Letter: It’s time to stop the Jindal madness

Bobby Jindal still makes me sick! Thank goodness I can afford good health insurance now and can seek quality medical care when needed.

There was a time in my life when I was raising four young children, working a low-paying job for the state. Thank goodness Jindal wasn’t in office then because he would have made my children sick too.

Let’s hope our elected legislators do the right thing for our great state and oppose Jindal every step of the way as he continues to destroy our public hospital system. Enough is enough ... and Jindal has made enough Louisianians sick already. It’s time to stop the madness!

Linda Bennett

retired state employee

Baton Rouge

Comments

1) Comment by foldgers - 06/03/2013

Yet, it is OK for the Obama administration to kill American citizens on US soil without due process? No fan of Bobby either, but please do not make it seem like he is the only one in politics who is doing wrong to the very people who put them in office. And if you have a low paying job plus two other part time jobs and still need welfare, you should not be having four kids. I am sure condoms were cheap enough back when you decided to have unprotected sex. Bringing 4 kids into a household that can't support them is irresponsible. As far as I am concerned, the government is NOT responsible for who you bring into this world. To be more technical, I am not responsible for you bringing kids into this world when you can't afford them. If people would buy condoms or abstain, there wouldn't be so many kids in poverty, starving, sick or homeless. And whoever always attacks me when I say these things, please do not tell me that abortion is too expensive as you always do, I am pro choice, but that way of thinking is sick! Condoms, cheap birth control or abstain... cheap, anyone can get and anyone can say no to it in the first place. Taxpayers are NOT responsible for YOUR choices in life, it is that kind of thinking that is destroying the spirit of our great nation. And stop complaining Linda, I am not sure how much you used to make with your three jobs, but the fact you made MORE with government assistance, you basically got double the pay, and half of that was on my dime. People like you believe that the federal government is wrong by making life harder for those who come here illegally(from any country), even though it is stated as one of their main roles, as government, to protect our borders, but you will turn around and say that the government is responsible for your children that you couldn't afford to have in the first place. Nowhere in ANY law book does it say that the government is responsible for the needs of children if the parents who brought them into this world were not capable of supporting their own kids. I do believe the government should make this country as safe as possible, by keeping food safe, air quality safe, cars safe and so on, but even as a parent who tries to protect their children from harm as much as possible, those children will, in the end, make a dumb choice here and there and get hurt by it or in trouble for it. Simple rule: "No money? No unprotected sex." The easiest way to prevent children from growing up in poverty. Just like the easiest diet out there, "Do more, eat less." Life is simple people, many simple choices we can make to ensure our lives are as beneficial as possible, make the wrong choice, especially if it is obviously wrong, well... that is on you. Don't complain to anyone except that person you see in the mirror. Of course, only my opinion, which, thanks to many people who have died, I have the right to have one. May not be right, may not be wrong, may not be nice, may not be mean, but I have the right to say it, just like you, Linda, have the right to your opinion about government as well.

2) Comment by twinkie1cat - 01/03/2013

Speak the truth, Sister Linda. I think a lot of us are sick of Jindal. If he had to face the people next week he would almost certainly lose. In fact in some countries a 37% approval rate results in either a special election or a resignation. Every word that comes out of his whiny mouth is either CUT or PRIVATIZE. And he has the nerve to think anyone can teach school. He must have really hated his teachers, especially since the guy he hired is not even qualified.

3) Comment by twinkie1cat - 01/03/2013

Judianna: Jindal only won because he had name recognition and a fat campaign account. Plus he had the advantage of incumbency and strategically stayed on the news with his whiny little voice as much as possible to get free advertising while strictly avoiding press conferences and debates where he would have to defend his policies. Hardly anyone in North Baton Rouge voted for him and there was only a 37% turnout. Tara Hollis, a special education teacher from North Louisiana came in second. She was not a liberal and, in fact, worked for Jindal in a previous campaign, but when her husband's teaching job got cut, she realized Jindal was all wrong.>>>>>>>>>> As for calling him by his name which is PIYUSH, he has never changed it legally. So that is his name. At least our president has the integrity to use his real name and not be ashamed of his heritage.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> I am really sorry y'all had to pay for your own medical bills because the leaders of this state were too selfish to help. Especially in the case of the little premature baby, that must have been really hard on y'all and your other kids probably missed out on many things because the baby was sick. Would it not have been much better for your family if you could have gotten Medicaid for the baby's expenses? Would have been a lot easier to afford those braces too. You pay taxes and you should get benefits from those taxes. Now you are probably getting Social Security and Medicare and I am sure that is making life somewhat better.>>>>>>>>>>Now you are going to not like this much, but what good is a private education if it brainwashes children and tells them lies like a lot of the so called "Christian" schools do? And what is good about an education that does not include interaction with children who are not quite the same as you are, who see the world a little differently. I hope your kids do turn out well, but I treasure my public school and public college education from which I have earned almost 3 degrees and would not have traded my 27 years teaching mostly inner city kids for elitist private school darlings for anything. In fact, those years where I did teach mostly middle class kids, I found most of them selfish and unappreciative so I can imagine how the ones who go to private school act. My parents were fairly poor and conservative too, by the way. As a result my brother is very conservative and my baby brother is conservative and racist. I don't think we had health insurance and my parents got braces for my sister (now deceased) because she had really super crooked teeth. We did not have nearly as much as the other kids had in our community. And I have been what you would call a liberal since I was 7 and saw the signs on the restrooms at the Birmingham Zoo that said MEN, WOMEN, and COLORED.

4) Comment by twinkie1cat - 01/03/2013

There are a lot of other people who feel the way you do. There are probably enough to recall him just among teachers and booted state employees. There has got to be something illegal he is doing that he could be impeached for.

5) Comment by Bouncer - 27/02/2013

judianna1: HISTRIONIC much? (Shakes head.) Get over yourself, girl. You sound like a big ole drama queen.

6) Comment by state53 - 27/02/2013

Judianna1, there is a place for honest discourse and disagreement, even among people of the same party. Just because someone disagrees with the policies of a current incumbent does not necessarily make that person a liberal, and certainly offers no justification to claim that person has an "ugly heart.". I believe Ms. Bennett was expressing her concern about the hospital closures and the impact that could have on Louisiana families. The right to disagree is guaranteed by our constitution.

7) Comment by Maelstrom - 26/02/2013

In contrast to the mistaken opinion of some who have posted here, Bobby Jindal is not supported right now by the majority of Louisianians. As reported earlier this month by multiple sources, Bobby Jindal's approval ratings (a PPP poll) is around 37% with a 57% disapproval rating. As for Judianna1: avg costs now for a delivery are about $10,000 (2008 numbers). But if you are talking about 50 years ago, when the avg car was $2000, then $22,000 was a relatively high amount. You cannot compare that to costs today without insurance. Nice try though.

8) Comment by retiredinbrla - 26/02/2013

I am the author of the letter. I retired with 30 years of service. I was aware it was a low paying job, but it was far better than staying on food stamps and welfare. So, I worked the low paying job with the state and worked at Walmart part time and had another part time job. I had more income while on welfare and food stamps than I got while working three jobs. I also enrolled at LSU and eventually got my degree at age 50. Once I got my degree, I got several promotions while employed by the state. Along the way, many kind hearted individuals helped me out and I pay it forward each and every day. My heart isn't "ugly" as you suggest, judianna1. I encourage you to look in the mirror at yourself to see where the ugliness lies. At least I care about those less fortunate.

9) Comment by Tea_Slayer - 26/02/2013

"O, Linda, Gov. Jindal won the position because over 50% of the state voted for him." umm, not even close... only 36% of registered voters even participated and he got 66% of those

10) Comment by Whatnow - 26/02/2013

judianna1, well said!

11) Comment by judianna1 - 26/02/2013

Liberal democrats like Linda Bennet make me sick! so sick that if I let them get under my skin my BP rises, so I have to stop and get a glass of ice water before I can continue. It think it is time to stop the madness, too, but it is the madness of this newspaper allowing every negative thing that liberals have to say about Gov. Jindal, including those racists who still call the Gov. Piyush instead of Bobby. I cannot believe that The Advocate still allows that! Only for conservatives! My late father said once that he could never trust a liberal because they eat their own, whether military, fellow countryman or fellow Louisianan and he was right. Liberals will say anything without having to proove a word about anyone as long as it advances their agenda. There is nothing attractive about people like this, especially like Linda Bennet. She seems a very ugly person to me; not in looks, after all I don't know what she looks like, but she could look like Miss America and still be ugly because of what comes out of her heart--whatever comes out of your mouth or your keyboard is what is in your heart and Ms. Bennet's heart is ugly. Oh, Linda, my late husband and I both had low paying private sector jobs and most of the time while we were raising our three children we did not have insurance! Know what we did? We paid it ourselves! My last child was born prematurely and we had no insurance. It took us five years to pay off the doctors and specialists and hospital, but we did it on a combined salary of $22,000 a year. We also footed the bill for all three of our children to have braces on their teeth because they needed them. We did it ourselves--know why? Because they were OUR children, not the state's, not the city's, not the parish's, but OURS. We made them, we were responsible for them! All three of them got through high school, college and they are all on their own now and are doing quite well. Well enough in fact for them to be privately educated so that nasty opinions like yours are not taught in their classrooms. Linda Bennet needs to get out of her liberal surroundings a little more and mingle with the rest of us. O, Linda, Gov. Jindal won the position because over 50% of the state voted for him.

12) Comment by Whatnow - 26/02/2013

I wonder how long the writer was a state employee to be able to retire? And didn't she know it was a low paying job when she took it? Is that why she retired? Oh, Jindal wasn't Governor then? But, now a better paying job and Jindal is making her sick? Who was making her sick before Jindal and good insurance?

13) Comment by spqr - 26/02/2013

Melisse3, Have you seen the latest approval ratings of Piyush Jindal? His approval rating is under 50 percent and sliding...fast.

14) Comment by Melisse3 - 26/02/2013

It would be nice if the author (Ms. Bennett) offered just one specific reason/issue for which Jindal 'makes her sick'. As tradewinns points out, the majority of Louisiana residents like Jindal, and he (and his policies) had overwhelming support in the last election.

15) Comment by DMJ - 26/02/2013

We get what we deserve. And since there is no Democratic Party any more in Louisiana, we have to do what Jindal says. This is what we get for not offering a credible opponent.

16) Comment by Old Man Kensey - 26/02/2013

Actually tradewinns is correct. The election wasn't a squeaker. Apathy won. Jindall won his second election with one of the smallest turnouts La has ever seen. The current polls are more representative of the citizens with almost 60% disapproving of Jindal.

17) Comment by tradewinns - 26/02/2013

somehow it seems the letter writer is not the majority of people in La. jindal was just reelected and it wasn't a squeaker. i'm sick of obama also, but as he was reelected also, i have to endure 4 more years.

18) Comment by Bighug - 26/02/2013

I'm convinced, but I don't matter. You will have to convince the person who selects the leaders of this state, Gene Mills.