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Erasing A Bad Legacy
Last February, Louisiana’s Department of Natural Resources issued a report to the Legislature which focused on several issues, but mainly on the timely remediation of contamination of the state’s oilfield sites. That report tracked the history of “legacy lawsuits” which... (Continue reading)
Budget Wars, From Baton Rouge To Washington
Baton Rouge and Washington are starting to resemble each other when it comes to fiscal issues. In Washington, no budget has passed Congress and been signed into law in over three years. The Constitution requires one to pass, but who... (Continue reading)
Six Months To Election Day
Six months from now, Americans will determine who will serve for the next four years as commander in chief of our armed forces and the chief executive of the mammoth executive branch of the federal government. The candidates have, for... (Continue reading)
Waiting For The Checks To Bounce
It is extremely difficult for many folks to comprehend the financial quagmire that exists in local, state, national and international governments around the world. It is also obviously difficult for governmental leaders to understand the fiscal problems besetting their governments.... (Continue reading)
Beware The Ides Of May
In a few short weeks, the Revenue Estimating Conference (REC) will meet to update the revenue estimates available to balance the budget now being considered by the Legislature. Many who are close to the situation expect more bad news when... (Continue reading)
Jindal’s Retirement Legislation Is Moving
The legislative session began with hordes of teachers descending upon the State Capitol to oppose Governor Jindal’s aggressive education reform package. The dust had barely settled after those two historic bills were passed, a new battle began brewing over the... (Continue reading)
Obamacare’s A Most Unwanted Present
National, state, and local business groups from around the country opposed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (aka “ObamaCare”) when it was being debated in Congress last year. Many trade association representatives (including this writer) went to Washington to... (Continue reading)
Now It’s Louisiana’s Turn
As this column is being written on March 23, Republican primary voters in Louisiana are preparing to go to the polls to express their choices for the Republican nominee for president. By the time Louisiana has its turn in presidential... (Continue reading)
Supreme Court To Lower Courts: Adjudicate, Don’t Legislate
Two recent Louisiana Supreme Court decisions have sent a clear message to the lower courts (in particular to the Third Circuit Court of Appeal): “Adjudicate, don’t legislate.” In the first of those decisions, Oliver v. Magnolia Clinic, the majority told the lower... (Continue reading)
Stockman Takes The Fed To The Woodshed
It is the scariest thing I have read in a long time. Unfortunately, it is hard to argue with much of the message it contains. The “it” is a recent Associated Press interview with David Stockman, Ronald Reagan’s “whiz kid”... (Continue reading)
Overcoming Inertia At The State Legislature
In less than two weeks, the 2012 Regular Session of the Legislature will be gaveled to order. There will be new faces in both chambers, new leaders in the House and Senate, and a bevy of controversial issues that will... (Continue reading)
The Political Baggage Of Higher Gasoline Prices
President Obama addressed a cheering crowd of supporters in Miami recently on the less than cheery topic of rapidly rising gasoline pump prices. One might think that such a serious topic of concern to voters might have been addressed in... (Continue reading)
The Missed Opportunity Of 2008
We have all read those stories many times. The professional athlete or new pop idol makes a fortune and in no time spends it all and is worse off than they were before riding the wave of fame. That syndrome... (Continue reading)
The 23rd Member Of The Right-To-Work Club
It has been 10 years since Oklahoma joined the ranks of Right-to-Work states, becoming Number 22. Now Indiana has become Number 23. The legislation recently enacted in the Hoosier State is potentially a game-changer in the workplace. The upper Midwest... (Continue reading)
We Need Immediate Reforms To Deal With Louisiana’s Retirement Debt
Governor Bobby Jindal recently revealed his legislative package to revamp the way Louisiana funds its state retirement plans. His proposals aim to tackle accumulated unfunded pension debt that began accruing back in 1936 with the creation of the teachers’ retirement... (Continue reading)
Manufacturing Shouldn’t Be A Stage Prop For Obama’s Re-Election Campaign
The annual State of the Union (SOTU) address by any president has become something to be endured rather than cherished. No president ever says the state of the union is dire. The problems that must be overcome are never the... (Continue reading)
On Education, It’s Finally Time To Act
One of the main reasons that Louisiana has never realized its full potential, both in economic growth and quality of life for our citizens, has been due to the state’s traditionally poor public education system. Though great strides and improvements... (Continue reading)
Here We Go Again – It’s Tax Assessment Time
The new year has begun. There will be many new faces in the state legislature that will soon convene to enact and amend laws that will impact our lives. This is also a year in which the state constitution requires... (Continue reading)
The End Of The Beginning
Winston Churchill’s comments about the Battle of Egypt in 1942 popped into my mind when the Iowa Caucus vote was in: “This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the... (Continue reading)
Louisiana’s Red Ink Woes Persist
Just 29 days before Governor Jindal and the 144 members of the Legislature are to be sworn in, they got a strong hint that governing might not be a bed of roses during the next four years. The four-member Revenue... (Continue reading)
Recent Articles
- STRAIN: An Open Letter To The People Of Louisiana
- THE CHOOM GANG: A User’s Guide To Smoking Pot With Barack Obama (And Why Didn’t We Know This In 2008?)
- INTERVIEW: How Brett Kimberlin Chased Robert Stacy McCain Out Of His Home
- VIDEO: Glenn Beck On Air With Patrick Frey And Aaron Walker
- THE FLAMEOUT: SC Dem Congressional Candidate Quits Race After Getting DWI With Coed In The Car
- STANDARDS: Miami’s Temple Israel Cancels Debbie Wasserman-Schultz Event Due To Controversy Among Congregation
- GREAT MOMENTS IN CAPITALIST HISTORY: SpaceX Completes Historic Docking With Int’l Space Station
- ALREADY GONE: LSU Chancellor Martin Formally Offered Job By Colorado State
- Hayride Cartoon: Maybe Just A Little Bit On Monday…
- Evaluating New Options Requires Savvy Educational Consumers
- Westboro Baptist Church Goes To Mississippi - And Loses discussed 1948 times
- The French Quarter Fracas: D-Bloc (Updated, 8:45 a.m, 4-21-10) discussed 340 times
- Back By Popular Demand: The Donkey Whisperer discussed 332 times
- (UPDATED) Ron Paul's Unnecessary Black Eye In the Louisiana Caucus discussed 199 times
- Super Tuesday (June 8) Election Night Results Thread discussed 184 times
- From Dennis Miller's HBO Special, Brilliance discussed 152 times
- Meet Benjamin Haas, Flag Burner discussed 95 times
- He Wimped Out (UPDATED) discussed 93 times
- So Much For The Kinder, Gentler Downer Campaign discussed 78 times
- Useful Idiots? discussed 68 times
Quote of the day
Quote Of The Day, May 25, 2012
“What happened here was the accumulated karmic backlash of forty years’ worth of Establishment Democrats telling the Activist Left that they were the vanguard of, and spokesmen for, a broad American populist movement. For the longest time, such lies were simply an accepted part of the public policy debate; mostly because the country had no yardstick by which to judge the Left’s turnout and activities.“But then came the Tea Parties — which showed people what a real American populist movement looks like, and what it can do — and its success stung the Activist Left at the exact moment that Scott Walker came along and not unreasonably decided that if he was elected on a platform of doing certain things, he had best start doing them. This infuriated the Left, but not as much as the refusal of Walker and the WI GOP to go weak-kneed at the first sign of push-back. So… the recall movement was born!
“And… fizzled. The Left should have cut their losses when Prosser demonstrated that drum circles and illegal indoor camping in the Rotunda didn’t translate into votes… and they definitely should have cut their losses when the first wave of recalls didn’t live up to the hype. But they didn’t, and now the people of Wisconsin are increasingly demonstrating that they’re tired of all of this – and they’re not blaming the Republicans, either. Such a shame, but that’s what you get whe- hey! The bacon’s fully cooked.”
- Moe Lane