2009 Louisiana Pork Report
By Sarah McIntosh & Steve Beatty, Pelican Institute for Public Policy & Citizens Against Government Waste
May 2009

“It should be clear from this report that Louisiana policymakers are suffering from a serious spending addiction that has helped to create a fiscal year 2010 budget shortfall of $1.8 billion. Federal stimulus dollars will help to close the 2010 deficit, but deficits are projected to worsen in fiscal year 2011 and fiscal year 2012 as stimulus funds dry up. Without a dramatic reduction in state spending by 2012, Louisiana is headed for a fiscal disaster.

Fortunately for Louisiana taxpayers, the handwriting on the wall has not gone unnoticed by Gov. Jindal’s administration. Recognizing the likelihood of ongoing budget deficits through 2012, Gov. Jindal announced an ambitious package of sensible budget reforms in March 2009 that includes a new Commission on Streamlining Government (CSG) that will identify strategies to help the state live within its means.

In advance of the 2010 legislative session, the CSG will perform an exhaustive examination of the state bureaucracy to identify programs and agencies whose functions can be consolidated or eliminated, as well as identify opportunities to deliver higher quality services at a lower cost through privatization or outsourcing…

Just because elected officials decide that a service should be provided, one should not assume that government offers the cheapest or most efficient means of delivering it – in fact, it often does not…

When times get tough, families have to shop around for the best deals in order to get stretch their dollars as far as they can go. Louisiana state government should do the same, and the CSG will help to ensure that it does….

If Louisiana wants to compete in the 21st century economy, policymakers must bring government spending under control and do more with less. Quick fixes, such as the proposed cigarette tax increase, only serve as enablers and signal a desire to avoid meaningful reform.

For the sake of the long-term health of the state economy, taxpayers can no longer sit by while politicians throw good money after bad into inefficient programs and wasteful spending. The task is large, but not insurmountable. With strong and responsible political leadership, Louisiana can clean up its budget mess, become more efficient and begin treating taxpayers with the respect they deserve.”

Click Here To View The Full Report

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