There's been no shortage of tax proposals in Arkansas of late. Seems everybody in government wants more. More for schools, more for prisons, more for roads, more for buses. Name a government outfit that says it's doing just fine with what it has, thank you, and it doesn't need anything extra.
But government types in Arkansas are amateurs. Here's how they raise taxes in Louisiana:
The new governor down there, John Bel Edwards, says his state is in a bad way, financially. He wants about $940 million in new taxes to make ends meet. And if he doesn't get it? Some campuses will be forced to declare financial bankruptcy, which would include massive layoffs and the cancellation of classes.
Which means: Say goodbye to LSU football.
The state's finances are so bad that the governor told the press: "If you are a student attending one of these [state] universities, it means that you will receive a grade of incomplete, many students will not be able to graduate, and student athletes across the state at those schools will be ineligible to play next semester. That means you can say farewell to college football next fall."
Now that's how you raise taxes. You threaten college football.
Of course the odds of Louisiana canceling LSU football is about the same as the governor winning the lottery--six straight times. But you have to admire the sheer audacity.
The governor must be taking moxie lessons from Les Miles.
Editorial on 02/13/2016