Budget Deal Averts Severe Cuts in Louisiana

The Louisiana Legislature on Thursday approved a budget deal that is expected to avert severe cuts to the state's higher education system. The deal is based on a series of legislative maneuvers to raise revenue while allowing Governor Bobby Jindal, a Republican, to say he stuck to his pledge not to raise taxes. The New York Times reported that many legislators -- Republican and Democratic alike -- used phrases like "money laundering" and "stupid" to describe the deal. But they said they were voting for it because Governor Jindal had threatened to veto all other approaches, and lawmakers did not want to see the deep cuts to higher education.