Blueprint Louisiana
Board of Trustees
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 24, 2012
Jimmy Maurin
For more information, please contact:
Jim Harris or Brad Lambert
225-344-0381 office
jharris@hdaissues.com
blambert@hdaissues.com
Chairman
Dr. Philip Rozeman
Secretary
Mitch Ackal, Jr.
Clay Allen
Boysie Bollinger
Bill Borne
Bryan Bossier, Sr.
J.J. Buquet
Daryl G. Byrd
David Callecod
Blake Chatelain
Jim Davison
Maura Donahue
Bill Doré
Reggie Dupré
James Elrod
Art Favre
Bill Fenstermaker
John Finan
Randy Gilchrist
Bob Giles
Charles Goodson
Michael Gray
Bryan Hanks
Kirk Headley
Bill Ironside
John Kotts
Edward Krampe
Jay Lapeyre
Lenny Lemoine
James Madden
Johnny Martin
John Matessino
Hank Miltenberger
John Noland
Dan O’Leary
Wayne Patterson
Greg Pellegrini
Mike Polito
Cleland Powell
Dr. Patrick Quinlan
Sean Reilly
Mike Reitz
Richard Richardson
Byron Salazar
Bill Scheffy
Christopher Schouest
Kenny Smith
Kenny St. Romain
Robert Stuart, Jr.
Matt Stuller
Steve Stumpf
Shawn Usher
David Welch
Brent Wood
Stephen Wright
Gus Zepernick
Blueprint Louisiana Chairman Jimmy Maurin issued the following
statement today regarding the state budget situation:
A quote from former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan
provides a succinct summary of the choices facing state lawmakers on
the budget: “Our choices right now are not between good and better;
they’re between bad and worse.”
For whatever reasons, state revenues are not rebounding as quickly as
hoped, continuing to produce state budget shortfalls — even when
expenditures have been curtailed — that are neither pleasant nor
productive. Critical health care and higher education funding remains
over-exposed to the budget ax as part of the undedicated programs
financed with the State General Fund.
In times like these, it seems more flexibility, not less, gives leaders the
most options to do the least amount of harm to vital services. That is
why Blueprint Louisiana supports budget flexibility that may be provided
by the use of one-time money, a “funds sweep,” or the Budget
Stabilization Fund to put together another budget that doesn’t cripple
higher education offerings or health care services relied upon by
thousands of Louisianians. These tools are built into our Constitution
and laws for times such as these.
Certainly, we must continue to do everything we can to make
government as efficient as possible. But if we continue to cut higher
education or price it out of the reach of our citizens, where will our
employers find their future workers? If we can’t care for our most
vulnerable, that, too, will impact our current and future workforce.
Louisiana must continue to make the best of a challenging budget
situation. We should attempt to do that with as much flexibility as
possible.
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