Bobby Jindal: Is this the best the Republicans have to offer?

This is from a letter to the editor I wrote to a local neswpaper. This is not the first thing that has made me think Bobby Jindal is a tool, its just the latest. I'm of course not a republican, but I hate to see the party marginalized down to where it can't even introduce good opposition ideas. A competitive two party system helps pull everything back toward the center where it should be. If Bobby Jindal is the best the Republicans have to offer they may be in such dire straights that things will head left of where even I would want them.

Bobby Jindal has been all over the press recently grandstanding about why he needs to reject almost 100 Million dollars in federal stimulus aid for unemployment insurance. Unfortunately, the rationale for his rejection of this aid is based on a flawed interpretation of the law. Jindal’s argument rests on his incorrect interpretation of a single word in Section 2003(a) of the Recovery Act, the word permanent.

On Meet the Press, Jindal said, “We as a state would’ve been responsible for paying for those benefits after the federal money disappeared” and ”…this one’s crystal clear, black and white letter law. The federal stimulus bill says it has to be a permanent change in state law if you take this state money.”

Jindal is correct that the Act says the word “permanent”, but he is entirely wrong about what that word means. Black’s Law defines “permanent law” as law that continues for an indefinite time. The Act’s requirement that the law be “permanent” is simply a ban on sunset provisions, which can be thought of as “temporary law” or, as Section 2003(a) puts it, “law that is subject to discontinuation.” The act does not limit a state’s ability pass any law the state desires at a future time. It is one-hundred percent allowable that we could take these funds now, and change our state law again at a later time after the economic trouble has passed and/or the federal aid runs out. This fact has been misrepresented badly by many in the media.

Jindal’s flawed interpretation of the Recovery Act is pure legal fiction and does nothing for the people of Louisiana. It is however, a wonderful device to put him once again in the national spotlight as a leader of the opposition party. As last month’s unemployment numbers show, Louisiana is not immune to lay-offs. This part of the Recovery Act is to help people in Louisiana who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own. Apparently, helping Louisiana citizens through this crisis is not as important to Mr. Jindal as making his point on the national political stage.