Bobby Jindal Follows The Money
by JOHN MAGINNIS - LAPolitics (excerpt)

The governor has been catching flak for his frequent flying around the country to attend fundraising events in his honor.

It doesn't seem to bother Jindal that many of his loyal local supporters are quite fed up with his constant national tour. But he will give fundraising a rest once the legislative session starts later this month, when the governor is barred from accepting or soliciting contributions until 30 days after lawmakers adjourn in late June.

Besides the time the governor spends away from the state, there is the question of what effect do contributions have on decisions he and his administration make, from jobs and appointments to contracts.

Citizens would know already what contributors got for their money, had Gov. Jindal not vetoed a bill to reveal just that. Rep. Neil Abramson, D-New Orleans, managed to pass a bill last session to make elected officials report the names of contributors that they hired or they appointed to boards and commissions. Abramson said he communicated with the governor's staff for months to resolve any problems with the bill. But Jindal vetoed it anyway, citing a drafting error, which the author didn't see as a defect.

If the governor does not have to disclose that information, an enterprising reporter did it for him, and us. Independent journalist Jeremy Alford's research showed that about 200 of the Jindal's contributors, who gave a combined $784,000 in 2007-08, were appointed by him to 76 boards and commissions.

Eleven appointees to the Board of Commerce & Industry, which grants millions of dollars worth of industrial tax exemptions, contributed a combined $49,000. Four appointees to the University of Louisiana System board gave $63,000; Louisiana Recovery Authority members, $57,000; Superdome Commission members, $45,000; State Mineral Board members, $35,000.