Louisiana Public Defenders

[qazplm]

http://gawker.com/new-orleans-plagued-public-defender-office-cant-even-af-1768084001

So, ignoring the fact that most PD outfits across the country are overworked, underpaid, underresourced and in several states you can be on food stamps and welfare but still not be "poor" enough to qualify for a public defender...

In Louisiana, you have had repeated cuts to the PD system resulting in clients being turned away (again these are clients the state itself says are poor enough to qualify) due to lack of resources and funds. GOV Jindal's shrink government policies have resulted in a massive shortfall, and one of the ways the state is looking to make up said shortfall is increase taxes....nah, I'm kidding, they are looking to cut more government including the PD system.

At what point does one say, "cut government" has happened enough? We aren't even talking federal gov at this point...in Kansas and LA we are talking massive state gov cuts...how's that working out for the economies of those two states?

But I digress, anyone here have thoughts on cutting a PD system that's already too understaffed to do its job properly? Does everyone agree that we even need a PD system? If so, should it be resourced at the same level as the prosecutors office? 75%? 50%?

 

[TopSecretBoiler]

9 March 2016
Facing the threat of layoffs, cancellation of university classes and a suspension of health care services, state lawmakers avoided more than $900 million in budget cuts by passing a package of tax increases and spending reductions Wednesday in the closing moments of a special session.

As the Legislature has repeatedly done in recent decades during dire economic times, it altered the state’s sales tax structure, raising it a penny to 5 percent and removing most exemptions — but only temporarily. The House appropriations chairman, Cameron Henry, a Republican, said business and industry would share about 47 percent of that burden and would see other changes in the corporate income and franchise tax systems.

But lawmakers were unable to close the entire shortfall of $954 million for the current fiscal year and left an estimated $30 million in needs unfunded. Mr. Edwards said the state Department of Corrections and the Department of Children and Family Services would probably suffer cuts. But they would not be alone.

“We could have done better,” Mr. Edwards said at a news conference Wednesday evening. “It is not a great day for the State of Louisiana.”

At his urging, lawmakers also approved higher taxes on cigarettes, alcohol, car rentals, cellphones, landlines and short-term rooms booked through websites. They rolled back a tax credit enjoyed by the insurance industry, and they approved a framework for collecting sales taxes from online retailers.