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13.9.18

LA admissions exceptions need monitoring

While recent publicity about Louisiana State University’s Baton Rouge campus lowering its admissions standards has caught people’s attention, state universities doing this neither is new nor may end with LSU.

LSU announced it would institute holistic admissions, or removing fixed standardized test score minimum requirements, in favor of adding in essays, recommendations, and potentially other inputs to make a decision on admission. Designated as a “flagship” university according to the Board of Regents, most students don’t receive consideration unless they score at least a 25 on the American College Test, although in some circumstances that score can be as low as 22.

The institution can do this because it set its own standards prior to the creation of the three-tiered categorization system first implemented in 1990. The Regents wanted to give each level its own distinct mission that would suit best the needs of students at varying levels of development.

12.9.18

Law correctly discourages totalitarian impulses

Louisiana environmentalist tinpot totalitarians got a taste of their own aggressive medicine, and they didn’t like it.

Such individuals, operating through a group called L'eau Est La Vie Camp, have run afoul of a new law that, under felony penalties, prevents interference with construction and operation of pipelines. Utilizing the new statute, authorities have arrested a baker’s dozen trying to obstruct building of the Bayou Bridge pipeline.

Along the way, some of those arrested may have encountered government overreach. Some arrests, while legal, appear to have exceeded a state mandate for personnel use, which caused the state to withdraw off-duty law enforcement officials working on pipeline security. Others arrests may have occurred on land where questions have arisen about whether the builders have legal rights-of-way, which the courts may have to sort out.

11.9.18

LA tax relief must precede hiking teacher salaries

Political campaigning for elections later in the year generally picks up after Labor Day. But, regardless of impending 2018 contests, it appears some Louisiana politicians have decided to beat the rush for 2019 and start more than a year out.

In the case of Democrat Gov. John Bel Edwards, that’s an understatement. Edwards has run a perpetual campaign that never stopped after his 2015 win. Trust him to take an issue no matter how unrelated to his political fortunes and find a way to appropriate it to achieve his next goal, in this case reelection.

Several states have launched investigations into alleged coverups of patterns of abuse by Catholic priests and others associated with the Church. In Louisiana, Republican Atty. Gen. Jeff Landry, in response to queries, said his office did not have the authority to do such a thing until it received a criminal complaint forwarded by a local law enforcement agency.

10.9.18

Kenner correct to protest against narcissism

Why shouldn’t a local government just do it to strike a blow against a culture of narcissism?

Last week, in a move that doesn’t appear to have its origins in publicity-seeking, Kenner Mayor Ben Zahn dispersed a memo to donors of apparel and equipment for the city to use in parks and recreation. It requires city approval of such items and bans outright anything from Nike.

While the letter doesn’t mention the event specifically, recently the company started a marketing campaign honoring the 30th anniversary of its “Just Do It” slogan. This featured one of its representatives for the next several years, who will receive a reported tens of millions of dollars million for his trouble: Colin Kaepernick, an ex-professional football quarterback known for having one good season and a penchant for using the pregame playing of the National Anthem as a prop to air personal grievances against his country’s policies and political system.