Is Louisiana a state in decline?

Just the FAX is a newsletter sent to state legislators each Friday from the Louisiana Federation of Teachers. Issues are available online here.

Governor Jindal released his budget plan last week, and it does not bode well for Louisiana. The $24.9 billion proposal sacrifices education, health care, and the quality of life that could provide a bright future for the families of our state. While promising to “do more with less,” the plan guarantees that there will simply be less of everything that makes a state attractive.

Communities are already in crisis as a direct result of fiscal policies over the past few years. In recent weeks, school systems in Livingston, Tangiphoa and Webster Parishes declared financial emergencies. In the past few days, school boards in St. Martin and East Baton Rouge parishes announced that they will lay off employees.

The loss of those jobs will have a ripple effect that is felt throughout local economies, as former teachers and school employees cut back on their spending, trying to make ends meet. Local businesses will suffer, and sales tax collections will go down. It seems like the beginning of a death spiral for communities across the state.

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