Blanco's childish actions posted Thursday, June 28th, 2007 @ 9:29 am  E-mail Story |  Print Story  In responding to efforts by some Republicans in the Legislature to negotiate for bigger tax cuts for the citizens and the business community in Louisiana in light of the state's so-called $3 billion in budget surpluses, Gov. Kathleen Blanco described the GOP lawmakers as a "bunch of spoiled children." We disagree with Blanco's assessment. If anyone has been acting like a spoiled child at the Capitol lately, it's Blanco, who has been adamant that the Legislature should spend literally every penny possible in state funds in her final months as governor. While we recognize Blanco's views of what the size and scope of government should entail differs greatly with our opinion on the role government, we would like to remind Blanco that lashing out at detractors and calling them names accomplishes nothing in providing sound representation for the people who elected her and the Legislature some four years ago. More to the point, Blanco's behavior, especially in the past week, served as a stark reminder of why she's a one-termer, or a governor who will serve one term in office and nothing more. What the Republicans in the Legislature have attempted to do is give the people and the business community its money back through tax cuts and the like. It's simple economics. State government in Louisiana has far more money at its disposal, or is expected to have far more money at its disposal, than it needs to provide adequate services for the people. The wise thing to do in situations like Louisiana finds itself today is to give the people their money back. The money belongs to the people; it doesn't belong to the government. It's impossible, though, to convince fans of big government and excessive spending like Blanco and her minions in the Legislature that it's individuals and businesses which have a better understanding of how to manage money than some state employee whose job security depends on the people and the business community paying more taxes in the first place. Not since Gov. Earl K. Long reigned supreme in Red Stick have we witnessed a governor respond to differences in political philosophies as Blanco acted when pressed by the media for a comment about the Republican's efforts to convince the Legislature to enact a bigger tax cut than the Blanco administration and her legislative allies wanted. That's just Blanco, though. When someone disagrees with her, she pops off verbally. To that end, we would do well to remind ourselves that Louisiana government had or expected to have some $3 billion in extra revenue at its disposal when the 2007-08 fiscal year comes to a close on June 30 of next year. The extra revenue dates to the 2005-06 fiscal year. What did Blanco and her allies in the Legislature insist on doing during the Regular Session with the $3 billion in extra revenue that's expected to be realized by the state? They spent most it. Along the way, they reluctantly agreed to some $150 million to $180 million in tax cuts, though the fate of those tax cuts was uncertain in the final hours of the session. Needless to say, it's our hope the voters will remember all of this foolishness when the elections for everything from the courthouse to the state house roll around later this year.