figures:
If Louisiana makes its unemployment benefits less generous than what’s available in other states, then maybe unemployed citizens will leave Louisiana for Texas and other neighboring states, thus creating an artificial appearance of an improved economic situation. It would be the equivalent of Mike Bloomberg fighting poverty by demolishing all the low-income housing in New York and hoping the poor people all move elsewhere.
March 19th, 2009 at 6:39 am
no help, still only denial,,,,i am so ready to -oo00h- can’t say,,,, they have raised taxes on cigarettes to get ppl to quit smoking and are raising again next month one more dollar, all so they can better health care,,, well ,,, why not helping those that you and i both know qualify for health care and ssi ( I HAVE EPILEPSY) , AND START THERE!!!! if they use their brains , that alone will close alot of files and paperwork, hours, and overtime pay. stop throwing our case away only to make us keep re applying and using up more of their hours and our money. if i was in jail, i would get treatment and maybe even come out with the SSI that i know AND THE STATE of LOUISIANA knows i qualify for. it is way past time we get our bonuses, our health care, not the kind the think we should have to cut down the budget, if that is so , then why don’t they put us on their insurance policy, SHAME SHAME SHAME ON LOUISIANA, BOBBY JINDAL, SENATORS AND CONGRESS MEN WHO REPRESENT US. THEY OWE ME, I HAVE MEDICAL BILLS TO PAY,,, YOU KNOW WHAT,,, THEY HAVE MEDICAL BILLS TO PAY. SHAME SHAME SHAME,,,,,WHERE IS MY RECOVERY MONEY****NO I WILL NOT APPEAL, TAKING TOO MANY TAXES AS IT IS NOW,****welcome to the white house, just not mine. don’t send ppl to knock on my door to support your plan or any including jindal’s office. i will light up my cigarette and while they blow smoke one way at me i will blow mine in their face. then they can run back and use their good ole’ high price insurance you help to provide for them to get treated by their doctor from smoke inhalation. i have no insurance to use to get treated for the smoke they blew up me. your office never responds to my e-mails of concern, ABOUT MY HEALTH PROBLEMS BEING AN EPILEPTIC TRYING TO GET PROPER CARE, so don’t ask me to support something YOU WANT!!!!! WHEN YOU CANNOT TAKE THE TIME TO SUPPORT OR CONCERN YOURSELF WITH SOMETHING I NEED. until then, that shows me how much my state, gov,city, and the U.S. cares about me , i WILL KEEP SMOKING. YOU TAKE 2,497.2 MG OF MEDICATION ***EVERYDAY***AND BE TURNED DOWN FOR SSI AFTER THEY QUALIFIED YOU FOR ABOUT 17 YRS, AND NOW SAY YOU DO NOT, MY BOYFRIENDS EITHER MAKES TOO MUCH MONEY OR I AM NOT CONSIDERED DISABLED ENOUGH. WELL I HAVE ALREADY HAD TO HAVE 17-19 STAPLES IN THE RIGHT SIDE OF MY HEAD FOR ALMOST 6 WKS A FEW YRS AGO DUE TO A SEIZURE. I HAVE ****EPILEPSY******NO CURE******WHY DO I HAVE TO BE PUNISHED FOR THE MONEY MY BOYFRIEND WORKS FOR, HE SUPPORTS ME AND MY KIDS, THAT IS MORE THAN MY COUNTRY IS DOING FOR ME. SUCH HYPOCRITS, ALL, YOU PAY MY DEBT. OF OVER 9,000 IN JUST E.R. MEDICAL BILLS ACCUMULATED SINCE BEING CUT OFF OF SSI, AND TELL ME I DO NOT MEET THE NEEDS, REQUIREMENTS, NOT SEVERE ENOUGH, OR THE WORST TO ME MY BOYFRIEND ****NOT MY HUSBAND****MAKES TOO MUCH MONEY. THEY OWE ME BACK PAY, CURRENT PAY, COVERAGE OF ALL PAST AND PRESENT MEDICAL BILLS, EVEN IF THEY HAVE BEEN TURNED OVER TO AN ATTORNEY REP. THE HOSP. ,,,, IS THIS THE WAY MY COUNTRY, MY STATE, THE TWISTED LAWS AND LOOPHOLES HELP ME,, WELL, NO WONDER SO MANY PPL ARE ON ANTI-DEPRESSANTS OR COMMIT SUICIDE, WE CAN’T GET HELP. TOO OLD FOR ONE THING, OR TOO YOUNG FOR THE OTHER, BOY, BOY, I GIVE IT TO THIS COUNTRY, YA’LL PLAY IT GOOD, AND I DID NOT SAY MANAGE , I SAID PLAY. THAT IS ALL WE ARE , A GAME, SOMETHING TO SHUFFLE AROUND SO LONG AS THE PERSON WHO GETS IT CAN HURRY UP AND PASS IT TO SOMEONE ELSE, SO THEY DON’T HAVE TO CONCERN THEIR SELVES WITH OUR PETTY PROBLEMS,, WHAT ARE WE –COOTIES– WELL, THEN DON’T ASK FOR OUR TAXES.