Renamed shindig tests hypocrisy of LA Democrats

Perhaps inevitably, Louisiana Democrats have dumped the names of Pres. Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson from their state party’s annual fundraising dinner. The future will tell what hypocrisy emanates from this action.

In order “to reflect the progress of the party and the changing times,” henceforth they will call it the “True Blue Gala.” Changed times indeed, as the appellation replacing the name of Jefferson, who strung together the Democratic-Republicans to challenge successfully Pres. John Adams (while in the process dispatching his fellow partisan Aaron Burr into the vice presidency given a Constitutional quirk resolved by the 12th Amendment), and Jackson, who modernized the party from a top-down to bottom-up organization that set the shape for all modern mass political parties, only came into being this millennium as attached to the party (along with associating “red” with Republicans).

It’s quite fitting in a way, since today’s party looks little like the one from a half-century ago. Back then, it still believed in the inherent desirability of U.S. strength abroad, traditional values, and in the ideas that individuals should take responsibility for their own success in a free market system that needed marginal adjustments here and there. Slavish adherence to identity politics, conspiracy theories pitting classes against each other, and blaming America first for the world’s ills belonged only to its fringe elements.

EBR voters must view skeptically room tax redux

Baton Rouge officials seem enthralled with the notion of hotel occupancy taxes. Voters necessary to approve imposition of these must take a more skeptical view.

Mixed results have resulted from the two most recent attempts to hike these taxes in the parish. Last December voters in north Baton Rouge approved a two percent levy on rooms only within that area of the city, with proceeds devoted to financing economic development there. On the same day, a parishwide proposition failed that would have done the same to hotels in Baton Rouge not in that district with proceeds devoted to funding the River Center and tourism efforts.

Tourism officials hope to try again later this year. They attribute the narrow defeat of last year to a lack of voter “education,” or a formulation that many in the electorate didn’t realize the tax supposedly affects only tourists. In fact, significantly lower levels of support registered in precisely the areas unaffected by the tax: Baker, Central, Zachary, and north Baton Rouge.

New pay system compounds LA govt inefficiency

Another alleged reform hits the books, but nothing really changes with Louisiana’s civil service system that continues to perform inefficiently.

Last month, at the behest of Gov. John Bel Edwards along with narrow backing by Legislature, Louisiana’s State Civil Service Commission ratified a new pay plan. Proponents assert it will save the state money by reducing turnover, although no evidence exists to demonstrate this.

It has two components: a salary scale adjustment and alterations to compensation related to performance reviews. The adjustment at the beginning of next year elevates all salaries two percent up to their classification’s maximum, then for lower-paid classifications bumps those scales up further. The alteration for a year abolishes the performance adjustment component – four percent paid out to all but a handful of classified employees if appropriated – then comes repackaged as a “market adjustment” with a sliding scale where only lower-paid civil servants can get a four percent increase and higher-paid ones settle for three or two percent increases, plus provides for a very few the possibility of receiving a one-time bonus. Only the tiny number of poorest performers would receive no raises.

Stokes exit leaves LA Democrats empty-handed

What’s a Democrat to do in Louisiana, where only extraordinary circumstances can get one of their own elected to statewide office? Even worse, when their preferred non-Democrat can’t follow through?

Such vexation they encountered last week when GOP state Rep. Julie Stokes just before qualifying begins later this week passed on the special election for the vacant treasurer position made necessary by the office’s former occupant Sen. John Kennedy ascending to his current post. Regrettably, Stokes discovered she had breast cancer, and while the prognosis for curing that kind is good, it will take a physical toll on her that would make campaigning impossible for the October election.

At present, no major Democrat had declared an intention to contest the office. Former minor Senate candidate Derrick Edwards, no relation to Democrat Gov. John Bel Edwards, actively pursues the post, but despite being a black Democrat, party activists will shy away from him. He received just a smattering of votes in his previous run, and his endorsement of views close to the public’s views and therefore way out of step with party regulars, such as the state has not a revenue but spending problem, make him a non-starter in their eyes.

The Advocate column, Jul. 9, 2017

Medicaid fact check ... what's really going on with Senate bill?
http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/opinion/jeff_sadow/article_45d57ad8-61b5-11e7-b3e3-fff20b337ea5.html

Links:
http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2017/06/gov_john_bel_edwards_vexed_ove.html
http://new.dhh.louisiana.gov/index.cfm/newsroom/detail/1699
http://house.louisiana.gov/housefiscal/DOCS_APPBudgetMeetings2017/April/LDH%20Public.pdf
http://www.doa.la.gov/comm/Executive%20Budget%20Presentation%20to%20HAC.pdf
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/448979/medicaid-reforms-senate-health-care-bill-medicaid-reforms-important-step
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/448952/obamacare-repeal-will-not-kill-thousands
http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/339582-five-takeaways-from-the-cbo-score-on-senate-obamacare-bill
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/448991/senate-health-care-bill-will-reduce-coverage-15-million-good
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/06/27/fact-check-dem-claims-that-senate-bill-guts-medicaid-ignore-billions-in-new-funding.html
https://www.americanactionforum.org/insight/medicaid-reforms-better-care-reconciliation-act/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/theapothecary/2017/06/14/the-3-biggest-flaws-in-obamacares-medicaid-expansion-part-1/#1dfc30c9dd48
https://www.forbes.com/sites/theapothecary/2017/06/30/reality-check-the-obamacare-medicaid-expansion-is-not-saving-lives-part-I/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/theapothecary/2017/06/30/reality-check-the-obamacare-medicaid-expansion-is-not-saving-lives-part-2/#1b5042958409

Edwards violates code with false veto explaning

Just because Gov. John Bel Edwards won’t admit that he follows the past practice of governors in weaponizing capital outlay requests doesn’t mean he doesn’t do it, as a review of the fiscal year 2018 spending decisions reveals.

Edwards returned Act 4 of the Second Extraordinary Session with three dozen line item vetoes. While a few seemed appropriate, such as excising a request for a medical facility in north Baton Rouge that appeared duplicative of existing resources, many looked entirely random outside any political context.

For example, in the district of Republican state Rep. Chris Leopold, who typically votes against Edwards’ agenda, the Democrat took two swipes, vetoing a $1 million project to build a gymnasium and spending $120,000 on a park. Yet he kept on a $4,165,000 request to build a state-of-the-art athletic complex at Carver Collegiate Academy in New Orleans East located in House and Senate districts of two steadfast allies – bumping up the request by $2 million in a last second move at the end of the regular session that added a number of projects requested by Democrats. In the same move, Democrat state Rep. Robbie Carter, whose terms in office wrap around this seat Edwards once held, got $200,000 for the police station in his hometown of Amite. Meanwhile, after the bill came back from Edwards frequent education policy opponent of his Republican state Rep. Nancy Landry found Maurice lost out on $720,000 to build a new village hall.

Bossier City squanders without term limits

Contrary to what Bossier City Mayor Lo Walker asserts, that municipality desperately needs term limits.

Asked a question at his inauguration for his fourth term about the value of this, Walker declared himself opposed to the concept at the local level of government. He argued that having people serve potentially lengthy periods in office led to a knowledgeable continuity in city government.

Bossier City could stand as the poster child for little refreshment in government. The current lineup of him and the seven-member City Council boasts 108 years of collective service – not including the 16 years Walker spent as chief administrative officer prior to his first election. City incumbents who served a full term have not lost a regular election in 16 years. In fact, they don’t see much of a way in challenges; from 2005, just 41 candidates ran for 32 available slots, only about two contested races of eight each cycle.

Independence Day, 2017

This column publishes every Sunday through Thursday around noon U.S. Central Time (maybe even after sundown on busy days, or maybe before noon if things work out, or even sometimes on the weekend if there's big news) except whenever a significant national holiday falls on the Monday through Friday associated with the otherwise-usual publication on the previous day (unless it is Thanksgiving Day, Independence Day, Christmas, or New Year's Day when it is the day on which the holiday is observed by the U.S. government). In my opinion, in addition to these are also Easter Sunday, Memorial Day and Veterans' Day.

With Tuesday, Jul. 4 being Independence Day, I invite you to explore the links connected to this page.

Maness tries again, warranting voter scrutiny

Two-time U.S. Senate candidate Republican Rob Maness hopes the third time is the charm in his quest to fill his retirement years, with an announced run for the Louisiana House of Representatives in an upcoming special election.

With the stepping down of former state Rep. John Schroder to concentrate on a bid for state Treasurer to fill the post vacated by Maness’ vanquisher in the Senate contest GOP Sen. John Kennedy, his slot opened for which Maness has thrown his hat in the ring. With his pair of nontrivial Senate pursuits behind him, Maness has become a seasoned campaigner who knows how to raise money and his chances appear far better to win this time out.

This race suits him much better. When Maness parachuted into Louisiana at his retirement from the Air Force and only months later declared his candidacy for the 2014 contest, he appeared clumsy and forcing himself on the state. Having hardly resided in Louisiana long enough to meet the residency requirement by the time qualification rolled around, he informed anyone who would listen that U.S. Rep. Bill Cassidy – possessor then of legislative scorecard numbers indicating he voted as least as conservatively, if not more so, as any GOP member of Congress – was too liberal and only political newcomer Maness could save Louisiana.

The Advocate column, Jul. 2, 2017

Edwards' vetoes punish opponents, make him no different than past governors
http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/opinion/jeff_sadow/article_10bc6cb2-5cf6-11e7-ad18-2b0e87f3fe96.html

Links:
http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/politics/article_2a2235a4-5b59-11e7-82e5-0f154487f94d.html
http://www.legis.la.gov/legis/ViewDocument.aspx?d=1049974
http://www.legis.la.gov/legis/ViewDocument.aspx?d=1052481
http://www.legis.la.gov/legis/ViewDocument.aspx?d=1049389
http://www.legis.la.gov/legis/ViewDocument.aspx?d=1052479
http://www.legis.la.gov/legis/ViewDocument.aspx?d=1049827
http://www.legis.la.gov/legis/ViewDocument.aspx?d=1052476
http://www.legis.la.gov/legis/ViewDocument.aspx?d=1052203