More hotel unionization harmful to New Orleans

Great; just as New Orleans finally has struggled past its pre-Hurricane Katrina tourism benchmarks, it takes a step backwards with an unnecessary escalation in some lodging prices that will deter visitors.

That will happen as a result of unionization of its largest hotel, the Hilton New Orleans Riverside. UNITE HERE and management currently negotiate a contract for around 500 workers, although bringing them into the cartel’s fold increases union penetration into the city’s overall hospitality industry only to four percent.

Advocates of the development spent some effort blowing sunshine up people’s skirts. Leftist interest groups took note and booked more business at it. Workers obviously ignorant of how the world works crowed about how they could get a “fair share” Hilton’s profits. Even an academician, clearly not trained in economics, thought this could make more jobs into “middle class.”

On LA juries, racism argument proves insufficient

If the U.S. Supreme Court someday were to incorporate the Sixth Amendment in its entirety, the facile argument to do so that it recently dismissed without even granting it a hearing should play no part.

Last week, upon announcing its agenda for its 2017-18 session, the Court notified that it would not hear a Louisiana case challenging the exceptional nature of the Sixth Amendment’s application, which governs conduct of criminal trials. This case asked that the high court incorporate through the Fourteenth Amendment the unanimous jury requirement that justices in 1972 ruled applies to federal trials. Uniquely among the Bill of Rights’ contents, the Sixth Amendment contains the only right split between federal and state governments and therefore treated differently.

Only Louisiana and Oregon have opted to use non-unanimous juries for convictions, both born from allegedly racist motives. One theory floated in Louisiana’s case argues that it standard, ten of twelve for conviction, came because the state had a population then about 15 percent black; thus, a typical jury would contain two blacks (men, in those days).

Only one LA amendment merits voter approval

This upcoming Saturday, Louisianans have just three constitutional amendments to wade through at the voting booth, although these hit on the all-too-familiar themes of state and local taxation.

Amendment #1 would preclude levying taxes on property under construction and not yet in use. Currently, the Constitution and statute give next to no guidance on this matter, nor do any rulings by the Louisiana Tax Commission. This leaves subject to local interpretation what an assessor should do in the case of incomplete projects that can take a long time for building to conclude, with treatment ranging from no taxation at all on improvement until finished to taxing on the entire value of the end result even if not entirely operational and everything in-between.

The amendment would allow assessors to use discretion in determining the usefulness of the improvement and value it all from there. It seems to strike a good balance between having a known standard and allowing for tackling matters on a case-by-case basis. Further, the relative predictability it would bring will encourage economic development, as it will remove incertitude on this issue for decision-makers regarding locations and expansions. Yes.

Case remains to merge, demote LA universities

President of the University of Louisiana System Jim Henderson recently made some remarks regarding the role of higher education in the state which deserve comment and challenge.

Meeting with the Baton Rouge Advocate’s editorial board, Henderson answered questions over his first year on the job. In particular, two topics brought up merit amplification.

During the interview, he shilled for a plan devised by the system that, among others things, pledged to increase the number of graduates. It hopes to increase by 20 percent this figure by 2025, a number which comes from two inputs: the amount of individuals eligible for university education and the skill at which institutions utilize to confer degrees upon them.

The Advocate column, Oct. 8, 2017

Congress' recent mishandling of disaster relief points to need for flood insurance reform
http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/opinion/jeff_sadow/article_10e42f98-a947-11e7-8e70-93c183bae5aa.html

Links:
http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/politics/article_e10d417a-a86e-11e7-a986-fb149cafe4e1.html
https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/3823/text
http://jeffsadow.blogspot.com/2017/07/flood-insurance-privatization-could.html
http://jeffsadow.blogspot.com/2017/09/shore-up-flood-insurance-with.html

Special interests overwhelm Graves' good sense

Seeing as the law makes little sense, why does Louisiana’s Republican Rep. Garret Graves want to die on the Jones Act hill?

Better known as the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, among other things the federal statute prohibits transshipment among U.S. ports by foreign-flagged vessels. It has provisions for specific and general waivers, and GOP Pres. Donald Trump enacted the latter for ten days regarding Puerto Rico in the aftermath of the recent hurricane disasters inflicted upon the islands.

This launched Graves into criticism mode, who called it a solution looking for a problem. He argued that relief efforts suffered more from internal distribution on the main island than in getting stuff there. He noted a majority of Puerto Rico’s commerce already came from foreign vessels and said it would cost Gulf Coast shippers jobs.

Clarity needed on LA child care center cameras

If Louisiana wishes to use cameras as an enforcement tool in child care centers, it needs to clarify potential use of these.

In August, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, which regulates these businesses, promulgated a rule that would allow inspectors to review video recordings. Nothing requires a licensed facility to have this equipment or that it include audio. Operators argue that their voluntary installation of such devices occurs primarily for their own employee oversight and as a selling point for client families, as parents can hook into video feeds to monitor their children. Perhaps only a quarter of all sites have cameras running.

According to the rule, inspectors have access to recordings whenever they visit during operating hours or the facility has children present, although no legal instrument defines how long centers archive these. Inspectors may show up without provocation.

Bench protesting students to teach life lesson

If high school football players take to protesting whatever through disrespectful conduct towards symbols representing ideas behind the Constitution, the most important lesson they should learn isn’t utilizing free expression, but that actions have consequences.

After two Sundays ago, when National Football League players in significant number began not acknowledging the U.S. flag or standing at attention facing it during playing of the National Anthem, school officials rightly suspected copycat action would appear on the horizon as well. If nothing else, children obey faddishness and let themselves get swept up in trends, in this instance a reaction by professional players against remarks made by Pres. Donald Trump denigrating those who acted as such.

To cut this trendiness off at the pass, on instructions from the Bossier Parish School Board Superintendent Scott Smith in no uncertain terms mandated that students choosing to participate in extracurricular activities such as football have to observe decorum regarding the flag and Anthem. The district’s high school principals, such as Parkway High School’s Principal Waylon Bates, drove the point home further by issuing a letter to athletes and parents demanding standing in a respectful manner during the Anthem. Violators refusing to do that could be punished by coaches and school officials.

Candidates hope outsider campaigns bag wins

Does the outsider approach to winning campaigns still have legs, after its greatest victory last year? Louisiana candidates in elections later this month hope so.

Since political newcomer Republican Pres. Donald Trump knocked off the most establishmentarian of establishment candidates (who still doesn’t understand why she lost), more people than ever running for office seem eager to embrace the outsider approach – running against a government’s elected class as a whole. As proof, high profile contests at both the state and local level in Louisiana illustrate this.

Republican treasurer candidate Angéle Davis from the gun has run a campaign stressing her congruence with Trump. A number of her communications demonstrate the linkage, where she expressly brings up Trump’s agenda and allies herself to that, despite the fact little of it directly addresses the role of treasurer. Within five seconds of her recorded voice calls, she informs listeners that she aligns herself with his ideas.

The Advocate column, Oct. 1, 2017

NFL players disrespect the anthem at their own financial peril
http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/opinion/jeff_sadow/article_e3c41fc2-a3cf-11e7-b133-af46d98bfc55.html

Links:

http://www.theadvocate.com/new_orleans/news/article_31bf63f2-a151-11e7-803c-9f6502f3c456.html
http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/communities/livingston_tangipahoa/article_1927fde2-a249-11e7-ac72-e32f93061c9c.html
http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/politics/article_8fb2a780-a2c8-11e7-8167-9b1a93791b45.html
http://www.theadvocate.com/new_orleans/sports/saints/article_8a295af8-a17d-11e7-83bb-4b699754ee38.html
http://www.theadvocate.com/new_orleans/sports/saints/article_897cca5e-a16e-11e7-9101-af776628e39a.html
http://www.theadvocate.com/new_orleans/opinion/our_views/article_5cbcea10-a229-11e7-9448-4381ac98b072.html
http://www.theadvocate.com/new_orleans/sports/saints/article_b12a4242-a179-11e7-b668-83afed041dab.html
http://www.nola.com/saints/index.ssf/2016/08/saints_vs_taxpayers_who_wins_w.html
https://www.forbes.com/sites/danalexander/2013/07/31/billionaire-saints-owner-tom-benson-to-score-400-million-revenue-boost-from-agreement-with-state/#50fbe90c5a7b
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/lifestyle/sports/september_2017/34_are_less_likely_to_follow_nfl_because_of_protests