Letter: Bobby Jindal a cruel Machiavelli

Re: Hospice cuts averted, Jan. 24.

So, the Jindal administration has miraculously found the money needed to continue providing hospice care for the poor. How fortunate — and just in the nick of time, too.

To believe that this money just happened to be found would imply the rankest incompetence on the part of the state’s accountants, who apparently can’t add, subtract or read.

How else to explain overlooking more than a million dollars?

Obviously, the money was there all along.

It was only because of the fierce blowback to his proposal that Gov. Bobby Jindal was motivated to “find” the resources to continue this service. This episode serves only to further expose Jindal as a cold, calculating Machiavelli who will step on anyone — even the terminally ill — to get where he wants to go.

Jindal may publicly decry the stupidity of his party, but privately he must be counting on the stupidity of his constituents.

Michael Russo

librarian

Baton Rouge

Comments

1) Comment by Thurston_Howell_III - 19/04/2013

Booby Jindal. THE WORST Governor in La History.

2) Comment by Whatnow - 08/02/2013

http://www.c-span.org/Events/Top-Defense-Chiefs-Testify-on-US-Consulate-Attack-in-Libya/10737437878/

3) Comment by nimby? - 07/02/2013

feel the love ! now , group hug .....

4) Comment by Bouncer - 07/02/2013

@Whatnow. Biden? LOL. He's as big of an a-hole as you are, and nearly as big of a moron. In his behalf, though, I can say that he at least admitted to his plagiarism, unlike you. And FYI, you can make your boasts about your humanitarianism to someone who might be dumb enough to believe you. This is the internet, you idiot. Anyone can claim to be or do anything. What you say has zero credibility with me or with any other thinking individual. You're a funny, impotent little person.

5) Comment by jedleland - 07/02/2013

thre is a telling article in POlitico today that surveys the current efforts of the gop to shed itself of the troglodyte tea party crowd and regain relevance again. its gonna take time though. recall if you will bobby jindal calling his party the 'stupid party' (hint: he wasnt referring to the establishment northeastern moderate wing, the educated and urbane powerbrokers of which he is one, but the tea party loons and know-nothings who he exploited for his own job). then there is the purging over at fox of palin and now dick morris, two of the more embarrassing far right goobers. And i loved this quote : "One high-profile Republican strategist, who refused to be named in order to avoid inflaming the very segments of the party he wants to silence, said there is a deliberate effort by party leaders to “marginalize the cranks, haters and bigots — there’s a lot of underbrush that has to be cleaned out.” Thats straight from the power center of the GOP, mind you, think they sdont know they have a problem with tea party goons? think only lefties like me see nothing but "cranks, haters, and bigots"? apparently not. it seems you are but 'underbrush'. I ask again,ever feel youve been exploited?

6) Comment by jedleland - 07/02/2013

truer words never spoken.

7) Comment by Scrooge - 07/02/2013

“Do not argue with an idiot they drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.” ― Mark Twain

8) Comment by jedleland - 07/02/2013

i posted an academic article the other day that dealt with average intelligence levels, prejudice, and right-wing political leanings and how they mysteriously coalesce. Interesting stuff. another thing i find interesting - i can only think of right wing regressives here at the advocate that have been caught and shamed with plagiarism, a very dishonest practice. Lets see, whatnow, JWT, jdk 'get off my lawn', poor simple old phil, and of course the champion, agagent (no i never read his posts anymore either). Saintly christians one and all. why is this? is it just luck that i have yet to be caught? No cause i make sure to cite everything, just in case. gop jesus is not so concerned with lies, it turns out. not crazy about gay kids, or brown people, or the poor, or muslims, or liberals, or atheists. and espicailly gay brown poor liberal atheist muslims. plagiarism is A-OK though

9) Comment by jedleland - 07/02/2013

"And FYI Im not a birther". This was posted below a very recent advocate headline by a frequent regressive commenter: "I'm a BIRTHER for questioning the lack of documentation of the Commander in Chief.... Yep, GUILTY AND DANG PROUD OF IT!!!" dont you know? lies make the baby jesus cry!

10) Comment by jedleland - 07/02/2013

it helps if you know what marxism actually is - sounds cool on foxnews, for its a trendy buzzword, but its apparent that a buzzword is all it remains. This indisuptable fact from our marxist friends a the huff post: "The Dow is up 85 percent since Inauguration Day 2009, notes Adam Shell of USA Today, making Obama's first term the third best for the Dow among all presidents. (Franklin D. Roosevelt, another business-hating socialist, was the best.)" pretty poor for a marxist. which branch do you study? groucho, harpo, chico, gummo, or zeppo?

11) Comment by Whatnow - 07/02/2013

I guess Biden the PLAGIARIST is stupid, too. But that's okay. He's a liberal. LOL! And FYI, I'm not a birther. I just dislike Marxist liars. Self-absorbed? I don't ask the people I help what political, sexual or moral agenda they follow. I just do what I can. I ask nothing in return. Just the smiles on their faces is all I need. Liberals = Societal Decay.

12) Comment by jedleland - 06/02/2013

read the last paragraph of the letter again and think hard about his 'stupid' comment, how that relates to several failed tea part candidates, and wether what they said and did from a downhome grassroots tea party perspective was really that stupid. jindal sure seems to think it was. ever get the feeling youre being exploited?

13) Comment by jedleland - 06/02/2013

i winder how romney felt as he racked wins in the flyover states in nov, while losing the ones he lives in and actually cares about. You know the ones full of effette country club snobs and aristocrats, ivy league elitists and mba millionaires. of course that community rejected him while the downhome rural folk and blue collar southerners and walmart crowd lapped it up, even though he has no idea who they are how to relate to them, and his contempt was palpable. jindal wouldnt be so cynical in exploiting the so-called 'stupid' (his word) of this states gop voters would he? an ivy league millionaire visiting rural churches with big checks and newspaper cameras? nah, couldnt be

14) Comment by jedleland - 06/02/2013

gop jesus says exclude and bully gay kids. he was very very clear about that

15) Comment by jedleland - 06/02/2013

Hold on my wife is a white straight middle class christian, but shes not a bigoted gun toting ill-educated rube. In fact she actually tries to do unto others and all that.what gives? Oh yeah i forgot shes a regular christian not a right wing fundamentalist

16) Comment by jedleland - 06/02/2013

I suspect that 'he' is a 'she'. that has no impact on the righteous sense of persecution mind you. white straight middle class christians (just like gop jesus) have it rough in those country i tell ya, male or otherwise

17) Comment by Bouncer - 06/02/2013

LOL@Protean. Check and checkmate! I think you have beaten him at his own game. :-) Communicating with him is out of the question. I would have better luck discussing neuroscience with my dog.

18) Comment by Protean - 06/02/2013

Bouncer, if you wish to communicate with someone as self absorbed as Whatnow, you must do it by stooping to their level. Here's an example (Tea-Slayer has a better one): Whatnow, we get it already. You think that anyone in the 70805 area code who doesn't think, look, behave and use the same talking points as you is stupid. I still would like you to show up in a place where the residents of that area code gather and say all that out loud. I dare you. Keep using your computer and your imaginary friend to promote your hate and fear while shielding you from accountability. (Hmm. This thoughtless retort business is easier than I expected. Doesn't take much effort. Just poke out a lower lip and substitute a few words. I wonder if that's why he does it so often?)

19) Comment by Bouncer - 06/02/2013

Sorry that your own chain was yanked by my remark, Whatnow. Actually, I don't feel that way about "all" people in the state, and I don't think that way of "everyone" who disagrees with me....but I do think that you are among the stupid ones, based upon the boneheaded things I have seen you say repeatedly. Now, don't you have some boasting to do somewhere about all of your wonderful good deeds? Shoo. Go away now. P.S. Tea_Slayer nailed you too, PLAGIARIST. If you ever had an original thought in your head, it would die of loneliness.

20) Comment by crazycajun - 06/02/2013

trade, I guess you haven't been made aware of the term KARMA. U'd better be careful because it will come back to bite u where the sun don't shine. I've come to the conclusion when you comment you're just being facetious. Nobody and I mean nobody can be that misinformed. There,now do u like it.

21) Comment by Tea_Slayer - 06/02/2013

to borrow a technique from the great plagiarist, whatnow: do you think Obama was born with the Kenyan Muslim belief that they leave their poor to die in the streets? Kind of hard when he was born here and didn't need to convert to Christianity. I think you would consider that since he is a Christian that your statement isn't true. He is an American. Now since you are just projecting your thoughts, try bringing in some facts to substantiate your accusations. You do love to ramble. If you don't like Obama, put your efforts instead to find someone to run against him. All of you haters of Obama need to put your money were your mouth is and donate to a Tea Partier's campaign so we can keep a Democrat in the White House for 8 more years.

22) Comment by Whatnow - 06/02/2013

Bouncer, we get it already. You think everyone in Louisiana who doesn't agree with you is stupid. I still would like you to say that out loud at your job or in any place where people gather in Louisiana. I dare you. Keep hiding behind that computer with your hate.

23) Comment by Whatnow - 06/02/2013

twinkie1cat, do you think Jindal was born with the Indian belief that they leave their poor to die in the streets? Kind of hard when he was born here and a convert to Catholicism at a young age. I think you would consider that since he is a Christian and a Catholic that your statement isn't true. He is an American. Now since you are just projecting your thoughts, try bringing in some facts to substantiate your accusations. You do love to ramble. If you don't like Jindal, put your efforts instead to find someone to run against him. All of you haters of Jindal need to put your money were your mouth is and donate to a Democrat's campaign.

24) Comment by twinkie1cat - 06/02/2013

Oh they can read and do math. Bobby just told them not to or get fired. Suddenly he realized that the elderly and sick have families and that both they and their families vote and in Louisiana a lot of them vote Republican..........He is a sick and vicious man. Maybe it starts from his upbringing as a Hindu. In India they leave their poor to die in the streets and had to have Mother Teresa, a Christian, or at least a Catholic, to come and rescue them. Maybe it is that cultural tradition that says that it is a person's own fault or maybe what they did in a previous life that makes them suffer. Or maybe he just has a demon. In any case, I hope if he is reincarnated that it is as a poor person with a terminal illness and a disability who needs Medicaid. The man seriously needs to get saved.

25) Comment by Bouncer - 06/02/2013

Oh, I think the stupidity demonstrated by some of the commenters is not only purposeful, but it's also not remediable. When someone is steeped in stupidity, it is impossible for him to see how stupid he is. Most of the stupid ones toss in a dose of cruelty, too, just for good measure.

26) Comment by Ivy - 06/02/2013

tradewinns, you forgot catastrophic illness on your list. Hospice care for the poor? For most of those people, they have exhausted their personal resources, or, have assigned their assets to children. Poor is poor, though.

27) Comment by crazycajun - 06/02/2013

****Comment Removed for Violation of Terms of Use****

28) Comment by DMJ - 06/02/2013

"Jindal may publicly decry the stupidity of his party, but privately he must be counting on the stupidity of his constituents." That's a great line, Michael. It's already being co-opted by Republicans, I see.

29) Comment by arin - 06/02/2013

Michael, that's what we say about Obama voters. He counts on his stupidity of his constituents.

30) Comment by tradewinns - 06/02/2013

that should read "not receive" medical care.....

31) Comment by tradewinns - 06/02/2013

be glad jindal's your govenor. if it was me, the poor would not only receive medical care, they wouldn't get food or shelter. i'd be glad to tell them which roads lead out of state for free.

32) Comment by crazycajun - 06/02/2013

It wasn't miracle found money but what the national press would have done with this ridiculous decision on booby's part. Scared the hell out of him.

33) Comment by dday198 - 06/02/2013

Here’s how that would work: Under the Affordable Care Act, the only American citizens eligible for government subsidies to purchase private coverage are those who live above the poverty line (earning more than $11,170). For legal immigrants, however, things work differently. Medicaid has, for decades, now imposed a five-year waiting period before they can gain coverage. The Affordable Care Act, however, created a new option: Any legal immigrant, no matter how long they had been a resident of a given state, could purchase health coverage on the new exchanges and qualify for the subsidies. That coverage would likely cost more than Medicaid but, if a legal immigrant were still in that five-year waiting period, it would be better than nothing. All of that seemed like a decent setup when the law passed. Then the Supreme Court came along and told states they didn’t have to expand Medicaid. If a state does not participate in the expansion, then all of its American citizens below the poverty line will not qualify for Medicaid or private insurance subsidies. Legal immigrants would, however, qualify for the latter. And that explains where Brewer’s budget advisers saw the decision to opt out of the Medicaid expansion as one that would leave only “legal immigrants but not citizens” eligible for a new, federal program. This was, of course, not the only factor that mattered in Arizona’s decision. The state noted that it could expect an additional $1.6 billion in federal funds, to finance the expansion, should it move forward. “Given the ongoing financial struggles of Arizona and its health sector, the Executive contends that the responsible choice is to accept this offer,” the memo concludes, urging Arizona to move forward with the expansion. Now that Arizona has brought this issue into the Medicaid expansion debate, it should be interesting to see how other states navigate around it. Will Gov. Rick Perry in Texas stand for legal immigrants having better access to health insurance subsidies? What about Gov. Rick Scott in Florida? It’s a new wrinkle in an old debate, that might make it a bit harder for Republican governors to turn down these Obamacare funds.

34) Comment by chem - 06/02/2013

Everything that Piyush and his lackey legislators have done comes straight from the ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council) play book. The same is true in other states controlled by the Koch brothers, er, um, I mean republicans.