Our Views: A little body of legislators

One day, though, we hope that there will come a balance between executive and legislative power in Louisiana’s State Capitol.

The good news is that the Legislature is not coming back into town.

The bad news is that the Legislature thus isn’t going to be around to question some of Gov. Bobby Jindal’s more high-handed actions this year.

With the end of the regular session, and the issuance of the governor’s vetoes of both ordinary bills and the line-item vetoes in the appropriations bills, each lawmaker gets paperwork asking if there should be a veto session. If enough senators and representatives want a veto session, it would be held to consider overturning the governor’s vetoes.

No such session has ever been held, but the tally of how many senators and representatives ask for one is considered a bit of an indication of the state of happiness among lawmakers with the governor’s vetoes.

This year, senators killed the session: 31 of the 36 senators, personally called by Senate President John Alario, R-Westwego, opposed a veto session.

In the House, just one less than a majority — only 52 of 105 — opposed a veto session. That’s seen by some lawmakers as a comment on the governor’s vetoes, including a specific override of the Legislature’s will: The governor cut funding out of the appropriations bill for a state prison in Pineville, after lawmakers voted to keep it open.

This is probably about the definition of how “independent” Louisiana’s lawmakers are. They are overruled with a stroke of the veto pen, and can’t be bothered to come back to town to dispute the issue.

At the end of the day, a first-ever override session would be — in a body of Lilliputians unable to tackle the governor — very unlikely to muster the two-thirds vote in House and Senate to override the Jindal vetoes.

One day, though, we hope that there will come a balance between executive and legislative power in Louisiana’s State Capitol.

Comments

1) Comment by 8.3 - 15/07/2012

Sure, just throw in dumb and correlate the lot to an LSU degree of the future. You won't have to look far, won't be worth much outside Louisiana. But they sure can play football, aieee

2) Comment by bourbon-soda - 15/07/2012

Where can I look up and read about the happiness and laziness rankings? Are they correlated?

3) Comment by 8.3 - 15/07/2012

Are the following conservative or liberal? Hint: Correct answer is stupid. LA contains the area with the Highest Level of Senior Citizens Living in Poverty. LA Most Violent state (20 years in a row as of 2012) Longest prison sentence by a Congressman – LA’s Bill Jefferson LA last in Camelot Index LA 1st in corruption convictions per capita LA 49th in student performance and progress LA has worst drivers LA least peaceful state LA 50TH in women’s health LA 49th in Health LA 1st in Murders per 100,000 population. LA 1st in Laziness. LA has least affordable auto insurance LA 2nd worst lawsuit climate LA gets an ‘F’ for Children’s Dental Health LA 1st in Happiness. LA 1st in deaths from diabetes. LA 1st in Personal Income drop. LA 1st in the number of forms of legalized gambling. LA 1st in rate of children under 5 on the brink of hunger. LA 2nd Most Dangerous State LA Worst State for Nursing Homes LA 1st in Homeless Children LA 1st in Percentage of Homeless Veterans. LA 52nd in population gain LA 2nd in bad auto loans LA 49th in Higher Education LA 2nd WORST state for businesses LA 49TH in Business competitiveness and retention LA 48TH in child well-being LA 1ST in gonorrhea rate LA has highest auto insurance rates in the nation LA 1st in the rate of corruption LA LAST in attracting college-educated workers LA 51st in child care LA 2nd in Black Homicides LA roads WORST in the nation. LA 49th in Savings LA 49TH in Longevity LA 50TH in per capita income LA 50TH in livability. LA 4th Highest Rate of Adult Obesity LA 1ST in wasting Medicare dollars LA 2ND in rate of men killing women LA 48TH in places to die LA 2ND in rate of healthcare uninsureds LA 49TH in social health LA 1ST in high school dropout rate LA public schools are 4TH worst LA 2ND cost of Homeowner’s Insurance LA 1ST in net population loss LA is ONLY southern state to lose population LA 1st in people moving out LA 1ST in Southeast in population exodus LA 1ST in rate of incarceration LA 1ST in number of child living in poverty LA 48TH in educational attainment of the population 25 years and over LA 1ST in number of women living in poverty LA LAST in bond ratings LA LAST in healthcare for seniors LA 1ST in abandoning public schools LA 2ND in DWI fatalities LA 46TH in Integrity LA is the 49TH “smartest state” LA WORST for healthcare for the elderly and disabled LA LAST in wealth of our citizens LA’s economy 49th out of 50 LA LAST in cash for research LA 1ST in teen use of steroids LA 1ST in the percentage of income used to pay rent LA 2ND in rate of poverty

4) Comment by bourbon-soda - 15/07/2012

The opposition is reduced to lamenting the absence of a "bit of an indication of the state of happiness" of a bunch of politicians. Brings to mind a shadow of a penumbra of an enigma of a suggestion of a possibility of a hint of an aura of a ghost of an apparition. Besides that, such a session would have been a waste of money.

5) Comment by 8point6 - 15/07/2012

[e-mail]...you noticed that, also. Everyone, by now, should know what the agenda of "our views" is. Hint, anti- conservative.

6) Comment by [e-mail] - 15/07/2012

It is amazing that the minority consider themselves as the only virtuously legitimate decision makers; their protestations of good intentions and pure love for the little guy ad infinitum, if one watches what they do as opposed to what they say one might be forgiven in assuming that their true agenda is a stealth one. Why is that, I wonder?

7) Comment by spqr - 15/07/2012

No. It is not about the majority ruling. It is that they rule with an iron fist, much of what they do lacking transparency and some of it unconstitutional. But the Advocate is to blame as well. Still waiting on stories written in other state papers reflecting the governor's dictatorial rule (Education Supt. John White email to media to lie about numbers making him look good). The Advocate, too, is spineless.

8) Comment by tradewinns - 15/07/2012

so the majority still rules and the advocate doesn't like it. huh. jindal was reelected by a majority of the voters and yet the minority wants to run things. huh. all kinds of things are passed, in either the house or the senate, which the "supporters" have to put forth because of promises, or whatever, that the politicians doesn't want or believe in, so when the other chamber kills it or the gov. veto's it, the only one crying is the special interest that would have made money on it. the politicians can not come out and express their support of the veto, but they don't really care.

9) Comment by lovemykids - 15/07/2012

They would have to grow backbones first.