Bobby Jindal will have cut nearly 19,000 state government jobs by 2013.I know the ET righties love to hear news like that http://www.nola.com/opinions/index.ssf/2012/02/louisiana_gov_bobby_jindals_bu.html Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal's budget proposal features needed fiscal steps  Louisianians will need time to study the details of Gov. Bobby Jindal's budget proposal, and the governor must address some important questions about it. But it's already obvious that the spending plan he unveiled this week includes reforms to improve the state's fiscal health in the long run. The governor is proposing to close a $900 million deficit in the 2012-13 year in part by eliminating almost 6,400 state jobs. The administration has eliminated 12,300 positions since 2007, and that's a substantial reduction. The new cuts would represent 9 percent of the current workforce. That would speed up efforts to trim the bureaucracy to a size Louisiana taxpayers can afford. The targeted positions include 2,720 jobs that are occupied, and laying off workers isn't an easy decision in this economy. But the state's gargantuan personnel costs have contributed to drastic cuts in services. The administration, however, should focus on eliminating positions in the most bloated departments and not simply order across-the-board cuts. The governor also is proposing reforms to the state pension system. He wants to require higher contributions from many state employees and to raise the retirement age to 67 for workers who are now younger than 55. Gov. Jindal also proposes enrolling new employees in a 401(k) style plan, instead of the current defined-benefit plans.