The people of Louisiana stand at a crossroads right now. They can sit, silently and sheepishly, as their elected representatives slavishly enact a slew of authoritarian, anti-democratic (with a small “d”) bills backed by Gov. Jeff Landry — or stand up and loudly remind lawmakers who really controls their political fates.
So far, the Clownfish is winning his war against transparency, the First Amendment and other cherished freedoms.
It’s not too late to turn the tide, but time is short.
Landry has ordered lawmakers to conclude the annual session two weeks early — on May 20 instead of June 3 — so that he can hastily ram through a wholesale rewrite of the state constitution and feed his lust for unbridled power.
Before anyone reminds me that voters must approve any constitutional revisions, consider why Landry is so eager to get his drive-by constitution on the November ballot: He’s hoping his political hero, Donald Trump, will endorse it during a campaign stop in Louisiana, thereby enhancing its approval prospects.
That is why voters must demand that lawmakers reject Landry’s power grabs now.
The same is true of other bad-government bills Landry is pushing.
As I mentioned in a recent column, Senate Bill 482 by state Sen. Heather Cloud, R-Turkey Creek, is the worst of the lot. Cloud’s bill would shred Louisiana’s Public Records Law by allowing all public officials and agencies to keep citizens from obtaining — or even viewing — records that they want to keep secret.
Crooked officials could simply declare that such records were used in their “deliberative process,” and citizens would remain in the dark.
Former Gov. Bobby Jindal browbeat lawmakers into putting that same language in a 2009 “transparency” law, and he used it to keep virtually all his administration’s records private. Landry now employs the same Orwellian doublespeak — but he carries the ruse much farther.
“The citizens of the state overwhelmingly chose me for this job to reform failures in state government,” Landry said. “This is yet another reform.”
Bullshit.
There has been no “failure” in Louisiana’s public records laws — unless you consider media reports of Landry’s hypocrisy and dirty dealing, Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s first-class travel at taxpayers’ expense, and LSU’s coverup of sexual abuse by star athletes a “failure in state government.”
As a candidate for governor, Landry never highlighted any plan to overhaul the constitution or gut public records laws. Nor did he discuss any plan to consolidate virtually all power in his office.
State lawmakers are trying to obliterate the Louisiana Public Records Law.
Instead, he talked about how much he loved Louisiana and its people, and he promised to reduce crime.
It was all a lie. What Landry really loves is power. What he plans to reduce is transparency.
He can still be stopped — if citizens call their lawmakers and tell them to vote against anti-transparency bills, drive-by constitutional rewrites, and any bills that put more power into the governor’s hands.
Time is short, folks. If you don’t speak up now, you’ll deserve every ounce of corrupt, secretive, authoritarian governance that Jeff Landry gives you.
To find your state representative and senator, go to legis.la.gov. A list of representatives and their emails can be found here. A list of state senators can be found here.
You can call or email their local offices anytime, and during afternoon sessions, you can call the House switchboard at (225) 342-6945 or the Senate switchboard at (225) 342-2040 and ask for your legislator by name.
The proposed eight-week convention leaves little time for public input or even serious debate.
