Bogus "Equal Pay Day" encourages bad LA bills

The inevitable caterwauling, fueled by bleating from earlier this week, about a nonexistent problem inevitably will end up ready to waste Louisiana legislators’ time.

About as inevitably as herpes recurring, every year since 2003 with the exception of 2008, and sometimes in multiples, the Legislature has seen introduction of a bill purporting to address “pay equality.” Filers have included a pair of past Members of Congress (one returned to the Senate last year), the frontrunner for a House seat (vacated by the other former Member), and the current Mayor-President of Baton Rouge.

These haven’t varied much. They all base themselves on a statistic that women make only X cents on the dollar to men in pay, and therefore government regulation becomes necessary to stamp out the alleged “discrimination.” This year’s version, as unveiled by activists testifying to Congress vetting this foolishness and echoed during yesterday’s “Equal Pay Day,” is 82 cents. Activists select the day as an indicator of how many extra days into the next year a woman supposedly must work to match a man’s compensation.

King fleeing pressures LSU prez, Board, Edwards

Sic semper regibus. And the King goes down, which will have political repercussions in Louisiana even though the former Louisiana State University president vacated the state well over a year ago.

Yesterday, the Oregon State University Board of Regents took the resignation tendered by its former president F. King Alexander, who had headed up the LSU System from 2013-19, over his inaction regarding LSU administration knowledge and concealment of sexual misconduct, if not criminal activity, among its student athletes and coaches. It shows the risks that two-faced, mealy-mouthed administrators face as they grapple desperately up the academic ladder.

Alexander exemplified the new breed of high-level university administrator. He had little in the way of classroom experience, obtaining his terminal degree in higher educational administration and getting grooved his first job leading a university by succeeding his father. His career became hopping from one job to another looking for something better, becoming a chameleon in the process.

Edwards ignoring science on mask mandate

Democrat Gov. John Bel Edwards still won’t let his people go, despite the growing consensus that his Wuhan coronavirus pandemic policy doesn’t follow the science and has failed – even taking into account the increased incidence of self-destructive lifestyle choices by Louisianans.

While nearby governors jettison mask requirements and most, if not all, economic lockdown restrictions they had in place (which in most instances were fewer than Edwards still imposes), he stubbornly refuses to do the same. Asked last week about the policy, he proclaimed his mask mandate isn’t going away any time soon, despite that vaccinations against the virus continue steadily, the new case amount has dropped by over 75 percent since mid-January, and daily deaths fell to average single digits last week.

Already well established that economic restrictions do little good – the latest academic study showed in a comparison across jurisdictions that these had a significant positive impact in less than two percent of cases – utilizing face coverings has greater scientific backing. Still, as a recent exchange in U.S. Senate hearings demonstrated, an improper understanding of the science can prompt even the top medical official in the U.S. to make mistaken policy recommendations.

Regional LA special elections end predictably

Regional special elections went much to form across Louisiana last Saturday, leaving the state’s conservative dominance largely untroubled.

Most pro forma of the bunch came in the contest for the Fifth Congressional District. Predictably, Republican administrator Julia Letlow swept into the seat that remained vacant when her husband Luke, elected last fall, tragically died just before his swearing in. She rang up nearly two-thirds of the vote in a contest where the only drama involved whether she could win without a runoff, given the dozen candidates in the contest. She answered that rather decisively and shamed Democrats whose sole entrant could muster just 27 percent of the vote.

Less predictably but rounding into expected form, the Second Congressional District race ended in a runoff matchup between Democrat state Sens. Troy Carter and Karen Peterson. Carter racked up 36 percent of the vote while Peterson trailed with just 23 percent, edging out Democrat community organizer Gary Chambers at 21 percent.

BC voters make down payment on policy change

In the clash of competing philosophies, generations, and campaign strategies, Bossier City election results showed the tide has begun to turn against the parish’s old guard.

This weekend’s municipal contest at best presented the chance to put a down payment on dismantling the long-standing old Bossier power structure. While over the past two decades the city underperformed fiscally, allowed debt to put every resident in hock nearly $7,000 each, and saw crime become increasingly problematic, this cabal was more committed to counting coup on Shreveport, puffing their chests out, and breaking their arms trying to pat themselves on their backs than to addressing those deficiencies.

However, three members of the City Council – independent Jeff Darby, Republican Jeff Free, and Democrat Bubba Williams – didn’t draw any opponent. And in the one open seat contest, old Bossier support coalesced around Republican Vince Maggio against Republican reformer Marsha McAllister. Meanwhile, Republican at-large councilors Tim Larkin and David Montgomery drew challengers Republican Chris Smith and Democrat Lee “Gunny” Jeter, and District 1 incumbent Republican Scott Irwin faced GOP challenger School Board Member Shane Cheatham.