Blanco, not conservatives, fails state education

Bitter to the end, Gov. Kathleen Blanco’s comments about the failure of her cigarette tax for teacher raises/health care/whatever demonstrates why she continues to prove she is not the right person at this time to lead necessary reform of state finances and education.
Blanco made remarks at a press conference, and showed she still does not get it:

I know that thousands of educators and parents across our state are bitterly disappointed that a willful, obstructionist group sided with cigarette vendors and against our teachers and against our children.

First, I’m an educator and nonsmoker, and I’m delighted that state government is not going to be able to confiscate more of the people’s resources. Second, this “group” did not side with “cigarette vendors” and against “teachers” and “children,” it sided with lovers of liberty and against the big government liberalism that is at the heart of Blanco’s political philosophy.

Never forget that while Blanco may make some efforts to promote more efficient government, she does not at all believe in the concept of smaller government. Like her liberal friends, she wants more and more money sucked from the people into government so she can accumulate more power and do more things. She is no different than federal prisoner #03128-095 in that way (although, quite fortunately, she appears to be a whole lot more honest).

And because she is so blinded by her ideology, by her love of big government that, according to her rhetoric, she seems unable to understand the nature of the opposition. Thus, she rails about “profiteers” being aided by “conservatives” to create a “shameful victory.” No, it was a glorious victory for anybody who believes in the philosophy that government that governs the least governs the best, because the resources already are there for teacher raises without any raising of taxes.

This sentiment that “obstructionist” Republicans, plus a few Democrats, defeated the efforts to bring about the raises, is pure fiction because of the amendment on the operating budget bill to put teacher pay raises in the current budget, rather than contingent on a tax increase. The amendment barely lost, but one word from Blanco at that time would have reversed that outcome. Simply, Blanco refused to support educators when it counted the most.

Especially egregious here was that money existed so that no cuts would have to be made; this was after the state had gotten recognized much more funding. But Blanco’s response to this at the time? Most of the money should be used to plug a hole in health care. Yet if that was the case, then why was the sick tax necessary? Will Blanco’s appetite for more money to state government ever end?

There is still time for the Senate to amend the operating to stick in these raises. (If she wants to find a more-permanent revenue stream to back them, she can try health spending or slush fund reform.) Again, all Blanco has to do is say the word and she can muscle it through. Whether she does will determine if she really does support teacher pay raises or that she fails to support education in the state.