Baton Rouge, La – In anticipation of the 2015 legislative session beginning next Monday, the Louisiana Democratic Party has compiled the top five myths that Gov. Jindal has been pushing to Louisianians.

MYTH: Louisiana’s economy is stronger than ever.

REALITY: As of January 2015, Louisiana recorded the third highest unemployment rate nationwide. Two major credit agencies, Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s, moved Louisiana’s credit outlook to “negative,” citing Jindal’s poor budget practices that have left the state vulnerable to financial problems.

MYTH: Gov. Jindal will not raise taxes.

REALITY: Jindal’s current budget builds in $70 million from tuition increases and proposes fees on college students and their families, a tax by any other name, on top of already increasing tuition and fees for college students throughout his tenure.  State institutions of higher education are facing a $226-$600 million cut in funding in the next fiscal year, which may cause certain programs to lose viability and schools to lose accreditation or shut down. Louisiana has cut higher education funding six times more than other states, and colleges are facing an 82 percent cut in the upcoming school year.

MYTH: Oil prices are to blame for the $1.6 billion budget hole.

REALITY: Jindal and his Republican allies in the state legislature authorized the largest tax cut in Louisiana history, resulting in a budget shortfall of more than $1 billion before oil prices dropped.

MYTH: The failing charity hospital system has been modernized under public-private partnerships.

REALITY: Jindal’s budget proposal is $142 million short of the funding needed for basic operating costs. The Advocate labeled the public-private partnership “the Jindal Administration’s experiment.” His refusal to expand Medicaid has exacerbated the problem.

MYTH: Gov. Jindal rejects Obamacare and offers a viable replacement.

REALITY: Gov. Jindal has accepted $60 million in federal funding under the President’s health care plan and has unveiled a costly alternative plan totaling well over $100 billion in spending.

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