jindalHonestly, why can’t Illinois have a governor like this? Oh, that’s right because we continue to vote for politicians out of the pay-to-play plagued Chicago.

Anycrooks, Bobby Jindal, Republican Governor of Louisiana, announced that he is refusing the unemployment benefits from the $1 trillion stimulus porkulus plan because, SHOCK, he is representing the citizens of Louisiana and doesn’t want his citizens to get stuck with unnecessary bills down the road WHEN the federal ship of money is high and dry (via HotAir).

“The federal money in this bill will run out in less than three years for this benefit and our businesses would then be stuck paying the bill,” Jindal said. “We must be careful and thoughtful as we examine all the strings attached to the funding in this package. We cannot grow government in an unsustainable way.”

Other spotlight hogs in the media *cough*Arnold*cough* are trying to frame Jindal’s refusal as if he is being treacherous, but in fact neglect the fact that he plans to take money that will help infrastructure and roads. Jindal is only being selective in which funds to accept from the porkulus because he doesn’t want to trap his citizens into higher taxes down the road. He is also doing this because he realizes that businesses do not need the added hardship of paying the government more when they are serving the community better by having that freed up capital to create jobs.

NOLA says he’ll accept cash for transportation infrastructure and a modest increase in unemployment benefits but drew the line at unemployment insurance lest it mean a $12 million tax hike for Louisiana businesses three years from now.

See this is what happens when you have fiscally-responsible governors in place. The state runs itself more smooth in terms of budget and spending, and thus doesn’t go crying to the federal legislature to invoke billions upon billions of spending programs – California, are you listening??? Spending programs at the federal level should be reserved for interstate projects and national/international-level projects (military would be an example of this).  Private corporations and citizens on their own won’t fund infrastructure and military – that’s why it makes sense to accept the federal funding as a collective for these types of programs because who’s going to fund them if we don’t do it in this fashion. BUT to blindly accept other spending programs without looking at the fine print in the requirements of said accepting funds is not being a good legislature by the citizens who voted you into office. This is why Jindal is one of my favorite political leaders.

I wish more legislatures were like Jindal – a politician who actually reads the bills and then makes conscious, calculated decisions that weigh both the risks and benefits to the citizens they represent.

UPDATE: Here’s the video of Jinal on Meet The Press this past Sunday talking further about why he’s not accepting part of the porkulus.

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