Freezing pay for Louisiana state employees is the right call: An
editorial  Many Louisianians will feel the impact of severe cuts
needed to plug the $1.6 billion hole in the state's budget for
the upcoming fiscal year, especially families who have children
attending public colleges or who rely on public health care.
bobby-jindal.JPGLouisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal.  That's why the
state's Civil Service Commission made the right call Wednesday
when it voted to freeze salaries and suspend annual "merit
raises" for 56,000 state workers. The commission did the same
last spring for the fiscal year that ends June 30. Wednesday's
vote extends the pay freeze for a second consecutive year.
"We're responding to the whole state fiscal crisis," said
commission Chairman David Duplantier.  Gov. Bobby Jindal, who
pushed for the pay freeze, halted pay raises last year for
thousands of unclassified workers -- mostly political appointees
-- and has said he will do the same this year. That's necessary
as well.  Overall, the decisi