Louisiana State Representative Rick Gallot (4568 hits)
State Representative Richard J. "Rick" Gallot Jr. is a native of Grambling, LA. He attended the Grambling Laboratory Schools and Grambling State University where he received a bachelor's degree in History in 1987. Gallot earned his Juris Doctorate from the Southern University School of Law. He represents District 11 in the Louisiana State Legislature. He is the Chairman of the House and Governmental Affairs, House Executive Committee, and the Legislative Budgetary Control Council, member of the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus. He also maintains a private practice in Ruston, Louisiana,.
Posted By: Cathy Douglas
Thursday, December 18th 2008 at 3:37PM
Dear Richard "Rick" Gallot, Jr.
As you know, young people voted in record numbers in the last election so now we are working to make sure that our elected officials are working towards the change that we voted for. This huge surge of activity was due not to one candidate, but to the weight of the issues that we face and the conviction that our vote has value.
The Governors fiscal Budget for the upcoming fiscal year calls for substantial reduction to Higher Education. Specifically, it would call for universities to terminate faculty, increase class sizes, eliminate degree programs, and affect universities ability to comply SACS mandated programs. These budget cut will not only have negative effects on out universities it will also have a domino effect on our local and state economy. A recent economic impact conducted by the University of Louisiana Systems proved The University of Louisiana System pumps $3.4 billion into the state's economy annually. That's an $8 return for every dollar for every state dollar invested. This simply means there is an 800% rate of return on investing in Higher Education. As an elected representative of District 12, I ask that you please take into consideration that your vote will determine the outlook for Higher Education as we know it.
At a time when the American people, workers, and companies are struggling to pay their mortgages, struggling with rising health care costs, and struggling with rising food and gas costs, the American public cannot afford to let our education sink to nothing. By simply siding amongst party lines, or ignoring the situation the proposed budget cuts would place the state of Higher Education in Louisiana further in jeopardy and would cause significant disadvantages to students seeking Higher Education in the future. The United States was once the best educated country in the world, and much of our prosperity rested on this unprecedented investment in the talents and creativity of the American people. Unfortunately, decades of public divestment from education and student aid programs, along with the progress of other countries, has led the United States to slip in its level of educational attainment.
In order to build a sustainable economy in the long-term while making sure that students and young people are not denied a college education because of the financial crisis, we need to continue to investment in colleges and universities by using state surplus funds, and seek reform to our current constitution to protect such proven assets that are vital to the future of Louisiana.
