More than two decades ago, the state Legislature and then- Gov. Mike Foster adopted a more therapeutic approach to Louisiana’s antiquated and brutal juvenile justice system. But those reforms never fully took hold, and the state’s current leadership favors mass incarceration over rehabilitation. Executive Director of Families and Friends of Louisiana’s Incarcerated Children Gina Womack, writing in The Lens, explains why Louisiana needs to make more investments in kids:
(I)nstead of investing in what works, Louisiana keeps doing the same thing over and over: reacting with more punishment. When something goes wrong in a facility, the answer is: build another one. When young people make mistakes—mistakes other kids in better‑resourced communities are allowed to grow out of—the answer is: lock them up. And every time, families pay the price—and frankly, so does our community as a whole. … The truth is: there is nothing wrong with our children. What’s wrong is a state that refuses to see their potential. If Louisiana wants safer communities, the path is not more punishment.
Raising teacher salaries to regional average
Louisiana teacher pay would gradually increase over the next four years until salaries reached the Southern regional average, under Rep. Mike Echols’ House Bill 558. While giving teachers a raise is a widely popular idea in the Louisiana Legislature, recent decisions by state lawmakers are making it harder to accomplish that goal. De’Vante Martin of KNOE reports:
Louisiana teachers earn just under $60,000 a year on average. That’s roughly $12,000 less than the national average. … “I think the hard part of this is coming up with the money to do it,” said Jan Moller with Invest in Louisiana. “The reason teachers haven’t gotten a raise is because the state has had other priorities. We’ve given away a lot of money in tax breaks in Louisiana. We have spent a lot more money incarceration. We have prioritized scholarships for private school students.”
It’s stressful to live in Louisiana
Louisiana is the most stressed state in the nation, according to a new report from WalletHub. The report grades states on 29 key metrics, including unemployment rate, share of population living in poverty and the affordability of doctor visits. WalletHub breaks down Louisiana’s low score:
Louisiana ranks as the most stressed state, in large part because it has the highest poverty rate in the country. Around 16% of residents haven’t seen a doctor in the past year due to the cost. In addition, Louisiana ranks among the 10 worst states for both the share of adults reporting poor mental health and the share of adults diagnosed with depression. Residents may also find it difficult to find someone to address mental health issues, since Louisiana has fewer psychologists per capita than most other states. Lastly, the Bayou State had the eighth-highest average unemployment rate in the country last year, and it has the lowest job security than all states.
Cutting health care to pay for war
Congressional Republicans are considering cutting federal health care spending to pay for the ongoing war with Iran. The Pentagon recently asked for $200 billion for heightened operations in the Middle East. Axios’ Peter Sullivan explains ways GOP lawmakers are looking to offset that massive price tag:
House Budget Committee chairman Jodey Arrington (R-Texas) is reviving an idea that was considered last year to fund Affordable Care Act payments known as cost-sharing reductions. The Congressional Budget Office previously found the move would lower overall benchmark ACA premiums by 11% but result in 300,000 more uninsured people. It would cut the subsidy amount that some enrollees receive, thereby increasing out-of-pocket premium costs, while saving the government over $30 billion.
Number of the Day
22 – Louisiana’s national ranking for the share of total personal income residents pay in state and local taxes. Louisiana’s property and individual income tax burdens are well below the 50-state median (45 and 37 respectively), but the state’s total sales and excise tax burden is the fifth-highest in the nation. (Source: WalletHub)