Kennedy presidential prospects hampered by age

It’s an interesting proposition, but if Republican Sen. John Kennedy does run for the presidency, that might be a bridge too far because of something illegal in employment law, but not when ratified by voters.

At a recent speech, Kennedy averred that he might eschew reelection, which he could garner without difficulty, and instead take a stab at the presidency. He said that donors were encouraging him.

 

Kennedy has solid conservative credentials in his time in the Senate but, perhaps more importantly from a national political perspective, has gained a reputation as an effective and witty communicator of those ideas. In fact, an online search will turn up, both in text and by video, sites that proclaim Kennedy’s “greatest hits” in terms of witticisms. As well, Kennedy also has built a reputation as a bulldog in interviewing nominees and testifiers of both parties, calling things as he sees them.

Funds shift should trigger new MFP strategy

Necessity is the mother of invention, and perhaps Republican Gov. Jeff Landry hit on some needed reform of education expenditures.

After two attempts fell short to amend the Constitution in two consecutive spring votes that would have rejiggered state finances to shuttle money to school districts to provide educator and staff raises, Landry proposed a plan to reshuffle the state’s Minimum Foundation Program for this year to take money from operational and other non-instructional expenses and send it to salaries. This would require an intercession vote remotely by two-thirds of legislators in each chamber.

 

Problematically, some state school boards have raised alarms about the plan. In essence, they would be required to beggar spending on non-instructional expenses that could delay projects and support services or leave a district short in case of an emergency such as rebuilding after a disaster. Alternatively, they could dip into reserves for this one-time expense (policy-makers have convened a task force to reform educational spending that they hope provides a permanent increase in future years).

Govts should vet outdated, useless agencies

Maybe both Bossier City and Bossier Parish could use their portions of nearly a million dollars on something better than an outdated local government agency that acts like a bank with public dollars.

At its meeting earlier this month, the parish’s Police Jury reappointed three members to the Bossier Public Trust Financing Authority for four-year terms that would expire at the end of the month. The governing board has two other members whose terms end in a couple of years for the agency created in 1979 to issue mortgages for single-family housing, serviced through area financial institutions. Reappointments will have to be ratified by Bossier City prior to term ends.

In its early years it issued several such bond issues, but since then largely has fallen into disuse. Technically it is a component unit of Bossier City, but in reality it essentially operates as an adjunct of the Greater Bossier Economic Development Fund as its board members all are GBEDF directors and its agent Rocky Rockett is the GBEDF executive director. None receive compensation, although the Authority pays out administration fees and professional fees presumably for its simplified audit annually for the state’s legislative auditor.

LA already seeing benefits from SNAP changes

Louisiana, both gratifyingly and embarrassingly, leads almost every state in reduction of people in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which is a good thing

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act of last year made the most far-reaching changes to public assistance programs in three decades, among them to SNAP. Specifically, states would be penalized starting in fiscal year 2028 for an excessive inappropriate payment rate, reductions in eligibility requirement waivers for regions with higher unemployment rates, allowing fewer legally-residing foreign nationals to access it, and, in 2027, institution of a lenient community engagement requirement for working-age able-bodied adults without dependents.

Especially with the error-rate requirement using data that began using data from last year, states have become more vigilant in determining eligibility. As a result, rolls have declined steadily since the bill’s passage about a year ago. They’re about nine percent lower, or 4.3 million recipients, through February of this year (which should increase further as several states had waivers on standards into April).