Hmph. What reform legislation? Might it be HB 1347 (pdf alert), which sends some $10 million in taxpayer funds and gives them to private and religious schools in New Orleans? I ask that because the Louisiana Federation of Teachers blog has a post up that states:
Judging from all the back door arm twisting that lawmakers say they have been subjected to over the voucher bill, this is the single most important piece of legislation on Jindal's plate this session.
Also of note is that there is rampant speculation that Speaker Jim Tucker threatened to shut down the Louisiana government if the legislative pay increase was not signed by the Governor. Speaker Tucker denied this of course.
But what is most striking about all of this is the legislative pay raise, and how it is structured, and the hell that conservatives across the state are raising about it ... which you can read about below the jump!
Now, this was no gimme for Foster. He had to go through a candidate forum, straw polls of the UFT membership in each region of Louisiana, and extensive interviews about his platform and his record.
Not suprisingly, "Bobby" Jindal didn't even bother to meet with the LFT officials, nor did he bother to respond to the LFT's questionnaire. Lord knows he worked to get the endorsement of the Sheriffs and Police, so why not expend some effort to gain the endorsement of those who help shape our State's future on a daily basis?
But back to the matter at hand ... the LFT's endorsement of Foster Campbell. LFT President Steve Monaghan said it better than I can:
“As a state senator, a member of the Public Service Commission and as a citizen, Foster Campbell has always put the interests of the people first. Our executive board’s decision to endorse him was unanimous and enthusiastic.”
But more importantly, the LFT will be pushing the Louisiana AFL-CIO to endorse Foster at their next meeting ... which is today.
Yesterday, the 
