During 2012, Gov. Bobby Jindal spent almost one day of every four — at least 86 of 365 days — out of the state, mostly campaigning for
Republican candidates around the nation and speaking to conservative
political groups.
Various GOP supporters and campaigns paid for
Jindal’s hotel rooms and airfare for the campaign trips. Louisiana
taxpayers, however, paid $65,000 to feed, house and, often, fly his
security team. Those taxpayer dollars also often ensured that the
governor’s luggage arrived ahead of him, allowing him to quickly move
through airports.
The perks of being governor are, indeed, convenient, but they cost money, our money, of which the state has run short. For Jindal to be gone from his office
at least 25% of the time seems excessive to me. The true percentage of time spent away from Louisiana is more than 25%, because when the governor doesn't stay overnight, the trip does not have to go on record.
Not all of the trips are represented in the available records.
For instance, Jindal flew to Grand Island, Neb., on July 14 to address the
Nebraska Republican Party State Convention at a $500-per-person event.
He called President Barack Obama “the most liberal president” and “the
most incompetent president” since former President Jimmy Carter,
according to reports published in The Grand Island Independent. He
returned that night, according to a statement by his press office and
newspaper reports.
And this, my friends, is the man the national media calls on for interviews about the new, not-stupid Republican Party. Does the national press check out the governor's approval rating at home, (37% in the most recent poll) where the full effects of his conservative agenda are being felt?
