Perhaps it’s because it’s so late in the session, with so much left to be done, but some of the ladies in the Legislature are no longer putting up with political posturing from the men on the far right. The women are instead using logic to deflate the rhetoric.
Take West Monroe Senator Mike Walsworth’s argument against a bill to end the Enterprise Zone program.
“We cut it in half,” Walsworth said.
Lafayette Senator Page Cortez asked for clarification, “What was the fiscal cost to the state 3 years ago?”
“55-million when we started the revisions 3 years ago,” Walsworth replied.
“And what was it last year?”
“40-million,” Walsworth responded.
That’s when New Orleans Senator Karen Cater Peterson got up and popped Walsworth’s balloon.
“You said that there were over half in savings, and then you just gave the numbers of 55 million to 40 million,” Peterson began.
“That’s not half, 55 to 40,” a sheepish Walsworth admitted.
“Just want to make sure we’re doing the same 4th grade math,” Peterson said. “And so, that is not accurate. It’s very difficult for people to trust us if we don’t give accurate information.”
Over in House Appropriations, Treasurer John Kennedy was again talking about his belief the state needs to cut contracts.
“I thank the Governor for his interest in contracts,” Kennedy began. “I don’t agree with the procedure that he’s using.”
Kennedy then went through John Bel Edwards’ executive order, issued February 14th, wherein the Governor directs all state agency heads to “Send copies of their contracts to the Commissioner of Administration. He is supposed to read all of them.”
“I can assure you, he will be reading these contracts at the end of the governor’s first term.”
Kennedy then urged the Legislature to take over the process, instead.
“You get involved,” he pushed. “Look at every single one of these contracts.”
Representative Patricia Smith of Baton Rouge, noting the governor and his staff work full-time, proceeded to burst Kennedy’s bubble.
“You mentioned about us getting involved? We are part-timers, so for us to look at those contracts? It surely would take us beyond any one term, two terms or three terms,” Smith said.
Kennedy, taken aback by Smith’s challenge, offered a passive-aggressive response.
“Well, if you don’t want to do it, you have the right to do or not do anything you want.”