Blame selves or installers for solar tax change impact

If any blame needs distributing concerning the impact of Louisiana’s dwindling solar installation tax credit, those wishing to foist it should look first at themselves and then the firms that sold them the solar energy bill of goods.

The New Orleans Times-Picayune decided to poke around for reactions to the effects of the 2015 change in the credit. Once the nation’s most generous, until the middle of last year it essentially gave back 50 percent of an installed system. Better, the credits were made refundable, so to pay for much of the system many buyers would take out a loan from the installers interest free for a period as long as reasonably expected to have the refund show up after filing income taxes – in addition to the 30 percent federal tax credit. And if the buyer still could not manage the several thousand dollars still owed, installers would lease it or price it for sale in a way to eat the difference, with the lucrative government giveaways still allowing them to profit.

But Act 31 of 2015 changed the game, capping the previously-unlimited program that had given away hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars at $10 million distributed in each of fiscal years 2016 and 2017, and $5 million for the first half of FY 2018, then ending the subsidy permanently. This created a class of buyers who paid for systems in the first half of 2015 – FY 2015 – but only could file for the credit on their 2015 state income taxes starting the second half of FY 2016. Filings so far this calendar year, for systems installed in 2015, not only blew straight through the FY 2016 amount, but also the FY 2017 amount and all but $1 million of the truncated FY 2018 amount.

Activists promote inferior policing strategy in LA

A good rule of thumb: whenever “activists” tell you to do something, do the opposite. That seems verified by comments some trendy folks made concerning policing tactics in Louisiana.

Last weekend some individuals weighed in on police shootings in Louisiana, contrasting events of this year in Baton Rouge with the high-profile shooting death of Alton Sterling, collector of multiple arrests over the previous two decades. A federal investigation will render a judgment in the next several months on the appropriateness of police actions concerning that incident.

These same individuals represent organizations that have brought suit against Baton Rouge police for their handling of protests against the Sterling shooting, which they allege involved too much use of force that denied free speech rights. They made remarks at the Louisiana Green Party convention contrasting the relative hands-off approach they perceive practiced by New Orleans police, noting no such excessive force complaints against NOPD so far in 2016.

Trump success, Duke fantasy fueled by liberalism

With the simultaneous acquisition of the Republican nomination for president by businessman Donald Trump and entrance into Louisiana’s U.S. Senate contest by former state Rep. David Duke, naturally voices opposed to conservatism had to make strained efforts to connect the emergence of Trump and resurfacing of Duke as related representations of the political right in general. Yet this demonstrates only tone deafness to the genuine linkage that has more to do with liberalism’s failure to articulate a vision that genuinely inspires and benefits all people.

The boilerplate that comes from both state and national sources is that Duke’s belief that his time has come stems from the success of Trump’s prominent nationalism as a campaign theme, which on some occasions has led to accusations of Trump stereotyping minorities and foreigners, most recently regarding parents of Muslim army officer killed in Iraq. Of course, Duke stopped apologizing long ago after failed attempts for statewide office for displaying unvarnished white supremacist views that fit as a subset.

But to allege Trump harbors nativist sentiments that connect to Duke’s racism through some current national mood on the right misses the crucial role that the follies of liberalism have contributed in making this linkage. Properly understood, naïve populism nurtured and sustained on the left has acted as a Colistin-resistant E. coli crossing over to the right.

Felon/racism resolution unhelpful for LA GOP

It’s not so much that a resolution by the Louisiana Republican Party’s State Central Committee to prevent convicted felons and racists would be an empty gesture, but that it promotes unenforceable mischief.

In the wake of disgraced former state Rep. David Duke running again for the U.S. Senate seat up for grabs this fall, Republican officials appear set to consider at their next meeting this ban on candidates qualifying for office using the GOP label. According to preliminary reports, if two-thirds of the RSCC vote accordingly, this change in bylaws will disallow individuals fitting these categories from running as Republicans. Had not the judiciary recently struck down the state’s ban on felon participation in elections for a period after end of sentence, Duke could not have qualified.

It won’t work. The American system drafts parties as instruments to conduct elections and, like other states, Louisiana defines what parties to recognize for registration and candidacy purposes. Party bylaws can’t change that. In Louisiana, candidates who meet qualifications for an office must employ their party designation according to their elector registration, paying an extra filing fee if they registered as a member of a recognized political party that has chosen to impose one. Pay the fee for the particular office consistent with registration, and legally that affiliation appears on the ballot next to the name. A party cannot change that law unilaterally, and only change in statute would make such a restriction effective.

The Advocate column, Jul. 31, 2016

Residency rule does not help fight crime
http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/opinion/jeff_sadow/article_7e991774-54d9-11e6-be0f-cbec622301a5.html

Links:
http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/article_415895f0-4f6c-11e6-be4c-cf1cff8b082f.html
http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/baton_rouge_officer_shooting/article_6bfc1a74-542c-11e6-ab99-43f939b1db9c.html
http://www.scpr.org/programs/airtalk/2014/08/21/38972/ferguson-crisis-revives-debate-about-residency-req/
http://www.batonrougehousingreports.com/2016/05/greater-baton-rouge-april-2016-home-sales-report/
http://www.foxbusiness.com/features/2015/07/09/average-salaries-for-americans-median-salaries-for-common-jobs.html
http://www.lifeofthelaw.org/2015/09/commuting-cops/
http://cebcp.org/evidence-based-policing/the-matrix/neighborhood/neighborhood-mazerolle-et-al-2003/
http://www.wsj.com/articles/putting-police-officers-back-on-the-beat-1426201176
http://www.brgov.com/dept/brpd/uniformpatrol.htm
http://www.abell.org/sites/default/files/publications/arn912.pdf

Edwards' cutting negates tax hike argument

As a mechanic/Marine used to say, “Surprise, surprise, surprise:” Gov. John Bel Edwards’ office won’t have to lay off staffers after all. And the credibility gap attached to the Democrat’s rhetoric continues to grow.

All throughout the first part of the year, Edwards predicted doom and gloom to Louisiana’s budget that only enormous tax increases could balance. He kept insisting that, instead of making unilateral modest spending reductions of around five percent across most agencies, he largely could not cut his way to balancing last fiscal year’s budget, prompting a special session prior to this year’s regular session to hike taxes. Concerning this year’s version, he kept asserting that a cut-first strategy would gut vital programs that demanded more tax increases in another special session. After that, even though he voted for and signed $2.4 billion worth of tax increases in a 13-month span, he still talked about the disappointment of not gulping down more taxpayer dollars to stave off cuts a recalcitrant Republican-led Legislature forced upon him.

These included around $700,000 reduced from the Governor’s Office, which received over $9.1 million in funding this year, compared to last year, a 7.7 percent drop (over the original figure; that declined a bit through mid-year cuts). Edwards moaned about how this meant some staff reductions, where already the governor had budgeted some $200,000 fewer for personnel.

LA Senate field set; Kennedy remains favorite

With a slight wildcard tossed in, Louisiana’s 2016 Senate race qualification closed with little change in its dynamics that continue to make Republican Treasurer John Kennedy a clear favorite, as reflected in the most recent (becoming stale) independent poll of the contest.

A record two dozen candidates put themselves out there (creating potential headaches for debate planners), with the five major candidates taking the plunge; besides Kennedy, the GOP put on offer Reps. Charles Boustany and John Fleming, while Democrats Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell and trial lawyer Caroline Fayard signed up. With them several relevant candidates – those who will not run competitively but whose presence will affect the electoral performances of the major candidates that will be competitive – also went for it: Republican former Senate candidate Rob Maness, Republican businessman Abhay Patel, Democrat businessman Josh Pellerin, no-party former state legislator Troy Hebert, and former state Rep. Prisoner #28213-034, out of the slammer called David Duke.

Both Patel and Pellerin have deep pockets to self-finance campaigns if called upon, but will score little because the electoral spaces they seek to occupy have quality candidates already in place. If Patel wants to run as an outsider businessman, Fleming already can claim that and obtaining actual results as an “outsider” to the Washington political establishment by his votes cast and minor role in changing the House’s leadership. Pellerin, who presents himself as liberal version of Patel, will find it tough sledding to peel votes from the populist liberal Campbell and liberal non-officeholder Fayard, both whom also can self-finance.

GOP trio emerges as LA-4 CD favorites

Qualifying has closed for the selection of Republican Rep. John Fleming’s successor, with the northwest/western Louisiana district’s next U.S. House member likely coming from one of a prominent social conservative, a Main Street Republican, or a political newcomer riding the outsider wave notable in this election cycle.

Relevant candidates filing include physician Dr. Trey Baucum, Shreveport City Councilman Oliver Jenkins, state Rep. Mike Johnson, former legislator Elbert Guillory, attorney Rick John – Republicans all – joined by Democrat lawyer Marshall Jones. All are white and from Shreveport/Bossier, except for Guillory, who is black and from the southern part of the district.

That list contains the major candidates who could win, with John not among them. He has lagged badly in fundraising, well under $100,000, compared to Baucum and Jenkins who each have topped a half million bucks, and Johnson with over a quarter of a million dollars. Nor is Guillory; while he has a high profile, having most recently run unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor, his campaign seems as desultory as that one with only around $100,000 raised.

Edwards seeks to foist unneeded, wasteful ER on LA

There’s a right way to provide quality health care services using taxpayer dollars wisely. That’s not what’s going on with the stated intent of Democrat Gov. John Bel Edwards’ Administration to put an emergency room in northern Baton Rouge.

With the closing of the city’s charity hospital in the area a few years ago and transfer of most of the services it provided previously to a hospital in southern Baton Rouge, a health care hole opened up in north Baton Rouge. Most patients had their bills paid by Medicaid, with many living in that area. When those services moved several miles south, clients found transportation to these more challenging. This becomes magnified when people need emergency services.

That situation became more exacerbated when the next closest full-service hospital, Baton Rouge General Medical Center Mid City, closed its emergency room. It had hemorrhaged money because increasingly its patient load comprised Medicaid patients, who disproportionately use emergency services even though most of their ailments do not require that kind of intervention. Medicaid reimbursements fell far short of actual operating costs, which threatened to drag under the entire hospital.

The Advocate column, Jul. 24, 2016

How we can foster trust between police, our Baton Rouge community
http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/opinion/jeff_sadow/article_4f7d4d3c-4f77-11e6-9372-cb247facdd4d.html

Links:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Oliver_Haddock
http://29wyu31qhvsjwj4mf2oi5lg1.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/montrell-jackson-july-8.jpg
http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/alton_sterling/article_7cfd4bc4-ea7d-5c2d-a633-77fa80113fe0.html
http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/alton_sterling/article_3707644f-e25c-51d2-9ef5-d996e3c835e8.html