Editorial roundup

Nov. 14

The Lake Charles American Press Constitutional convention

Those Louisiana legislators who believe a constitutional convention will be necessary to reform the state’s budget and tax systems are probably right, but the odds of that happening are “slim to none.” Even the men and women who wrote the 1974 state constitution are convinced the times aren’t right.

Framers of the 1974 document held a 44th reunion last week and many of the delegates said they think today’s legislators don’t get along well enough to get the job done, according to a report in The Advocate.

Rep. Franklin Foil, R-Baton Rouge and a longtime proponent of holding another convention, knows how difficult it would be to convene one again. He got a resolution to have a commission study the possibility of holding a convention out of the House in 2015, but it died in a Senate committee. Foil’s 2016 effort to call a limited convention died in a House committee.

“A lot of citizens and voters are frustrated and they would like to see a new constitutional convention,” Foil told the newspaper. “But when you start pushing it, the interests protected in the constitution are opposed and the votes for it fade away.”

Tony Guarisco, 79, a Morgan City lawyer in 1973 and a convention delegate, said, “It (a convention) would be a disaster. I don’t think with the divisiveness in today’s political atmosphere that it would have success.”

Current Senate President John Alario, R-Westwego and a legislator since 1972, said he expects more efforts will be made to call a convention but it isn’t a good idea right now.

“In this atmosphere, I’m not sure the time is right,” he said. “This (1973) group came together and compromised. These folks found a way to find some common ground. And that’s what’s missing in the Legislature today.”

The current Legislature had an opportunity at its spring session to reform the state’s budget and tax systems, but failed to even come close. The partisanship that has virtually deadlocked progress in Congress has found its way to Baton Rouge.

Former Gov. Edwin W. Edwards, 90, who was at last week’s reunion, called the 1973 constitutional convention and praised the document it wrote. And from the looks of things, it will be around much longer.