LAFAYETTE
PUBLIC POLICY -----------"Mais,
C'est
Politique, Cher"
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"Nothing
in the world is more
dangerous than sincere ignorance and
conscientious stupidity" (M.L.King)...
so read & learn. “I
do not think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was
yesterday”.
(Abraham Lincoln)
Acadiana:
(S. W. LOUISIANA) Some
people are not fond of the term used to describe our special little
corner of the world. The term leads many to think only decendants of
the old Acadia (Canada) settled this region and built its cherished
culture.
A more complete picture shows that Acadians, Creoles, Africans,French,
German, Irish, Italians, Lebanese, Native Americans, Spanish, and
other Ethnicities, made this region like no other on the planet.
Federal Judge Takes On Wall Street -- Huffington Post - HOWARD S. FINEMAN 12/27/11 Jed S. Rakoff: Federal District Judge Of New York's Southern District (The Inspirationals) NEW YORK CITY
-- With his neatly barbered white beard and his calm, careful demeanor,
68-year-old Judge Jed S. Rakoff seems too mild-mannered to be the
fierce foe of corporate greed that his admirers see. And yet it is a
measure of how timid our politics have become that this federal judge
is widely viewed as the only man in government with the cojones to take
on the banking corporations that nearly destroyed the American economy
in 2008 and that seem, for the most part, unrepentant. Rakoff is a
federal district judge for the Southern District of New York. He
presides from a building on Pearl Street in Lower Manhattan named after
the man who proposed him for the bench 16 years ago, the late Sen.
Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Democrat of New York. The judge is no radical.
He was drawn as a college student to the "cool rationality" of
President Jack Kennedy, proposed for the federal bench by the famously
centrist Moynihan, nominated by President Bill Clinton and
overwhelmingly confirmed by a bipartisan Senate in 1996. He is a
proceduralist, a former corporate lawyer and hardly a populist
firebrand. But because he is fastidious about the law, knows the
industry, has worked as a prosecutor and believes in rational
regulation of business -- and because he presides over a jurisdiction
that includes Wall Street and most Big Banks -- he may sometimes appear
to be like the solitary protester in a Tiananmen of Profit. Time and
again over the years, Rakoff has goaded federal regulators into taking
a tougher line on the companies they regulate, though he does so in the
measured tones of the "cool rationality" he admires. READ MORE
Growing wealth widens distance between lawmakers and constituents-- Peter Whoriskey -12-262011 BUTLER, Pa.
— One day after his shift at the steel mill, Gary Myers drove
home in his 10-year-old Pontiac and told his wife he was going to run
for Congress. The odds were long. At 34, Myers was the shift
foreman at the “hot mill” of the Armco plant here. He had
no political experience and little or no money, and he was a Republican
in a district that tilted Democratic. But standing in the dining room,
still in his work clothes, he said he felt voters deserved a better
choice.Three years later, he won. When Myers entered Congress, in 1975,
it wasn’t nearly so unusual for a person with few assets besides
a home to win and serve in Congress. Though lawmakers on Capitol Hill
have long been more prosperous than other Americans, others of that
time included a barber, a pipe fitter and a house painter. A handful
had even organized into what was called the “Blue Collar
Caucus.” But the financial gap between Americans and their
representatives in Congress has widened considerably since then,
according to an analysis of financial disclosures by The Washington
Post. Between 1984 and 2009, the median net worth of a member of the
House more than doubled, according to the analysis of financial
disclosures, from $280,000 to $725,000 in inflation-adjusted 2009
dollars, excluding home equity. Over the same period, the wealth
of an American family has declined slightly, with the comparable median
figure sliding from $20,600 to $20,500, according to the Panel Study of
Income Dynamics from the University of Michigan. READ MORE
SEC Charges Former Fannie, Freddie Executives With Fraud Over Risky Mortgages -- The Huffington Post - Basil Katz, editing by Gerald E. McCormick and John Wallace - 12-15-2011 NEW YORK -
U.S. securities regulators sued six former executives at Fannie Mae and
Freddie Mac on Friday, including ex-CEOs of both mortgage finance
companies, saying they misled investors over exposure to risky home
loans. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission sued three former
executives at Fannie Mae and three at Freddie Mac. The civil charges
were brought in two separate lawsuits filed in U.S. District Court in
Manhattan. The SEC accused former Fannie Mae CEO Daniel Mudd, former
Freddie Mac CEO Richard Syron and four other defendants of knowingly
approving false statements to investors that drastically misrepresented
the extent of the firms' exposure to toxic mortgages. Spokesmen for
Mudd and Syron did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The
SEC said both firms have agreed to cooperate with the agency and have
agreed to admit responsibility for the alleged conduct, without
agreeing or denying that they are liable. The firms have also entered
into non-prosecution agreements with the agency, the SEC said. Freddie
Mac and Fannie Mae have been propped up by $169 billion in federal aid
since they were rescued by the government in 2008. The cases are SEC v.
Daniel Mudd et al., No. 11-9202 and SEC v. Syron et. al No. 11-9201,
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Reporting
by
Census: 1 in 2 people are poor -- The Daily Advertiser - 12-14-2011 WASHINGTON
— Squeezed by rising living costs, a record number of Americans
— nearly 1 in 2 — have fallen into poverty or are scraping
by on earnings that classify them as low income. The latest census data
depict a middle class that's shrinking as unemployment stays high and
the government's safety net frays. The new numbers follow years of
stagnating wages for the middle class that have hurt millions of
workers and families. "Safety net programs such as food stamps and tax
credits kept poverty from rising even higher in 2010, but for many
low-income families with work-related and medical expenses, they are
considered too 'rich' to qualify," said Sheldon Danziger, a University
of Michigan public policy professor who specializes in poverty. "The
reality is that prospects for the poor and the near poor are dismal,"
he said. "If Congress and the states make further cuts, we can expect
the number of poor and low-income families to rise for the next several
years." READ MORE
Former worker suing LHA for back wages -- The Daily Advertiser - Claire Taylor - 12-14-2011 LAFAYETTE, LA.
- Fired contract worker Beatrice Wilson — also known as Porsha
Evans — is suing the Lafayette Housing Authority for back wages.
Wilson argues in the lawsuit her contract as a Disaster Housing
Assistance Program case manager required the LHA to provide a 30-day
written notice before terminating her. On Aug. 13, 2010, the LHA
terminated Wilson immediately and without a written notice, "a
violation of the employment contract," the lawsuit states. The lawsuit
seeks 90 days in back pay — a total of $26,640 — or full
wages (at $37 an hour for eight hours a day) from the time Wilson made
demand for payment until the LHA pays her, whichever is less. Patricia
Campbell, regional public affairs officer for Region VI with the U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development, declined comment Tuesday
on Wilson's lawsuit, citing the pending litigation. HUD took over the
LHA in March after months of legal maneuvers that followed the
dismissal of the previous board by City-Parish President Joey Durel. He
dismissed the board after a 2008-09 audit revealed mismanagement at the
LHA, including DHAP. This is the fourth lawsuit filed against the LHA
by former contract DHAP workers. Two of the lawsuits were settled by
the LHA: Linda Jefferson was paid $10,000 and Myra Parker was paid
$30,000. Still pending is a lawsuit by former Lafayette City-Parish
Councilman Chris Williams for $20,000, which housing officials have
said they do not intend to settle. Wilson, Williams, Jefferson, Parker
and another case manager with the DHAP program were fired by the LHA
board in August 2010 after an independent audit found some of their pay
— in some cases $37 an hour — was excessive, they did not
complete time cards and worked full-time jobs at the same time they
were supposedly working for DHAP, assisting hurricane victims.
What it means to be a Democrat - A Call For true Believers. -- Democratic Louisiana- Mike Stagg - 12-12-2011 LAFAYETTE, LA. - Qualifying for state and local Democratic party positions opens today across
Louisiana and the future of the party is riding on who among us will step
forward to lead the effort to build this party. Build is right word
because there has never really been a Democratic Party in Louisiana. There has
been a Democratic banner under which candidates have run for office, but there
has never been much of anything resembling an actual party organization. There
have been factions and organizations built around personalities, but there has
not been a party organization per sé. READ MORE
Police appeal dismissals - Four Lafayette officers’ letters deny allegations -- Jason Brown - The Advocate - December 10, 2011 LAFAYETTE
— Among the four Lafayette Police officers appealing their
terminations are an officer accused of having sex while on duty and
another accused of, among other things, inciting panic during a bomb
scare at the Mall of Acadiana, according to the officers’ appeal
letters. Cpl. Oren Haydel, Cpl. Edward A. McLean, Officer Uletom F.
Hewitt and Officer Zairrick Guillory have filed appeals with the
Municipal Fire and Police Civil Service Board. READ MORE
Lafayette Police shooting investigated -- Advocate staff report - December 11, 2011 LAFAYETTE, LA.
— State Police are investigating a Friday night shooting
involving a Lafayette Police Department officer who killed an armed
robbery suspect. According to a State Police news release, the man
“engaged officers and officers responded by firing shots, fatally
wounding” him. The initial investigation shows that Lafayette
police officers responded to an armed robbery at an apartment complex
in the 200 block of Theatre Drive, the release says. When police
arrived, they came across an armed man at the doorway to an apartment,
the release says. The man was pronounced dead at the scene following
the shooting, the release says. The victim’s name was not
released pending notification of family members. The names of police
officers involved were not made public by State Police. The shooting
remains under investigation, the release says.
Will there finally be parking change? -- The Daily Advertiser - 12-11-2011 LAFAYETTE, LA.
- During the past eight years, more than $300,000 has disappeared from
the UL parking and transit office at the hands of employees. The thefts
have left a long trail of stains on a university with an otherwise
exemplary reputation — two arrests, three firings, a suicide and
an ongoing police investigation that threatens to extend the damage.
According to our own investigation, The Daily Advertiser has found that
the misdeeds in the troubled department were allowed to mushroom as a
result of a series of blunders, including ignored warnings, lax
security and accounting procedures, and a failure to enact appropriate
safeguards even after it became clear things were severely wrong in a
cash-heavy department that this year alone already has generated more
than a half-million dollars in revenue. READ MORE
JoDu or JoDon’t? -- The Independent - Heather Miller and Walter Pierce - 11-30-2011- LAFAYETTE, LA.
- Was City-Parish President Joey Durel a factor in the District 44
House runoff? He certainly didn’t help Rep. Rickey Hardy, but
there’s more to the story. For a man whose name
didn’t even appear on the Nov. 19 ballot in Lafayette Parish,
City-Parish President Joey Durel somehow managed to score some pretty
big election day losses. With Durel handily winning his own
re-election bid against Lafayette Democrat Mike Stagg, the month
between the Oct. 22 primary and Nov. 19 runoff gave Durel ample time to
try to drum up support for candidates of his choice — or rather
opposition to the candidates he was against. READ MORE
Buddy Roemer says he will campaign for president on third-party ticket -- The Boston Globe -Shira Schoenberg - 12-01-2011 MANCHESTER, N.H.
- Former Louisiana Governor Buddy Roemer today became the first
candidate to announce that he will seek the nomination of Americans
Elect, an advocacy group that is trying to put a third, split-party
ticket on the presidential ballot. Roemer, who has gained little
support in his attempt to win the Republican presidential nomination,
said he will continue his primary race and will run as a Republican in
the Americans Elect contest. Voters registering with Americans Elect
will choose their nominee via the Internet. If nominated, Roemer will
have to choose a running mate from a different party. Roemer said
his decision stems from his frustration at being excluded from the
Republican primary debates. “It shows you my naiveté. I
just knew that as I got better known, as I became more
established…I would be invited to a debate,” Roemer said
in an interview at his national headquarters. “But we’re
not going to be.” Roemer said he agrees with many tenets of the
Republican Party. But he has been unable to call attention to his
platform, which focuses on campaign finance reform, because he has not
been included in polls or debates. “I’m not trying to form
a third party,” Roemer said. “What I’m trying to do
is contrast what a unity ticket can do compared to the two parties, and
let’s make a decision as a nation. At the very least, we might
reform one of the parties to embrace campaign reform.” He
is still looking at potential running mates, but said he would consider
Democrats like Erskine Bowles, co-chair of President Obama’s
deficit reduction commission, or Harvard University law professor
Lawrence Lessig, a proponent of campaign finance reform. READ MORE
GOP gets ready to say 'yes' -- Politico.com - Jake Sherman 12-01-2011 NATIONAL
- The narrative over the past 11 months is that House Republicans are
the party of no: “no” to President Barack Obama,
“no” to congressional Democrats and “no” to
their own leaders. But an amazing thing is about to happen at the
close of one of the most politically contentious years in recent
history: Republican leadership is about to say yes to Democrats. Yes to
unemployment benefits, yes to Obama’s payroll tax holiday and yes
on passing an unwieldy pile of year-end spending bills. It’s
surprising on several levels. Republicans have voiced measured
opposition to the payroll tax holiday. Many conservatives don’t
believe long-term unemployment benefits encourage people to go back to
work and nearly all of them think the current system is broken.
Republicans also came into office vowing not to fund the government
using massive omnibus bills. Yet, if House GOP leadership has its
way, all these measures will land on the president’s desk before
year’s end. It’s a mix of happenstance and sheer
political calculation that has Republicans — including Speaker
John Boehner (R-Ohio) and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.)
— supporting some slivers of Democrats’ priorities and
perhaps looking for an escape hatch to end this brutal congressional
session. READ MORE
U.S. Unemployment Rate Falls To Lowest Level In Nearly Three Years -- The Huffington Piost - 12-02-2011 WASHINGTON
— The U.S. unemployment rate fell last month to its lowest level
in more than 2 1/2 years. More people out of work either found jobs or
gave up looking and were no longer counted as unemployed. The Labor
Department said Friday that the unemployment rate dropped sharply to
8.6 percent, down from 9 percent in October. The rate hasn't been that
low since March 2009, during the depths of the recession. READ MORE
David Duke Arrested In Germany, Ex-Klan Leader Faces Deportation -- The Huffington Post - 11-30-2011 INTERNATIONAL
- David Duke, the former Ku Klux Klan leader, white supremacist and
Louisiana politician, was arrested and taken into custody in Cologne on
Friday, prior to a planned speech to a right-wing extremist group,
German police said Monday. The statement by the Cologne police
department said that Duke, 61, is "obliged to leave German territory
without delay." In a message on his website, Duke said he had been
released from jail and requested financial assistance from his
followers to fight the deportation. "To fight this case will cost a lot
of money, time and effort," he wrote. The arrest appears to be tied to
Duke's expulsion from the Czech Republic in 2009, following his
detention there on suspicion of denying the Holocaust, a crime in many
European countries, including Germany. The Cologne police statement
said that Duke "was not entitled to stay in Germany" because of a
travel ban against him in another, unspecified European country. READ MORE
C-P
Councilman Castille named Carencro’s new city manager -- The
Independent - Leslie Turk - 11-29-2011 LAFAYETTE, LA.
- Ten days of Lloyd Rochon’s departure from his job as Carencro
city manager, Lafayette District 2 City-Parish Councilman Jay Castille
was hired for the job. Rochon was making almost $64,000 a year when he
left the post, Mayor Glenn Brasseaux confirms, and Castille was hired
by a vote of the Carencro City Council at a salary of $50,000.
Brasseaux says Rochon notified him Oct. 26 that he would be
leaving the
job he had held since 2002; Rochon’s last day of work was
Nov. 11. “Lloyd was the first city manager hired by the
city,”
Brasseaux says. “He did an outstanding job
for us.”
READ MORE
Best and Worst Run States in America — An Analysis Of All 50 States -- 24/7wallst.com-Nov.-28-2011 LOUISIANA / NATIONAL
- Louisiana remains in our bottom 10 again this year, although it has
improved since last year, primarily because of decreases in
unemployment and violent crime rate. In all, however, the state ranks
poorly in most of the metrics we considered. Louisiana has the
fifth-highest poverty rate in the country, the 10th-highest percentage
of residents without health insurance coverage and the fifth lowest
percentage of adults with a high school diploma. READ MORE
OUT OF LINE -- The Independent - Walter Pierce -11-20-2011 LAFAYETTE / BROUSSARD, LA.
- Broussard is about to get a “substantial” bill from
Lafayette Utilities System, and its wholesale contract with LUS could
be in jeopardy. A
hearty guffaw bursts through the phone line. At the other end is
Broussard Mayor Charlie Langlinais, who is in New York City at the time
on a business trip. “If owe them money I don’t have a
problem paying them now, up front or we can work it out over ... Joey
Durel! [Langlinais laughs again] $800,000?!” (He laughs yet
again.) Langlinais’ funny bone is being tickled from two
directions: by the estimated bill Lafayette Utilities System says the
city of Broussard owes for using LUS water for the last five years at a
meter in Broussard that was bypassed, and by Langlinais’ longtime
foil, City-Parish President Joey Durel, who has squabbled with
Langlinais most recently over disputed annexations along Ambassador
South. Animus between the mayors is well chronicled; the cities of
Lafayette and Broussard have even swapped lawsuits over annexations. So
while Langlinais was recently made aware of the water meter issue, he
thinks the sizable bill estimated by LUS has Joey Durel written all
over it." Durel is having none of it. “They’re going to
have to pay the bill,” the city-parish president says. “But
more importantly, that contract in my opinion ceases to exist. But
we’ll have to wait and see about that. The contract doesn’t
provide for anybody to take water for free. Anybody, based on any kind
of common sense at all, would say this contract is breached, and I
think it’ll open the door for a renegotiated contract.” READ MORE
Ricky Hardy --- X-State Representative (LAFAYETTE, LA.)
Unapologetic, Unorthodox — and Unemployed (The Independent).
Pierre unseats Hardy in State Rep. District 44 race
Republican Campaign Commercials Misquote Obama -- TheNation.com - Ben Adleron November 23, 2011 - 5:10pm ET NATIONAL
- You might expect that in a Republican primary the candidates would be
criticizing one another. They certainly would have plenty of material.
But in keeping with Ronald Reagan’s Eleventh
Commandment—thou shall not speak ill of a fellow
Republican—the GOP presidential candidates are focusing their
television commercials in the early primary states on President Obama.
Unfortunately, the quotes they use from Obama are taken so far out of
context that they go beyond misleading into outright falsehoods. READ MORE
Rick Perry's Texas gets plenty of money from the feds -- Politico.com - KATE NOCERA | 11/25/2011
The first rule of asking for extra federal dollars in Texas is to never
make it seem like you are asking for extra federal dollars. For Gov.
Rick Perry, this is a tricky line to walk. Because as much as the
Republican presidential candidate bashes the federal government in his
campaign speeches, Texas gets a lot of money from the feds — and
a lot of it is going to the health care system he insists Texas can
handle on its own. Perry has repeatedly decried the spending culture of
Washington, railing against both President Barack Obama’s health
care law and the federal stimulus. But as it happens, Texas has taken a
lot of money from both. More than $380 million in early grants and
other aid from the federal health law have already gone to businesses
and agencies in the Lone Star State, according to figures from the
Department of Health and Human Services, and Texas ended up with $17
billion from the stimulus. Now, the state is waiting for final approval
of a new waiver from federal Medicaid rules that could allow the state
to draw down an additional $12 billion in funds from the federal
government. And that’s before the main parts of the Affordable
Care Act even kick in, bringing billions of dollars to Texas in extra
Medicaid funds and subsidies to help people buy private coverage
through a new health insurance exchange. If the law survives its
upcoming review by the Supreme Court, its expansion of Medicaid alone
could cost the federal government anywhere from $53 billion to $67
billion in aid to Texas by 2019, according to estimates from the
nonpartisan Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. That’s more than
any other state would get under that part of the law. The only other
state that comes close is California, which would get between $45
billion and $55 billion in federal Medicaid funds. “The only word
that can describe this is hypocrisy,” said Democratic state Rep.
Garnet Coleman. “These days federal dollars might as well be
counterfeit, they are so dirty — but Texas would not survive
without them.” READ MORE
Louisiana doctors continue to work while under investigation -- NOLA.COM - 11-23-2011 LOUISIANA, LA.
- Four Louisiana physicians wrote hundreds of bogus prescriptions that
powered multimillion-dollar health-care frauds in the Baton Rouge area,
according to evidence amassed by the nearly two-year-old local Medicare
Fraud Strike Force. Yet, all four physicians remain licensed to
practice medicine, including two who pleaded guilty and a third
convicted at a jury trial in August. The fourth doctor, who had
previous probations of his license, is fighting the charges in his
indictment. In a similar case that dates to before creation of the
Strike Force, the Advocate reports a Louisiana physician in 2009
retained his medical license even though he was convicted of
health-care fraud. READ MORE
LUS bills Broussard $825,000 for water -- The Daily Advertiser - Nicholas Persac - 11-23-2011 LAFAYETTE, LA.
- ayette Utilities System officials sent the City of Broussard a
bill for more than $825,000 and argue the municipality breached its
contract with the company for using a non-metered bypass line to
consume, but not purchase, LUS water for several years. LUS
Customer and Support Services Manager Andrew Duhon sent the $825,587.01
bill to Broussard Mayor Charles Langlinais in letter dated Nov. 22.
"Now that I've got their number, I'm kind of floored you could come up
with that type of estimate," Langlinais said on Tuesday. Langlinais
said he was "somewhat shocked" by the bill, but he wouldn't say what he
thinks a more appropriate price tag may be. Instead of simply accepting
the $825,000 bill, he said Broussard hired an outside consultant,
specializing in utilities system engineering, to examine the data and
calculate how much Broussard owes LUS. Langlinais said he has "no issue
whatsoever paying what we owe," but he wants to verify the dollar
amount in question. He said he will hold a news conference early next
week "to correct misinformation" about the matter and to announce what
amount the consultant believes Broussard should pay LUS. READ MORE
How dangerous is pepper spray? -- The Guardian UK - Martin Robins - 11-22-2011 INTERNATIONAL
-Studies suggest the use of pepper spray on peaceful protesters, such
as the UC Davis students, is likely to make them more violent. The
controversy of the policing of student protests at University of
California, Davis, has highlighted one of the more sinister trends in
recent protests: the liberal or even enthusiastic use of weapons like
pepper spray to force protestors to bend to the will of the police,
even in the absence of any obvious violence or threat. Deaths involving
the police can result from a complex combination of causes. By 1995 the
ACLU in Southern California had identified 26 deaths connected with
pepper spray use in 30 months. READ MORE
Insurers 'terrified' of Supreme Court ruling on healthcare reform law -- TheHill.com - Julian Pecquet - 11-22-2011 NATIONAL
- The insurance industry is terrified that the Supreme Court will
strike down the individual mandate to buy insurance next year while
leaving the rest of the healthcare reform law intact. For insurers, the
death of the mandate alone — one of many plausible outcomes in
the blockbuster case — is the nightmare scenario, one Republican
healthcare lobbyist told The Hill. “They’re terrified
they’re going to be left holding the bag,” the lobbyist
said. In arguing for the mandate, the insurance industry points to the
experiences of eight states that tried and failed to reform their
insurance markets without one in the 1990s. They say the law’s
requirements are unworkable unless everyone in the country purchases
insurance. But that argument might not sway the Supreme Court, which
must decide the “severability” of the mandate from the law,
along with a host of other legal and constitutional issues. In an
amicus brief filed last month with the high court, the insurance
industry said keeping the law’s reforms in place without a
mandate would create “widespread … instability in the
insurance market and, over time, would substantially reduce access to
affordable coverage.”“The difference between … a
mandate-less [health law] with market reforms intact, and without some
or many of those market reforms is night and day,”
America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) said in the brief.
Insurers’ best-case scenario, one insurance lobbyist said, would
be for the court to uphold the mandate. Barring that, the industry
would rather see the whole law crumble. “I’m not sure
there’s a solution there that’s acceptable other than,
it’s all or nothing,” the source said. READ MORE
Acadiana Democrats: Stayin’ Alive? --The Independent - Heather Miller - 11-21-2011 ACADIANA
- Acadiana lawmakers have been steadily flocking to the Republican
Party as part of a statewide push for a supermajority, but this
year’s legislative race circuit has shown a notable foothold for
area Democrats who won four state representative seats in the Acadiana
Delegation. On Saturday, incumbent state Rep. Jack Montoucet of
Crowley defeated Republican challenger Anthony Emmons in District 42,
while Carencro home builder Stephen Ortego beat Republican St. Landry
Parish President Don Menard in District 39. In District 44, Vince
Pierre ousted incumbent Democratic state Rep. Rickey Hardy, who was
targeted for his relationships with Lafayette Republicans like
City-Parish President Joey Durel and supporting several initiatives of
Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal. Terry Landry’s win in the newly
created minority District 96 rounded out the fourth Democratic victory
in Acadiana. “Lafayette Democrats were active in these four
legslative races,” says local attorney and Lafayette Parish
Democratic Executive Committee member Lester Gauthier. “Hold off
on the obituary. We’re not dead yet.” READ MORE
Fan group optimistic FCC will review National Football League blackout rule -- TheHill.com - Gautham Nagesh - 11-20-2011 NATIONAL
- A coalition representing sports fans is optimistic the Federal
Communications Commission will review a decades-old rule that allows
the National Football League to ban television providers from carrying
home games locally. The Sports Fan Coalition filed a petition for
Rulemaking with the FCC last week urging the agency to end its local
sports blackout rule adopted in 1975 at the request of the sports
leagues and broadcasters. The NFL's policy bans local broadcast
stations within 75 miles of stadiums from showing games that aren't
sold out. The FCC's rule prohibits cable, satellite, Internet and other
providers in the same area from carrying the blacked-out games. Eight
games had been blacked out this season as of last week, while the last
two seasons saw 26 and 23 blackouts respectively. Sports Fan Coalition
executive director Brian Frederick told Hillicon on Sunday the rule is
unfair to fans in economically depressed areas that support
publicly-financed stadiums through their tax dollars but are left
unable to watch their home team. "It's completely unethical to not
allow [fans] to see the games," Frederick said, pointing to the Tampa
Bay Buccaneers as the prime example. Four of the team's eight home
games have been blacked out on local TV this year, despite playing in a
$168.5 million stadium funded by taxpayers. READ MORE
Landry wins in Dist. 96 -- The Daily Advertiser - Claire Taylor -11-20-2011 ACADIANA
- Terry Landry, D-Lafayette, was chosen Saturday as the first state
representative of the newly created House District 96, which includes
parts of Lafayette Parish. A former Louisiana State Police
superintendent, Landry defeated Eric Martin, I-St. Martinville, during
a runoff Saturday. The two emerged from a field of six in the October
primary to face off on Saturday. Landry has said that being retired
gives him the time needed to be a full-time advocate for the people of
District 96. "I think education is paramount and the centerpiece of
everything facing us," Landry said Saturday evening. "We can't continue
to balance our budget on the back of our children." State officials
often implement cuts to education when they need to balance the state
budget. That's in large part because many other areas of the budget are
protected from cuts by the state Constitution. "If it requires a
constitutional amendment, let's work towards that," Landry said. Martin
congratulated Landry and wished him the best in Baton Rouge. "It was a
good race. We gave it our all," he said. READ MORE
Pierre unseats Hardy in District 44 -- The Daily Advertiser - Claire Taylor - 11-20-2011 LAFAYETTE
- The heated race for House District 44 ended in an upset Saturday with
political newcomer Vincent Pierre defeating incumbent state Rep. Rickey
Hardy. "I am humble tonight. The people of District 44 have spoken,"
Pierre said. "They want change. My job is to go to Baton Rouge to
ensure change does happen." Pierre said he and his supporters worked
hard to reach everyone in District 44 with his message. "We worked
throughout the community, we worked with local churches, we worked with
local organizations, explaining to them our message of education, of
job development and uniting this community," he said. READ MORE
Guillory re-elected after bitter battle -- The Daily Advertiser - Tina Marie Macias 11-20-2011 OPELOUSAS
— After a season of bitter rhetoric and a decisively vicious
campaign cycle, state Sen. Elbert Guillory, D-Opelousas, will return to
the state Senate for a second term. He beat political rival and
Opelousas Mayor Donald "Don" Cravins, D-Opelousas, by more than 10
percentage points in the hotly contested race for state Senate District
24. "I'm looking forward to Monday morning when I can get back to work
and do the serious business of managing District 24," Guillory said
Saturday. Guillory, a 67-year-old attorney, won re-election with 55.66
percent of the vote. Cravins, a 63-year-old independent insurance
agent, took 44.34 percent, according to complete but unofficial results
from the Louisiana Secretary of State. The race for the three-parish
district was impassioned and often dirty. READ MORE
Naquin holds off Durel-backed Doise -- The Daily Advertiser - Nicholas Persac -11-20-2011 LAFAYETTE
- Conservative members of the Lafayette City-Parish Council will have a
likely ally during the next four years, as tea-party endorsed Andy
Naquin topped Jared Doise, who was favored by the incumbent in that
seat and City-Parish President Joey Durel. "I haven't had a lot of big
names behind me, that's for sure," Naquin said Saturday night after
winning the election. Naquin and Doise, both political newcomers,
unseated incumbent District 6 Councilman Sam Dore during the primary
election. Because none of the three candidates earned a majority of the
vote, Doise and Naquin faced in the runoff election Saturday. Naquin
topped Doise by about 11 percent in the Oct. 22 primary election,
making him the favorite in the runoff. On Saturday, he topped Doise by
about 15 percent. "I was happy to make the runoff, and to actually come
out on top is out of my wildest dreams," Naquin said. "It's not about
Andy though. It's about the people who got me here and encouraged me to
step up to the plate." Pearson Cross, chairman of UL's Political
Science Department, said before Saturday's election that many people
were "looking for strong conservatives with strong roots," giving
Naquin the upper hand in the race. "Naquin certainly might join with
other like-minded conservatives who have not been a fan of Joey Durel
or the direction he's bringing LCG," Cross said. Naquin, in general, is
more in line with those like-minded conservatives, Councilmen Jared
Bellard, District 5, and William Theriot, District 9. His victory
weakens the voting block that typically sides with Durel. In a likely
reference to Bellard and Theriot, Durel asked his supporters in a
letter aendorsing Doise to not "send me another person that is simply
'against.'" READ MORE
Big win: Stephen Ortego upsets Don Menard -- The Independent - Heather Miller - 11-21-2011 CARENCRO. LA.
- Saturday’s eye-popping victory in the House District 39 race, in
which Carencro Democrat Stephen Ortego unexpectedly delivered a
10-point win over St. Landry Parish President Don Menard, has earned
Ortego a shared spot on the political history bookshelf with some of
the most influential Louisiana politicians of late. At 27 years old,
Ortego will be the youngest serving member of the state House when it
convenes next year, as were U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu and former U.S.
Reps. Chris John and Cleo Fields when they were each elected to the
Louisiana Legislature. Ortego secured 55 percent of the vote Saturday
in what was arguably one of the biggest upsets in Acadiana legislative
races. “We expected to win. We just didn’t expect to win by that much,”
Ortego says. “We could feel it on the ground in the last week. People
started really supporting the campaign.” Menard held endorsements from
key statewide industry groups, U.S. Rep. Jeff Landry, Gov. Bobby Jindal
and U.S. Sen. David Vitter, as well as large-scale contributions from
the latter two. Ortego says the financial boost he received from the
Louisiana Democratic Party was standard for a legislative race, but
nowhere near the amount of money Menard received Jindal and Vitter.
“We knew we weren’t going to get that kind of money, so we had to be
smart about the money we did receive,” Ortego explains. “I think
getting out and talking to people really laid out a foundation.”
Ortego ran for the District 39 seat in 2007, losing to current state
Rep. Bobby Badon by less than 30 votes in a runoff, This year, Ortego
took 35 percent of the primary vote to face Menard in the runoff. Badon
did not seek re-election. Unlike Louisiana heavyweights Landrieu and
John, whose fathers both held high public offices in Louisiana,
Ortego’s only DNA ties to the Legislature stem from his great
grandfather, a former state representative. As for what’s to come,
Ortego’s answer echoes from one of his biggest campaign platforms —
preservation of French and Cajun culture. “C’est pas fini,” he says.
Memo Reveals How Seriously Powerful Interests Take OWS --The Nation.com - George Zornickon - 11-20-2011 NATIONAL - This montrning, Up With Chris Hayes
unveiled a major scoop: the show obtained a written pitch to the
American Bankers Association from a promine
Washington lobbying firm, proposing a $850,000 smear campaign against
Occupy Wall Street. The memo, issued by Clark Lytle Geduldig
& Cranford, described the danger presented by the burgeoning
movement, saying that if Democrats embraced Occupy, “This would
mean more than just short-term political discomfort for Wall
Street.… It has the potential to have very long-lasting
political, policy and financial impacts on the companies in the center
of the bullseye.” Furthermore, it notes that “the bigger
concern…should be that Republicans will no longer defend Wall
Street companies.” RAED MORE Justices allow suit over N.P. Moss school problems -- The Advocate -11-19-2011 LAFAYETTE, LA.
- A recent Louisiana Supreme Court ruling has cleared the way for the
Lafayette Parish School Board to move forward with a lawsuit against a
local architecture firm accused of a faulty design of N.P. Moss Middle
School. The court declined to hear an appeal by Corne-Lemaire, which
had argued in court that the statute of limitations for claims had
expired. The School Board filed suit in July 2008 against the company
and N.P. Moss contractor Ratcliff Construction, alleging that faulty
design and construction led to more than $2 million in repairs for
water intrusion and water damage. Claims against the construction
company were dismissed early on in the proceedings, said Dawn L.
Morris, who represents the School Board. That judgment was final before
Morris took over the case, which meant she could not appeal it. The
trial court also dismissed claims against Corne-Lemaire based on a
five-year window for claims specific to architecture firms. That ruling
was appealed and eventually made it to the Supreme Court, which sent
the case back to the trial court to allow the School Board to amend its
petition last year. Afterward, a state district judge ruled that since
the contract between the board and Corne-Lemare set the statute of
limitations for claims at the date of substantial completion — July
1999 — the applicable law at that time that allowed a 10-year window
for claims should be applied. The company appealed that decision, which
was upheld by the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal. “We’re very happy that
we can proceed forward now,” Morris said. No trial dates have been set
in the case. Joe Biden spoke at a secretive conference attended by about 150 rich liberals. -- Politico.com - Kenneth P. Vogel 11/19/11 NATIONALS
- Vice President Joe Biden spoke at a secretive conference attended by
about 150 rich liberals deciding how to divvy up their cash in the
run-up to the 2012 election. A variety of liberal groups pitched
the donors throughout the three-day conference, including a network of
Democratic outside groups hoping to raise upwards of $120 million to
fund a sort-of shadow party effort supporting the reelection campaign
of Biden and President Barack Obama. The Obama campaign has said it
will not raise money for these outside groups, though Biden gave his
speech Thursday night only hours after the operatives running the
shadow network wooed the same audience. The setting was the
annual winter meeting of the Democracy Alliance, a network of donors
who are required to contribute a minimum of $100,000 to recommended
liberal groups. The alliance mostly has recommended groups that
focus on policy and voter mobilization, rather than campaign
advertising. But at this year’s conference, which wraps Saturday,
big election spending groups got to make pitches, too. READ MORE
Balanced Budget Amendment Fails In House Vote -- Huffington Post - 11-19-2011 WASHINGTON
-- The latest Republican push for a balanced budget amendment that
would force massive spending cuts to the country's social safety net
died in the House of Representatives Friday, brought down by lawmakers
who argued Congress can balance the budget on its own. Requiring a
two-thirds majority to pass under the Constitution, the measure failed
261-165, with several Republicans voting with the majority of Democrats
against the amendment. Analysts had warned that instituting the
proposed balanced-budget requirements would likely force cuts of
greater that 17 percent within seven years of the amendment's
ratification. Such cuts could mean slashing Social Security by $1.2
trillion and Medicare by $750 billion by 2022, according to the Center
on Budget and Policy Priorities. The Friday vote was held as part of
the compromise to hike the nation's debt limit this past summer -- a
deal that also produced the deficit-cutting super committee that now
seems deadlocked. With the nation's debt surpassing $15 trillion this
week and exceeding $1 trillion annually for several years,
conservatives thought they had a chance to pass the amendment, but even
some Republicans opposed it -- most prominently, House Rules Committee
Chairman David Dreier (R-Calif.), who said that Congress had proved it
didn't need to change the Constitution to even the books when it
balanced budgets during the Clinton administration. Rep. Paul Ryan
(R-Wis.) also voted against the amendment, arguing that it was not
stringent enough. READ MORE
Occupy’ movement pops up in Lafayette -- The Independent - Walter Pierce - 11-18-2011 LAFAYETTE, LA.
- On a crisp, clear afternoon in downtown Lafayette Thursday, fewer
than a dozen residents gathered at the edge of Parc Putnam on Lafayette
Street across from the federal courthouse to show their solidarity with
the Occupy Wall Street movement — a protest movement targeting
corporate excess that erupted in New York City early this fall and has
spread to dozens of cities across the country and the world.
Thursday’s action was organized via social media by Lafayette resident
Molly Baumgartner, a local representative of the liberal activist group
MoveOn. Group members ranged in age from junior high to senior citizen.
The youngest member of the ‘protest,’ 12-year-old Jackson Schneider of
Lafayette, is a recent transplant from New York who said he sympathizes
with the message of OWS. “It’s not fair that someone on minimum wage
makes $16,000 a year while some CEOs make $16,000 an hour,” the
precocious tween said in the shadow of his parents. The “Occupy
Lafayette” event was a low-key affair: No slogans were chanted or
epithets hurled. In fact, it didn’t even arouse the curiousity of
security officials at the courthouse.
District 6 council race heats up runoffs -- The Advertiser.com - Nicholas Persac - 11-18-2011 LAFAYETTE, LA.
- The race to represent the City-Parish Council's sixth district has
heated up since the Oct. 22 primary election in large part because the
outcome of the contest could change the council's dynamic, either
tilting it farther to the right or giving the current LCG
administration a stronghold on the council. Political newcomers Jared
Doise and Andy Naquin unseated incumbent Sam Dore during the primary
election, but neither earned a majority of the vote. Doise and Naquin
will face in the runoff election Saturday. Doise and Dore, in general,
are more in line with City-Parish President Joey Durel's
administration, and Naquin is generally more in line with the
conservative voting block on the council that has given Durel chronic
heartburn during the past year. Both Durel and Dore have endorsed
Doise. If Doise wins, the seat will be passed to him from Dore, keeping
the current balance on the council. If Naquin wins, Councilmen Jared
Bellard, District 5, and William Theriot, District 9, will likely find
an ally in their conservative beliefs. Naquin topped Doise by about 11
percent in the Oct. 22 primary election, leaving Doise as the underdog
in the runoff on Saturday. READ MORE
Rickey's Broken Record -- DailyKingfish.com - Robert J. Wilson - 11-17-2011 LAFAYETTE, LA.
- Louisiana State Rep. Rickey Hardy (D-Lafayette) loves to talk about
his record. Following a failed stunt in collusion with The Independent
Weekly to duck a debate hosted by Acadiana Progressive and Lafayette
Democrats, Hardy first described his reasoning by stating that the
debate was “a set-up”, but when both The Independent and
the people at large discovered that the only set-up was on the part of
Mr. Hardy, his tune quickly changed. "What is there to debate about?
They have to sell theyself (sic)” and “I can stand behind a
proven track record, a list of accomplishments” said Hardy to
KATC’s Maddie Garrett. That was the moment when Rickey’s
record became all he could talk about. In lieu of actually addressing
his constituents in a forum hosted by either the aforementioned groups
or the Lafayette Black Chamber, he implored constituents to
“…look at [his] record.” Working under the
assumption that no one would actually take him up on the offer, Rickey
dug in with his mantra: “I have a again proven track record."
Rickey was sorely mistaken. Let’s take a look at Rickey’s
Record, starting with the basics. READ MORE
Gingrich’s Health Care Group Supports a Mandate -- MotherJones.com - David Corn -11-17-2011 NATIONAL
- In CNN's Republican presidential debate last month, Newt Gingrich and
Mitt Romney tangled after the former Massachusetts governor declared
that the idea behind Romneycare's individual health care mandate had
come from Gingrich. "You did not get that from me," Gingrich thundered,
before eventually conceding that in the early 1990s he and the
conservative Heritage Foundation had backed the idea of a mandate
compelling individuals to purchase health insurance. But, Gingrich
contended, he had done so only in opposition to the health care
proposal then being promoted by Hillary Clinton. What Gingrich didn't
say during this dust-up was that the Gingrich Group, a consulting firm
the former GOP House speaker founded in 1999, currently promotes a plan
that includes an individual mandate. The Gingrich Group's most
prominent project is the Center for Health Transformation, a for-profit
outfit Gingrich launched in 2003 that works with clients to "drive
transformation" within the health care system. The center promotes
numerous programs, including its "Insure All Americans" initiative,
which is run by Vincent Frakes, who previously worked on behalf of
pharmaceutical companies at the lobbying and PR firm Bonner &
Associates. The program's website notes that the "uninsured crisis is
an enormous anchor on [the] healthcare system, our economy, and our
future." It adds, "[W]e must never forget that behind the statistics
and headlines, there are individual Americans and their families who
are struggling every day." The site asserts—in distinctly
non-tea-party-like rhetoric—that "[c]overing the uninsured is,
indeed, a moral imperative," and it details a proposal to expand
coverage "to every American citizen within five years." RAED MORE
Millionaires On Capitol Hill: Tax Us More -- The Huffington Post - Laurie Kellman - 11-16-2011 WASHINGTON
-- Lobbyists for a day, a band of millionaires stormed Capitol Hill on
Wednesday to urge Congress to tax them more. They had a little trouble
getting in. It turns out there are procedures, even for the really
rich. But once inside, their message was embraced by liberals and
tolerated by some conservatives – including the ideological
leader of anti-tax lawmakers, who had some advice for them, too. "If
you think the federal government can spend your money better than you
can, then by all means" pay more in taxes than you owe, said Grover
Norquist, of Americans for Tax Reform, a group that has gotten almost
all congressional Republicans to pledge to vote against tax hikes. The
IRS should have a little line on the form where people can donate money
to the government, he suggested, "just like the tip line on a
restaurant receipt." One of the millionaires suggested that if Norquist
wanted low taxes and less government, "Renounce your American
citizenship and move to Somalia where they don't collect any tax." RAED MORE
Council backs penalty for 5 bars in fee dispute -- The Advocate -Richard Burgess - 1-16-2011 LAFAYETTE
— The City-Parish Council upheld liquor-license suspensions
Tuesday for five Jefferson Street bars that have refused to pay a fee
to help fund a special weekend police detail in downtown Lafayette.
Karma, Guamas, The Bed, Bootleggers and The Rabbit Hole each face a
possible three-day liquor license suspension for past due fees that
total about $50,000. The bars, which argue that the security fee is
unconstitutional, appealed to the council to overturn the
suspensions. The council denied the appeals, setting the stage
for a court battle over whether city-parish government can charge bars
a fee to fund police patrols to keep Jefferson Street crowds in check.
Attorney Daniel Stanford, who represents Karma, Guamas and the Rabbit
Hole, told the council Tuesday that the security fee amounts to an
illegal tax on downtown bars for a service that should be funded
through taxes the businesses already pay. The fee “is essentially
a tax for police security on the streets of downtown Lafayette,”
Stanford said. The ordinance that created the downtown security fee
relies on a state law that allows local governments to regulate alcohol
sales, but Stanford said, the fee has no connection to the regulation
of alcohol sales and is assessed solely to pay police for crowd control
on public streets. READ MORE
Government Closes Internet Anti-Foreclosure Scams Tied To Google -- The Huffington Post - Ichael Liedtke - 11-17-2011 SAN FRANCISCO
-- The federal government has shut down dozens of Internet scam artists
who had been paying Google to run ads making bogus promises to help
desperate homeowners scrambling to avoid foreclosures. The crackdown
announced Wednesday renews questions about the role that Google's
massive advertising network plays in enabling online misconduct. It may
also increase the pressure on the company to be more vigilant about
screening the marketing pitches that appear alongside its Internet
search results and other Web content. The criminal investigation into
alleged mortgage swindlers comes three months after Google agreed to
pay $500 million to avoid prosecution in Rhode Island for profiting
from online ads from Canadian pharmacies that illegally sold drugs in
the U.S. A spokesman for the U.S. Treasury Department division
overseeing the probe into online mortgage scams declined to comment on
its scope other to say it's still ongoing. Google Inc. also declined to
comment Wednesday. READ MORE
Pelosi backs call for Supreme Court to televise healthcare case arguments -- The Hill.com - Sam Baker - 11/16/2011 WASHINGTON
- House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Wednesday that
Supreme Court arguments over President Obama’s healthcare law
should be televised. “When the Affordable Care Act is placed
before the highest court in our country, all Americans will have a
stake in the debate; therefore, all Americans should have access to
it,” Pelosi said in a news release. Her statement follows
C-SPAN’s request to broadcast the arguments, which are expected
to begin in late March. The Supreme Court has never opened its
proceedings to cameras. But the healthcare lawsuit is also the first
time since the invention of video that the court has scheduled nearly
six hours of oral arguments. The lengthy hearing raises the distinct
possibility that a sitting president’s signature legislative
achievement could be ruled unconstitutional in the midst of his
reelection campaign. The court is expected to divide oral arguments
over two days. One day will focus on the individual mandate and the
Anti-Injunction Act, which could bar a ruling on the merits. The other
would be set aside for the healthcare law’s Medicaid expansion
and whether other parts of the law must also be struck down if the
mandate is found unconstitutional. Pelosi said she’s confident
the court will uphold the healthcare law. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa)
also backed C-SPAN’s request for a televised hearing. “The
decision in this case has the potential to reach every American,”
Grassley said in a letter to Chief Justice John Roberts. “The law
is massive in size and scope. The effect of the law, and the
Court’s decision, will reverberate throughout the American
economy.”
Blue Dogs break with Dems on balanced-budget amendment -- The Hill.com - Russell Berman - 11/16/11 WASHINGTON
- The conservative Blue Dog Democrat coalition officially endorsed the
House Republican balanced-budget amendment to the Constitution,
breaking with Democratic Party leaders and the White House. The support
from the 25-member bloc keeps GOP hopes alive that the measure,
scheduled for a final vote Friday, could gain the two-thirds support
necessary to pass. “We were advancing a balanced-budget amendment
when balanced-budget amendments weren’t cool,” a
co-chairman of the coalition, Rep. Mike Ross (D-Ark.), told reporters
on a conference call. Another Blue Dog leader, Rep. Jim Matheson
(D-Utah), said he expected “a significant majority” of
members to support the amendment, and sent a blunt warning to Blue Dogs
who might oppose it. “If any Blue Dog does not vote for it,
I’d have to question how much they’re a Blue Dog,”
Matheson said. READ MORE
“Connect to Compete” Offers 70% Discount on Broadband -- Politics365.com - 11-15-2011 NATIONAL
- Broadband is now a basic requirement to participate in our 21st
century economy,” remarked Federal Communications Commission
Chairman Julius Genachowski at a press conference held at Washington
D.C.’s Langley Education Campus. The event highlighted
developments in a recently announced public-private partnership
promoting digital literacy and broadband Internet access to un-served
groups of Americans. The partnership, the Connect to Compete
program, brings together the FCC and an array of corporations and
non-profits. According to Genachowski, members of the National
Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA) have pledged to
provide broadband Internet service to low income children and the homes
they live in through the Connect to Compete partnership.
“Low income families with children eligible for the
national school lunch program will be able to sign up for broadband
Internet for $9.95 a month, with no installation fees, no activation
fees,” and no modem rental fees, said Genachowski.
“That’s roughly a 70 percent discount.”
“These commitments total up to $4 billion in value and can
benefit millions of Americans,” Genachowski added. READ MORE
Education dominates discussion -- The Advocate - Jason Brown - 11-15-2011(See Debate Video) LAFAYETTE
— State Rep. Rickey Hardy and businessman Vincent Pierre took a
few jabs at one another Monday during a standing-room only debate that
saw talk of education outweigh all other issues for House District 44.
The two candidates are vying in a Nov. 19 run-off election. Hardy said
some of his accomplishments include: passing legislation that requires
students to maintain a C average to participate in athletics;
establishing a statewide uniform grading scale; ensuring that
registered sex offenders put notifications in conspicuous places; and
extending drug free zones from 1,000 feet to 2,000 feet. Pierre
highlighted his experience as a businessman, his volunteer work with
the women’s and children’s shelter and other nonprofit
organizations, his 15 years of experience with the Louisiana Lottery
Corporation and being selected as a representative of the Greater
Chamber of Commerce for Lafayette. Hardy said the only way to create
economic development is to identify corruption, and to establish the
“trust factor and faith.” In the first of several
exchanges, Pierre accused Hardy of having brought “absolutely
nothing” to District 44 in terms of jobs and the economy during
his four years in office. Pierre accused Hardy of voting with the
current administration “72 percent of the time” and of
having voted against businesses and industries. “Is that the
individual you want to continue to represent you in Baton Rouge?”
Pierre asked. Hardy said he only voted against items that were not in
the district’s best interest. “He’s acting upon
feelings and not facts,” Hardy said. READ MORE
Tom Coburn: $30 Billion In Millionaires Aid Is 'Sheer Washington Stupidity' -- The Huffington Post - 11-15-2011 WASHINGTON
-- Millionaires are receiving billions in taxpayer-funded support every
year that helps them pay for everything from child care to bad debts to
boats and vacation homes, according to a report released Monday by Sen.
Tom Coburn. People who individually earned more than a million dollars
in 2009 even managed to collect a total of nearly $21 million in
unemployment insurance. "From tax write-offs for gambling losses,
vacation homes, and luxury yachts to subsidies for their ranches and
estates, the government is subsidizing the lifestyles of the rich and
famous," wrote Coburn, an Oklahoma Republican, in an accompanying
letter. "Multimillionaires are even receiving government checks for not
working. This welfare for the well-off -- costing billions of dollars a
year -- is being paid for with the taxes of the less fortunate."
Calling the giveaways "sheer Washington stupidity," Coburn detailed in
the study more than $30 billion a year that comes out of the U.S.
Treasury to aid people who make more than a million a year. READ MORE
6 civil rights-era murder cases remain unsolved in Louisiana -- NOLA.COM - Chelsea Brasted - 11-12-2011 LOUISIANA
- half-dozen unsolved civil rights-era murder cases in Louisiana,
nearly all more than 40 years old, remain open investigations with the
FBI, according to a Department of Justice report recently submitted to
Congress. The U.S. attorney general's office submitted for annual
review in August its status list of the 111 cases representing 124
victims, all African-American, as prescribed under the Emmett Till
Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act of 2007. Many cases have gone cold and
were moved to inactive status for various reasons, as detailed in the
report. Various legal roadblocks exist, including prosecutors'
inability to retroactively enforce certain laws, such as a federal law
preventing racially motivated homicide, according to the report. The
five-year statute of limitations and the Fifth Amendment protection
against double jeopardy also create legal hurdles and roadblocks for
the FBI. Inherent problems with investigating cold cases, such as the
deaths of subjects and witnesses, destroyed evidence or even "members
of local law enforcement agencies (who) were either themselves members
of the Ku Klux Klan or sympathized with Klan viewpoints" add to the
problem, says the Justice Department. The report notes that prosecutors
have closed 79 cases thus far, including one successful federal
prosecution. In 67 of those closures all identified subjects were dead
or there was insufficient evidence of a potential violation of a civil
rights law. The following unsolved Louisiana murder cases, almost all
involving the Ku Klux Klan and its sympathizers in local law
enforcement agencies, are the six remaining on the FBI's active
investigation list: READ MORE
Thibodaux man becomes state's newest millionaire -- The Daily Advertiser - 11-12-2011 BATON ROUGE
— A 70-year-old Thibodaux man is the Louisiana Lottery's latest
millionaire. Robert Thibodaux Sr. says he regularly buys $5 worth of
tickets every Saturday — two Lotto tickets, two Powerball tickets
and one Easy 5 ticket. For the Oct. 29 drawing, the store clerk
accidentally added the Power Play option to both of his Powerball plays
and rather than refuse the tickets, he paid the extra $2 to cover the
difference. That option increases any non-jackpot prize up to five
times. And what a difference it made. When his wife, Brenda, checked
the winning numbers the next day, she found that he had matched all
five white ball numbers. He thought he'd won about $20,000. But in
fact, he hit $200,000 — five times — for the $1 million
jackpot. After learning of his luck, Thibodaux says he "went to bed a
nutria and woke up a mink!" Last week, Thibodaux arrived at Louisiana
Lottery headquarters in Baton Rouge to claim his prize. He received
$700,000 after federal and state taxes were withheld. Shop Rite 51 in
Thibodaux, which sold the ticket, will get a bonus of $10,000 — 1
percent of the prize — for selling him the winning ticket. The
winning lottery numbers were: 11, 16, 40, 51, 56 and Powerball 38.
Sunbeam Saga -- As
the likelihood of a costly lawsuit against LCG over a now-blocked waste
transfer facility ramps up, the story of how the deal was cut gets
weirder. The Independent - Heather Miller - 11-09-2011 LAFAYETTE
- Sunbeam Lane residents have waged a legitimate and so-far successful
battle over the construction of a trash facility in their north
Lafayette neighborhood, but weeks after the City-Parish Council took
action on the project and thanks in part to the pre-election day timing
of the controversy — the stink over Sunbeam Lane still
permeates. With few zoning regulations in Lafayette Parish, it seemed
in late September and early October that nothing could be done to block
the transformation of Sunbeam Lane into a daily stopping point for
truckloads of garbage being hauled from surrounding areas. Waste
Facilities of Lafayette LLC followed all applicable guidelines when
applying for a local permit to build a 16-acre waste transfer facility
on a small island of unincorporated land surrounded by city plats. Just
as the company received its final approval from Lafayette Consolidated
Government’s Planning, Zoning and Codes Department, someone on
Sunbeam Lane caught wind of the plans. Once faced with opposition,
Waste Facilities of Lafayette developers said trash wouldn’t
escape, the facility would be clean and deodorizers would ameliorate
any odor problems the business may cause. Those assurances, however,
meant little to Sunbeam Lane residents who were never notified by the
project’s developers or anyone else with a hand in the project
— including LCG’s permitting office — that a facility
of this type was moving in. Regulations governing unincorporated
Lafayette Parish do not require public hearings or notifications for
projects of this type, though even LCG Chief Administrative Officer Dee
Stanley ’fessed to The Daily Advertiser that informing residents
of the imminent construction would have been the corporate neighborly
thing to do." In neighboring Coteau in Iberia Parish, residents who
live in the vicinity of a waste transfer station say there’s no
deodorizer strong enough to combat the smell of garbage when a
southeasterly wind blows during humid summer months. Gordon Doerle,
owner of the waste transfer station in Coteau, has erected tall netted
fences along the back of his property to quiet the farmers who said
trash from the transfer station was constantly landing in their fields.
RAED MORE
O’Reilly’s Lincoln Book Banned -- The Daily Beast - 11-13-2011 NATIONAL
- According to Ford’s Theatre, the historic site that
commemorates the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, Bill
O’Reilly’s new book about the 16th president, Killing
Lincoln, is so factually flawed that it shouldn’t be sold at its
bookstore. For instance, O’Reilly references the Oval Office, but
that wasn’t built until 1909. He also goofs on the date that the
theater burned down and inaccurately states that Ulysses S. Grant and
Robert E. Lee met only once. The site’s deputy superintendent
issued a four-page critique, concluding that the book shouldn’t
be sold at the theater’s store.
The GOP's 'Uncertainty' Talking Point, Debunked -- The Huffington Post - 11-13-2011 WASHINGTON
-- With the economy in a slump for nearly four years, corporate
executives and conservative politicians have repeatedly invoked
"uncertainty" as a major barrier to American job-creation. The
"uncertainty" jab is a go-to talking point for any congressional
Republican looking to tag President Barack Obama as a tax-raising,
regulation-obsessed foe of American businesses. But according to
banking data compiled by economic research firm Moebs Services, the
uncertainty plaguing the American economy has nothing to do with
government regulations or taxes on millionaires. It's an uncertainty
driven squarely by consumers and small-businesses who are worried about
their short-term financial prospects. And it's been going on since well
before Obama took up residence in the White House. Since the end of
2007, bank customers have pulled over $900 billion out of certificates
of deposits at major U.S. banks, parking their money in checking
accounts and money market deposit accounts. Banks pay customers
interest to park their money in CDs, but pay out next-to-nothing for
money market accounts, and still less -- usually nothing -- for
checking accounts. "These are enormous shifts," Moebs Services founder
and Chairman Mike Moebs told HuffPost. "We haven't seen stuff like this
since the 1930s." READ MORE
NAACP to challenge voter ID laws nationwide -- The GREO.Com - Benjamin Todd Jealous - 11/10/2011 NATIONAL
- Our nation is in the midst of a 100-year flood of extremist attacks
on voting rights. The goal: to block access to the polls for people of
color, the elderly, and students -- the groups most likely to support
civil and human rights, immigration reform, and environmental and labor
protections. On this past election day, voters in Maine were able to
close the floodgates in time and restore same-day voter registration.
However, the simultaneous passage of voter photo ID restrictions
Mississippi reminds us how strong these waves can be and why we must
continue to fight so that many of our rights will not be swept away.
For all these reasons -- because the situation is urgent, because the
tide can be turned, and because our voting rights are our last line of
defense against an assault on many other rights -- the NAACP, 1199SEIU,
the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), National Action Network, the
United Federation of Teachers (UFT), National Urban League, and a broad
coalition of civil rights and labor groups are organizing a Stand for
Freedom -- a national day of action in defense of the right to vote on
Saturday, December 10th -- International Human Rights Day. The event
will include a march from the NYC headquarters of leading voter
suppression funders, The Koch brothers, to the United Nations. Though
this modern flood of attacks on voting rights has been developing for
years, the multifaceted assault began less than 12 months ago when
coalitions of extremist state politicians across the country started
passing legislation to suppress voter turnout of groups that cast
ballots in favor of social justice and civil rights. In 2011 alone, 34
states have introduced voter suppression legislation, with laws passing
in 14 of those states, and laws pending in 8. In states like Wisconsin,
Mississippi, Kansas and Alabama, politicians are erecting barriers to
the polls in the form of rigid photo ID requirements. Notwithstanding
years of non-partisan studies indicating that an individual is more
likely to be struck and killed by lightning than to impersonate another
person at the polls, legislators in these states continue to espouse
this myth. READ MORE
Unions and Young People: A Winning Combination for 2012? -- TheAtlantic.com - By Linda Killian - Nov 9 2011 NATIONAL
- In the wake of a significant electoral victory in Ohio Tuesday,
unions and their supporters are energized and eager to flex their newly
honed political muscles. But the path to greater electoral clout in
2012 could lie in a partnership with young voters and followers of the
Occupy movement. It may seem like an odd pairing: Grizzled and
battle-scarred union members, many of whom have voted Republican in the
past and are more socially conservative, and free-spirited Millennials
more comfortable texting than organizing. But the two groups have
a lot in common, chiefly concerns about their own economic futures and
income inequality in this country, which are also the central themes of
the Occupy movement. "The basic message that Occupy Wall Street
has -- that people are fed up with the top one percent getting
everything -- it resonates with union members and young people," says
AFL-CIO Political Director, Mike Podhorzer, in an interview from Ohio
on election night. Both groups have been victims of
globalization, outsourcing, downsizing and the recession and are
reeling from the nation's tough economic conditions, as are millions of
other Americans. READ MORE
India: The World's Secret Silicon Valley -- The Atlantic.com - Nirmalya Kumar & Phanish Puranam - Nov 12 2011 INTERNATIONAL
- For many firms, developing new products for consumers around the
world is the most visible manifestation of innovation - the "real
deal." But many people still see India as a place where other people's
ideas are made or executed and not where innovation begins. (After all,
you don't hear about an Indian equivalent to Google, iPod or Viagra.)
Bu they're wrong. In more than 600 captive research and development
(R&D) centers across India today, corporations are designing and
building amazing new things. For example, GE's John F. Welch Technology
Center has developed a string of technological marvels. A transparent
roof spanning 300 meters without any central supports. Adevice to
display integrated anatomical information from a CT scan with live
functional information from a PET scan. A car bumper that
self-destructs on impact (rather than destroying, say, the leg of an
unlucky pedestrian). The markets for these wonder products are truly
global, encompassing the United States, Europe, Asia and, of course,
India itself. Similarly, Intel's R&D center in Bengaluru is its
largest unit outside the United States, having recently overtaken the
much older Israeli unit. Some of its work is truly "blue-sky" research.
For example, the center delivered the world's first tera-scale
experimental chip capable of one trillion operations per second. READ MORE
Hardy, Pierre to debate Monday at UL -- The Daily Advertiser.com - 11-11-2011
LAFAYETTE - State Rep. Rickey Hardy will debate his challenger, Vincent
Pierre, in a debate on the University if Louisiana at Lafayette campus
Monday afternoon. The debate will begin at 1 p.m. in Room 241 of
Burke-Hawthorne Hall. A panel of local journalists will question the
candidates. It is being co-sponsored by the UL chapter of Society of
Professional Journalists and the UL Political Science Club. Hardy and
Pierre are facing each other in the Nov. 19 runoff after neither
obtained a majority in the Oct. 22 primary for the District 44 seat in
the state House of Representatives. Hardy finished first with 43
percent to 40 percent for Pierre. A third candidate, Roshell Jones,
received 17 percent of the 6,993 votes cast. Hardy, 52, is seeking his
second term in the House. He served four terms on the Lafayette Parish
School Board before being elected to the House in 2007. Pierre, 47, is
a businessman and is the nephew of Hardy’s predecessor in the
District 44 seat, Wilfred Pierre.
Trustee: Media frenzy forced board's hand -- The Morning Call - Sam Kennedy and Andrew McGill - 10-11-2011 'Bottom line, Penn State is bigger than Joe Paterno. It's bigger than Graham Spanier,' trustee said. NATIONAL -
Barely 24 hours after the Penn State board of trustees pledged to
launch "a full and complete investigation" into the child sex abuse
scandal engulfing the university's fabled football team, the school's
president and legendary coach were out. Why did the trustees rush to
judgment? Intense media attention and public outrage compelled them to
take immediate action against coach Joe Paterno and President Graham
Spanier, according to a trustee who spoke to The Morning Call. The
board feared any delay would only fuel the frenzy outside, said the
trustee, who asked to remain anonymous. "Every day it was going to get
worse and worse," he said. News of the scandal broke over the weekend.
And if it was a big story from the get-go, it would soon become epic,
drawing the attention of the national news media. READ MORE
Obama Health Care Reform Ruling: Appeals Court Upholds Law -- The Huffington Post - Nedra Pickler 11-8-2011 WASHINGTON
— A conservative-leaning appeals court panel on Tuesday upheld
the constitutionality of President Barack Obama's health care law, as
the Supreme Court prepares to consider this week whether to resolve
conflicting rulings over the law's requirement that all Americans buy
health care insurance. A panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the
District of Columbia issued a split opinion upholding the lower court's
ruling that found Congress did not overstep its authority in requiring
people to have insurance or pay a penalty on their taxes, beginning in
2014. The requirement is the most controversial requirement of Obama's
signature domestic legislative achievement and the focus of conflicting
opinions from judges across the country. The Supreme Court could decide
as early as Thursday during a closed meeting of the justices whether to
accept appeals from some of those earlier rulings. The suit in
Washington was brought by the American Center for Law and Justice, a
legal group founded by evangelist Pat Robertson. It claimed that the
insurance mandate is unconstitutional because it forces Americans to
buy a product for the rest of their lives and that it violates the
religious freedom of those who choose not to have insurance because
they rely on God to protect them from harm. But the court ruled that
Congress had the power to pass the requirement to ensure that all
Americans can have health care coverage, even if it infringes on
individual liberty. READ MORE
Cravins, Guillory sling mud -- The Daily Advertiser - Tina Marie Macias - 11-08-2011 LAFAYETTE
— The hostility between the two political moguls vying for state
Senate District 24 was evident when incumbent state Sen. Elbert
Guillory, 67, and Opelousas Mayor Don Cravins, 63, faced off during a
debate Monday. Although the two claim to have run a clean race, both
freely slung mud during the 90-minute forum at UL. Cravins called
Guillory a do-nothing legislator and spent much of the debate poking
holes in Guillory's arguments. Guillory accused Cravins of good ol' boy
politics and, throughout the debate, held up legislative audits on the
city of Opelousas and Opelousas Housing Authority that mention Cravins'
leadership. "They have found a pattern of mismanagement, a pattern of
giving contracts and money to cronies, to friends and family members.
It's all there. Compare the records," Guillory said. "This is the
record we're talking about right there. Honesty and integrity? None."
Cravins read from a Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board ruling
reprimanding Guillory and mentioned ethics violations Guillory received
in Seattle in the 1980s. "He's always been dishonest, he's continues to
be dishonest and he continues to not tell the truth," Cravins said. READ MORE
State Senate candidates square off -- The Advocate - Richard Burgess - 11-08-2011 LAFAYETTE —State
Sen. Elbert Guillory and Opelousas Mayor Don Cravins squared off in a
contentious debate Monday, trading barbs as the two men enter the final
campaign stretch for the Nov. 19 run-off for state Senate District 24.
The upcoming election finds Guillory, a lawyer, defending his Senate
seat from a man who held it for 15 years before his election as mayor
of Opelousas. Their debate on Monday at the University of Louisiana at
Lafayette was marked as much by acrimony as by the issues. Guillory
repeatedly referenced a recent state audit of Opelousas that found
questionable contracting practices, poor accounting of cash payments
and possible double dipping by an employee. “They have found a
pattern of mismanagement,” Guillory said of the state auditors.
Cravins in turn characterized of Guillory as an ineffective legislator
who is out of touch with his constituents. “He is notorious for
not returning phone calls,” Cravins said. When asked during the
debate whether the two candidates could envision working together after
the election, Cravins responded that he would consider it but that he
works only with ”honest” people. Guillory said he might
work with Cravins if the mayor is not in prison as a result of an FBI
investigation related to the recent city audit. There is no known
federal investigation targeting Cravins, who said he would
“withstand” any scrutiny of his actions as mayor. Between
barbs, the candidates did hone in on some major issues facing the state
and the region. READ MORE
Democrats: Tax on Rich In Play -- Rollcall.com - Humberto Sanchez and Steven T. Dennis - 11-8-2011 NATIONAL
- Senate Democrats appear to finally have found a formula for passing
jobs bills — drop the tax increases. But beyond this week’s
plan for the veterans’ jobs package, they aren’t swearing
them off just yet. On Monday, a deal appeared to be at hand to
graft a bipartisan veterans’ package onto another bipartisan bill
to repeal the 3 percent withholding requirement for government
contractors. All of it would be paid for by cuts elsewhere in the
budget instead of by the millionaire tax that has been the
Democrats’ favorite offset to date. That doesn’t mean
they won’t return to the politically charged tax issue in future
weeks as other pieces of the jobs package come up, including a payroll
tax cut for the middle class and businesses, senior Senate and House
Democratic aides said Monday. “Americans support the
wealthy paying their fair share, and Democrats won’t be backing
off that,” one House aide said. READ MORE
Woman accuses Herman Cain of bold sexual advance -- The Advocate (AP) - 11-08-2011 NEW YORK
— Leaving little to the imagination, a Chicago-area woman on
Monday accused Republican presidential hopeful Herman Cain of making a
crude sexual advance more than a decade ago when she was seeking his
help finding a job. "Come clean," Sharon Bialek challenged Cain at a
news conference in New York at which she described herself as "a face
and a voice" to support other accusers who have so far remained
anonymous. Cain's campaign swiftly denied Bialek's account. "All
allegations of harassment against Mr. Cain are completely false," it
said in a written statement. Even so, Bialek's nationally broadcast
appearance on cable television marked a new and — for Cain
— dangerous turn in a controversy that he has struggled for more
than a week to shed. An upstart in the presidential race, Cain shot to
the top of public opinion polls in recent weeks and emerged, however
temporarily, as the main conservative challenger to Mitt Romney.
Accompanied by her prominent lawyer, Gloria Allred, Bialek accused Cain
of making a sexual advance one night in mid-July 1997, when she had
traveled to Washington to have dinner with him in hopes he could help
her find work. She said the two had finished dinner and were in a car
for what she thought was a ride to an office building. "Instead of
going into the offices he suddenly reached over and he put his hand on
my leg, under my skirt toward my genitals," she said. "He also pushed
my head toward his crotch," she added. Bialek said she told her
boyfriend, an unidentified pediatrician, as well as a longtime male
friend about the episode. None of Cain's other accusers has provided
details as graphic as Bialek's account. But Joel Bennett, an attorney
who represents one of them, said her details were "similar in nature"
to what his client encountered. Allred, a prominent sex discrimination
attorney with Democratic ties, moved preemptively to blunt any attacks
on Bialek's motives. She described her client as a registered
Republican, a single mother and a woman with a long and successful work
history. READ MORE
Obama 2012: A Year Out, Obama Campaign Makes Volunteer Push --The Huffington OPost - 11-05-2011 Washington --
One year to go until Election Day and the Republican presidential field
is deeply unsettled, leaving President Barack Obama only to guess who
his opponent will be. But the race's contours are starting to come into
view. It's virtually certain that the campaign will be a close,
grinding affair, markedly different from the 2008 race. It will play
out amid widespread economic anxiety and heightened public resentment
of government and politicians. Americans who were drawn to the drama of
Obama's barrier-breaking battle with Hillary Rodham Clinton, and the
up-and-down fortunes of John McCain and Sarah Palin, are likely to see
a more partisan contest this time, with Ohio and Florida playing
crucial roles as they did in 2000 and 2004. Republicans have their
script; they just need to pick the person to deliver it. It will
portray Obama as a failed leader who backs away when challenged and who
doesn't understand what it takes to create jobs and spur business
investment. Obama will highlight his opponent's ties to the tea party
and its priorities. He will say Republicans are obsessed with
protecting millionaires' tax cuts while the federal debt soars and
working people struggle. On several issues, voters will see a more
distinct contrast between the nominees than in 2008. Even the most
moderate Republican candidates have staked out more rigidly
conservative views on immigration, taxes and spending than did Arizona
Sen. McCain. Democrats say Obama has little control over the two
biggest impediments to his re-election: unemployment and congressional
gridlock. READ MORE
Senate
Republicans Block Another Piece of Obama's Jobs Plan -- They stay
united in rejecting a $60-billion roads measure, even though some worry
about their image on a key issue for voters. --LA.Times.com - Lisa Mascaro - Washington Bureau - 11-04-2011
Reporting from Washington— Republicans maintained their unified
front against President Obama's jobs package, blocking $60 billion in
funding for roads and other infrastructure projects despite indications
they are sensitive about losing ground on a top issue for voters. The
GOP has shown great discipline as it fights the president's
$447-billion jobs plan, even as polls show Americans largely support
its various elements. Senate Democrats thought that by peeling off such
provisions — the highway measure was among the most popular
— they could put pressure on Republicans to cross party lines.
But Thursday's outcome was no different from past results. "Washington
has become so dysfunctional," said Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.V.), who
co-sponsored the bill but also supported a GOP alternative that died
along party lines. The 51-49 vote in the Senate, as two Democrats
joined all Republicans in opposition, comes as Republicans and
Democrats are vying for the public's approval on the jobs front. READ MORE
St. Landry agrees to pay lawyer in lawsuit -- The Advocate - Bobby Ardoin - 11-04-2011 OPELOUSAS LA.
— The St. Landry Parish School Board on Thursday agreed to pay
$800,000 in attorney fees to an Opelousas lawyer who had requested a
federal court award him $9.8 million for representing the plaintiffs in
a federal desegregation lawsuit filed 47 years ago. Board
attorney Gerard Caswell told the board that a mediation agreement in
federal court between attorney Marion Overton White and the school
district calls for payments to White to be spread over a five-year
period, beginning with a $75,000 payment due by Dec. 31. Other
payments will be made in between 2012 and 2016, Caswell told the board.
White was not at Thursday’s meeting. Board member
Scott Richard cast the only vote against the agreement. Richard did not
give a reason for his vote. Caswell told the board White and
school district officials negotiated the agreement during a day-long
appearance before court-appointed mediator Michael Hill. READ MORE
Over Third Of Millionaires Agree 'Occupy' Protesters Make 'Good And Valid' Point: Poll -- Huffington Post - 11-03-2011 NATIONAL
- A new poll indicates that a sizable minority of American millionaires
support the Occupy Wall Street protests. According to the Spectrem
Group, 35 percent of surveyed American millionaires -- those with
investments of $1 million or more -- agree with the statement
"protesters are making a good and valid point." The findings are based
on an October survey of 843 investors. That percentage closely mirrors
a Gallup poll conducted last month finding 37 percent of Americans back
the protests. READ MORE
Report: Military Blew $1 Trillion on Weapons Since 9/11 -- MotherJones.com - Adam Weinstein - 11-03-2011 NATIONAL - A new study suggests that defense hawks are crying crocodile tears over planned cuts to Pentagon spending.
Capitol Hill conservatives and Pentagon brass fighting cuts to
defense spending have argued that the military is limping off the
battlefield with decrepit hardware. It's quite the sob story: At a
hearing last week, Rep. Buck McKeon (R-Calif.), the chair of the House
armed services committee, cut his remarks short to literally cry for
"these young men that are going outside the wire over in Afghanistan,
every day on patrol." But a new report shows the US defense
establishment is in much better shape than it claims: The DOD has blown
roughly $1 trillion on shiny new tanks, ships, and jets since the 9/11
attacks—and it's often done so with dollars that were supposed to
be spent on those troops on the battlefield in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Stimson Center study, "What We Bought: Defense Procurement From
FY01 to FY10" (PDF), says the military is hardly in dire straits when
it comes to funding its big-ticket items. "The services capitalized on
funding to modernize their forces, especially the major weapons
programs that constitute the heart of the services' capabilities,"
writes the report's author, Russell Rumbaugh—a retired Army
officer and ex-CIA military analyst. The study shows there's one big
reason the brass are concerned about budget-cutting discussions in
Congress: They've been double dipping into the taxpayer's pocket to
finance weapons purchases. Of the roughly $1 trillion spent on gadgetry
since 9/11, 22 percent of it came from "supplemental" war
funding—annual outlays that are voted on separately from the
regular defense budget. Those bills are primarily intended to keep
day-to-day operations running in Iraq and Afghanistan—meaning
that if a member of Congress votes against a supplemental spending
bill, she exposes herself to charges that she doesn't "support the
troops" in harm's way. READ MORE
The Shameless Republican Race to Cut Rich People's Taxes -- The Atlantic.com - 11-01-2011 NATIONAL
- The tax plans from Rick Perry and Herman Cain would make millionaires
vastly richer while raising taxes on the middle class. It's voodoo
economics gift-wrapped for rich voters. Republican presidential
candidates are falling over themselves promising to cut your taxes.
Well, probably not your taxes. Somebody else's taxes. Somebody rich.
First there was Herman Cain's 9-9-9 plan, which would replace all of
our current taxes with a 9 percent national sales tax, a 9 percent
"business tax" and a 9 percent tax on income. Now Rick Perry says that
his 20 percent "flat tax" is even better. Meanwhile, Michele Bachmann
says Perry stole her idea. But let's be clear: These are massive tax
cuts for the rich, not for most of us. The Cain 9-9-9 plan is
breathtaking. The poorest Americans would see their effective tax rate
increase from about 5 percent to 18 percent. The typical household
would pay $4,000 more than today. But the top 0.1 percent would get an
average tax cut of $1.4 million and would pay an effective tax rate of
18 percent--lower than any other income group. That a plan so insane
could be proposed by a leading presidential candidate just shows how
crazy our political system has become. Although Perry's flat tax
preserves the tax code for most families, he offers a special tax cut
for the rich. A retired couple making $700,000 would be $75,000 richer
under his plan. (To see a very tall graphical representation of Perry
and Cain's tax plans, see Derek Thompson's charts.) Poll after poll
says that most Americans want to raise taxes on the rich. In one recent
survey, more than two-thirds of respondents -- and even a majority of
Republicans! -- favored higher taxes on households making more than
$250,000 per year. Why are people who want to be elected president
proposing the exact opposite of what the people want? The most
charitable answer is that they think lower taxes are good for the
country. Reducing taxes on the rich would make them work harder, save
more, and promote economic growth. This is the theory George H.W. Bush
once called "voodoo economics," and 30 years later, it's still voodoo. READ MORE
Jones accuses KJCB, Pierre of slander -- The Independent - Leslie Turk - 11-1-2011 LAFAYETTE, La.
- Roshell Jones, the third place finisher in the District 44 state rep
race, claims KJCB radio has accused her of accepting bribes for her
support of incumbent state Rep. Rickey Hardy. In a “cease and
desist letter” sent via certified mail Oct. 31 and addressed to
KJCB radio and its manager, J’Nelle Chargois, Jones, who is an
attorney, writes: Please be advised that the purpose of this
letter is to demand that you and your radio station cease and desist
from your slander of my name in regards to the political race involving
incumbent Mr. Rickey Hardy and Vincent Pierre. You have made
several false and slanderous accusations live on your radio station,
including accusations that I have accepted bribes from Governor Bobby
Jindal and Joey Durel’s administration in exchange for an
endorsement of Mr. Hardy. Ms. Chargois this is absolutely false
and I demand that you refrain from such a vicious and false attack on
my character and integrity, otherwise I will be forced to take legal
action against you and your radio station. In a separate letter
to Pierre, Jones makes a similar charge, claiming Pierre has accused
her of accepting bribes in his campaign literature. In each
letter, Jones threatens legal action if the accusations don’t
stop. READ MORE
Durel found in contempt -- The Advocate - Richard Burgess 11-01-2011 LAFAYETTE
- A judge found City-Parish President Joey Durel in contempt of court
Monday for removing three Lafayette Housing Authority members after the
judge had reinstated them. Fifteenth Judicial District Judge Ed Rubin
ordered Durel to pay a $258 fine and perform eight hours of community
service speaking at local schools on the role of government, according
to court minutes of the contempt hearing. The judge also gave Durel a
15-day suspended jail sentence, which the city-parish president would
face only if he fails to pay the fine or perform the community service.
Durel referred comment to City-Parish Attorney Michael Hebert.
“We are disappointed by today’s ruling, but recognize and
respect that this is part of the judicial process,” Hebert said
in a written statement. “We strongly disagree with this decision
and are considering our available options to seek further judicial
review.” The contempt ruling comes in a controversy over the
Lafayette Housing Authority that has stretched for more than a year. READ MORE
And Congress’ Rich Get Richer - Net Worth of Lawmakers Up 25 Percent in Two Years, Analysis Demonstrates Paul Singer and Jennifer Yachnin / Staff - Nov. 1, 2011 NATIONAL
- Members of Congress had a collective net worth of more than $2
billion in 2010, a nearly 25 percent increase over the 2008 total,
according to a Roll Call analysis of Membe' financial disclosure forms.
Nearly 90 percent of that increase is concentrated in the 50
richest Members of Congress. Two years ago, Roll Call found that
the minimum net worth of House Members was slightly more than $1
billion; Senators had a combined minimum worth of $651 million for a
Congressional total of $1.65 billion. Roll Call calculates minimum net
worth by adding the minimum values of all reported assets and
subtracting the minimum values of all reported liabilities.
According to financial disclosure forms filed by Members of
Congress this year, the minimum net worth in the House has jumped to
$1.26 billion, and Senate net worth has climbed to at least $784
million, for a Congressional total of $2.04 billion. These wealth
totals vastly underestimate the actual net worth of Members of Congress
because they are based on an accounting system that does not include
homes and other non-income-generating property, which is likely to
tally hundreds of millions of uncounted dollars. In addition, Roll
Call's tally is based on the minimum values of assets reported by
Members on their annual financial disclosure forms; the true values of
those assets may be much higher. READ MORE
Herman Cain sexual harassment allegations: Damage-control marked by inconsistencies -- Politico.com - Alexander Burns - 11-01-2011 NATIONAL
- man Cain’s presidential campaign enters Tuesday facing a
full-blown political crisis, now that the Republican White House
hopeful has struggled for more than 24 hours to respond to allegations
of sexual harassment dating to his time as president of the National
Restaurant Association. Since POLITICO published a story Sunday
night revealing that the restaurant association had reached financial
settlements with two women who accused Cain of inappropriate behavior,
Cain and his spokesmen have offered a shifting and inconclusive series
of responses. The result is that a story that would have been
damaging to Cain under any circumstances now threatens to derail his
campaign permanently as the former trade association chief’s
honesty comes into question. Republican super-strategist Karl
Rove declared on Fox News Monday night that Cain might only be able to
right his campaign if the restaurant association shares additional
facts to confirm his claim that any allegations of sexual harassment
against him were dismissed as false. READ MORE
Scalise, Landry, Boustany join health overhaul law brief -- Times-Picayune - Bruce Alpert 10-28-2011 WASHINGTON
-- Three Louisiana House Republicans signed on Thursday to a
conservative advocacy group's efforts to persuade the Supreme Court to
invalidate President Barack Obama's health insurance overhaul
legislation. The crux of the brief filed by the conservative Family
Research Council, backed by 30 Republican House members including Reps.
Steve Scalise of Jefferson, Jeff Landry of New Iberia and Charles
Boustany of Lafayette, is that the Affordable Care Act adopted in 2010
is unconstitutional. The brief says the 11th U.S. Circuit Court
of Appeals in Atlanta erred when it decided that most provisions in the
law could move forward as long as a provision mandating that Americans
obtain health insurance is blocked. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of
Appeals in Cincinnati, Ohio, upheld the law, including the individual
mandate, while the 4th U.S. Circuit in Richmond, Va., declined to rule
on the merits of the law. The Supreme Court is expected to decide
next month whether to consider challenges to the Affordable Care Act
filed by 26 state attorneys general, including Louisiana's Buddy
Caldwell and the National Federation of Independent Business. READ MORE
Emergency status gives leeway -- Jordan Blum - The Advocate - 10-29-2011 Baton Rouge, La.
- The Southern University Board of Supervisors declared a financial
emergency on the main campus Friday after months of debating the issue.
The declaration of the emergency, called financial exigency, was
made despite opposition from some faculty, students and alumni.
The decision gives university administrators more leeway to
furlough and lay off faculty as well as terminate academic programs. In
September, the Southern Board fell three votes shy of approving
exigency, but four of the 16 Board members were absent at the time. Two
members were absent for Friday's vote. Southern Chancellor James
Llorens and Southern University System President Ronald Mason Jr. made
the exigency request again. They argued that staff layoffs did not save
as much money as expected and that a voluntary faculty furlough plan
ended up a mess. "We all have a vision for a great Southern,
building on the tradition of the past," Mason said. "The one step we
have to take is a difficult step, but it's a necessary step." Mason
said exigency is needed to address recurring money problems and more
quickly reorganize the university for the future. Exigency is
historically considered a serious blemish that could scare away current
and potential employees and students. No public Louisiana university
had declared exigency since the University of New Orleans did so after
Hurricane Katrina. Llorens said exigency is a "dramatic" step. He
argued it is a "small window of opportunity" to reorganize the academic
and administrative structure of the university. All Southern
employees making more than $30,000 a year, including tenured faculty,
will receive furloughs this academic year amounting to 10 percent of
their time off without pay, Llorens said. READ MORE
Voter ID Laws Prompt Black Caucus Tour for Black Political Survival -- Politics365.com - 10-28-2011 NATIONAL
- With a triple play of reapportionment, redistricting and shady voter
ID laws threatening to disenfranchise many minority voters in 2012, the
Congressional Black Caucus has set out planning another tour of the
nation: this time combating what they view as voter suppression efforts
in numerous states. As we’ve been seeing, New Voter ID laws are
popping up across the United States while others are still set for
passage in the future. CBC Chair Emanuel Cleaver confirmed to
Politic365 that the tour is, indeed, in the works. Even House Members
outside the CBC with constituents likely to be impacted by new Voter ID
laws voiced enthusiastic support. “That’s a great
idea,” Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) told Politic365 recently
following a series of votes in the House. “We want to make
sure the issue is widely known,” explained Cleaver. “The
most important thing is to expose the American public to the dangers of
trying to intentionally or unintentionally pushing people away from the
ballot box. Just as we were successful in obtaining a front row
seat for urban joblessness during our tour this summer we think we can
and will do the same thing regarding voter suppression.” READ MORE
Former candidate Jones endorses Hardy over Pierre in House District 44 race -- The Daily Advertiser - Oct. 28, 2011 LAFAYETTE LA.
- State Rep. Rickey Hardy picked up the endorsement of Roshell Jones,
who he and candidate Vincent Pierre knocked out of the running for the
House District 44 seat during the primary election this past weekend.
Jones told The Daily Advertiser on Friday morning that she's decided to
support Hardy's re-election bid rather than supporting Pierre's efforts
to unseat the incumbent. "The reason I chose Rep. Hardy is because I
feel he's in the best political position to get something done for the
district," Jones said. Earlier this week, Jones said she wasn't sure
who she would endorse in the Nov. 19 runoff. She said she talked with
both Hardy and Pierre before deciding which candidate would have her
blessing. Jones specifically cited Hardy's position on the powerful
Appropriations Committee and his positive working relationship with
Gov. Bobby Jindal's administration as reasons she believes he can
accomplish more good for House District 44. "Those are two very
important factors," Jones said. Hardy and Jones will hold a 3 p.m.
press conference today at the Martin Luther King Recreation Center in
the 300 block of Cora Street to formally announce the endorsement.
READ MORE
La. judges building their case for pay raise -- The Independent - Leslie Turk -10-28-2011 LOUISIANA
- The Advocate reported that the Legislature could be asked to raise
judicial salaries next year. According to the newspaper, the Judicial
Compensation Commission has hired noted economist Loren Scott to update
a report he did last year. In comparing how the state’s judges
stack up against others in the region and nation, Scott found
Louisiana’s judges make less (though the story did not indicate
the extent of the gap). The newspaper noted that while the commission
did not submit a recommendation to the Legislature last year because of
the state budget woes, commission chairman Joe Toomy, a former state
representative, said judges have received pay raises in eight of the
last eleven years. Louisiana’s annual base pay is $136,544 for
state district court judges, $142,447 for appeals court judges and
$149,572 for Supreme Court justices, the newspaper reported. Read The
Advocate story here.
Ordinance blocking waste-transfer station will go into effect without Durel's signature -- Nicholas Persac - The Advertiser - 10-28-2011 LAFAYETTE
- City-Parish President Joey Durel won't sign the ordinance blocking
the waste-transfer station on Sunbeam Lane from being built, but he
won't veto it either. Instead, Durel sent the ordinance back to the
council without his signature, meaning it will still take effect. "I
have chosen not to veto this ordinance, even though my conscience tells
me to do otherwise," Durel wrote in an internal memo attached to the
ordinance he returned unsigned. The council unanimously approved the
ordinance during its Oct. 18 meeting, and Durel remained tight lipped
about how he would handle the ordinance until the final hour —
tomorrow marked Durel's 10-day deadline to take action on the matter.
"I knew that I could never sign this ordinance because I disagree with
the council's decision," Durel wrote. "Since final adoption, I have
held it to provide the most time possible for any council member to ask
for reconsideration. No one has." READ MORE
The Ex Factor -- The Independent - Leslie Turk and Heather Miller - 10-226-2011 LAFAYETTE, LA.
- Former City-Parish Councilman and one-time House candidate Chris
Williams has his hands all over four local races. He won one Saturday,
and the competition is stiff in the other three. Can the ex-politician
ride their coattails back into power? By Leslie Turk and Heather
Miller. Chris Williams had a lot to celebrate Saturday night. His pal
Brandon Shelvin, the most controversial city-parish councilman in the
history of Lafayette Consolidated Government (next to Williams himself,
of course) — easily won re-election to the District 3 seat.
Shelvin defeated challenger Lloyd Rochon, garnering almost 60 percent
of the vote. Williams was there Saturday evening at
Shelvin’s campaign headquarters at Patterson and Willow streets,
high-fiving and celebrating, but there were three other races Williams
was watching just as closely Saturday night. And if those go his way on
Nov. 19, the embattled Williams could once again expand his influence
in the local black community. READ MORE
Criminal Proceeds Amounted To Over $2 Trillion In 2009: UN Report -- The Huffington Post - 10-28-2011 International
- Criminals are making out like bandits with a sizable chunk of the
world's economy. Criminal proceeds amounted to 3.6 percent of global
gross domestic product in 2009, according to a recent UN report -- a
sum totaling more than $2 trillion. More than 2.5 percent of global GDP
was likely laundered through the financial system, the report finds.
Crime proceeds are higher in developing countries as measured by a
proportion of gross domestic product, the report found. And despite
efforts worldwide to counter money laundering, authorities are coming
up short; less than 1 percent of money laundered through the financial
system is ever seized and frozen. READ MORE
Keith Olbermann To Oakland Mayor Jean Quan: 'Resign'(VIDEO) -- Huffington Post - 10/27/11 OAKLAND CA.
- After a violent, nationally televised clash between police and Occupy
Oakland protesters on Tuesday, Oakland Mayor Jean Quan is facing a
growing list of heated voices recommending -- or demanding -- that she
step down. Now, she can add political commentator Keith Olbermann to
that list. On Wednesday, Olbermann used the popular Special Comment
section of his show, Countdown with Keith Olbermann, to slam Quan's
handling of the protests and police reaction. "Mayor Quan is left with
two choices," said Olbermann. "She can dismiss the acting police chief,
Howard Jordan, and use her mayoral powers to authorize Occupy Oakland
to protest again without harassment. Or, having betrayed everything she
supported and all those who have supported her, she must resign." READ MORE
Judge rules in Reggie Tatum's favor -- The Daily Advertiser - 10-26-2011 OPELOUSAS, LA.
- Alderman Reggie Tatum was reinstated as Opelousas' mayor pro tempore
for the third time in four months Wednesday after a 27th Judicial
District judge ruled that he was removed illegally. Judge Ellis Daigle
invalidated a Board of Aldermen vote taken in July in which three
aldermen voted for Tatum's removal, three abstained and Mayor Don
Cravins made the deciding vote. The mayor can break a tie when an equal
division occurs, but that was not the case, Daigle said, ruling that an
abstention is not considered a "no" vote, but rather the absence of a
vote. Aldermen are not required to say why they want to abstain from a
vote. For example, an alderman might abstain from a vote awarding a
contract to his brother to avoid a conflict of interest. "That would
not be a no vote, because if he were allowed to vote, it would be in
favor of his brother," Daigle said. Daigle also ordered the city to pay
all court costs. "The judge's decision is what it is," said attorney
Frank Trosclair, who represented the city. "The judge makes the final
decision and we'll decide if we want to bring it up to a higher court."
READ MORE
Downtown bar-patrol fees eyed -- The Advocate - Richard Burgess - 10-27-2011 LAFAYETTE
— City-Parish Council members are poised to revisit the
contentious issue of funding the police detail that patrols downtown to
keep the weekend bar crowds in check. The council on Tuesday
voted unanimously against a proposal that would have raised the monthly
fees that downtown bars pay to help fund the special police detail,
which costs about $544,000 a year. The increase that the council
voted down would have raised the total annual amount assessed to
downtown bars from $264,188 to $271,942 — fees meant to cover
about half of the cost of the downtown detail. Several council
members said the vote signals a desire to bring more scrutiny to the
downtown issue, although opinions are mixed on how much bars should pay
for the heightened police presence and what obligations the Lafayette
Police Department has downtown. Councilman Brandon Shelvin, who
represents the downtown area, said he will seek to repeal the security
fees charged to downtown bar owners or to replace the current fee
system with a $2,500-per-year flat fee. Sixteen downtown
establishments are now assessed fees ranging from $183 a month up to
$4,870 a month, depending on capacity. READ MORE
North Lafayette precincts drive Shelvin’s reelection win -- The Independent - Heather Miller - 10-24-2011 LAFAYETTE
- As predicted, poll numbers backing incumbent District 3 City-Parish
Councilman Brandon Shelvin’s election victory Saturday point to
north Lafayette’s poorest precincts. Shelvin, who ran for office
in 2007 despite not having met the residency requirements to run for
the seat, took 59.8 percent of the 3,388 votes cast in his district, a
15-precinct area that includes downtown, the Saint streets, several
north Lafayette precincts and one polling place in Carencro. Shelvin
prevailed in 10 out of 15 precincts, with his most significant wins
coming from voters who poll at Alice Boucher Elementary (80 percent in
favor of Shelvin), the Sheriff’s Office Training Center on St.
Antoine Street (77 percent for Shelvin) and N.P. Moss Annex on Mudd
Avenue (68 percent). Support for challenger Lloyd Rochon, who captured
40.2 percent of the vote, was confined to five precincts with
predictably more white voters. His biggest victories came from Johnston
Street Fire Station No. 5 (74 percent), Central Fire Station on
Vermilion Street (66 percent) and the Lafayette Consolidated Government
building on University Avenue (62 percent). READ MORE
Post decon vote, Boudreaux ready to move on charter -- The Independent - Walter Pierce - 24 October 2011 LAFAYETTE
- After an overwhelming rejection of deconsolidation at the ballot box
Saturday, the general consensus among both supporters and opponents
that something needs to be done to ensure the city of Lafayette
controls its own affairs is gaining new footing. Even former charter
commission member Don Bacque, who led the charge to oppose
Saturday’s parishwide proposition, acknowledged throughout the
process that autonomy for the city of Lafayette is important, although
he believed that repealing the charter and returning to separate
governments for the city and the parish was too extreme a measure.
Clearly voters agreed Saturday, shooting down deconsolidation by a
63-37 percent margin. As The Daily Advertiser observed in a headline
Monday, “Deconsolidation is off the table.” One of those
supporters of repealing the charter, City-Parish Council Chairman
Kenneth Boudreaux, says he’s ready to move quickly toward a
process for amending the current charter to ensure the city’s
autonomy in the future. READ MORE
LOUISIANA ACHIEVES HISTORIC GAIN IN FOUR-YEAR HIGH SCHOOL GRAD RATE -- La. Dept Of Education - 10-17-2011
Increase from 2010 to 2011 Exceeds Last Three Years Combined. BATON ROUGE, La.
- An historic boost in the percentage of students who graduated from
high school in four years has lifted Louisiana’s Cohort
Graduation Rate to an all time high and above the 70 percent mark,
according to figures released by the Louisiana Department of Education
(LDOE) today. In fact, the 3.7 point boost from 2010 to 2011 is nearly
three times the 1.3 point increase achieved during the previous three
years combined, from 2007 to 2010. Governor Jindal said, "These new
graduation and dropout rates are no coincidence and show that our
reforms are working. By eliminating ineffective programs and investing
in programs that get results for students, we are making historic gains
and moving in the right direction. Our kids only grow up once and the
more we improve our education system, the better chance our children
and grandchildren will have to succeed in the 21st century workforce
and pursue their dreams right here at home. With more Louisiana kids
than ever graduating high school, we’re continuing to turn our
state around, but our work is not done yet - and we will not rest until
Louisiana is the best place in the world to get a great education,
start a career and raise a family." The record increase to 70.9
percent, which represents the graduation rate for students who started
high school as freshmen in 2007, also advances Louisiana’s goal
to raise its Cohort Graduation Rate to 80 percent by 2014 - an aim
officially adopted by lawmakers in 2009. More importantly, education
leaders said, the 3.7 percentage point increase in the ratio of
students graduating in the Class of 2011 equates to approximately 1,800
more students. "Today’s news marks a significant achievement for
Louisiana. It means that proportionally, more of our high school
students are advancing each year with the knowledge and skills they
need to succeed at the next grade level," Acting State Superintendent
of Education Ollie Tyler said. "At the same time, these outcomes mean
that we are within reach of our goal to achieve an 80 percent
graduation rate by 2014 and that our focused initiatives are working.
We congratulate our local district and school leaders, teachers,
communities, students and families who have demonstrated that we can
significantly increase our graduation rates - and in a very short time
period." READ MORE
Pierre asks Hardy to agree to debates -- The Daily Advertiser - Nicholas Persac - 10-26-2011 LAFAYETTE
- State Rep. Rickey Hardy will face challenger Vincent Pierre in a Nov.
19 runoff election, but Pierre doesn't want to wait that long to face
the incumbent — he's challenged Hardy to a series of debates.
Pierre's campaign is formally challenging Hardy "to a series of debates
to discuss education, economic development and his record on the issues
facing the citizens of District 44," according to a news release.
Hardy, who said he wasn't open to participating in debates before the
primary election Saturday, changed his tone Tuesday, saying he has "no
problem with a debate" since the "gloves are off" during the next
month. "I am open to a debate, particularly with someone who is going
to be neutral and not biased," Hardy said. Pierre wants various
community organizations to sponsor the debates and said Hardy's
campaign should have input about who moderates the debates and when
they are held to ensure Hardy will be able to participate. "Rickey
Hardy speaks of his record, and I think we need to discuss that
record," Pierre said. "If he has an interest in the needs and concerns
of District 44, then he should be in attendance for any debate
scheduled for our district." A spokeswoman for Pierre's campaign said
KPEL-FM has already expressed interest in hosting a debate between the
two candidates and is working to finalize when such a debate could
happen. Pierre said he's open to as many debates as community
organizations want to sponsor. "I am not afraid to debate anyone,"
Pierre said. Hardy said he'd work with any reputable organization
sponsoring a debate, but noted that examining the credentials of such
an organization is important. Hardy said he would now accept an
invitation to a debate because he wants to "dispel the rumors going
around," particularly that he tried to close SUNO. "I only wanted to
merge it to make it stronger and better," Hardy said. READ MORE
Door-to-door survey taking place in Freetown Saturday -- The Advocate.com - Amanda McElfresh - 10-26-2011 LAFAYETTE
- Approximately 225 UL students will conduct door-to-door surveys from
9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday in the Freetown-Port Rico neighborhood as
part of a Community Connector project. This project is a collaboration
among the United Way of Acadiana, UL faculty and representatives from
the Freetown-Port Rico Coterie. The project will allow the
organizations to better understand the aspirations of the neighborhood
and its concerns. Findings collected from the surveys will identify
priority needs and what kinds of actions would be meaningful for
residents.
For more information, contact Angela Morrison at 706-1202.
Local protests at Lafayette law firm -- The Daily Advertiser - 10-26-2011 LAFAYETTE
- Khadijah Rashad, a community activist, along with family and friends
of Brenda Cormier protested quietly in front of the law offices of
Durio, McGoffin, Stagg and Ackerman located on Heymann Blvd. on Monday,
allowing the posters they held to do all of the talking. The protest
was on behalf of Cormier, an employee of Gardes Energy Service for the
past 21 years, who claims that she was hurt on the job while cleaning
around and underneath a washer and dryer. The firm is representing
Gardes in her worker’s compensation case. “I was cleaning
under and behind the washer and dryer and it fell on top of my
foot,” the 56-year-old Cormier said. “I suffered permanent
nerve damage in my foot and I can’t work again. I worked there
for almost 22 years and they are tying to say that I did this on
purpose to try and get money. I’m not that type of person.”
Buzz Durio, one of the lawyers in the office building, came outside
yelling at media members to get off of his property before law
enforcement informed him the protesters as well as the media were
standing on public property.
SUN SETS ON A DICTATOR -- Gaddafi Buried: Burial Of Gaddafi, Muatassim And Abu Bakr Younis In Secret Location
Karin Laub and Rami Al-Shaheibi MISRATA, Libya
-- Longtime Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi, his son Muatassim and a
top aide were buried in an Islamic ceremony at dawn Tuesday in a secret
location, with a few relatives and officials in attendance, officials
said. The burial closed the book on Gadhafi's nearly 42-year rule and
the 8-month civil war to oust him, but did not silence international
calls for an investigation into whether the widely despised tyrant was
executed by his captors. READ MORE
'NO' TO DECONSOLIDATION -- The Daily Advertiser Oct-22-2011 Lafayette voters
overwhelmingly favored keeping Lafayette's consolidated government
intact, rejecting the plan to deconsolidate with about 63 percent of
voters opposing the split and nearly 37 percent supporting it. "I
am very happy and grateful for the margin of victory because it does
say with a loud voice that Lafayette needs to continue consolidated
government," said Odon Bacque, a charter commission member who led the
pro-consolidation charge. That rejection is
little surprise since residents outside the city of Lafayette had few
incentives to favor splitting the government in two. Mayors of local
municipalities overwhelmingly opposed the split, as did nearly all of
the candidates running for the City-Parish Council and several
influential civic and political organizations. "I
really think the majority of the citizens of Lafayette Parish could see
this wasn't a well-structured referendum or choice," said Broussard
Mayor Charles Langlinais. Opponents of
deconsolidation argued two governments would be a burdensome cost to
taxpayers and such a split would create animosity between the different
communities within the parish. For people
favoring deconsolidation, the issue boiled down to giving the city of
Lafayette control of its own destiny and taking away the ability of
representatives from the parish to control issues exclusive to city. "The
biggest obstacle we had to overcome was a lack of understanding by the
general public about what was in place today and how it negatively
impacted the City of Lafayette," said Bruce Conque, a charter
commission member who led the pro-deconsolidation charge. "Certainly
I'm disappointed, but there is a positive with this — we have
raised awareness about giving Lafayette autonomy." READ MORE
Cravins, Guillory set for Nov. 19 runoff -- Daily Advertiser - 1023-2011 OPELOUSASLA.
— State Sen. Elbert Lee Guillory and Opelousas Mayor Donald
Cravins Sr., both Opelousas Democrats, will spend the next month
battling for a state Senate seat. The winner will be decided in a Nov.
19 runoff election. The two heavyweights went up against each other in
a three-way bid for state Senate District 24. The third candidate,
Kelly J. Scott, an Opelousas Democrat, won 12.9 percent of Saturday's
vote, according to complete but unofficial results from the Louisiana
Secretary of State. Guillory took 46.38 percent — or 12,768 votes
— while Cravins took 40.72 percent — 11,210 votes. READ MORE
SCHOOL TAX DEFEATED -- The Daily Advertiser - Amanda McElfresh - Oct. 23, 2011 LAFAYETTE
- By a substantial margin, Lafayette Parish voters did not approve two
millages, totaling 25 mills, that would have funded major improvements
to public school facilities in Lafayette Parish. "I think there's
a real lack of trust," said Carol Ross of the Tea Party of Lafayette,
which opposed the measure. "Contrary to what some people said, it is a
construction plan." Pearson Cross, chairman of UL's political science
department, said the tax was "too much, too soon." "The argument for a
tax increase going to schools was not laid out in a very effective
fashion over a long enough period of time for people to have an
understanding of what the money was for and why it was needed," Cross
said. "If you're going to get people to spend money, you have to give
them good, clear reasons to do it, and you have to campaign for it."
Saturday's vote, which was highlighted by this measure and a proposal
to deconsolidate parish government, drew a turnout of 34.8 percent in
the parish, according to Clerk of Court Louis Perret. READ MORE
Pierre takes Hardy to runoff -- The Daily Advertiser - Claire Taylor -10-23-2011 LAFAYETTE
- On Nov. 19, voters in House District 44 will choose between incumbent
Rickey Hardy, the outspoken former Lafayette Parish School Board
member, and Vincent Pierre, the nephew of former state Rep. Wilfred
Pierre, the man Hardy replaced four years ago. Only 151 votes separated
the two men in Saturday's election, according to complete but
unofficial returns. Neither Hardy nor Pierre received more than 50
percent of the votes in the three-person race Saturday, sending them to
a runoff. Political newcomer Roshell Jones, was eliminated from the
race. Hardy, D-Lafayette, said he was surprised at how many people in
the district voted, but was not surprised to find himself in a runoff
with Pierre. Four years ago, Hardy emerged from a crowded field of
candidates to make a runoff in which he prevailed. Hardy said he'll do
it again. Hardy said he is the only candidate in the Nov. 19 runoff
with public service experience, serving on the School Board 13 years
and in the state Legislature four years. "I'm the only candidate in the
race with experience, with a proven track record, with competency,
honesty and experience," he said. Pierre, also a Democrat from
Lafayette, said he was a little surprised that 151 votes separated him
and the incumbent when the voting was over Saturday. But he, too, feels
he will prevail on Nov. 19. "We're going to focus on the things we've
been talking about in the race: economic development, education and
commitment to a united community," he said. While he's never held
political office, Pierre said his community and civic involvement have
prepared him for the job. Wilfred Pierre, who held the seat for many
years, wasn't able to seek re-election four years ago because of term
limits. He threw his support behind former City-Parish Councilman Chris
Williams. Hardy, who was backed by City-Parish President Joey Durel,
defeated Williams to win the District 44 seat. READ MORE
Durel swings into third term -- The Daily Advertiser - Brandon Kane 10-23-2011 LAFAYETTE
- Incumbent Lafayette City-Parish President Joey Durel was elected to
his third and final term in office Saturday, defeating political
activist Mike Stagg by a margin of 12,131 votes. Durel was first
elected to what he said was "the only office (he) has ever run for" in
2003, when he defeated Glenn Weber with 52 percent of the vote. Durel
received 34,806 votes that year, as compared to the 28,794 votes he
received in his defeat of Stagg. READ MORE
2012
is an election year for 1/3 of the U S Senate and 1/2 of the house of
representatives. It would be nice if congress got the message;
the voting taxpayers are in charge now. (OPINION)
Social Security LET US SHOW OUR LEADERS IN WASHINGTON
"PEOPLE POWER" AND THE POWER OF THE INTERNET. PLEASE
FORWARD TO ALL OF YOUR FRIENDS. IT DOESN'T MATTER IF YOU
ARE REPUBLICAN OR DEMOCRAT! SOCIAL SECURITY: (This is worth
reading. It is short and to the point.) Perhaps we
are asking the wrong questions during election years. Our Senators
and Congresswomen do not pay into Social Security
and, of course, they do not collect from it. You see,
Social Security benefits were not suitable for persons of their
rare elevation in society. They felt they should have a special
plan for themselves. So, many years ago they voted in their own
benefit plan. In more recent years, no congress person has
felt the need to change it. After all, it is a great plan.
For all practical purposes their plan works like this: READ MORE
Licenses revoked at 3 child care centers -- The Daily Advertiser - Amanda McElfresh 10-21-2011 LAFAYETTE
- Altered and uncompleted background checks, falsifying documents, and
failure to provide direct supervision are among the reasons the
Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services has revoked the
licenses of two child care centers in Lafayette and one in New Iberia.
The facilities are Adventures in Learning Preschool at 208 S. Sterling
St. in Lafayette, Kingz Kidz Learning Center at 200 N. Orange St. in
Lafayette and Ursula's Heavenly Angels Daycare and Learning Center at
404 W. Admiral Doyle Drive in New Iberia. READ MORE
Redflex flap opens floodgate of contract renewals -- The Daily Advertiser - 10-21-2011 LAFAYETTE
- In September, Lafayette City-Parish President Joey Durel faced off
against District 9 Councilman William Theriot, saying that Theriot's
desire to see a Redflex traffic camera system contract the
administration renewed was election season grandstanding. A month
later, Durel's chief administrative officer has pledged to submit every
government contract, regardless of size, to the council for approval.
"As I said at the council meeting Tuesday night, and as the mayor has
said publicly, it is difficult — if not impossible — to
determine what's a controversial or hot button issue," said Dee
Stanley, Lafayette Consolidated Government's chief administrative
officer. "The mayor has vowed to not be wrapped up in this type of
fiasco again." And now, with the Durel administration's bluff played,
it is up to the City-Parish Council to figure out a way to filter the
hundreds of contracts that pass through the government each year
without creating a bottleneck for the parish. The council unanimously
approved Theriot's ordinance requiring all future contract renewals
with Redflex Traffic Systems to come before the council for approval.
Stanley, on behalf of Durel and his administration, urged the council
to approve the ordinance, explaining that the administration changed
its contract renewal process to require council approval for any and
all contracts. READ MORE
Longtime dictator of Libya, Muammar Gaddafi, has been killed following the capture of his hometown of Sirte. -- Huffington Post - 10-21-2011 LIBYA
- There were confusing reports of Gaddafi's capture and death, and
questions remained over exactly how he was killed. Arab broadcasters
showed graphic images of the balding, goateed Gaddafi – wounded,
with a bloodied face and shirt – but alive. Later video showed
fighters rolling Gaddafi's lifeless body over on the pavement, stripped
to the waist and a pool of blood under his head. While he was still
alive, the fighters drove him around lying on the hood of a truck,
perhaps to parade him in public. One fighter held him down, pressing on
his thigh with a pair of shoes in a show of contempt. Standing upright,
he is shoved along a Sirte road by fighters who chanted "God is great."
Gaddafi appears to struggle against them, stumbling and shouting as the
fighters push him onto the hood of a pickup truck. "We want him alive.
We want him alive," one man shouted before Gaddafi is dragged away,
some fighters pulling his hair, toward an ambulance. Most accounts
agreed Gaddafi had been holed up with heavily armed supporters in the
last few buildings held by regime loyalists in the Mediterranean
coastal town, furiously battling revolutionary fighters. The battle for
Sirte has been raging for more than a month. READ MORE
Gaddafi's Son Mutassim Killed -- The Daily Beast.com - Alex Wong / Getty Images NATIONAL
- The Libyan interim government has confirmed that Muammar
Gaddafi’s fifth son and the former national-security adviser
Mutassim Gaddafi has been killed. There are reports that another of his
sons, Saif al-Islam, who was often seen as the heir apparent to his
father, is also dead. It's increasingly clear that Thursday was a
bloody day for Gaddafi loyalists. Reports indicate that many of
Gaddafi’s top officials were killed, including Abu Bakr Yunis,
the former defense minister. Gaddafi’s spokesman, Moussa Ibrahim,
and senior Libyan intelligence chief Abd Allah al-Sanusi were also
captured.
Obama Jobs Bill: Senate Scuttles Legislation Aimed At Helping Teachers And First Responders -- Politico.com - JIM VANDEHEI & MIKE ALLEN 10/20/11 NATIONAL
- It’s hard to dispute that Rick Perry’s
he-hired-an-illegal-immigrant attack on Mitt Romney was a cheap
shot. It’s even harder to dispute that it worked
beautifully. Put aside the fact that Perry’s broadside was
recycled, and barely relevant to the debate. Just focus on the raw
politics of it. The Perry campaign went into the debate well
aware that it needed to accomplish a number of objectives, including
rattling Romney, displaying toughness and turning the coverage away
from scrutiny of Perry’s stumbling — sometimes bumbling
— debate performances. Mission accomplished. READ MORE
Illegal immigrant attack on Mitt Romney persists -- Politico.com - Jim Vandehei & Mike Allen - 10-20-2011 NATIONAL
- It’s hard to dispute that Rick Perry’s
he-hired-an-illegal-immigrant attack on Mitt Romney was a cheap
shot. It’s even harder to dispute that it worked
beautifully. Put aside the fact that Perry’s broadside was
recycled, and barely relevant to the debate. Just focus on the raw
politics of it. The Perry campaign went into the debate well
aware that it needed to accomplish a number of objectives, including
rattling Romney, displaying toughness and turning the coverage away
from scrutiny of Perry’s stumbling — sometimes bumbling
— debate performances. Mission accomplished. It wasn’t
pretty, but by taking a health care question and spinning it into a
surprise attack on whether Romney knowingly employed illegal immigrants
for lawn work, Perry achieved all three objectives. Just look at the
numbers. READ MORE
Libyan prime minister confirms Gaddafi killed as Sirte is overrun -- The Washington Post.com - Mary Beth Sheridan and Michael Birnbaum, 10-20-2011 TRIPOLI, Libya
— Former Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi was killed Thursday when
revolutionary fighters overran his last loyalist stronghold, setting
off raucous celebrations of victory in an eight-month war backed by
NATO. Gaddafi, 69, a long-entrenched autocrat who was driven from power
in Tripoli two months ago, died as the revolutionaries ended loyalist
resistance in Sirte, his home town and tribal power base, the new
government announced. “We have been waiting for this moment
for a long time,” Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril told a news
conference here. “Moammar Gaddafi has been killed.” In
Washington, President Obama said Gaddafi’s death “marks the
end of a long and painful chapter for the people of Libya, who now have
the opportunity to determine their own destiny in a new and democratic
Libya.” He told the Libyan people: “You have won your
revolution.” READ MORE
LOUISIANA
ACHIEVES HISTORIC GAIN IN FOUR-YEAR HIGH SCHOOL GRAD RATE - Increase
from 2010 to 2011 Exceeds Last Three Years Combined -- LOUISIANA DEPT. OF EDUCATION BATON ROUGE, La.
- An historic boost in the percentage of students who graduated from
high school in four years has lifted Louisiana’s Cohort Graduation Rate
to an all time high and above the 70 percent mark, according to figures
released by the Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) today. In
fact, the 3.7 point boost from 2010 to 2011 is nearly three times the
1.3 point increase achieved during the previous three years combined,
from 2007 to 2010. READ MORE
State will not seek federal education grant funds -- The Daily Advertiser - 10-19-2011 LOUISIANA - The state has decided it will not apply for a multi-million dollar
education grant from the Obama Administration aimed at increasing
access to quality early learning programs for low-income and
disadvantaged children. Ruth Johnson, secretary of the state Department
of Children and Family Services, said Tuesday that the state has
decided to skip the Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge grant
process because the state needs to streamline its early childhood
education programs. Johnson says the state's current system is
uncoordinated, has separate funding streams, different quality
standards and no clear governance structure. Acting State
Superintendent of Education Ollie Tyler says adding more money to an
inefficient system already mired in red tape "will not effectively
address the needs of our children." States could seek up to $100
million.
Council blocks waste facility -- The Dailu Advertiser - 10-19-2011 LAFAYETTE
- Daniel Guilliot only needed two words in a text message he eagerly
sent his friends Tuesday night after the City-Parish Council meeting.
"We won," Guilliot typed on his phone. He was among the scores of
people packing the council auditorium to express heated opposition to a
proposed waste transfer station on Sunbeam Lane. The council ultimately
backed with a unanimous vote an ordinance prohibiting the facility from
being built despite warnings that doing so sets up Lafayette
Consolidated Government for costly lawsuits. When all nine council
members cast votes to stop the controversial facility from being built,
the auditorium erupted into applause and cheers. "The people came out,
voiced their concerns and spoke from the bottom of their souls to
convey the message," District 3 Councilman Brandon Shelvin, who
sponsored the ordinance, said after the vote. "All nine of us were able
to listen to the hearts of the people." READ MORE
Rick Perry vs. Mitt Romney: Now it's personal -- Politico.com -Jonathan Maqrtin& Ben Smith - 10-19-2011 LAS VEGAS
– After months of diversions — sideshow candidates, Hamlet
acts and straw polls — Tuesday night’s sizzling Republican
presidential showdown boiled the nomination fight down to its
essentials: a deeply personal, ideological and smashmouth contest
between two rivals with almost nothing in common. It was clear
from the clash here between Rick Perry and Mitt Romney, and the
comments of the candidates’ top surrogates afterward, that the
race had passed into a new phase, stripped of any remaining niceties.
Romney may well be the GOP standard-bearer next year, but Perry and the
conservative wing will be damned if it’s going to let him coast
to coronation in Tampa. While he wasn’t the only one of the six
candidates on stage to take aim at Romney, it was the Texas governor
who personalized the fight. The intensely competitive Perry, frustrated
with his decline in the polls, sought to mount a comeback the only way
he knows: by punching harder. He was jarringly more alive than in his
recent debate performances, and his criticism of Romney’s record
became an attack on his rival’s character. With a point-blank
attack on Romney’s “hypocrisy” for hiring illegal
immigrants, the Texan sent an unmistakable message that he won’t
go away with a whimper. READ MORE
Herman Cain And Mitt Romney Used Campaign Funds To Enrich Themselves And Their Associates -- Huffington Post - 10-18-2011 WASHINGTON
-- Over the past several months, businessman Herman Cain has spent tens
of thousands of dollars in campaign cash on his own books and
pamphlets, multiple outlets reported on Tuesday. The money -- which
went to Cain's company T.H.E New Voice -- represented a significant
percentage of the total funds raised by his campaign. Cain's use of his
presidential campaign as a means of personal enrichment has already
attracted the attention of watchdog groups, which find his behavior
troubling. David Donnelly, national campaigns director of the Public
Campaign Action Fund, argued that it could represent an Federal
Election Commission violation, since Cain would personally profit by
driving his book up the bestseller list. READ MORE
Republicans Will Pay Price for Opposing Tax Cuts in Jobs Plan, Durbin Says --- Bloomburg.com - James Rowley 10-17-2011 NATIONAL
- Republicans will “pay a price” if they don’t
support tax breaks they previously embraced that President Barack Obama
included in his $447 billion jobs plan, Senator Dick Durbin said.
“If the Republicans take the current position and hold it, that
they’ll do nothing, I think they’ll pay a price for
it,”Durbin of Illinois, the second-ranking Senate Democrat, said
in an interview airing this weekend on Bloomberg
Television’s“Political Capital With Al Hunt.”The
president’s plan would provide local aid to keep teachers, police
and firefighters on the job and would provide tax incentives
Republicans have supported before, including a payroll tax cut for
working families.Durbin said Republicans may not support saving local
government jobs because “many of them are union members.”
Yet the tax breaks should attract Republican votes because
“that’s their mantra,” he said.For Obama, seeking
re-election at a time of high unemployment, the plan offers voters a
choice between his plans“to move our economy forward” or
returning to former Republican policies that led to 9.1 percent
joblessness, the senator said. Obama can replicate Harry Truman’s
1948 come-from-behind victory “if the choice is returning to the
old Republican ways of President Bush that drove us into deeper
deficits and higher unemployment,” Durbin said. He suggested
Obama must persuade voters to ask the Republican nominee, “Why
should we repeat this movie when we already know the sad ending?”
READ MORE
Why Cornel West Was Arrested in Memory of MLK, in Support of the Occupy Movement -- John Nicholson - 10-17-2011 NATIONAL
- On the day that President Obama and others celebrated the memory of
the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the dedication of Washington's
King memorial, Dr. Cornel West was a few blocks away—celebrating
King with activism on behalf of economic justice and the "Occupy"
movement. After attending the dedication of the King memorial,
West joined a "Stop the Machine! Create a New World!" protest march.
On the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court, with fellow activists, he
called out the high court for making decisions that allow corporations
to dominate the economic life and the politics of the nation. "We
want to bear witness today that we know the relation between corporate
greed and what goes on too often in the Supreme Court decisions," West
declared. "We want to send a lesson to ourselves, to our loved ones,
our families, our communities, our nation and the world, that out of
deep love for working and poor people that we are willing to put
whatever it takes (on the line)—even if we get arrested
today—and say we will not allow this day of Martin Luther King
Jr's memorial to go by without somebody going to jail. Because Martin
King would be here right with us, willing to throw down out of deep
love." Then, the author of "Race Matters," "Democracy Matters"
and other groundbreaking books written in the King tradition sat down
on the steps of the court with at least 18 protesters. "We are
here to bear witness, in solidarity with the Occupy movement all around
the world because we love poor people, we love working people, and we
want Martin Luther King Jr. to smile from the grave that we haven't
forgotten," said West. Moments later, West was cuffed by the
police and led into the court building as a crowd chanted: "We're with
you, Dr. West!" and "We won't forget!"
Martin Luther King Jr.'s crusade for poor honored -- Politico.com 10-16-2011 WASHINGTON
- Slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. would recognize many
of the travails the nation is confronting nearly 50 years after his
“I Have A Dream” speech, President Barack Obama said
Sunday, declaring that “our work, Dr. King’s work, is not
yet complete.” His voice soaring, Obama drew parallels
between the challenges of King’s time and the nation’s
contemporary struggles, including poverty, economic disparity, protests
and cynicism. “As tough as times may be, I know we will
overcome,” Obama said at a rousing dedication ceremony for a new
memorial to King on the National Mall. READ MORE
Pizza Magnate Herman Cain Has Extensive Ties To Powerful Koch Group -- Huffington Post - 10-16-2011 IOWA CITY, Iowa
— Republican presidential hopeful Herman Cain has cast himself as
the outsider, the pizza magnate with real-world experience who will
bring fresh ideas to the nation's capital. But Cain's economic ideas,
support and organization have close ties to two billionaire brothers
who bankroll right-leaning causes through their group Americans for
Prosperity. Cain's campaign manager and a number of aides have worked
for Americans for Prosperity, or AFP, the advocacy group founded with
support from billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch, which lobbies
for lower taxes and less government regulation and spending. Cain
credits a businessman who served on an AFP advisory board with helping
devise his "9-9-9" plan to rewrite the nation's tax code. And his years
of speaking at AFP events have given the businessman and radio host a
network of loyal grassroots fans. The once little-known businessman's
political activities are getting fresh scrutiny these days since he
soared to the top of some national polls. His links to the Koch
brothers could undercut his outsider, non-political image among people
who detest politics as usual and candidates connected with the party
machine. AFP tapped Cain as the public face of its "Prosperity
Expansion Project," and he traveled the country in 2005 and 2006
speaking to activists who were starting state-based AFP chapters from
Wisconsin to Virginia. Through his AFP work he met Mark Block, a
longtime Wisconsin Republican operative hired to lead that state's AFP
chapter in 2005 as he rebounded from an earlier campaign scandal that
derailed his career. Block and Cain sometimes traveled together as they
built up AFP: Cain was the charismatic speaker preaching the ills of
big government; Block was the operative helping with nuts and bolts. READ MORE
Occupy
Wall Street Protests Spread To Europe, Asia -- ALESSANDRA RIZZO and MEERA SELVA - 10-16-2011 ROME -- Italian riot police fired tear gas and water
cannons Saturday in Rome as violent protesters hijacked a peaceful
demonstration against corporate greed, smashing bank windows, torching
cars and hurling bottles. Elsewhere, hundreds of thousands nicknamed "the indignant" marched
without incident in cities across Europe, as the "Occupy Wall Street"
protests linked up with long-running demonstrations against European
governments' austerity measures. Heavy smoke billowed in downtown Rome as a small group broke away and
wreaked havoc in streets close to the Colosseum and elsewhere in the
city. Clad in black with their faces covered, protesters threw rocks, bottles
and incendiary devices at banks and Rome police in riot gear. With
clubs and hammers, they destroyed bank ATMs, set trash bins on fire and
assaulted at least two news crews from Sky Italia. Riot police charged the protesters repeatedly, firing water cannons and
tear gas. Around 70 people were injured, according to news reports,
including one man who tried to stop the protesters from throwing
bottles. TV footage showed one young woman with blood covering her face, while
the ANSA news agency said a man had lost two fingers when a firecracker
exploded. In the city's St. John in Lateran square, police vans came under
attack, with protesters hurling rocks and cobblestones and smashing the
vehicles. Fleeing the violence, peaceful protesters stormed up the
steps outside the Basilica, one of the oldest in Rome. "People of Europe: Rise Up!" read one banner in Rome. Some activists
turned against the violent group, trying to stop them and shouting
"Enough!" and "Shame!" Rome Mayor Gianni Alemanno blamed the violence on "a few thousand thugs
from all over Italy, and possibly from all over Europe, who infiltrated
the demonstration." Some Rome museums were forced to close down and at
least one theater canceled a show. READ MORE
Brokers charged in fraud probe -- Jason Brown- Advocate Acadiana bureau - 10-15-2011 LAFAYETTE
— The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Friday the unsealing
of a 28-count federal indictment charging the former owners of a
Lafayette investment firm in a conspiracy scheme that caused more than
100 of their clients to lose more than $8 million. Richard J. Buswell,
43, and Herbert S. Fouke, 52, owners of Bowman Investment Group, are
accused in an indictment alleging conspiracy, securities fraud,
investment advisor fraud, wire fraud and mail fraud. The scheme
occurred between 2007 and 2009, according to the indictment, which was
handed up in August. During that time, Fouke, who was previously a
general contractor, recruited his business associates and friends to
become clients of Bowman Investment Group, the indictment alleges.
Buswell would hire people to perform various duties at the company and
would then induce them and their friends and family members to be
clients of the company, according to the indictments. During investor
meetings, Buswell and Fouke allegedly made claims that included: That
Buswell would not charge any commissions until accounts were
profitable; that he had never lost money for a client; that he had
generated up to $150,000 per month on his own personal investments; and
that he had ownership interests in skyscrapers, shopping malls and
other projects in New York City, according to the indictment. READ MORE
Tax Cuts For Wealthy Americans Cost Treasury $11.6 Million Every Hour: Report -- Huffington Post - Jillian Berman - 10-15-2011 NATIONAL
- Tax cuts for America’s top earners are costing everyone, every
hour of every day, a new report from the National Priorities Project
finds. Tax cuts for the wealthiest five percent of Americans cost the
U.S. Treasury $11.6 million every hour, according to the National
Priority Foundation. America’s top earners will get an average
tax cut of $66,384 in 2011, while the bottom 20 percent will get an
average cut of $107. The report comes as party leaders wrangle over the
best way to curb the nation’s budget deficit, protesters around
the world demonstrate against income inequality and corporate greed and
Republican presidential candidates offer their economic plans to
voters. Former pizza company CEO and Republican presidential candidate,
Herman Cain, has been getting lots of attention in recent weeks for
“999 Plan” which would cap the corporate, income and sales
tax rates at 9 percent. President Barack Obama unveiled his deficit
reduction plan last month, which aims to curb the national debt through
a combination of tax cuts and increased spending. The plan includes a
proposal to increase taxes on millionaires -- the so-called Buffett
rule, name for famed billionaire investor Warren Buffett. In an August
op-ed in The New York Times, Buffett argued that lawmakers should put
an end to tax breaks for the “super-rich.” After Obama
announced the proposal Republican leaders criticized the Buffett rule
calling it “class warfare.” READ MORE
Nancy Pelosi: Protect Life Act Would Let Pregnant Women 'Die On The Floor' -- Huffington Post - Laura Bassett 10-14-2011 NATIONAL
- Ahead of Thursday's House vote on the so-called "Protect Life Act,"
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Cali.) called the bill a "savage"
attack on women's health. If passed, H.R. 358 would free anti-abortion
hospitals from the legal responsibility of providing a life-saving
abortion procedure to a pregnant woman who is dying. "When the
Republicans vote for this bill today, they will be voting to say that
women can die on the floor, and health care providers do not have to
intervene," Pelosi said at a press conference. "It's just appalling.
This is a health issue, and it falls right in there with a lot of other
initiatives that they had coming up on the floor about clean air, clean
water, mercury -- you name it." In addition to allowing hospitals to
opt out of providing life-saving abortions, H.R. 358, sponsored by Rep.
Joe Pitts (R-Pa.), denies federal funding to all health insurance plans
that cover abortion. It would be the first law to restrict what kind of
coverage women with private health insurance plans can purchase.
Supporters of the bill say its purpose is to free taxpayers from having
to pay for abortions and to free hospitals from having to provide them
against their will. But the Hyde amendment, which has been in place for
30 years, already prohibits the flow of taxpayer dollars to any kind of
abortion service. "I can't even describe to you the logic of what it is
that they are doing," Pelosi said. "I just know that you'll see a large
number of women on the floor today fighting for women's health issues
as well as to point out how savage this is about withholding care for a
woman because of this legislation."
Senator Ben Nelson Opens the Secret Money Door Wider -- TheNation.com - George Zornickon 10-13-2011 NATIONAL
- The New York Times reports this morning on an interesting series of
advertisements running in Nebraska this month: Senator Ben Nelson, a
conservative Democrat, tells voters about his stance on Social
Security, debt and various other issues. This normally wouldn’t
be notable, except that the Democratic party of Nebraska, not his own
campaign, made the ads. In other words, Nelson is directly coordinating
with an outside group to help him get elected—and this could
change campaign finance dramatically for the upcoming elections and
beyond. When the Supreme Court issued the Citizens United ruling,
which allowed outside groups to collect vast sums of money to spend on
federal elections, it was generally accepted that such groups still
couldn’t coordinate directly with candidates—instead,
groups like Karl Rove’s American Crossroads and Crossroads GPS
could only produce “issue ads” that, while clearly carrying
a political message, didn’t advocate for a specific candidate.
Outside groups also couldn’t communicate directly and openly with
a political campaign about strategy. Nelson has gone ahead and decided
to just do that anyway—his campaign argues that there are various
exceptions in FEC rules that allow it to do so. That’s being
contested by the Republican party in Nebraska, but really, it
doesn’t matter much. In what so many experts refer to the current
“wild west” of campaign finance—where the Federal
Elections Commission doesn’t enforce much of anything—when
a candidate does something, and the FEC fails to sanction it, it
becomes the new norm. As electoral law expert Richard Hasen told
the Times, “Nelson does this, and if he’s successful, then
you’ll see others going this route. People push the envelope, and
no one pushes back.” RAED MORE
Obama, Aretha to headline MLK monument dedication -- TheGrio.com - 10-13-2011 WASHINGTON
-- President Barack Obama will deliver the keynote address and Aretha
Franklin will headline the entertainers at this weekend's dedication of
the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on the National Mall. The
dedication was postponed from late August because of Hurricane Irene.
Journalist Roland Martin will be the emcee. Besides Obama, speakers
will include civil rights leaders Julian Bond, Rep. John Lewis, the
Rev. Jesse Jackson and members of the King family. Journalist Dan
Rather will also speak. A ceremonial dedication will be held at 11 a.m.
on the grounds of the memorial, where the queen of soul will perform.
The towering 30-foot monument is the first dedicated to a black leader
on the National Mall. King stands with his arms crossed, carved from a
stone and looking toward the horizon.
Jobs plan from Senate Republicans unveiled -- Politrico.com 10-13-2011 NATIONAL
- President Barack Obama had his American Jobs Act. Now, Senate
Republicans may have their Real American Jobs Act. After more
than two years in which the GOP political strategy to Obama’s
policies has revolved around the word “no,” Republicans,
who are growing increasingly confident they will win back the Senate in
next year’s elections, want to give voters a sense of how
they’d attempt to turn around the struggling economy if they were
in power. So they’re planning to roll out a jobs plan that
amounts to a conservative’s dream agenda: targeting labor and
environmental regulations, enacting a balanced-budget amendment to the
Constitution, lowering corporate and individual tax rates, encouraging
energy production and expanding free trade, according to a draft
obtained by POLITICO. READ MORE
D.I.V.O.R.C.E. -- The Independent - 10-12-2011 LAFAYETTE
- In 10 days Lafayette Parish will make a monumental decision about the
governance that will have long-term implications for the city and the
unincorporated parish. Is this union worth maintaining? How do we
govern ourselves? It’s the most fundamental question of humans
living together. On Oct. 22, voters in Lafayette Parish will head to
the polls and decide whether the 15-year marriage between the city of
Lafayette and unincorporated Lafayette Parish — roughly 52 and 27
percent, respectively, of the overall parish population — is
worth salvaging. It’s fair to say the marriage hit the rocks over
the last few years as city residents, realizing their share of the
parish population is declining, envisioned a future in which the city
is a minority on the City-Parish Council. Many city residents have also
long chaffed at the fact that council members who don’t live in
the city limits, who pay no city property taxes and who are elected by
a majority of people living outside the city, have a vote in matters
pertaining to the city of Lafayette. Ironically, it was city of
Lafayette voters who in 1992 overwhelmingly voted in favor of
consolidation. So in just more than a week we’ll decide whether
to divorce. READ MORE
Why 'Occupy Wall Street' Protests? America's High Rates of Poverty & Income Inequality -- Huffington Post - Michael Shank 10-11-11 NATIONAL
- On the heels of the US government's announcement that personal income
of Americans has dropped for the first time in two years, Britain's
Richard Wilkinson -- co-author with Kate Pickett of the book Spirit
Level: Why Equality is Better for Everyone -- came to Washington this
month to talk with Congress about income inequality and its deleterious
impacts on society. Whether any of this will be news to an American
audience is doubtful, as no one is under the illusion that the US is
doing well economically. In fact, last month Americans learned they
have the highest poverty rate since the second world war (one in six
Americans living below the poverty line) and the highest youth poverty
rate (one in five young people, with Hispanic youth suffering most).
Last month also concluded multiple "Made in America" tours by the
congressional black and progressive caucuses who were responding to the
cry of the unemployed, which is only getting louder and more desperate.
More recently, the Warren Buffett-inspired tax debate, regarding
whether millionaires should pay at least the same tax rate as the
common worker, has surfaced fractiously, pitting President Obama and
Democrats against most Republicans. Underlying these recent trends, the
US still maintains one the highest income inequality rates among all
wealthy countries. READ MORE
Southern University - Civil Rights Symposium to Commemorate Former Student Activists, November 10-11/-2011 - BATON ROUGE
- Elsie L. Scott, president and chief executive officer of the
Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, and Dave Dennis, a 1961 Freedom
Rider, will be keynote speakers at the 2011 Southern University Civil
Rights Commemoration Symposium to be held November 10-11, 2011 at the
Southern University Law Center. During the late 1950s through the early
1970s, students, faculty, and administrators on the campuses of
Southern University played an integral role in the social and political
gains made during the Civil Rights Movement. Anniversary dates of many
of their strategic efforts, such as sit-ins, Freedom Rides, and
lawsuits, provide the ideal opportunity to highlight these individuals
and their historic involvement in the planned commemoration. READ MORE
Six candidates seek Acadiana House District 96 seat -- The Advocate - Jason Brown - 10-11-2011 LAFAYETTE
- The newly created House District 96 seat has drawn a former mayor,
two school board members, a retired State Police superintendent, a
veteran law-enforcement officer and an insurance agent into the field.
The race pits Democrats Terry Landry, Raymond
“Shoe-Do” Lewis, Richard Potier and Nary Smith Sr. against
independents Vincent Alexander and Eric Martin. READ MORE
LAE endorses Hollis -- The Independent - Walter Pierce - 10-11-2011 LOUISIANA
- The Louisiana Association of Educators’ political action
committee has endorsed north Louisiana special-education teacher Tara
Hollis’ David-v-Goliath bid for Louisiana governor. A
self-described conservative Democrat, Hollis was the first person to
announce her candidacy against incumbent Republican Bobby Jindal late
last spring. Since then, a bevy of candidates — Democrats, a
Libertarian and party-unaffiliated — have joined the field. The
LAE Fund for Children & Public Education screened the candidates
and decided that Hollis’ “extensive knowledge and
experience as a public school educator placed her ahead during the
candidate screening process.” READ MORE
What you need to know before casting your vote on deconsolidation in Lafayette --- Daily Advertiser - 10-09-2011 LOUISIANA - The issue at its core
Whether Lafayette needs its own
separate government, preventing people from outside the city having any
control on issues that affect only the city. Why it matters LUS
Fiber is one example: It is city-owned, and its entire customer base is
within city lines. However, its future could one day be decided by
council members from outside Lafayette. READ MORE
Democrats Look To Inflict Political Pain On GOP For Blocking Obama's Jobs Bill -- The Huffington Post - 10-07-2011 WASHINGTON
-- If the White House is to win the debate over President Barack
Obama's jobs bill, its victory won't be measured in congressional vote
tallies, but rather in terms of the political discomfort inflicted on
the opposition. No one expects
the American Jobs Act to pass the Senate when it comes up for a vote
next week. Even if the bill miraculously receives the 60 votes needed
to overcome a Republican-led filibuster, House Majority Leader Eric
Cantor (R-Va.) has said he won't bring it to the floor of the House of
Representatives. And so, the White House and Democratic-allied groups
have begun setting their sights on the next phase of the fight over
jobs: what happens once the bill fails. "I'll
tell you, if the Republicans take the current position and hold it,
that they'll do nothing, I think they'll pay a price for it," Senate
Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) told Bloomberg News Friday. Democrats
have been dropping similar hints for days now, with even the president
tipping his hand. In a press conference on Thursday, Obama
conspicuously noted, "in Maine, there is a bridge that is in such bad
shape that pieces of it were literally falling off the other day."
Maine doesn't frequently make its way into the president's talking
points, but with two of the Senate's most moderate Republicans hailing
from there, it takes on additional import. READ MORE
Keith Olbermann: Occupy Wall Street Confusing 'Corrupt' And 'Dense' Media -- Huffinhton Post - 10-06-2011 National - Keith Olbermann
lambasted what he saw as the blinkered view of the media towards the
Occupy Wall Street movement, and he read out what he said was the first
official statement from the protesters -- or, as Olbermann put it on
his Wednesday show, the group's Special Comment. Before reading the
statement, Olbermann -- who has focused nearly all of his show to the
movement for weeks -- tore into the media, which he said was "too
corrupt or too dense to understand anything more complicated than
whether the blonde is missing or the verdict is guilty." He criticized
what has become a kind of mantra in some quarters of the
media: the desire to know what it is the protesters "want." Luckily,
Olbermann had an answer for those people, in the form of a declaration
from Occupy Wall Street. He said that, since it did not list any
specific laws the protesters wanted to change, it might "confuse the
precocious ninth graders now passing for TV anchor newsmen these days."
Watch Olbermann read the statement, and see the full text of
the declaration below. READ MORE
Nearly Half of Louisiana Public Schools Failing -- WAFB 9NEWS -10-05-2011 BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB)44-
percent of Louisiana schools received a failing grade in the newest
school performance scores, a source tells WAFB 9NEWS.The scores will be
made public during a news conference in New Orleans scheduled to begin
at 12:30pm. The state switched the ways schools are graded late last
year. Rather than a numerical score, schools now get a grade of "A",
"B", "C", "D", or F. 44 percent of schools received a "D" or "F" this
year, a source familiar with the scores told 9NEWS. Governor Bobby
Jindal has been briefed on the scores, the source says, and is said to
be very disappointed. Jindal is expected to hold a news conference this
afternoon to address the matter and call for reform. Louisiana's public
school system is currently without a permanent leader. Former Louisiana
School Superintendent Paul Pastorek resigned earlier this year. A
permanent replacement for Pastorek has not yet been named. Click here to look up your school's results.
Stagg, residents voice concerns over waste transfer facility -- The Daily Advertiser - 10-05-2011 LAFAYETTE
- Candidate for City-Parish President Mike Stagg joined a growing group
of people opposing the new waste transfer facility on Sunbeam Lane
Monday, saying during a press conference the site was not only harmful
to area residents but also the result of questionable ethics.
Specifically Stagg called into question the ethics of City-Parish
President Joey Durel, saying his opponent in the upcoming election
played by his own set of rules. “The sudden awarding of permits
to operate a garbage transfer facility on Sunbeam Lane without any
advance notice to area residents drives home the point that Lafayette
Consolidated Government operates under two sets of rules,” Stagg
said. “One set for Joey Durel and his friends, and another set
for the rest of us.” READ MORE
Senate Democrats want millionaire tax to pay for Obama jobs plan -- L.A.Times.com - Lisa Mascaro - 10-05-2011 NATIONAL
- Senate Democratic leaders are proposing a 5% surtax on those earning
$1 million a year as a new way pay for President Obama's jobs plan,
turning to an issue with populist appeal as they line up support for a
vote, possibly next week. The shift is an acknowledgement that the
president does not have support among his Democratic allies for taxing
those earning less than $1 million. Obama's proposal had relied on tax
hikes for households earning beyond $200,000, or $250,000 for couples.
"We're going to move to have the richest of the rich pay a little bit
more," Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.), the majority leader, said Wednesday. A
vote is expected "within the next few days," Reid said. READ MORE
Sen. Sanders on raising Medicare age to cut deficit: 'Ain't gonna happen' -- TheHill.Com - Mike Lillis - 10-04-2011 NATIONAL
- Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) had a terse warning Tuesday for those
hoping to rein in deficit spending by hiking Medicare's eligibility
age: "Ain't gonna happen." "Forty-five thousand people are dying in
America this year because they don't have access to healthcare, and
we'll be damned if we're going to allow more people to die by raising
the eligibility age from 65 to 67," Sanders told a liberal crowd
gathered in Washington for the Take Back the American Dream conference.
"Ain't gonna happen." The Vermont liberal sounded a similar warning
regarding proposals to scale back Social Security benefits. "In the
middle of the worst recession since the Great Depression, you know what
you don't do?" Sanders asked. "You don't cut Social Security –
that's what you don't do. And anybody who tells you that Social
Security is part of the deficit problem is lying to you." READ MORE
President Obama goes on the attack, to Democrats’ delight -- Washington Post - David Nakamura and Paul Kane - 10-04-2011 NATIONAL
- There is a noticeably more aggressive, confrontational President
Obama roaming the country these days, selling his jobs plan and
attacking Republicans for standing in the way of progress by standing
up only for the rich. In Texas on Tuesday, the president went after a
leading Republican by name: “Yesterday the Republican majority
leader in Congress, Eric Cantor, said that right now he won’t
even let this jobs bill have a vote in the House of
Representatives,” Obama said. “I would like Mr. Cantor to
come here to Dallas and explain what exactly in this jobs bill does he
not believe in, what exactly he is opposed to. Does he not believe in
rebuilding America’s roads and bridges? Does he not believe in
tax breaks for small businesses or efforts to help our veterans?”
The emergence of this more pugnacious Obama has heartened Democrats,
especially the most liberal ones, who spent the past few months
dejected by what they saw as the president’s unwillingness to
engage his opponents in political combat. “We don’t see it
as confrontation; we see it as leadership,” said Mary Kay Henry,
president of the Service Employees International Union. “We see
the president exerting strong leadership to make the case to the
country that everything we had to listen to during the debt debate was
wrong.” READ MORE
NEW YORK CITY
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The first rule of asking for extra federal dollars in Texas is to never
make it seem like you are asking for extra federal dollars. For Gov.
Rick Perry, this is a tricky line to walk. Because as much as the
Republican presidential candidate bashes the federal government in his
campaign speeches, Texas gets a lot of money from the feds — and
a lot of it is going to the health care system he insists Texas can
handle on its own. Perry has repeatedly decried the spending culture of
Washington, railing against both President Barack Obama’s health
care law and the federal stimulus. But as it happens, Texas has taken a
lot of money from both. More than $380 million in early grants and
other aid from the federal health law have already gone to businesses
and agencies in the Lone Star State, according to figures from the
Department of Health and Human Services, and Texas ended up with $17
billion from the stimulus. Now, the state is waiting for final approval
of a new waiver from federal Medicaid rules that could allow the state
to draw down an additional $12 billion in funds from the federal
government. And that’s before the main parts of the Affordable
Care Act even kick in, bringing billions of dollars to Texas in extra
Medicaid funds and subsidies to help people buy private coverage
through a new health insurance exchange. If the law survives its
upcoming review by the Supreme Court, its expansion of Medicaid alone
could cost the federal government anywhere from $53 billion to $67
billion in aid to Texas by 2019, according to estimates from the
nonpartisan Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. That’s more than
any other state would get under that part of the law. The only other
state that comes close is California, which would get between $45
billion and $55 billion in federal Medicaid funds. “The only word
that can describe this is hypocrisy,” said Democratic state Rep.
Garnet Coleman. “These days federal dollars might as well be
counterfeit, they are so dirty — but Texas would not survive
without them.” 
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