Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal backed off his big Thatcherite idea of reforming the tax code.
He wanted to eliminate income taxes and corporate taxes and raise sales taxes.
That way, the poor would subsidize the rich.
But his poll numbers plummeted, and legislators told him that his plan would be defeated, even by his faithful followers, who want to be re-elected by the voters in their districts.
So he backed off his regressive plan.
The New York Times mentions that Governor Jindal’s health secretary resigned recently “amid reports of a federal grand jury investigation into the awarding of a $185 million state contract.” This gentleman has been the governor’s point man in accelerating the transfer of “the state’s safety-net hospital system to a system of public-private partnerships.” That is a polite way of saying that Governor Jindal is privatizing the state’s public hospitals.
Bobby Jindal is the Reverse Robin Hood of the South. Corporations should flock to Louisiana: Cheap labor! Low taxes! No unions! Big profits! A poorly educated workforce, and likely to stay that way as long as this governor is in office.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Jindal admitted that he made a POLITICAL mistake, not a policy error. These guys also have a constant eye on being reelected. Who was it said this guy is the future of the Republican Party?
The game is starting to go against the corporatist privatizers. Jindal got a dose of FEAR from the citizens. Now is the time to turn up the heat. In warfare when you have the enemy running backwards you do not take a nap, you increase the offense just like the Russians did in WWII. Study history and politics.
The residents of Louisiana should consider privatizing Bobby Jindal by contracting out to a private company that will supply and manage a governor for the state.
That way, they can get rid of Jindal, pay Jindal’s replacement far less and give fewer perks and benfits, eliminate the pension that comes with the position, and require that 18 hour works days become the norm.
And wouldn’t it be exactly what Jindal would want?
The state can competitively bid out the job to a governor supply vendor.
Let’s make Mr. Jindal proud and fulfill his vision . . . .
I can see it now – The Broad Academy for Governors!
So excited to find this blog! So excited to read about people rising up against the testing tide. So bummed out to find all these anti-conservative, anti-Republican comments and posts. BTW, I am not a conservative or a Republican I was just hoping to find a blog that dealt with issues in education away from the partisan politics. It is your blog, you can post what you want to, but based upon the slanted tone of this post and some of the comments I have read by others I don’t think this is a blog open to all points of view. Such a bummer.
Bummer, this blog is open to all points of view. The reality is that the worst policies regarding teachers, testing, and privatization are being adopted in states with Republican governors, but those same policies are being promoted by the Obama administration. So, I am nonpartisan in my criticism of bad policies that harm students, teachers, and public schools.
I believe that conservatives should unite with liberals to defeat them because true conservatives don’t go around blowing up traditional institutions. What we see happening today in state after state is destructive and radical, not conservative or liberal.
It’s interesting that this post was the second in two days that elicited the response that discussion of public education is separate from other issues. First of all as Diane states, it is her blog and she can write about whatever she wants, but also if we don’t see the connection between education and many other issues we don’t stand a chance of saving public education from the corporate “reformers” who are connected to big money and big politics.
At an alarmingly increasing rate, the Democrats are just as choked by big corporation America as the Republicans, and neither side is really representing the average, everyday, working class person.
Our electoral system and policies are written far too much by lobbyists who work the revolving door between public and private sector.
We are increasingly paying taxes without true representation.
If that makes me “anti-Republican” or partisan, then I’m proud to be so, but I’d like to add that with the exception of maybe five democrats (Bernie Sanders is one of them, although he refers to himself as “indpependent”), both parties have turned against the people.
I am proud to fight to preserve education as a public trust. Neither party, for the most part, is not.
Bummer,
So you haven’t noticed all the negative comments about Obama, Duncan, Rhee, Emanuel…all democrats. They pretty regularly get trashed around here due to horrid education policies/practices.
Re: “BTW, I am not a conservative or a Republican”
Interesting.
…of course you are what ever/who ever you say you are…but you sure make me wonder.
Every time I have encountered that sort of comment (slanted view point, unfair to conservatives,don’t let it get political, too partisan, type deal) it come from a libertarian/conservative follower.
The minute some one has to claim to not be what their writing makes them seem to be…it is interesting.
But hey, you probably went door to door for the socialist candidate in your state, right?!
Any way…this blog has quite a few points of view.
If you care about public education, get involved.
It’s great to hear that this is a blog open to all points of view as I think everyone is responsible for the state of our educational system. In fact I was surprised and disappointed it wasn’t addressed more in the last election.
Ang, I really am not a conservative/Republican. I’m a registered Independent from a very Liberal/Democratic household and currently living in an extremely blue state. I’ve honestly been disheartened by the state of the Democratic Party. I feel like there’s a lot of hypocrisy and name calling and not a lot of getting things done. And I don’t just think it’s the Republicans fault!