Hayride Publisher Scott McKay Talks Nuclear Option, Higher Education

Nothing will change from a budgetary standpoint unless massive structural changes are made to how the state handles its budget, according to Scott McKay, the publisher of TheHayride.com.

McKay, who joined "Nathan & Bernie in the Morning," commented on the so-called nuclear option bill, House Bill 523, which would eliminate most dedications and mandates, essentially forcing lawmakers to take steps to address the state's structural problems.

"We've had a real problem for a real long time," McKay said. He added that legislators are always coming up with 'pet causes' and will write bills to dedicate money to these causes, but because virtually all lawmakers have their own such causes, no one complains about the shear number of these projects, that are often submitted as constitutional amendments that voters must approve.

"If you made me king of Louisiana, most of that stuff [in H.B. 523] would become law," McKay added.

McKay also railed against the number of colleges and universities in Louisiana, which are facing a so-called doomsday scenario in which they could lose 82 percent of their funding, or some $608 million. Many of these institutions are not fulfilling their end of the bargain of graduating students--the graduation rate at Southern University of New Orleans is at 11 percent, up from five percent five years ago, McKay said.

"We have 14 of these campuses," McKay said. "We need to consolidate it to probably nine or 10 at the most."