Governor Bobby Jindal is one our most notable reformers.
He wants to reform Louisiana’s tax code by abolishing income taxes and corporate taxes and replace them with an increase in the sales tax. This will shift the burden of taxation to poor and middle-income people. How clever to shelter the income of the rich.
But wait, there is more.
Jindal and his faithful liege John White want standards, accountability, and letter grades for pre-kindergarten. That way, every child will start school ready to learn. Watch those test scores soar!
So put it all together and what do you get? Higher taxes for poor people and the state’s threat to close down their kids’ preschools if the kids don’t perform.
Maybe Jindal should repeal the child labor laws and let the little tykes get a job after their nursery school is shut down by the state.
And if the parents can’t afford to buy food, there is always Jonathan Swift’s”Modest Proposal.” Google it.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
More people in power want to punish adults and their children in poverty.They are furious that people are poor and their quick fix is to withhold their checks, mess with 4 year olds, shame teachers, sell everyone’s confidential data, test till their fingers bleed, close schools for thousands of heartbroken kids, and on and on.
Is this country turning into the Third Reich? I hear them marching now. Unreal!!!
Not exactly the Third Reich, but whatever it is, it isn’t good.
As we long time English teachers know, Swift’s proposal was that if families ran out of cash they could sell their year old babies to the rich to be cooked and eaten as a special delicacy. The English landlords were squeezing rents out of the farmers, taking the money out of the country, and spending it in England. How could an Anglican priest who was Dean of the Dublin Cathedral propose such a monstrous thing? Oh well, we know that all those parents who want vouchers for religious schools are in league with those child killing businessmen anyway, just proving that all clergy and religious types are totally corrupt anyway backing capitalism, fighting gay marriage, and modern science. What can you expect from parents who cling to God and their guns. They just want to keep their kids ignorant instead of sending them to us, in the public schools, who know the truth about everything and are good compassionate people in addition.
I guess that is not so different from countries where poor people sell their children into slavery even today. It was common in Haiti even when the earthquake came. But to be EATEN! Cannibalism! I will have to read up on that one. Bet he was opposed to abortion though.
I promptly looked up and read Swift’s proposal. I was never taught his literature in school although I did have a large, illustrated copy of Robinson Crusoe as a child. Disturbing to say the least. Thank Jesus for the Internet. I truly hope the “proposal” was satire. If it wasn’t it explains a great deal about why slavery was allowed in America and the oppression of minorities and the poor that continues to this day. The idea that some people are worthy and others are groceries (or labor) continues. And if we limit educational opportunity we produce a lot more “groceries”. Soylent Green is people.
Thank goodness Swift’s Modest Proposal is just satire!
Yes, we are very disturbed about this in Louisiana so he claims there will be “rebates” for the new 6% state sales tax to “certain groups” Now with the parish (county) and city sales taxes, that will raise sales taxes as high as 12%!. That’s right, so I cannot afford to buy toilet paper and cat food today, but in 6 months maybe I will get a rebate check so I can stock up. Yeah. And I am sure he will be real tight about who gets his rebate. Plus there will have to be a whole new department to dispense the rebates and that will leave less for other things like—oh—public schools. Then he will privatize that department, throw people out of work and cost more money. When you put it together, Louisiana has the lowest property taxes in the country. ( I know people who only pay $38 per year.) This, of course means the well off are already protected. Getting rid of income taxes will give us the highest sales taxes in America. I suspect Texas, Arkansas, and Mississippi (the border states) will be building big shopping centers on the borders as rapidly as they can put them up. I don’t expect the rebates to materialize.
If you look up 2theAdvocate and check the comment sections after the articles on this subject, you see that there is serious opposition to Jindal’s plan to protect the wealthy. Some of it is rather bloody.
But the Oil and Gas companies are FOR IT. Conveniently, although most service businesses will be subject to sales taxes—hair stylists, home health companies, etc. lawyers won’t be. Most of Jindal’s helpers are lawyers. So are a great many legislators.
Plus he also passed a rule that people on “welfare” can’t get cash from an ATM at a liquor store or casino. Well, honey, around here sometimes the liquor store also sells groceries and all the convenience stores sell liquor so it might be the only place with an ATM in walking distance. We have crappy public transportation. No subways and limited bus service.
On the school thing, since school now starts in early August and creeps back a few days every year—you know 95 degree days so they have to use lots of air conditioning makes SO much sense in Louisiana plus that is in the midst of the worst part of Hurricane Season—- and the cut off birthday for school enrollment is October 1, we get pre-Ks who are more 3-1/2 than 4. Even the smallest uniforms don’t fit them. (And yes, they are forced to wear them.) Some are not even real secure in their toilet training. So you get kids who are not coordinated enough to hold a pencil and still need naps in Pre-K! Real ripe to sit in a desk and take standardized tests, aren’t they? By the way, Jindal turned down a big federal grant for Early Childhood Education about 2 years ago. Said the paperwork was too complex. But the budget for the schools has been frozen for 5 years now.
That is their plan. Are we going to allow it????? HOPE NOT!!!!!
Swift’s “A Modest Proposal” is exactly what came to mind when I read the Tennessee idea. “Grades for Food” How much lower can they sink?