Our Views: Holden’s call on state cuts

East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor-President Kip Holden is right to point out the potentially grave implications of Gov. Bobby Jindal’s latest round of state budget cuts for mental health services and domestic violence programs, saying that the cuts could cause “fallout” in Baton Rouge.

Holden said such cuts would hamper Baton Rouge’s ability to advance public safety. We don’t believe — nor did Holden suggest — that local public safety is primarily the state’s responsibility. The primary responsibility for promoting Baton Rouge’s public safety rests with local officials. Nor do we believe that Holden’s remarks should be considered a partisan issue, although the mayor is a Democrat and Jindal is a Republican. Holden also had some positive things to say about the governor, lauding Jindal’s initiatives to promote local economic development and transportation projects.

Holden’s concern about the impact of state cuts to mental health services and domestic violence programs should resonate with everyone in Baton Rouge, regardless of party. Effective public safety involves more than law enforcement patrols. It also requires a network of services to help make criminal activity less likely.

Comments

1) Comment by phil - 29/01/2013

Issues are the important things, and politics and political parties are just secondary. We need to get away from party politics and decide what is best for us locally and in the USA.. I personally think Jindal is correct that cuts need to be made, but this time I will agree that cutting services for the most needy is not the place to make most of the cuts. How about maybe cutting a subsidy like the subsidy for professional football in New Orleans instead?

2) Comment by [e-mail] - 29/01/2013

Cutting such services is always fodder for liberals; unfortunately these services are the best places to conceal fraud, theft, chicanery, and make work jobs that are awarded to poltical cronies or given out as rewards. They're an obvious target, i.e. low hanging fruit.

3) Comment by crazycajun - 29/01/2013

Until these cuts start affecting the rich to any degree, the problems caused by the cuts are not on L'il booby's radar. That's unless the national media makes something of it. Then booby will have a "come to Jesus" moment and change his mind again. Pathetic doesn't even come close to describing how disgraceful he's become.