One industry insider estimates that the Duck Dynasty cast, which is paid $200,000 per week to appear on the popular reality show, receives government benefits of $70,000 for every episode of the A&E cable show from the state, even though Louisiana recently slashed funding for health care programs and pension programs for public employees such as police, teachers, and firefighters.
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal recently presented Robertson family patriarch Phil Robertson, who founded the family’s Duck Commander duck-call business in 1973, Louisiana’s first Governor’s Award For Entrepreneurial Excellence.
Jindal, who is believed to harbor presidential ambitions, scored a high-profile guest appearance on last week’s Season Six premiere of Duck Dynasty — at the same time that the state was paying the subsidies to the Duck Dynasty production.
