House Committee Votes To Fully Fund TOPS
There is obviously a virus going around Baton Rouge. In my mind, this virus must destroy the mind of politicians and inject the slightest amount of common sense and forethought. My reason for thinking this is the House Appropriations Committee voted yesterday to fully fund the decimated TOPS program for the next fiscal year.
Why in the heck would our state's leaders want to something as assinine as providing funding for our state's future? Don't they know we don't need Louisiana's best and brightest students to stay in the state unless they can carry a football?
Why yes, that is sarcasm.
In true political grandstand fashion, many of the committee members have injured themselves in a strenuous effort to pat themselves on the back for this vote. They offer comments about how they are "listening to the constituents" and " showing how important education and the TOPS program is to the state". That would be outstanding if any of it was true.
Here's what's going to happen. The committee members will bask in the glow of doing the right thing. The legislation will go the full house where it will mysteriously disappear in a cloud of budget negotiations. My guess is that nowhere on the official voting record will we be able to find a soul who voted against this issue. However, the plan to actually provide for students in our state will not pass.
Or there is this alternative to the TOPS funding issue. It will pass however the state's hospitals will be stripped down to the bare bones. Our sick and infirmed will find themselves sharing bed pans, needles, and perhaps even bloody bandages because of the monetary assault on our state's healthcare system.
So, what's it going to be? We fund sending kids to college or we fund taking care of the sick? How about we defund the legislature and start over with some competent leadership that has a genuine interest in our state, its people, and our future.
That's my two cents. I figured I'd spend it with you before the government takes it all and uses it to fund a riverboat casino and brothel for legislators.