Another fine mess

Comic Oliver Hardy ended any number of the classic short films he made with partner Stan Laurel with the line: "This is another fine mess you've gotten us into."

The comment comes to mind after reading the last line of this Advocate editorial about how the state got into the sorry economic mess we're facing.

It was the questionable actions of our so-called "leaders" that made Louisiana's mess worse than it ought to be. By reversing the reforms embodied in the 2002 Stelly plan, they made the current situation inevitable. As the Advocate puts it:

When the Legislature was flush with money, just two short years ago, the
warning signs were already out: Record-high oil prices and hurricane-recovery
revenues would not last forever. But the temptation was too great, and lawmakers
under Govs. Kathleen Blanco and Bobby Jindal drastically cut state income
taxes.

Now, the Gray Lady of Baton Rouge says, it's time to fix the mess. If not, it will get worse because federal tax changes could cost Louisiana another $200 million per year in lost revenues.

The problem is, any fix will require our wealthier citizens to pony up a bit more, and they are the same ones who pitched such a fit over the Stelly reforms. We could see the coming of another fine mess they're getting us into.