Libraries shouldn't subsidize drag queen story time

What to do with drag queens hosted by public libraries?

Publicity over story times for children featuring transvestites provoked the citizenry in one large Louisiana city, while it largely elicited a yawn in the state’s largest city. In Lafayette, many in the public expressed concern over the concept, and opposition by Mayor-President Joel Robideaux led to the resignation of his appointee to the board that runs parish libraries. By contrast, similar events in New Orleans haven’t generated any real controversy.

A board of appointees from local government entities govern Lafayette’s libraries. It receives about $1.4 million in general fund money from the city and another $14 million from the parish, mostly from a dedicated property tax. In New Orleans, a dedicated property tax is forecast to pump over $18 million into its libraries, governed by a board of mayoral appointees.

Unneeded corporate welfare tempts tax redirection

It has become increasingly clear that change must come to the Ernest N. Morial New Orleans Exhibition Hall Authority’s greased path to raising and spending money.

In recent years, a steady drumbeat of questions has risen over the ever-increasing pot of money that the organization, which runs the city’s Convention Center and Exhibition Hall, sits on. At the close of 2017, it had over $150 million lying around in cash equivalents and for many years running its revenues have exceeded its expenses by over $20 million annually.

That’s due to taxes which, if there’s any real need to collect these in the first place, should better go to other pressing priorities. Instead, with so much dough rolling in the Authority spends some on matters that have nothing to do with its functions such as nearby roads and public safety as a kind of peace offering to New Orleans, and banks the rest with an eye on tremendous pie-in-the-sky capital projects that stray further and further away from its actual footprint and/or mission.

Politics likely part of operator replacement

Yes, taxpayers must pony up more for north Louisiana charity hospital services. But because that largesse on a continuing basis comes from the federal level, that begs a very interesting political question.

Last month, this column mused about the financial ramifications of a pending deal on University Health hospitals in Shreveport and Monroe. For months, the state has sought a takeover of these from BRF, and last week the deal finally came to fruition. Beginning Oct. 1, a combination of the Louisiana State University System and Ochsner Health System would run both. The former runs and owns entirely Lallie Kemp Regional Medical Center, and the latter operates Leonard J. Chabert Medical Center.

Legislators had gotten wind that the deal would throw more money to the new operators. This seemed odd, as the Gov. John Bel Edwards Administration previously had cut subsidies to operators, maintaining the existing deals – thrown together hastily as the state had to respond to a large federal government retrenchment in health care aid – paid too much.

Donna Edwards breaks LA first spouse mold

If in fact Louisiana politics are evolving into so-called “Washington-style” politics, it seems that has extended to “first spouse” as well.

Democrat Gov. John Bel Edwards makes an incessant talking point about allegedly more conflict developing between partisans in the Legislature. Of course, he defines “partisanship” in a nonstandard way, coming when you disagree with him on something, but he is correct in that Louisiana is evolving away from a more personalistic style of politics to one more driven by issue preferences that has marked politics in the nation’s capital for much of the national government’s existence.

But it seems another “Washington” aspect has crept into Louisiana’s political scene, that being the unprecedented political activism of First Lady Donna Edwards. Until her family moved into the Governor’s Mansion, gubernatorial spouses, if ever seen and heard, didn’t involve themselves in issuing political statements over any controversial issue.

The Advocate column, Sep. 2, 2018

Bishop Duca steps into Baton Rouge at the right time, and with the right ideas 
https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/opinion/jeff_sadow/article_764b654c-abba-11e8-9b00-ff03e458cf84.html

Links:
https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/article_a2c394ca-9beb-11e8-b8ca-fba3cd68a35f.html
https://www.dmagazine.com/publications/d-magazine/1998/july/religion-how-rudy-kos-happened/
http://www.bishop-accountability.org/usccb/natureandscope/statemap.htm
http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/country/dus2.html
http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/commentandblogs/2017/05/16/lets-be-honest-catholic-teaching-doesnt-always-forbid-the-death-penalty/
http://jeffsadow.blogspot.com/2018/08/letter-lamentably-misleads-on-catholic.html

History gives Fields chance of Senate resurrection

He’s back, and he can win, although it’s less likely to happen than in another similar case seven years ago.

Democrat former Rep. Cleo Fields, who also served 14 years in the state Senate, will hold a fundraiser soon to reclaim his legislative post. Removed via term limits in 2008, his successor Democrat state Sen. Yvonne Dorsey-Colomb must vacate for the same reason.

Despite nearly two decades in office, the most lasting image of Fields has him accepting an envelope with $20,000 in cash from Democrat former Gov. Edwin Edwards, who would later go to prison over charges presumably involving the source of those funds. Fields never faced charges and never has explained the transaction.

Confusion catches out LA foster children policy

If you get queasy when considering the old saw that the process of making laws is like watching sausage get made, imagine passing two bills that overlap on the same issue. That’s a wreck that caught up foster children policy this past legislative session.

The Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services has considered the feasibility of extending foster care from age 18 to 21. It worked with Democrat state Sen. Regina Barrow, who has long taken an interest in children’s policy, to introduce a resolution to study this at the start of that session. In early May, both chambers had signed off on it, scheduling the report’s completion by Feb. 1, 2019.

But even before this, Republican state Sen. Ryan Gatti filed a bill to do the same for any foster child enrolled in high school or something equivalent. That passed out of the Legislature only days later, although it hinged upon receiving funding for implementation.

LA local hyper-governance causing problems

An incident regarding a Livingston Parish board reminds Louisiana of the hazards of hyper-governance.

Last week, the Livingston Parish Council removed a member of the parish’s Gravity Drainage District No. 5. He had spoken vituperatively to the body’s clerk after she reminded it of state law regarding open meetings and cast unwarranted aspersions over the accreditation of the board’s attorney.

As its members serve at the pleasure of the Council, now parish commissioners will have to find someone else for that position. But wouldn’t it make more sense not to have to go through all of this in the first place?

Banning felons from running improves governance

Louisiana’s voters should pursue reform lite, and better that they understand why they should.

This fall, the state’s electorate will pass judgment on Act 719 of the 2018 regular session, which prohibits unpardoned felons from running for any elective office until five years have elapsed since completion of sentence. In essence, it serves as a replacement for a similar constitutional standard struck down two years ago over a technicality in its presentation to voters, except that the ban lasted 15 years.

Its detractors generally fall back onto two arguments to defeat it, one of which makes no sense. A case brought by former state legislator Derrick Shepherd, convicted of a felony for activities in office, excised the previous stricture. His lawyer, former state Rep. Robert Garrity, calls the amendment “feel-good” and claims it’s “worthless” that will do nothing.

The Advocate column, Aug. 26, 2018

Serious question ... does John Bel Edwards really want another term? 
https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/opinion/jeff_sadow/article_58baf266-a658-11e8-acb0-1f8cd8952fb5.html

Links:
https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/politics/article_6b8c4388-a174-11e8-b983-1b228a38c8d2.html
https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/politics/article_4f8d2118-4961-11e8-be2f-ab4eb7a08fc0.html
http://jeffsadow.blogspot.com/2018/03/edwards-red-meat-case-losing-streak.html
https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/politics/article_3bbbf70c-a0de-11e8-a69c-ab023a8e364f.html