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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

   See Local Candidates in the 2011 election                 
  
   Lafayette Chamber Of Commerce Endorsements                                                            
   
   League OF Women Voters Guide To Lafayette Elections


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

With Friends Like These -- DailyKingfish.com - Lamar Parmentel -11- 14.2011
LAFAYETTE, LA. - Let's say I'm a Deocrat (you know, a real one, not some vestigial registration that voted for McCain), and someone wants to sell me on a candidate. Let's say that candidate had this record:
Authored Re-Apportionment plan devasting minority representation, first drafted by Louisiana Family Forum even, before census results were released
Authored bill opposing Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare) on States' Rights argument to "negate Obamacare"Potentially Disbarred In Other States
100% Anti-Choice

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
OPELOUSAS LA. — 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

Ban sought on station - Proposal to block waste transfer site  -- The Advocate - Richard Burgess 10-04-2011
LAFAYETTE — City-Parish Councilman Brandon Shelvin has proposed a local law to block plans for a controversial garbage transfer station on Sunbeam Lane off Walker Road.  The council is expected to begin discussing the proposal at Tuesday’s meeting and is scheduled to vote on the ban later this month — a potential roadblock for a project taking shape in an unincorporated area of the parish with few restrictions on how land can be used.  The site in question would be a waste transfer station for IESI, which does not have the garbage contract for residential service in Lafayette but performs work in surrounding areas.  The company plans to use the site to offload waste from garbage trucks to 18-wheelers that will haul the garbage to an out-of-town landfill, Shelvin said.  “These types of facilities tend to locate near low-income neighborhoods, and it comes with a lot of issue — the odor, the damage the trucks will do to do the road,” Shelvin said.  Residents in the area said they found out about the planned transfer station only recently and are frustrated that there seems to be no way to challenge it.  “We’ve talked to just about everyone we could talk to,” said Jay LeBlanc, who lives within a block of the proposed transfer site and also has an iron works business directly across the street from it. “All of this was done hidden beneath the covers. How could they do that? You can’t build a trash facility in someone’s neighborhood.” READ MORE

Brennan Center: Millions Of Voters Impacted By New Photo I.D., Citizenship And Registration Laws  -- The Huffington Post - 10-04-2011
WASHINGTON -- According to a new report, over five million voters could be denied the right to vote under new laws adopted in a dozen states. The study released Sunday night by the Brennan Center for Justice in New York said that new laws regarding photo identification requirements for voting, eliminating same day voter registration in several states, requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote, changing requirements for voter registration drives, reducing early voting days and restoring the right to vote for convicted felons will make voting harder for the five million people in the 2012 election. The Brennan Center wrote that there has been a partisan divide in terms of the new laws, noting that the laws had mainly been generated from Republican-controlled state legislatures and signed by Republican governors. The exceptions are laws passed by Democratic-controlled legislatures in Rhode Island and West Virginia, signed by an independent governor in Rhode Island and West Virginia’s Democratic acting governor.  The report also projects that the new laws will have an impact on minority voters. According to the Brennan Center, African-Americans and Hispanics are more likely to register to vote during voter registration drives in Florida, and new photo I.D. requirements in Texas do not include forms of identification heavily used by minorities. The report points to new laws requiring photo identification to vote in Alabama, Kansas, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin that would limit voting to up to 3.2 million citizens who do not have government-issued photo I.D. The report did not include Rhode Island’s new photo identification law, which allows for non-governmental photo I.D.s to be used for voting, saying that the state’s law does not have the same requirements as measures elsewhere. Prior to 2011, only Indiana and Georgia had photo I.D. laws on the books. READ MORE

National Movement Spreads To Crescent City  --  WDSU.COM 10-04-2011
NEW ORLEANS -- A movement that has occupied several cities from coast to coast in the past few days is coming to Crescent City.  At least 700 people strolling past the New York Stock Exchange were arrested over the weekend on the Brooklyn Bridge, and organizers said the Occupy: Wall Street Movement is coming to New Orleans.  "The idea that profit at all cost is the goal of everything, that that's the only thing that matters, this leaves out the impact that these organizations should have some sort of social responsibility," supporter Trevor Aubin said.  The Occupy: NOLA movement is protesting a system that it said is controlled by corporate greed and corrupt politics.  "Because of the greed, because of the self-serving interest, they've not really taken good care of our country. They've taken good care of themselves, and we're all paying to the price for that greed now," supporter Kevin Comboy said.  Similar to demonstrations in Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, and Washington, D.C., organizers said Occupy: NOLA opposes tax breaks to corporations, as well as the escalating unemployment rate, slumping housing market and a reduction in social services for the poor. Participant Alex Fleming said many are labeling the occupation as a socialist movement.  "It's not, 'There are Republicans in this, Democrats in this.' There are everyone from all walks of life -- rich, poor people who are just fed up," Fleming said.  "The top one percent of people in the country are making all the money and the rest of the 99 percent of people are just struggling to make ends meet," supporter Janine Hayes said.  Unlike protests in other cities, organizers said they expect Thursday's march to be peaceful with people coming together to spread awareness.  The New Orleans Police Department said it's aware of the march, and it's preparing and watching what's happening in other cities. The police department said the group still doesn't have a permit to hold the march.

Occupy Wall Street Protests Inspire Demonstrations In Other Cities  --  The Huffington Post -10-04-2011
NEW YORK -- Protests against Wall Street entered their 18th day Tuesday as demonstrators across the country show their anger over the wobbly economy and what they see as corporate greed by marching on Federal Reserve banks and camping out in parks from Los Angeles to Portland, Maine. Demonstrations are expected to continue throughout the week as more groups hold organizational meetings and air their concerns on websites and through streaming video. In Manhattan on Monday, hundreds of protesters dressed as corporate zombies in white face paint lurched past the New York Stock Exchange clutching fistfuls of fake money. In Chicago, demonstrators pounded drums in the city's financial district. Others pitched tents or waved protest signs at passing cars in Boston, St. Louis, Kansas City, Mo., and Los Angeles. READ MORE

Incumbent faces political veteran, newcomer for Senate  --  The Advocate - Richard Burgess - 10-04-2011
LAFAYETTE - The state Senate District 24 race pits incumbent Elbert Guillory against political newcomer Kelly Scott and Opelousas Mayor Don Cravins Sr., who held the District 24 seat for 15 years before his mayoral election.  The candidates agree on many of the big issues — education is a critical need in the district, they say, and taxes are not the answer to balancing the budget — but each offers a nuanced approach to growing the economy and trying to provide better government services within the constraints of a tight budget. READ MORE

Lafayette Chamber issues endorsements, passes on some races  --  The Independent -Walter Pierce - 10-03-2011
LAFAYETTE - The Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce’s political action committee, Empower PAC, has issued endorsements in races that will appear on ballots in Lafayette Parish on Oct. 22, throwing its weight behind several candidates who are running unopposed and declining to make an endorsement in a handful of other races. In the state House of Representatives races, the GLCC endorses incumbent Rep. Nancy Landry in District 31,  Jack Montoucet (42), Rickey Hardy (44), Joel Robideaux (45), Stuart Bishop (43), Don Menard (39) and Taylor Barras (48). Landry, Bishop and Barras are running unopposed. READ MORE

Koch Brothers Flout Law With Secret Iran Sales  --  Bloomburg.com - Asjylyn Loder and David Evans - Oct 2, 2011
NATIONAL - In May 2008, a unit of Koch Industries Inc., one of the world’s largest privately held companies, sent Ludmila Egorova-Farines, its newly hired compliance officer and ethics manager, to investigate the management of a subsidiary in Arles in southern France. In less than a week, she discovered that the company had paid bribes to win contracts. “I uncovered the practices within a few days,” Egorova- Farines says. “They were not hidden at all.” READ MORE

Obama Plan Would Direct $557 Million to Louisiana Schools  --  PoliticsLa.com -  10-02-2011
LOUISIANA - If President Barack Obama's American Jobs Act is passed, measures to repair and rejuvenate aging school buildings would result in $557 million for Louisiana's schools which would be spent by September 2012.  The Shreveport Times took a look at the need for the $40 million that would be allocated to Caddo Parish schools alone, based on the formula for the nation's 100 largest high-need school districts. 

Senator (Vitter) Publicly Opposes Pardon for Edwin Edwards  --  KATC.COM - 10-01-2011 Maddie Garrett
LOUISIANA - Former Governor Edwin Edwards making news again, this time over his bid for a presidential pardon. In 2003, Edwards' then wife Candy petitioned for a pardon for her husband. Now Edwards third wife, Trina Scott Edwards, is doing the same. "I would really hope that more people would stand behind him, he did a lot a for the state," said Trina. But both times around, Senator David Vitter publicly opposed them and idea of a pardon.  "It's not in his nature to be kind to people, they don't call him bitter Vitter for nothing," retorted Edwin Edwards. READ MORE

Rick Perry Faced Federal Scrutiny For Insider Trading, Criticism For Land Deals  -- The Huffington Post - Jason Cherkis 9-30-2011
WASHINGTON -- Since announcing his run for the presidency, Texas Governor Rick Perry (R) has had to fend off allegations of crony capitalism. Such critiques have revealed the governor's easy relationships with lobbyists, and his awarding campaign donors government contracts and influential positions on state boards. But Perry has also personally profited from these same relationships. His own deal making has helped him become a millionaire, and it has not gone unnoticed. In the late '90s, federal law enforcement authorities investigated allegations that Perry had engaged in insider trading, sources involved in the inquiry tell The Huffington Post. On Jan. 24, 1996, Perry purchased 2,800 shares of stock in a company, Kinetic Concepts, Inc., owned by a San Antonio businessman soon to be one of Perry's top donors, James Leininger. It was great timing. Later that day, a group of investors bought up 2.2 million shares in the company, sending the price soaring and netting Perry a nice gain. On the day of the stock purchases, Perry had given a speech before a group founded by Leininger. Both Perry and Leininger later admitted talking on the day in question but denied discussing the stock. Perry would go on to sell his Kinetic Concepts stock -- a total of more than 8,000 shares -- a month later for a $38,000 profit. It took at least two years for an Austin attorney to uncover the suspicious trade. The attorney, who would only discuss the matter on condition of anonymity because he continues to have dealings with the U.S. Attorney's Office, said he spoke with two sources who corroborated that Perry and Leininger had met on the day in question and that the donor had advised the politician on the stock purchase. READ MORE

Banks to Make Customers Pay Fee for Using Debit Cards  --  TARA SIEGEL BERNARD and BEN PROTESS - NYTimes 9-29-2011
NATIONAL - Bank of America, the nation’s biggest bank, said on Thursday that it planned to start charging customers a $5 monthly fee when they used their debit cards for purchases. It was just one of several new charges expected to hit consumers as new regulations crimp banks’ profits. Wells Fargo and Chase are testing $3 monthly debit card fees. Regions Financial, based in Birmingham, Ala., plans to start charging a $4 fee next month, while SunTrust, another regional powerhouse, is charging a $5 fee. The round of new charges stems from a rule, which takes effect on Saturday, that limits the fees that banks can levy on merchants every time a consumer uses a debit card to make a purchase. The rule, known as the Durbin amendment, after its sponsor Senator Richard J. Durbin, is a crucial part of the Dodd-Frank financial overhaul law. Until now, the fees have been 44 cents a transaction, on average. The Federal Reserve in June agreed to cut the fees to a maximum of about 24 cents. While the fee amounts to pennies per swipe, it rapidly adds up across millions of transactions. The new limit is expected to cost the banks about $6.6 billion in revenue a year, beginning in 2012, according to Javelin Strategy and Research. That comes on top of another loss, of $5.6 billion, from new rules restricting overdraft fees, which went into effect in July 2010. READ MORE

Anwar Al-Awlaki Dead: U.S.-Born Al Qaeda Cleric Killed In Yemen  -- Huffington Post - 9-30-2011
SANAA, Yemen -- In a significant new blow to al-Qaida, U.S. airstrikes in Yemen on Friday killed Anwar al-Awlaki, an American militant cleric who became a prominent figure in the terror network's most dangerous branch, using his fluent English and Internet savvy to draw recruits for attacks in the United States. The strike was the biggest U.S. success in hitting al-Qaida's leadership since the May killing of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan. But it raises questions that other strikes did not: Al-Awlaki was an American citizen who has not been charged with any crime. Civil liberties groups have questioned the government's authority to kill an American without trial. The 40-year-old al-Awlaki was for years an influential mouthpiece for al-Qaida's ideology of holy war, and his English-language sermons urging attacks on the United States were widely circulated among militants in the West. President Barack Obama declared al-Awlaki's killing a "major blow" to al-Qaida's most active affiliate, and vowed a vigorous U.S. campaign to prevent the terror network and its partners from finding safe haven anywhere in the world. READ MORE

The Name Behind Black Voter Suppression  --  Politics365.com - Jeneba Ghatt  9-29-2011
Few Americans know about “The Schurick Doctrine,” the term federal prosecutors coined for a campaign strategy of voter-suppression tactics designed to promote confusion, emotionalism and frustration among African Americans.  It is named for Robert Ehrlich’s 2010 gubernatorial campaign aide Paul Schurick, who with election consultant Julius Henson masterminded efforts to intentionally suppress the black vote in the 2010 election.  During former Gov. Ehrlich’s second bid at the governor’s mansion and an attempt to topple incumbent Gov. Martin O’Malley, Schurick & Henson sent anonymous robo-call messages to more than 110,000 Democrats in Baltimore and Prince George’s County, according to prosecutors.  In the message, a woman’s voice told voters not to vote because Martin O’Malley had already won. READ MORE

Clarence Thomas Should Be Investigated For Nondisclosure, Democratic Lawmakers Say  --  Huffington Post - 9-29-2011
WASHINGTON -- Democratic lawmakers on Thursday called for a federal investigation into Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas' failure to report hundreds of thousands of dollars on annual financial disclosure forms. Led by House Rules Committee ranking member Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.), 20 House Democrats sent a letter to the Judicial Conference of the United States -- the entity that frames guidelines for the administration of federal courts -- requesting that the conference refer the matter of Thomas' non-compliance with the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 to the Department of Justice. The letter outlines how, throughout his 20-year tenure on the Supreme Court, Thomas routinely checked a box titled "none" on his annual financial disclosure forms, indicating that his wife had received no income. But in reality, the letter states, she earned nearly $700,000 from the Heritage Foundation from 2003 to 2007 alone. Slaughter called it "absurd" to suggest that Thomas may not have known how to fill out the forms. READ MORE

Louisiana Earns a "C", While Over Half of the Country Receives Failing Grades for Teaching Civil Rights Movement
KATC.COM Kate Durio9-29-2011
LOUISIANA - This week, the Southern Poverty Law Center's Teaching Tolerance program released a new report, the first of its kind, examining educational standards and curriculum for civil rights education in the United States. In the report, released Wednesday, the Southern Povery Law Center found that more than half of the states failed at teaching the Civil Rights Movement, including thirty-five states that received an "F". Louisiana received a "C" grade, but the SPLC says southern states are doing a better job than the rest of the country.  "Though the civil rights movement is one of the defining events of U.S. history, most states fail when it comes to teaching the movement to students", said a Southern Poverty Law Center press release. The study, Teaching the Movement: The State of Civil Rights Education in the United States 2011, examined state standards and curriculum requirements related to the study of the modern civil rights movement for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. It was conducted by the SPLC's Teaching Tolerance program and includes a forward by noted civil rights activist and historian Julian Bond. The study compared the requirements in state standards to a body of knowledge that reflects what civil rights historians and educators consider core information about the civil rights movement.  Sixteen of the thirty-five "failing" states, have no requirements at all for teaching about the movement and are in areas where local officials set specific policies and requirements for their school districts.  "For too many students their civil rights education boils down to two people and four words: Rosa Parks, Dr. King and 'I have a dream,'" said Maureen Costello, SPLC's Teaching Tolerance director. "When 43 states adopted Common Core Standards in English and math, they affirmed that rigorous standards were necessary for achievement. By having weak or non-existent standards for history, particularly for the civil rights movement, they are saying loud and clear that it isn't something students need learn."  The SPLC says they issued the report "to encourage a national conversation about the importance of teaching the civil rights movement. The report calls for states to include civil rights education in K-12 history and social studies curricula. It urges colleges and other organizations that train teachers to ensure that they are well prepared to teach it." READ MORE

Common sense begs to differ  --  The Daily Kingfish - Lamar Parmentel - 9-29-2011
LOUISIANA - If you are a Louisianian, you are no doubt concerned with the incredible strain that lawsuits cause our economy. Crushing jobs figures, driving businesses out, you know, the works. Of course, we only say so because the unaptly-named "Coalition for Common Sense" says so. A survey commissioned by this absurd organization, vaguely worded and coded to extract general frustration, suggests that a large majority of Louisianians find that "Lawsuit reform" (of unknown specificity or detail) is "needed." It looks like they're even a citizen-led group, just out for the public good! Sounds so mid-18th century New England! It might come as no surprise, but this organization (and others) are funded by large corporations with one mission: To close the courts to regular people and to prevent them from seeking justice for harms visited upon them by businesses and corporations. It's that simple. The tactics are the same everywhere. Disembody the system by lowering its funding and forbiding efficiency. Then denigrate and disassemble the image of the court system with the public (some of which is done by the court system on its own). Then attack it as an inefficient vehicle for justice, claiming that it is costing regular people jobs and hurting the economy. Then make sure your contracts are sealed tight into pro-business arbitration agreements. It's "Tort Reform," one of those newspeak phrases that is actually just the opposite. The only reform this entails to lock the courtroom doors and throw away the key.  READ MORE

Welfare seekers less likely to use drugs  --  The Daily Advertiser 9-28-2011 
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Preliminary figures on a new Florida law requiring drug tests for welfare applicants show that they are less likely than other people to use drugs, not more. One famous Floridian suggests that it's the people who came up with the law who should be submitting specimens. Columnist and best-selling author Carl Hiaasen offered to pay for drug testing for all 160 members of the Florida Legislature in what he called "a patriotic whiz-fest." Several of the law's supporters say they're on board. "There is a certain public interest in going after hypocrisy," Hiaasen said Tuesday, two days after he made his proposal in a Miami Herald column. "Folks that are applying for DCF (Department of Children and Families) money normally wouldn't be standing in that line, and on top of that humiliation they now get to pee in a cup so they can get grocery money for their kids," Hiaasen told The Associated Press in an interview at his Vero Beach home. Gov. Rick Scott and other supporters of the law — the only one of its kind currently on the books in the U.S. — say the tests will save the state cash by weeding out people who would use welfare money on drugs. Critics say that just a few months after it went into effect, the law has already refuted the idea that people receiving public assistance are more likely to use drugs. Preliminary figures show that about 2.5 percent of up to 2,000 applicants for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families have tested positive since the law went into effect in July. Another 2 percent declined to take the test, Department of Children and Families officials say. The Justice Department estimates that 6 percent of Americans 12 and older use illegal drugs. The American Civil Liberties Union is challenging the law, saying it violates welfare applicants' constitutional right against unreasonable searches. For that reason, a federal appellate court struck down a similar Michigan law in 2003. The state hasn't said how much it believes it has saved by requiring the drug tests, but some of the law's most ardent backers say they're willing to take Hiaasen up on his offer. "Tell him to write the check," said Senate President Pro Tempore Mike Bennett. "I'll be the first one to take it." The Bradenton Republican said he'd even sponsor a bill that would require legislators to get urine tests — and require Hiassen to pay for them. "Half the citizens of the state of Florida probably think half of the Legislature is on drugs, anyhow," Bennett cracked. "Nobody knows which half. That's the problem." READ MORE

Edwards to sign books Thursday in Lafayette  --  The Daily Advertiser - 9-28-2011
LAFAYETTE - Former Louisiana Gov. Edwin Edwards will be in Lafayette on Thursday for a book signing at Trynd Restaurant. Edwards will be signing books from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. at the restaurant on Vermilion Street in downtown Lafayette, cater-cornered from Parc Sans Souci. At the event, which is free to the public, you can buy a copy of the book, “Edwin Edwards: Governor of Louisiana -- An Authorized Biography,” by Leo Honeycutt, which Edwards will sign or you can bring a copy you already have for him to sign. Edwards served an unprecedented four terms as Governor of Louisiana in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. Federal prosecutors failed several attempts to convict him. But in 2001, they got him, sentencing the dynamic silver-haired Democrat to 10 years in prison on racketeering charges. He was released in January.

C’est what? Nursing supplies tax-free Oct. 1  --  The Independent - Walter Pierce 9-26-2011
LOUISIANA - If you’re abreast of the myriad tax breaks offered by the state of Louisiana, you know that beginning Oct. 1 Louisiana will stop levying its four-cent sales tax on breast-feeding supplies.  The tax break is authorized by Act 331 of the 2011 regular session of the Legislature and grew out of a bill — Senate Bill 82 — by Sen. Yvonne Dorsey, D-Baton Rouge. While the bill sailed through the Senate unanimously, the baby formula lobby evidently infiltrated the House where 25 representatives including House Speaker Jim Tucker — this likely won’t help Tucker among lactating voters in his bid for secretary of state — voted against the tax break. Fifty-three reps including all from Lafayette except for Rep. Rickey Hardy, who was absent, voted in favor of the bill.  According to the Louisiana Department of Revenue:  The act specifically exempts breast pumps and accessories, replacement parts, storage bags and accessories and nursing bras. Breast pump accessories include vehicle adapters, battery packs, power supplies and breast shields. Replacement parts include valves, membranes, tubing, filters, and other parts necessary to restore the breast pump to operational use. Storage bags and accessories include such items as storage bags used to hold the breast milk and collection containers.  Items that are not classifiable as “breastfeeding items” and will remain subject to state sales tax include nursing pads, nursing pillows, nursing stools, nursing covers, bottles and other related accessories. Read more here.

Elizabeth Warren on the campaign trail in Massachusetts is making the rounds and for good reason. First-time candidates don’t usually articulate a progressive economic message quite this well. (WashingtonMonthly.com)
National - “You built a factory out there? Good for you. But I want to be clear: you moved your goods to market on the roads the rest of us paid for; you hired workers the rest of us paid to educate; you were safe in your factory because of police forces and fire forces that the rest of us paid for. You didn’t have to worry that marauding bands would come and seize everything at your factory, and hire someone to protect against this, because of the work the rest of us did. “Now look, you built a factory and it turned into something terrific, or a great idea? God bless. Keep a big hunk of it. But part of the underlying social contract is you take a hunk of that and pay forward for the next kid who comes along.”

Stagg goes unopposed at debate  --  The Daily Advertiser - Nicholas Persac  9-22-2011
LAFAYETTE - An empty red chair left vacant by one incumbent politician sat in stark contrast next to the blue tie worn by the challenging candidate Thursday night. City-Parish President Joey Durel, who is a Republican, did not participate in the last installment of the Acadiana Debates, giving his challenger, Democrat Mike Stagg, a full hour to answer questions and present his platform to Lafayette Parish voters. "The chair that we left out here was left out here on purpose," said Robert Wilson, producer of the Acadiana Debates. "If he would have showed up, he would have had a seat at the table." Durel is seeking his third and final term. Stagg, who has unsuccessfully run for other public offices, is an at-large member of the Lafayette Parish Democratic Executive Committee, which co-sponsored the four Acadiana Debates with Acadiana Progressive. Stagg, 59, of Lafayette, was born in Eunice and has lived in Lafayette three times, most recently moving back here in 1999. He works in the health information technology industry and has worked previously as journalist and technology advocate. "I got into this race out a sense of civic responsibility," Stagg said. "The incumbent hasn't had to be responsive to voters since 2003." Though Stagg criticized several of Durel's policies and actions, he did commend Durel for making the LUS Fiber initiative a reality and said he worked with Durel to bring the project to fruition. READ MORE

PAC forms for school vote --- Group to promote tax for bond issue  --  Advocate Acadiana bureau - 9-22-2011
LAFAYETTE — The grassroots effort that pushed for the development of a facility fix for Lafayette schools now has a PAC behind it. Last month, the Community Coalition for Lafayette Schools organized the political action committee “Invest In Our Children’s Future” as the fundraising arm “to get the truth out there” about a $561 million bond proposition on the Oct. 22 ballot, said Diana Lennon, the PAC’s chairwoman. “We wanted to get the truth out there — get the facts out there — and let the people decide. We need money to do that,” Lennon said. The PAC has so far raised about $10,000, Lennon said. The money will be used for push cards, signs and radio and TV advertising, she said. It also has a website: http://investinourchildrensfuture.org with photos and video of school conditions. The coalition of community members organized about four years ago after the League of Women’s Voters presented the School Board a video that chronicled deplorable school conditions. The 2007 video sparked the group’s formation and led to a recommendation that the School Board seek professional help in developing a master plan. READ MORE

HUD officials act as LHA regarding pending lawsuit  --  The Daily Advertiser - Claire Taylor 9-22-2011
LAFAYETTE - Department of Housing and Urban Development officials, acting as the Lafayette Housing Authority board, on Thursday met in closed session to discuss strategy for a pending lawsuit involving former City-Parish Councilman Chris Williams. Williams is suing the LHA for more than $20,000 in wages and penalties he says he's owed because of a wrongful termination. He filed the lawsuit Aug. 12. Ada Holloway with HUD in Atlanta, Dan Rodriguez of HUD in Texas and LHA Chief Operating Officer Katie Anderson met for nearly an hour Thursday in executive session to discuss the lawsuit and "investigative proceedings regarding allegations of misconduct," the agenda stated. Upon returning from the closed session, Holloway said no resolutions were adopted. Anderson added that the three discussed legal strategy. They declined further comment. READ MORE

DID YOU KNOW?  --   Council For A Better Louisiana (CABL) 9-22-2011
LOUISIANA - The percentage of Louisianan's without health care insurance increased four percentage points between 2009 and 2010. It now stands at 20.0%, the seventh-highest in the country. Get more from the Census Bureau.  READ MORE

Scientists 'break' speed of light – and Einstein's laws of physics  --  Independent.co.uk - Lewis Smith - 9-22-2011
INTERNATIONAL - A subatomic particle is challenging the very core of modern physics, after scientists recorded it travelling faster than the speed of light. According to Albert Einstein's special theory of relativity, which spawned the E=MC2 equation, light is the last word in speed, but neutrinos have now been recorded travelling even faster. In the Opera experiment, carried out more than 15,000 times over three years, the muon neutrinos – fired in a beam 454 miles between the Cern facility in Geneva to Gran Sasso in Italy – arrived a few billionths of a second quicker than light. The gap was tiny, but its significance is potentially so huge that physicists are struggling to come to terms with its implications. READ MORE

How a Troy Davis execution hurts us internationally  --  The Greo.Com - Monique W. Morris  09/21/2011
NATIONAL - Our criminal justice system is supposed to be about making a person who has been harmed whole. It is supposed to correct an imbalanced situation, by enforcing that the person who has caused harm be held accountable for his or her actions. In the case of Troy Davis, is that what we've done? Tonight, at 7 pm (EST), Davis is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection. He was convicted in 1991 for the murder of Mark MacPhail, an off-duty Savannah police officer, despite that fact that there was no physical or DNA evidence linking him to the crime, and that no weapon was found on him. Additionally, since that time, several witnesses have recanted or changed their testimony, calling into question whether Davis is the right man to hold accountable, and whether his execution is, in fact, justice. Yet, after nearly two decades on death row, Davis' final clemency plea to the parole board was denied, leaving the civil and human rights advocacy community frustrated and outraged. "There is too much doubt to proceed with an execution," said NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Jealous said in a statement released yesterday. "No amount of deliberation will change the fact that the case against Mr. Davis has too many holes." From Pope Benedict XVI and Archbishop Desmond Tutu to former President Jimmy Carter and those who participated in 300 protest rallies in cities such as Hong Kong, the effort into persuade Georgia's criminal justice stakeholders to grant Davis clemency has swept across the globe. While many of our elected representatives have been uncharacteristically silent on this issue, even those who support the death penalty have raised concern over the level of doubt in this case. READ MORE

Tension between candidates escalates  --  The Daily Advertiser - Nicholas Persac - 9-22-2011
LAFAYETTE - The pressures that come with a bid for public office can often lead to heated tension between political opponents. And with only a month left before the Oct. 22 election, two candidates vying to represent the state's 44th House District are butting heads so much that one candidate's camp has filed two complaints with the Lafayette Police Department about the other candidate and his staff. Lafayette Democrat Vincent Pierre is challenging incumbent Rep. Rickey Hardy's re-election bid in one of the most highly contested local races. With a war of words escalating, Pierre filed a police complaint against Hardy's legislative assistant. The following week, a volunteer for Pierre's campaign filed a police complaint against Hardy, D-Lafayette. Cpl. Paul Mouton, a spokesman for the Lafayette Police Department, said no crimes were committed during either incident, and no one was arrested. Hardy said the allegations "don't amount to a hill of beans" and concern "nothing of significance." "It's just trash-talking," Hardy said. "This is the world you're in — it's called politics." READ MORE

Guillory shows for debate  --  The Daily Advertiser - Nicholas Persac 9-22-2011
LAFAYETTE - Two candidates vying to represent the state's 44th House district used a Wednesday evening debate to criticize the incumbent, who did not participate in the debate, and then the three candidates running for the state's 24th Senate district seat got into heated exchanges about each other's qualifications. The Greater Southwest Louisiana Black Chamber of Commerce held a debate Wednesday evening, and with only one month left before the Oct. 22 election, candidates didn't waste any time making cases to the small group of voters who attended. Roshell Jones and Vincent Pierre are both challenging incumbent Rep. Rickey Hardy's re-election bid. All three candidates are Lafayette Democrats. Hardy, for the second time in two weeks, declined an invitation to debate Jones and Pierre. Opelousas Mayor Don Cravins and Kelly Scott are both challenging incumbent Sen. Elbert Guillory. All three candidates are Opelousas Democrats. Guillory told The Daily Advertiser on Tuesday that he couldn't confirm he would participate in the debate, but by Wednesday afternoon, he had adjusted his scheduled so he could attend. READ MORE

Lawyers differ on camera contract  --   The Independent - Nicholas Persac 9-21-2011 
LAFAYETTE -Issues surrounding Lafayette Consolidated Government’s contract with a private company responsible for running the red light and speeding traffic camera program here again surfaced during Tuesday’s City-Parish Council meeting. City-Parish Attorney Mike Hebert issued an opinion this week saying City-Parish President Joey Durel’s administration acted appropriately in renewing the contract, but another local attorney issued his own opinion this weekend saying he believes the contract is invalid. The issue arose last week when City-Parish Councilman William Theriot, District 9, questioned the validity of the contract during a budget hearing. He took issue with Durel’s administration renewing the contract earlier this year without notifying the Council. On Saturday, Lester Gauthier, who is a former assistant city attorney for the city of Lafayette, issued his opinion saying he believed LCG’s contract with Redflex Traffic Systems is not valid. Hebert, however, rebutted Gauthier’s opinion and told Theriot and the rest of the council during its meeting Tuesday evening that current laws “pretty clearly indicate” Durel’s administration had the authority to renew the contract. READ MORE

Hardy, Guillory not scheduled to participate in local debate  --  The Daily Advertiser - Nicholas Persac -  9-20-2011
LAFAYETTE - The incumbents in two local political races aren’t planning to attend a debate against their challengers for the second time in two weeks. The Greater Southwest Louisiana Black Chamber of Commerce is hosting a forum tonight for candidates seeking to represent either Louisiana’s 44th House district or the state’s 24th Senate district. Incumbent Rep. Rickey Hardy, D-Lafayette, said Tuesday there’s no chance of him showing up to debate his two challengers, and incumbent Sen. Elbert Guillory, D-Opelousas, said he wants to attend but hasn’t yet been able to rearrange a prior commitment. “Once you have a comparison, individuals can make a more intelligent decision as to who to elect,” said June Andrews, the chamber’s president. “For the betterment of the entire community, the incumbents need to be there.” READ MORE

Supreme Court sends LHA board saga back to Rubin  --  The Independent - Leslie Turk - 9-20-2011
LAFAYETTE - Joe Dennis, John Freeman and Leon Simmons could soon be back in the sympathetic courtroom of District Judge Ed Rubin. The former Lafayette Housing Authority board of commission members have been fighting for reinstatement more than a year. City-Parish President Joey Durel removed them in August 2010 after a blistering audit of the agency led to an FBI investigation, and Rubin reinstated them Oct. 27, 2010, calling their dismissal arbitrary and capricious because board member Donald Fuselier was allowed to stay on.  (Fuselier subsequently resigned from the board in February of this year.)  Durel, however, again removed Dennis, Freeman and Simmons last November claiming the trio illegally went into executive session (although board members asked the media to leave the room so they could go into executive session, a visiting judge found that they had not violated the law). READ MORE

House Democrats push legislation to overturn Citizens United ruling  --  The Hill.com - Mike Lillis - 09-20-2011
WASHINGTON - A pair of House Democrats introduced legislation Tuesday to overturn the Supreme Court's 2010 Citizen's United ruling that freed corporations to spend unlimited money on elections. Sponsored by Reps. John Conyers (Mich.), senior Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, and Donna Edwards (D-Md.), the proposal would amend the Constitution to empower Congress and the states to limit corporate spending on political activities. READ MORE

Left blogs stew over Fleming's $400K  --  Politico - Tim Mak  9-20-11
LOUISIANA - Liberal bloggers are seizing on a Republican congressman’s comment that he makes only $400,000 as the sort of attitude that illustrates why President Barack Obama’s plan to raise taxes on millionaires is a good idea.  Rep. John Fleming (R-La.) appeared on MSNBC’s Jansing and Company on Monday to talk about Obama’s deficit reduction plan. When host Chris Jansing asked Fleming, who owns Subway sandwich shops and UPS stores, about his businesses’ $6.3 million in gross earnings, Fleming said that that his actual income was a “mere fraction of that,” and that the figure did not include the cost of employees, rent, equipment and reinvestment in his business. His income was closer to $600,000, he said, and “by the time I feed my family, I have maybe $400,000 left over.”  “You do understand, Congressman, that the average person out there - who is making $40,000, $50,000, $60,000 - when they hear that you only have $400,000 left over, it’s not exactly a sympathetic position,” replied Jansing. READ MORE

Edwards criticizes Democrats’ course  --   Advocate capitol news bureau - Marsha Shuler  - 9-20-2011
BATON ROUGE - The state Democratic Party needs to move “more to the center” and convince people it does not believe in socialist government, former Gov. Edwin Edwards said Monday.  Edwards, who led the party for decades, said that is the advice he gives fellow Democrats who ask him what can be done to stem the tide of Republican gains in the state political arena. Democrats need to “convince the people of the state … we are not a giveaway party. We are a responsible party which likes to take care of health care for the indigent and aged and provides education for those who need it and want it,” Edwards said.  While Democrats are perceived to be on the “liberal side it’s only because we have a concern for the needs of the people,” said the state’s only four-term governor. READ MORE


Black chamber debate slated for Wednesday  --  The Independent - Leslie Turk   9-19-2011
LAFAYETTE - Lafayette’s Black Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring a forum for candidates in House District 44 and Senate District 24 Wednesday evening, but Democratic state Rep. Rickey Hardy says won’t be at the Clifton Chenier Center on Willow Street when his two opponents take questions beginning at 6 p.m.  Hardy tells The Independent neither of his opponents, Democrats Vincent Pierre and Roshell Jones, has ever held public office and that he is running on his record of  accomplishments. “What are they going to talk about?” he asks.  Taking a cue from other incumbents who often refuse to address challengers in a public debate — to the disappointment of the public — Hardy maintains his time will be better spent on the campaign trail. He says he also has plans Wednesday to attend the Lafayette Parish Democratic Executive Committee’s 5:30 p.m. meeting at the Holidome.  Incumbent Democratic state Sen. Elbert Guillory, who is opposed by Opelousas Mayor Donald Cravins Sr. (Cravins previously held the District 24 seat) and Kelly Scott, could not be reached for comment this morning on whether he will attend. Cravins confirmed his participation to organizers but Scott had not responded to them by this morning. The Senate forum starts at 7 p.m.  Daily World reporter Tina Marie Macias and political activist John Besh will serve as panelists. Former Lafayette Parish School Board Member June Andres is president of the Black Chamber of Commerce and is helping to organize the discussion. READ MORE
 
Stagg campaigns on YouTube  --  The Independent - Walter Pierce - 9-19-2011
LAFAYETTE - Democrat Mike Stagg, who is vying to unseat City-Parish President Joey Durel on Oct. 22, has taken his campaign to the Internet, releasing a commercial on the video-sharing website YouTube that takes Durel to task for what Stagg characterizes as cronyism.  “Joey Durel says he’s conservative, but he’s liberal with your money,” Stagg says at the beginning of the 30-second spot, which goes on to accuse his Republican opponent of breaking promises on the awarding of contracts with Lafayette Consolidated Government (see the full commercial below).  This isn’t the first time Stagg has given Durel the proverbial business in a YouTube video. Last May the independent IT consultant released a much longer video entitled “Lafayette Sucker Tax” critical of LCG’s trash-disposal contract with Allied. SEE VIDEO
 
Gauthier: RedFlex extension invalid  --  Written by: Walter Pierce  --   Monday, 19 September 2011
LAFAYETTE - Former assistant Lafayette city attorney Lester Gauthier, in an opinion issued Saturday, says he believes the one-year extension of Lafayette Consolidated Government’s contract with RedFlex was improperly extended. Gauthier bases his opinion on a review of the contract itself along with the resolution authorizing the contract and the Lafayette Home Rule Charter.  Although Gauthier’s opinion doesn’t carry the weight of law, he makes a compelling case that an extension of the contract, or franchise, required passage of an ordinance and, further, that the charter does not authorize any LCG employee other than City-Parish President Joey Durel to sign the contract. (An employee in LCG’s Purchasing Department, according to a report last week in The Daily Advertiser, actually signed the extension.)  Gauthier served the city of Lafayette as a staff attorney from 1992 to 1995, prior to consolidation of city and parish governments. He is a member of the Lafayette Parish Democratic Executive Committee — a committee on which Mike Stagg, Durel’s opponent in the Oct. 22 election, also serves.  City-parish attorney Mike Hebert could not be reached for comment. READ MORE

Obama proposes new taxes on wealthy for half of debt plan  --  The Washington Post - Zachary A. Goldfarb - 9-19-2011  
WASHINGTON  - President Obama on Monday called for $1.5 trillion in new revenue as part of a proposal to tame the nation’s rocketing federal debt and find more than $3 trillion in budget savings over a decade. The proposal draws a sharp contrast with Republicans and amounts more to an opening play in the fall debate over the economy than another attempt to find common ground with the opposing party. Combined with his call this month for $450 billion in new stimulus, the proposal represents a more populist approach to confronting the nation’s economic travails than the compromises he advocated earlier this summer. “We can’t just cut our way out of this hole,” Obama said in a speech in the Rose Garden of the White House. “It’s going to take a balanced approach.” Obama proposed new taxes on the wealthy, a special new tax for millionaires, and eliminating or scaling back a variety of loopholes and deductions, officials say. About half of the tax savings would come from the expiration next year of the George W. Bush administration tax cuts for the wealthy. “We can’t afford these special lower rates for the wealthy -- rates, by the way, that were meant to be temporary,” Obama said. “We can’t afford them when we’re running these big deficits.”  But the president did not call for any changes in Social Security. He is seeking less-aggressive changes to Medicare and Medicaid than previously considered. He proposed $320 billion in health-care savings but will not include raising the Medicare eligibility age from 65 to 67. Any reduction in Medicare benefits would not begin until 2017. Other cuts in domestic spending would bring the total spending savings to $580 billion. About $1 trillion in savings is also expected from winding down the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Obama pledged to veto any cut in entitlements that does not also include increases in tax revenue. READ MORE

Jindal first governor in years to endorse candidates --  TheNewsStar.com - Mike Hasten - 9-19-2011
Baton Rouge - In an interesting bit of selecting, Gov. Bobby Jindal announced his endorsement of candidates running for statewide office, the Legislature and the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. It's the first time in decades that a sitting governor had a "ticket." Gov. Huey Long and his successors printed posters urging people to vote the "Long Ticket" even after he and his brother Earl were no longer in office. In those days, Democrats held every state office and the governor's endorsement practically assured election. It will be interesting to see if Jindal establishes a similar dynasty. Among the most surprising endorsements are those of two Democrats, Lafayette Rep. Rickey Hardy for re-election to his House seatand Rep. Rick Gallot in his bid to move to the Senate . Hardy wears Jindal's endorsement as a badge of honor.   READ MORE

David Lewis, Tea Party Activist, Challenging John Boehner In Ohio 2012 GOP Primary  --  The Huffington Post - 9-17-2011
CINCINNATI - A tea party activist is challenging U.S. House Speaker John Boehner (BAY'-nur) in the 2012 Republican primary. The Cincinnati Enquirer reports that David Lewis announced his candidacy on Friday. Lewis, the father of a 2-year-old girl, says he plans on running on a single issue —  Boehner's support of a federal budget that provides funding to Planned Parenthood, which he calls "the largest killer of unborn babies in America." Lewis tells the newspaper that he plans on running graphic anti-abortion ads against Boehner. He says that people will not reject abortion until they see abortion.  Boehner beat out two other candidates in the Republican primary for his congressional seat last year with 85 percent of the vote. His staff declined the newspaper's requests for comment.

'Hardly' targeted by Black Action Network"  --  The Independent - Walter Pierce - 9-16-2011
LAFAYETTE - State Rep. Rickey Hardy — or Hardly, as he’s referred to in some circles — is the subject of an animated parody video posted about 12 hours ago by a YouTube user who goes by the screen name “brotherjx” and is linked to the Black Action Network, a Lafayette organization with apparent ties to KJCB radio.  “Hi, I am Rickey Hardly, and I came her to kick some butt,” the animated character standing before a chalk board (or flat-screen TV) says in the opening of the vid, titled “Ricky Hardly AKA Uncle Rukus new state bill he proposes to the voters (parody).” The video makes reference to Hardy skipping a Tuesday debate hosted by local Democrats that aired live on Acadiana Open Channel — a debate that his opponents attended.  Produced using Go!Animate, a software that allows users to choose stock characters and settings and type in dialogue that is then converted into stiff, halting voice —  not coincidentally, the “Rickey Hardly” character in the video speaks with a British accent — the video is clearly meant as an attack against the first-term state lawmaker, albeit a somewhat ham-handed one. SEE VIDEO    READ MORE

Obama Won't Include Social Security Reform In Recommendations To Super Committee  --  The Huffington Post - 9-15-2011
WASHINGTON -- Jilted by Republican leadership during the deficit-reduction talks that accompanied the debt ceiling debate, the Obama administration is now pulling back an offer to put Social Security reform on the negotiating table. “The president’s recommendation for deficit reduction will not include any changes to Social Security because, as the president has consistently said, he does not believe that Social Security is a driver of our near and medium term deficits," said White House spokeswoman Amy Brundage. "He believes that both parties need to work together on a parallel track to strengthen Social Security for future generations rather than taking a piecemeal approach as part of a deficit reduction plan.” "There will be no Social Security in the recommendations," Brundage added. READ MORE

Guillory second incumbent to not participate in local debates.  --   The Daily Advertiser - Nicholas Persac  9-15-2011
LAFAYETTE - The local debates among candidates seeking office this fall continued Wednesday, and for the second night in a row, an incumbent candidate did not participate. Opelousas Democrat Elbert Guillory, who represents State Senate District 24, did not participate in the debate Wednesday against his two challengers, Don Cravins and Kelly Scott, who are also both Opelousas Democrats. Guillory had a fundraiser that was scheduled prior to the debate being announced. He released a statement saying he wouldn't be able to attend the debate. On Tuesday night, State Rep. Rickey Hardy, D-Lafayette, skipped a debate against his two challengers, Vincent Pierre and Roshell Jones, who are both also Lafayette Democrats. "We made every accommodation in the world for these folks," said Stephen Handwerk, who helped organize the debates sponsored by Acadiana Progressive and the Lafayette Parish Democratic Executive Committee. "It's unfortunate we have two incumbents who won't go before their constituents to debate," he said. The debate Wednesday also included candidates running for the newly created House District 96. Five of the six candidates running for that seat participated in the debate. Those participants included: Terry Landry, a Lafayette Democrat, Vincent Alexander, a no-party candidate from Breaux Bridge, Nary Smith, a St. Martinville Democrat, Raymond "Shoe-Do" Lewis, a New Iberia Democrat and Richard Potier, a Breaux Bridge Democrat. Eric Martin, a no-party candidate from St. Martinville, is the only candidate for House District 96 who did not participate. READ MORE

Up Against  --- Himself  --  The Independent - The Independent Staff - 9-14-2011
LAFAYETTE - Walter Pierce took to the pages of The Independent today to help Representative lie to his constituents in what is likely the first, most certainly not the last, campaign stunt by the incumbent.  From the start we have placed in safeguards to assure that NO candidate was going to be ganged up on, abused or targeted. In fact NONE of the questions we are posing to the candidates are personal in nature. The only time a challenge or “follow up” question is given is when a candidate doesn’t answer a question. or if we know what the candidate is saying is false (such as voting records or statements made in public). Acadiana Debates is being attended by the furthest left of the Democrats and the furthest right of the Republicans in the districts we have chosen to host. Why else would Don Menard or Anthony Emmons choose to attend? Clearly our group is not likely to agree with much of these candidates but they were adult enough to come to our forum and tell us how they would legislate — something all candidates for office, yes even incumbents, should have to do.   ... Finally I think the larger issue is simply this: Rep. Rickey Hardy lied to his constituents when he confirmed with us that he was going to attend the event. And The Independent helped him perpetuate this lie. READ MORE

Up Against It - - -  The Independent - Walter Pierce  9-14-2011 
LAFAYETTE - State rep takes on the ‘establishment,’ again, in his re-election bid. State Rep. Rickey Hardy upset the apple cart when he ran for the House District 44 seat four years ago. Now he has to do it again. He pranced into this political season sporting a pair of boxing gloves emblazoned with slogans when he qualified to run for re-election last week — a made-for-media stunt to be sure, but consistent with Hardy’s devil-may-care style — yet he skipped a forum hosted jointly by Acadiana Progressive and the Lafayette Parish Democratic Executive Committee that aired live on Acadiana Open Channel last night, Tuesday, Sept. 13. (I’m assuming the forum went off as planned; this newspaper goes to press on Monday night.) Forum participants included the two candidates hoping to make Hardy a one-term state rep: businessman Vince Pierre, who is the nephew of the man Hardy replaced in the House, and attorney Roshell Jones. Hardy passed on the debate not because he wanted to dodge Pierre and Jones; he was a no-show because one of the panelists scheduled to question the candidates was Beatrice Wilson, better known as radio personality Porsha Evans. “Absolutely, it is a set-up. I fought and exposed corruption and she was a part of it — she was involved,” Hardy told me late last week to explain his decision to boycott the forum. “Why would I go and answer questions from a convicted criminal? It makes no sense for me to go over there.” READ MORE

No health insurance for 886,000 in Louisiana, 618,000 in Mississippi  --  NOLA.COM - 9-14-2011
Louisiana/Mississippi - Life is getting even harder in the nation's poorest states. New census data show those states are Mississippi and Louisiana, with about one in five residents living in poverty and about the same percentage without health insurance. And as the states' unemployment rates grew, so did the numbers of people without insurance. Roughly 618,000 Mississippi residents and 886,000 in Louisiana lacked any health insurance last year, according to Census Bureau data released Tuesday. That's 21.1 percent of Mississippi residents and 20 percent in Louisiana. READ MORE

Hardy a no-show during first of four local debates --  The Daily Advertiser - Nicholas Persac - 9-14.2011
LAFAYETTE - State Rep. Rickey Hardy, R-Lafayette, skipped a scheduled debate appearance Tuesday night, and the two candidates challenging his re-election bid took his absence as an opportunity to criticize the incumbent representative. "He has done nothing to improve our District 44," Vincent Pierre, a challenger to Hardy's re-election, said of Hardy during the debate. "Currently, we have a Democrat in office that is voting Republican and voting with the governor." Pierre and Roshell Jones, a political newcomer, are both challenging Hardy in the Oct. 22 election. All three candidates are Democrats from Lafayette. "One thing that I believe the incumbent has not done is be a voice for this community," Jones said. "I believe the incumbent often spoke in a very condescending way toward the people of this district." Pierre and Jones echoed many of each other's responses to questions asked. One difference, however, came when a moderator asked about the Louisiana Science Education Act, which allows public schools to teach creationism on a level comparable to evolution. While Pierre said he could not answer the question because he was "not sure what the particular legislation entails," Jones said she sees "no harm in creationism being taught in our public schools." Hardy did not respond to a call questioning his absence late Tuesday night. 

Senate District 24: Donald Cravins (D) v. Elbert Lee Guillory (D) v. Kelly J. Scott (D) -- The Daily Kingfish - Bucktown Pirate - 9-11-2011
LOUISIANA - This D on D race is one we can get behind. Elbert Guillory, when he's not potentially being disbarred in other states, huffs the Louisiana Family Forum paint with a passion. A full YEAR before the census results were released, Guillory and the LFF released a map touting "Democratic Equity" that would be fair to African-Americans, mostly by packing them into super-black districts and reducing the total number of minority-majority seats ..As an African-American himself, Guillory was the perfect Trojan horse to carry this awful plan into the public light. Needless to say, Guillory is a tool and a clown. What a joy it is, then, to see Mayor Don Cravins (father of the former State Senator, now Mary Landrieu employee) challenging Guillory for this seat. If Cravins is successful (and his popularity in the district is fairly high), we would be ridding ourselves of one of the worst State Senators on the Democratic ledger while gaining a powerful advocate for Democratic causes at the same time. Stay tuned...

UPDATE: Malbreaux withdraws from City-Parish Council race  --  The Daily Advertiser - Kris Wartelle - 9-11-2011
LAFAYETTE - Susannah Malbreaux, who had qualified for the City Parish Council District 1 seat, has announced she withdrew her name from the ballot Monday evening. Malbreaux says she was unaware of the district change that placed her residence in District 2. “I submitted my withdrawal yesterday and I am in the process of contacting the Secretary of State to let them know,” said Malbreaux. “I want to let them know immediately so they have time to take my name off the ballot.” Malbreaux said she contacted numerous sources to find out what options she had once she learned of the reapportionment that placed her in another district. She said she felt like this was her best path. “I feel like this is an opportunity to let the community know they need to be informed about such changes and stay aware of what’s going on their districts,” She said. “Although it’s disappointing to me, I feel like I can do something positive for the community at large.” Malbreaux says she pans to stay active in her current role as chairwoman of the State of Greater Black Lafayette which holds educational forums that seek t improve and enhance the lives of African Americans in the Lafayette area.

Acadiana Progressive announces candidates participating in September debates -- The Daly Advertiser - Nicholas Persac - 9-09-2011
LAFAYETTE - Acadiana Progressive and the Lafayette Parish Democratic Executive Committee are hosting a series of political debates this month to give voters more information about candidates seeking state and local offices this fall. The groups announced the debates Thursday, the last day of qualifying for the October 22 election, and released today a list of candidates who will participate in the debates. The four debates hosted by the two groups will feature candidates for the state legislature and candidates for the Lafayette City-Parish Council. The debates will be broadcast live from Acadiana Open Channel Studios.  READ MORE

Lloyd Rochon challenging Shelvin  --  The Independent - Leslie Turk - 9-08-2011
CarencroCity Manager Lloyd Rochon, who vied for the District 3 City-Parish Council seat four years ago and has long vowed not to let Brandon Shelvin walk back into office, qualified for the post Thursday afternoon. Shelvin ran first in the field of five in the 2007 primary, and Rochon received 15 percent of the vote, losing a runoff spot to Shawn Wilson, who got 18 percent. Wilson was defeated by Shelvin, who garnered 57 percent of the vote in the general election. Saying he wants the opportunity to help move District 3 forward and will run on his credentials, Rochon also believes Shelvin’s character will be an issue this time around. “People know [Shelvin] now, and they also know me. So they have a clear choice,” Rochon says. “When people elect a person as a council member, they put their sacred trust in that individual,” Rochon continues. “And when a person betrays that trust, they should be replaced. That’s what I’m trying to do.” READ MORE

Stagg challenges Durel  --   The Independent - Walter Pierce - 9-08-2011 
LAFAYETTE - Lafayette Democrat Mike Stagg qualified Thursday morning to take on two-term Republican City-Parish President Joey Durel in the Oct. 22 election.  An independent information technology consultant by vocation and former newspaper editor and reporter, the 59-year-old Stagg is a long shot to unseat Durel. “The ultimate thing was, it appears that Mr. Durel was going to get in without opposition, and the notion of somebody getting elected to basically a 12-year term ... was just repugnant to me,” Stagg says. “He needs to be held accountable to the voters, and if nobody else will step up, well then obviously I needed to.”  Stagg is running on a platform of better managing Lafayette’s growth and maximizing — and more vigorously marketing — the parish’s unique cultural offerings. And he acknowledges his status as underdog. “Four years ago he didn’t have opposition; there was no discussion about his record or the future of the parish,” Stagg says of Durel, who is seeking a third and final turn as the top elected official in Lafayette Parish. “This doesn’t speak very well about the quality of civic discourse in our parish. There’s no consensus in Lafayette because there’s no discussion in Lafayette, and what I want to do with this campaign is provoke that discussion.” READ MORE

THE AMERICAN JOBS ACT -- Office of the Press Secretary - September 08, 2011
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Rick Perry under fire in debate debut  --  Politico.com - Alexander Burns - 9/08/11
SIMI VALLEY, Calif. – Rick Perry battled a withering barrage of attacks in his first debate as a presidential candidate Wednesday night, at times stumbling in the face of harsh criticism – and difficult questioning – at the POLITICO/NBC debate. But Perry proved himself to be an aggressive, often caustic debater, waiting only a few moments to go on the attack against his top rival, Mitt Romney, for his jobs record as governor of Massachusetts. “He had one of the lowest job creation rates in the country,” Perry said. “As a matter of fact, we created more jobs in the last three months in Texas than he created in four years in Massachusetts.”  Perry also assailed Romney over the issue of health care, blasting the one-time GOP frontrunner for signing a universal health care law that included a requirement that individuals purchase health insurance. “It was a great opportunity for us as a people to see what will not work, and that is an individual mandate in this country,” Perry said. Romney – who has been in well over a dozen presidential debates, dating back to his first White House run in 2007 – didn’t budge, pushing back on Perry’s claims one by one. “George Bush and his predecessor created jobs at a faster rate than you did, Governor,” Romney said, arguing that Texas businesses have benefited from conditions – such as the absence of a state income tax – that Perry did not create. “Governor Perry doesn’t believe that he created those things,” Romney joked. “If he tried to say that, why, it would be like Al Gore saying he invented the Internet.” The two top Republican candidates shared the stage with half a dozen others: Ron Paul, Michele Bachmann, Rick Santorum, Jon Huntsman, Herman Cain and Newt Gingrich. Those candidates struggled to break into the conversation, though, except when attempting to attack one of the two frontrunners. For all their sharp jabs, it’s not clear how much Perry and Romney actually changed the dynamic of their fight for first place. READ MORE

6 Hot-Button Issues the GOP Presidential Hopefuls Dodged in the Debate  --   Mother Jones - Andy Kroll - 9-07-2011
NATIONAL - In Wednesday night's Republican presidential debate, moderators Brian Williams of NBC and John Harris of Politico grilled the candidates a range of hot-button issues, lingering longer on some—immigration, for instance—than others. But plenty more issues got neglected altogether, including the GOP candidates' positions on the growing power of money in politics and red-hot social issues such as abortion and gay rights. Here's a rundown of key issues left untouched in Wednesday's debate:  READ MORE

Court Throws Out Health-Care Case  --  The Daily Beast - 9-08-2011
Health-care reform has won its latest legal battle, with the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals dismissing lawsuits by Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli and Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University. The court dismissed the suit on jurisdictional grounds, saying the plaintiffs don’t have the standing to contest the law. The one dissenting judge said he would have examined the law and upheld the mandate based on its legal merits rather than dismissed the suit. Before the latest ruling, the 11th Circuit Court had found the mandate unconstitutional while the Sixth Circuit Court said it was legally sound. The case is expected to go all the way to the Supreme Court, possibly next year.


Southern board to weigh emergency status today  --  WBRZ.com - Sep 2, 2011- Brittany Rivas 
BATON ROUGE- Southern University's governing board will meet today to decide whether to declare a financial emergency for the system's main campus in Baton Rouge.  The Board of Supervisors originally scheduled to debate the declaration of "financial exigency" earlier this week, but it was rescheduled for today.  A previous vote on the declaration was postponed while school leaders tried to broker a compromise with faculty over salary cuts.  The financial emergency declaration would give the historically black university more leeway to lay off professors but would be considered a negative mark against the school that could harm recruiting and accreditation.  No public Louisiana university has declared exigency since the University of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

Sen. Bernie Sanders: Cantor 'absurd' on disaster aid  --  USA Today - Bernie Sanders - 8-2-2011
WASHINGTON - The last I heard, this country was called the United States of America. What that means to me, and the vast majority of Americans, is that when our fellow citizens in Louisiana suffered the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, people on the East Coast were there for them. When the citizens of Joplin, Mo., suffered a deadly tornado, people on the West Coast were there for them. When terrorists attacked on 9/11, we were all there for New York City. That is called being "a nation." When that bond evaporates, when we tell communities that have suffered natural or man-made disasters that they are "on their own," then we undermine the fabric of our great country. As we have done time and time again, the U.S. government must be there for disaster relief no matter what part of America is impacted. I find the argument made by Congressman Eric Cantor, calling for funding offsets as a condition of disaster relief funds, very curious. READ MORE


US authorities to sue big banks over sub-prime crisis  --  Guardian.co.uk, Rupert Neate - 9-2-2011
WASHINGTON - The agency overseeing the remains of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac seeks billions of dollars in compensation from banks including Bank of America, JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs.  US authorities are preparing to sue more than a dozen big banks over claims they misrepresented the quality of mortgages sold during the 2006-7 housing bubble. The US Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), which is overseeing the remains of failed mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, is reportedly planning to argue that America's biggest banks failed to check the health of mortgages before they sold them on to investors. The collapse of hundreds of thousands of sub-prime mortgages triggered the 2008 credit crisis and the collapse of Fannie and Freddie. The New York Times said the FHFA is expected to file the lawsuit against the banks, including Bank of America, JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs and Deutsche Bank, as early as Friday. The agency, which is seeking billions of dollars in compensation, claims the banks failed to notice that borrowers were taking on mortgages that they could not afford. The FHFA lawsuit, which follows a subpoena issued to the banks last year, demands that the banks pay compensation to cover some of the $30bn (£18.5bn) Fannie and Freddie lost on mortgage-backed securities. Most of Fannie and Freddie's losses were borne by US taxpayers after the government was forced to step in and bailout the pair to the tune of $141bn. READ MORE

Boudreaux seeking re-election to the City-Parish Council  --  The Daily Advertiser - Nicholas Persac - 8-30-2011
LAFAYETTE - City-Parish Council Chairman Kenneth Boudreaux is seeking re-election to represent District 4, and he is hosting a fundraiser tonight. Boudreaux will host the fundraiser at 5:30 p.m. at America's Coffee House on South Buchanan Street, he announced in a letter to supporters. "As an elected councilman, I have taken advantage of the opportunity to listen, learn, lead and, most importantly, to serve, "Boudreaux said in that letter. "I have established an exceptional record for returning phone calls, attending meetings and keeping appointments." In the letter, Boudreaux said he is particularly proud of his role as the Region 13 director of the National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials within the National League of Cities. Boudreaux also is a member of the Louisiana Municipal Association, served as finance chairman of the Council for three years and served as chairman of the Professional Services Committee, which oversees the grant-awarding process within Lafayette Consolidated Government.

Mobile Archbishop Thomas Rodi, formerly of New Orleans, sues to block Alabama immigration law--Times-Picayune - 8-30-2011-Bruce Nolan 
Mobile Archbishop Thomas Rodi, a New Orleans native who served here until 2001, is one of four Alabama bishops who sued to temporarily block that state's tough new immigration law. U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Blackburn on Monday blocked enforcement of the law until Sept. 29 at the latest. Rodi, with Birmingham Catholic Bishop Robert J. Baker, Episcopal Alabama Bishop Henry N. Parsley Jr. and United Methodist Bishop William Willimon, all sued to block enforcement of the new law. Supporters and opponents agree the new law seeks to be the toughest in the nation Among other things, it requires schools to report the status of students, makes it illegal to give a ride to an illegal immigrant, rent to an illegal immigrant, or "encourage" an illegal immigrant to live in Alabama. Rodi and the other bishops sued on grounds the law interferes with the practice of their religion and criminalizes charitable behavior. Rodi told Mobile Catholics on their archdiocesan web site that, broadly interpreted, the "law prohibits almost everything which would assist an undocumented immigrant or encourage an undocumented immigrant to live in Alabama." He said that would include providing counseling, food for the poor, administering sacraments, teaching English and providing other ministries. In addition to the bishops, the Department of Justice, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Southern Poverty Law Center also sued to block enforcement of the law.  Rodi, a graduate of De La Salle, Georgetown, and Tulane University Law school, served as a priest in New Orleans until 2001, when he was named bishop of Biloxi. He became archbishop of Mobile in 2008.

Board contests legal fee - Lawyer seeks $10 million in school case  --   Advocate Acadiana bureau - Richard Burgess - 8-30-2011
OPELOUSAS — The St. Landry Parish School Board on Monday asked a federal judge to throw out a request for nearly $10 million in legal fees from an attorney who filed the original school desegregation lawsuit against the parish in 1965.  Opelousas attorney Marion Overton White filed the request for legal fees in May after the long-running desegregation case came to an end earlier this year.  He is asking U.S. District Judge Tucker Melancon to award him $700 an hour for 14,136.5 hours of work on the case over the past four decades.  In court filings on Monday, School Board attorney Gerard Caswell argues that White lacks adequate documentation to justify the hours, that the fee is unreasonable and that thousands of the hours that White has billed “are excessive and are completely unrelated to this case.”  Caswell wrote that White’s request should be thrown out or that “the amount requested should be greatly reduced.”  White has remained a presence in the litigation since the 1960s, although in recent years much of the work to bring the school system into compliance has been led by attorneys with the U.S. Department of Justice. READ MORE

Report: Premiums for state employees could rise  --  The Advocate  - 8-30-2011 - Michelle Millhollon
Baton Rouge - The Legislative Auditor’s Office issued a report Monday that predicts the Jindal administration’s plans to privatize a health insurance plan could increase costs for state employees. The 17-page report characterizes the possible increased premiums as an issue that should be deliberated before decisions are made on the future of the Office of Group Benefits.  “The sale/lease may result in higher insurance premiums to state employees under a private insurer because of an increase in marketing costs, premium taxes, necessary profit margin, and reinsurance costs,” the report states. READ MORE

Colin Powell: Dick Cheney Taking 'Cheap Shots' In Book  --  The Huffington Post - 8-28-2011
WASHINGTON - The Huffington Post) WASHINGTON — Former Secretary of State Colin Powell is accusing former Vice President Dick Cheney of taking "cheap shots" at him and others in a new book. Powell was the nation's top diplomat during the first four years of President George W. Bush's administration. Cheney's book, "In My Time," is set for release Tuesday.  Cheney writes that he thinks Powell tried to undermine Bush by criticizing administration policy to people outside the government. Powell said during an appearance on CBS' "Face the Nation" on Sunday that he routinely gave his opinion and his best advice on issues to the president. While Cheney writes that Powell's resignation was "for the best," Powell signaled he had always planned to leave the administration after the 2004 election. He suggested Cheney is almost condescending in his remarks about Powell's successor, Condoleezza Rice. Last week, Cheney predicted "there are gonna be heads exploding all over Washington" upon the release of his book.  "That's quite a visual," Powell said of the former vice president's choice of words. "[It's] the kind of headline I would expect to come out of a gossip columnist or the kind of headline you might see one of the super market tabloids write. It's not the kind of headline I would have expected to come from one of the vice presidents of the United States of America." He added, "I think Dick overshot the runway."

Incensed, Roemer camp cries ‘bulls*&t’  --  The Independent - Walter Pierce -  8-26- 2011
LOUISIANA - Outraged over former Louisiana Gov. Buddy Roemer’s exclusion from an upcoming televised debate hosted by Politico and NBC News, Roemer’s campaign manager lashed out at what he characterizes as the corporate media’s self-serving muffling of Roemer’s message about the negative influence of money in U.S. politics. In fact, Roemer, who is also a former congressman, has been virtually blacklisted by political media and the GOP in his quest for the Republican presidential nomination.  Be warned, campaign manager Carlos Sierra gets a little salty in the diatribe emailed Thursday to supporters in which he also lashes out at “established” members of the current Republican field:  Once again, due to arbitrary, or as I call them, bullshit rules, Governor Roemer will be left out of the September 7th debate hosted by Politico and NBC News. It’s a sad day in our country when a former Congressman, Governor, and current successful businessman is not invited to be on-stage to discuss the corrupting influences of money in politics and the continued demise of our economy. READ MORE

Edwards: I would run against Gov. Jindal  --  The Daily Advertiser - Mike Hasten - 8-26-2011
BATON ROUGE — Former Gov. Edwin Edwards says that if he could, he probably would challenge Gov. Bobby Jindal's re-election bid this fall, rather than have him practically walk back into office unopposed. Edwards said in an interview Thursday that he's flattered by support shown on a Facebook page urging President Barack Obama to pardon him so he could run, but he's not putting much hope in that happening. "If it was legally possible for me to run, I think I would," Edwards said. "I wouldn't guarantee it, but I think I would. But it is not legally possible, therefore it is not anything I spend any time cogitating about." Edwards said that in the relatively short time that he's been out of prison on racketeering charges he has found "there are a lot of people who want Jindal to have opposition and a lot of people who want me to be governor. You put those two factors together and you have a lot of talk about the possibility of my running. It's both flattering and understandable, given the status of Louisiana politics today." READ MORE

Rick Perry Sought State Profits From Teacher Life Insurance Scheme  --  The Huffington Post - Zach Carter - 8-25-2011
WASHINGTON -- Two weeks before Thanksgiving in 2003, top officials from Texas Governor Rick Perry's office pitched an unusual offer to the state's retired teachers: Let's get into the death business. Perry's budget director, Mike Morrissey, laid out a pitch that was both ambitious and risky, according to notes summarizing the meeting provided to The Huffington Post. According to the notes, which were authenticated by a meeting participant, the Perry administration wanted to help Wall Street investors gamble on how long retired Texas teachers would live. Perry was promising the state big money in exchange for helping Swiss banking giant UBS set up a business of teacher death speculation. All they had to do was convince retirees to let UBS buy life insurance policies on them. When the retirees died, those policies would pay out benefits to Wall Street speculators, and the state, supposedly, would get paid for arranging the bets. The families of the deceased former teachers would get nothing. The meeting notes offer the most direct evidence that the Perry administration was not only intimately involved with the insurance scheme, but a leading driver of the plan. It was a back-room deal at odds with Perry's public persona as a career politician who had successfully sold Texans on his vision of minimal government intrusion. And it still is. Nearly eight years after the meeting, when Perry formally announced his run for the presidency in Charleston, S.C., he honed that vision into the perfect applause line: "I'll promise you this," he had said in his West Texas drawl. "I'll work every day to try to make Washington, D.C. as inconsequential in your life as I can." READ MORE

Chargois challenging Neustrom for sheriff  --  The Independent - Leslie Turk -  8-24-2011
LAFAYETTE - Richard A. “Rick” Chargois, a 25-year veteran of the Louisiana State Police, is challenging incumbent Lafayette Parish Sheriff Mike Neustrom Oct. 22.  Chargois served as a trooper/deputy commander and headed various departments (Uniform Operations and the Bureau of Investigations) of the Louisiana State Police until his retirement in late 2004.  Chargois’s father, Eric, also served in law enforcement for approximately 40 years, retiring from the Louisiana State Police as a Region II major inspector and then serving as chief deputy under then-Lafayette Parish sheriffs Ross Brupbacher and Donald Breaux until his death. “I can truthfully say that serving the public in a law enforcement capacity has been engrained since birth,” Chargois says.  “Fortunately, the average citizen in Lafayette Parish will never need to call upon the Sheriff’s Department, City Police, Fire Department or any other emergency service for help,” Chargois said. “But for those individuals who find themselves involved in any life threatening situation, it is imperative that those departments operate in a timely and efficient manner. As taxpayers we expect our streets and neighborhoods to be safe and our parks, shopping centers and schools crime free. Sadly, we do have drugs in our schools and on our streets, high crime areas do exist in our parish and our children and grandchildren are exposed to potential criminal activity at every turn.” READ MORE
Cravins to run for Senate  --  The Daily WorldTina Marie Macias - Aug. 24, 2011
OPELOUSAS - Opelousas Mayor Don Cravins made it official this week, first declaring on his Sunday radio show that he was "99 percent" certain he would run for the state Senate and confirming it with The Daily World on Tuesday. Cravins served in the Louisiana Legislature for 15 years, and resigned as state senator of District 24 in 2006 after he won his current mayoral position. Over the last two months, however, he and a task force have mulled over a new bid for Cravins' old seat. "We thought about it and looked at the race, and I have decided that I wanted to seek that office," Cravins said. "I think one of the missing ingredients now is flexibility. People need flexibility, and people need someone who will answer their calls. The citizens of District 24 need someone who will look at their issues that are not being addressed. People need medical help. They need help with their kids getting in after school programs. There's no longer a program available to help people get their prescription drugs." Cravins, a Democrat, will go up against at least two others -- Kelly Scott of Opelousas and incumbent Sen. Elbert Guillory, D-Opelousas. READ MORE

Neustrom seeks fourth term in Lafayette Parish  --  The Independent - Nicholas Persac 8-13-2011
LAFAYETTE - Mike Neustrom announced Friday evening he is running for a fourth term as Sheriff of Lafayette Parish. Neustrom, who took office in July 200, announced his candidacy in a news release. He said he's "focused on reducing crime and improving public safety." According the release, the Lafayette Parish Sheriff's office earned from the national Sheriff's Association the Triple Crown Award for accreditation that has been given to only 37 other agencies across the nation. Neustrom said he's increased the department's DNA testing capabilities, developed a truancy reduction program with the school board, designed treatment and re-entry programs for prisoners, started partnerships with Triad, Neighborhood Watch and Community Roots as well as used inmate work crews to clean up the parish and save taxpayer money. READ MORE

Bacque using PAC to influence deconsolidation vote  --  Nicholas Persac - The Daily Advertiser - 8-24-2011
LAFAYETTE - Former Charter Commission member Odon Bacque is recruiting donors to help spread his pro-consolidation mantra. Bacque, who served on the commission examining if the city and parish governments should remain one or be split into two, formed a Political Action Committee to accept donations that will ultimately fund a pro-consolidation awareness campaign. "I formed True PAC to be able to collect money from people who are like-minded and believe we should continue consolidated government," Bacque said Tuesday during a phone interview. Bacque formed the PAC in late July, according to documents filed with the Louisiana Ethics Administration Program. Because the PAC is less than a month old, Bacque has not yet been required to file reports detailing the PAC's receipts and expenditures. READ MORE

Creditors lining up to garnish Shelvin’s C-P wages  --  The Independent - Leslie Turk - 8-23-2011
LAFAYETTE - It’s been nearly 1.5 years since The Independent first reported on the financial troubles of City-Parish Councilman Brandon Shelvin, and although he found $1,900 earlier this month to pay off an ethics fine so he can seek re-election, he’s yet to make good on the more than $90,000 he owes various creditors.  But let’s be clear on that March 2010 cover story: It was about much more than a local politician falling behind on his financial obligations. The poor decisions Brandon Shelvin made that got him into so much legal hot water back then continue to dog his tenure and raise issues about his leadership capabilities. Our investigations into Shelvin’s history in the Lafayette business world revealed deeply troubling questions about his ethics, honesty and suitability for the public office he holds — an office he may never have even been legally qualified to seek. Read “The Problem with Brandon Shelvin” here. READ MORE

C’est what? Hardy refusing campaign cash  --  The Independent - Walter Pierce - 8-23-2011
LAFAYETTE - In a sign of either supreme confidence or an epic political miscalculation, state Rep. Rickey Hardy, D-Lafayette, is refusing to accept campaign contributions from any source — individuals, trade and interest groups, companies — for his re-election bid this fall. Our money is on the former. The Hardy campaign, according to a source, has already returned about $2,000 in contributions from a prominent Lafayette attorney, a well-known trade group and individual constituents.  Hardy says his position on campaign cash is based on two factors: he has enough cash on hand and he’s philosophically opposed to outside funding. READ MORE
 

Ex-prosecutor Allen sues Lafayette  --  The Advocate - Jason Brown 8-23-2011
LAFAYETTE - A former city prosecutor has filed suit against Lafayette Consolidated Government alleging wrongful termination and breach of contract. In a suit filed Monday, Marcus A. Allen alleges that he was fired after being given a choice to either resign or be terminated due to a simple battery charge that had been filed against him. The suit says Allen was contacted in August 2010 by then City-Parish Attorney Pat Ottinger who allegedly presented Allen with the two choices. The suit says that Allen told Ottinger that he did not think that it was fair that he only had two choices since he had not had an opportunity for a due process hearing. Ottinger allegedly told Allen that he “did not care about his due process, that either he resign now or be terminated,” the suit says.  READ MORE

History in the making at DC's MLK memorial  --  The GREO - Rev. Al Sharpton  8-22-2011
WASHINGTON - There are relatively few moments in our lives that make history; a precise occasion that is marked and reflected upon as either a game changer or a period of extreme significance. The weekend of August 27th and 28th will be one for the books as we not only commemorate the 48th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s 'I Have a Dream' speech, but also when the world bears witness to the unveiling of the national King Memorial. As members of the civil rights community and all those who continue to push for equality across the board convene in our nation's capital to assess our progress and march on for the battles that still lay ahead, generations will look back on this weekend and recount how we paid homage to the people's true champion in the most fitting of ways. It is undeniably an unprecedented, remarkable event that anyone who carries on the teachings of Dr. King simply cannot afford to miss. We are living in perhaps one of the most unpredictable and capricious times in our nation's history. While people of color and the traditionally marginalized make enormous strides with access to places never even imaginable before, the working class and poor are still under attack in extraordinary and systematic ways. When the disenfranchised are further removed from the mainstream, the class divide between the haves and have not's naturally increases. For those who may be quick to forget the legacy of Dr. King, let us remember that he died while fighting for worker's rights and the basic human dignity of all. READ MORE

Vitter Holding Events With Landry — in Boustany’s District  --  Roll Call Staff - Joshua Miller - 8-20-2011
LAFAYETTE - It wouldn’t be unusual for Rep. Jeff Landry (R) and Sen. David Vitter (R) to hold two joint public forums to discuss debt and spending with their Louisiana constituents during the August recess. Except that both events are being held in the district represented by Rep. Charles Boustany (R), whom Landry appears likely to challenge in a redistricting-driven Member-vs.-Member primary.  Longtime Louisiana pollster Bernie Pinsonat, who has worked for both parties, said Vitter’s decision to hold next week’s events with Landry in Boustany’s district — given that the two Congressmen could be opponents — is exceedingly unusual. He said he couldn’t think of a time when former Democratic Sens. John Breaux, Bennett Johnston or Russell Long had conducted a similar event.  Pinsonat said calling the joint forums “a bold move by Vitter is probably an understatement for this particular turn of events.”  A Vitter spokesman said the Senator is collaborating with Landry because they share the view “that the recent deal increasing the debt limit was a big mistake that doesn’t begin to solve the underlying problem.”  While Boustany, who is close with Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), voted for the debt limit-increasing Budget Control Act, Landry and Vitter opposed it. READ MORE

Chamber using PAC to influence elections.  --  The Daily Advertiser - Nicholas Persac - 8-21-2011
LAFAYETTE - The Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce is ready to play ball.  But the object of this game isn't a home run, a touchdown or a slam-dunk — it's pushing preferred candidates into public office. The chamber is using a year-old Political Action Committee to influence a handful of local elections this fall. "In order to be successful in the political arena where decisions that impact business are made, you have to be a player," said Rob Guidry, the chamber's president and CEO. "And to be a player, you have to have money." Guidry said the PAC and the chamber are separate entities in order to abide by IRS regulations, but the two groups are "attached at the hip." Guidry said the PAC, which is called Empower PAC, will be used to influence local elections this fall. He said the PAC will be involved in any race for elected office with at least one voting precinct in Lafayette Parish, excluding offices elected statewide. READ MORE

Perry criticizes government while Texas job growth benefits from it.  --  The Washington Post - Michael A. Fletcher  8-20-2011
LONGVIEW, Tex. — Texas Gov. Rick Perry has leapfrogged to the top tier of Republican presidential candidates largely on the strength of one compelling fact: During more than a decade as governor, his state created more than 1 million jobs, while the nation as a whole lost 1.4 million jobs. Perry says the “Texas miracle” rests on conservative pillars that he would bring to the White House: minimal regulation and government, low taxes and a determination to limit the reach of Uncle Sam. What he does not say is that much of that job growth has come because of government, not in spite of it. With a young and fast-growing population, a large and expanding military presence and an influx of federal stimulus money, the number of government jobs in Texas has grown at more than double the rate of private-sector employment during Perry’s tenure.  READ MORE

Katherine Archuleta - National Political Director - Obama for America - 8-18-2011
Today President Obama announced a common-sense policy change that will make our immigration system fairer and smarter. I'm proud to support it, and I hope you are, too. Under the administration's guidance, immigration courts are going to focus on deporting people who have been convicted of crimes or who pose a security risk. This means that the courts will focus less on "low-priority" cases -- like young people who were brought here as small children and know no other home, or veterans and military spouses. So the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice will be reviewing the current deportation caseload, clearing out low-priority cases, and making sure they don't get into the system in the first place -- keeping the focus on cases that will make our country safer. It's a smart, strategic change. And it will make a difference. But more comprehensive change requires Congress to act. And we'll need to build momentum for this fight by raising awareness and demanding action on immigration reform. That starts with getting the word out to our friends and family about this important policy change.

Former councilman sues housing agency  --  The Advocate - Jason Brown 8-16-2011
LAFAYETTE — Former City-Parish Councilman Chris Williams said he and the Lafayette Training and Career Development Center are owed about $20,000 in wages from the Lafayette Housing Authority, according to a civil suit filed last week.  Williams, who is president of the Lafayette Training and Career Development Center, entered into a contract with the Housing Authority in January 2008 to provide case management services for its Disaster Housing Assistance Payment Program, according to the lawsuit.  Williams was one of five caseworkers fired after a report by the state Legislative Auditor’s Office questioned $243,000 in payments to the workers, some of whom were paid up to $37 an hour.  The audit found widespread problems with spending and management at the agency, eventually leading to a takeover by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in March.  Williams was terminated Aug. 13, 2010, without being notified in writing about the reasons for his firing, which is in violation of his contract, the lawsuit states. READ MORE
 
Former LHA employees settle cases out of court  --  The Daily Advertiser - Clair Taylor - 8-18-2011
LAFAYETTE - Two contract workers who were fired last year by the Lafayette Housing Authority and who sued for back pay were paid $40,000 to settle their cases out of court. Linda Jefferson recently was paid $10,000 and Myra Parker was paid $30,000 to settle their lawsuits, Patricia Campbell, Region 6 public affairs officer, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, told The Daily Advertiser on Wednesday. "While the Housing Authority is confident it would have prevailed in court, the HA chose to settle, on the advice of its legal counsel, because the cost of continued litigation would have exceeded the amount of the settlements," Campbell said in a written statement. Jefferson and Parker were among five case managers under contract through the Housing Authority to work for the federal Disaster Housing Assistance Program following the 2008 hurricanes. They were dismissed by the LHA board in August 2010 after an independent audit pointed out several problems with the program, including excessive pay that in some cases was as high as $37 an hour. Jefferson filed suit in 2010 seeking not less than $10,800. Parker sued in February for $26,640. Former City-Parish Councilman Chris Williams and his nonprofit Lafayette Training and Career Development Inc. also were DHAP contract case workers. Williams filed a lawsuit last week against the LHA for back wages. Williams is seeking $19,560 in wages he says he's owed from Aug. 14, 2010, through Oct. 31, 2010, plus penalties, attorney fees and court costs. The three claim they were not given a 30-day written notice prior to termination, which they say their contracts required.

Legislature left out  --  Business Report.com - John Mcginnis 8-16-2011
LOUISIANA - Ask state employees what's the biggest out-sourcing deal going on in state government and many will say it's the Jindal administration's plans to privatize their health insurance, which is now covered through the Office of Group Benefits. In Central Louisiana, they might say the sale of prisons, which the Legislature nixed, though the administration on its own could turn over more facilities to private contractors. Public school officials might point to the growing number of charter schools run by private companies. They would all be way off, but excused for their ignorance, because the biggest change taking place in state government has proceeded with minimal public debate and without even our elected representatives approving a plan. By early next year, the planned privatization of the state Medicaid program will begin turning over $2 billion per year in tax dollars to private insurance companies to administer the care of 850,000 residents, mostly children. They form the first wave of the state's transformation of public healthcare that will eventually extend to the full 1.2 million in the program. That will grow by another half million or so in 2014 under the new federal healthcare law, assuming it survives the courts and the Republicans.  With or without the new federal law, state privatization of Medicaid will go on, realizing the vision of a 24-year-old Bobby Jindal, who, as healthcare secretary in 1996, called for moving in that direction. Under the new plan of Coordinated Care Networks, five insurance companies chosen by the state will form networks of doctors and hospitals to treat Medicaid patients under either of two managed-care payment models. When the plan is fully implemented, the administration projects $135 million in annual savings. Legislators in general support the concept, or at least few have raised objections. Ordinary citizens who pay for part or all of their health insurance have to deal with private companies, so why should Medicaid patients be different? Lawmakers may have accepted that reasoning, if they were asked, but they weren't.  In the 2010 session, one outspoken critic of privatization, Sen. Joe McPherson, D-Woodworth, had a provision inserted in the appropriations bill in committee to require legislative approval of a final healthcare plan. When the bill reached the floor, a large set of what were supposed to be clean-up, technical amendments were offered for one up-or-down vote. According to Senate minutes, McPherson complained that, on short notice, there was no way of knowing what was in the many pages of amendments. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Michot, R-Lafayette, assured him all the changes were technical. After the bill passed, McPherson discovered that in that stack of allegedly technical changes, his amendment requiring legislative approval had been deleted and one sentence was added, authorizing the administration to establish and write rules for "Coordinated Care Networks" for Medicaid. McPherson doesn't know who made the switch when, and so says Michot. It just happened. The administration, after a false start, wrote rules on how the networks would operate, addressing the concerns of hospitals and some, though not all, pediatricians. Pending the resolution of protests from two companies not picked to participate, the state will sign contracts with the selected insurance firms, which will begin phasing in the networks next year. READ MORE

Northside LUS service office pushed  --  The Advocate - Richard Burgess  - 8-16-2011
LAFAYETTE — City-Parish Council Chairman Kenneth Boudreaux is floating the idea of a new Lafayette Utilities System customer service center on the northern side of the city. The plan is in its infancy, but Boudreaux has tagged about $300,000 for the project in next year’s budget — a move that still needs the approval of the full council.  Boudreaux, who represents a portion of north Lafayette, said the idea is to open a convenient location in the area for residents to pay utility bills while possibly closing the crowded service center at the main city-parish government offices on University Avenue.  “We just find that parking is inadequate and it’s bringing a large number of people to an unsecured location,” Boudreaux said of the city hall service center.  He likened a new north side location to the LUS customer service center that opened last year on the other side of town in leased shopping center space at Pinhook and Kaliste Saloom roads. READ MORE

Rick Perry’s warped tax ‘injustice’   --  The Wasghington Post - Ruth Marcus - 8-16-2011
Washington - “We’re dismayed at the injustice that nearly half of all Americans don’t even pay any income tax.”
Really? Of all the ills in the world, of all the problems with the economy, all the difficulties with the tax code, this is the one that Rick Perry chooses to lament? Perry’s statement conjures visions of America as Slacker Nation, where the overburdened wagon-pullers drag an increasingly heavy burden of freeloaders. His number is correct but, like other conservatives who have seized on the statistic, Perry draws from it a dangerously misleading lesson. The nonpartisan Tax Policy Center estimates that 46.4 percent of households will pay no federal income tax in 2011. This is, for the most part, not because people have chosen to loaf. It’s because they are working but simply don’t earn enough to owe income taxes, based on the progressive structure of the tax code and provisions designed to help the working poor and lower-income seniors. READ MORE

Buddy Roemer attacks PACs, jabs Mitt Romney  --  Politico - JUANA SUMMERS | 8/15/11
LOUISIANA - Buddy Roemer brought his attack on big-money groups’ influence on the 2012 campaign to the National Press Club on Monday.  “Why don’t we let the people decide this with their votes, not the special interests with their big checks?” Roemer asked at the outset of his speech. The former Louisiana governor is drawing single-digit support for his long-shot run for the Republican nomination in early polls, if he registers at all. He hasn’t landed a spot in any GOP primary debate, and wasn’t part of the field in the Ames Straw Poll on Saturday.  Roemer said he’s learned to live with that. READ MORE

G.O.P. on Defensive as Analysts Question Party’s Fiscal Policy  --  The Huffington Post - By JACKIE CALMES - August 12, 2011
WASHINGTON — The boasts of Congressional Republicans about their cost-cutting victories are ringing hollow to some well-known economists, financial analysts and corporate leaders, including some Republicans, who are expressing increasing alarm over Washington’s new austerity and antitax orthodoxy. Their critiques have grown sharper since last week, when President Obama signed his deficit reduction deal with Republicans and, a few days later, when Standard & Poor’s downgraded the credit rating of the United States. But even before that, macroeconomists and private sector forecasters were warning that the direction in which the new House Republican majority had pushed the White House and Congress this year — for immediate spending cuts, no further stimulus measures and no tax increases, ever — was wrong for addressing the nation’s two main ills, a weak economy now and projections of unsustainably high federal debt in coming years. READ MORE

Rick Perry Super PACs Raise Issues of Coordination, Collusion  --  The Huffington Post - 8-12-2011
WASHINGTON -- Texas Governor Rick Perry is set to officially jump into the Republican presidential primary race with unmatched backing from a collection of independent groups raising unlimited money from corporations and individuals to help get him the Republican nomination. The connections that these groups have to Perry's inner circle, however, are raising serious questions about their supposed independence and the appearance of collusion. READ MORE


THE TEXAN ENTERS  --  Rick Perry Running For President -- The Huffington Post 8-12-2011







Democrats lose voter majority -  GOP, others more than 50% of La. voters  -- The Advocate - Marsha Shuler - 8-13-2011 
LOUISIANA - For the first time in modern history, Democrats are no longer the registered majority of voters in Louisiana.  New voter statistics show that Democratic registration has dipped below 50 percent for the first time since 1957 — the earliest date for which records are available. A combination of Republican and other party registrations now make up the majority of Louisiana’s 2.8 million voters, but barely, according to Secretary of State’s Office records. READ MORE

BEDUZE ENTERS CITY-PARISH  COUNCIL RACE  -- The Daily Advertiser - Nicholas Persac 8-12-2011
Lafayette Republican Joan Boudreaux Beduze announced Thursday her candidacy to represent the City-Parish Council's 7th District. Beduze is challenging incumbent Councilman Don Bertrand, who announced this week his candidacy for re-election. Beduze announced her candidacy in a news release. She said she has lived in Lafayette Parish for nearly 35 years. She graduated from the University of Southwestern Louisiana, now UL Lafayette. Beduze said she is an "advocate of smaller government at al levels" and supports "more individual freedom and liberty." "The people of District 7 need a voice which more adequately reflects their views," Beduze said.

Who is Elizabeth Warren?  (Coming Home) --  elizabethwarren - Blue Mass Group - 8- 11-2011
Boston Massachusetts - Well, I guess she is interested! Professor Warren, thanks so much for coming here and engaging with the Blue Mass Group (BMG) community. You read it here first, folks. - promoted by david. Growing up, every decision for my family involved a careful calculation about how we could pay for it — a visit to the doctor, a tank of gas to drive to my grandparents’ house, a new pair of school shoes. READ MORE

Elizabeth Warren Gearing Up For Senate Run, Announcement To Come Post Labor Day -- The Huffington Post - Sam Stien - 8-11-2011
WASHINGTON -- One time Obama adviser and longtime consumer protection advocate Elizabeth Warren is moving towards a Senate run, several Democratic sources tell the Huffington Post. The Massachusetts resident and Harvard Law School professor authored a post for an influential progressive state-based blog on Thursday afternoon pledging that she would not "stop fighting for middle class families." The article prompted a slew of speculation that Warren was poised to take on sitting Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.). Additional information relayed from Massachusetts Democratic sources suggest she's even more serious about launching a campaign. Warren is currently being assisted by two influential Democratic operatives in the state: Doug Rubin, the chief strategist for Gov. Deval Patrick's two successful statewide runs, and Kyle Sullivan, Patrick's press secretary for his first term. She has also begun making a series of calls to influential activists and party officials in the state, including one to the Massachusetts Democratic Party chairman John Walsh on Thursday, a Massachusetts Democrat tells the Huffington Post. READ MORE

Developer, publisher still at odds  -- The Daily Advertiser - Brandon Kane - 8-11-2011
LAFAYETTE - Another week, another round of name-calling involving Lafayette's small weekly publication. Tuesday, about two dozen protesters gathered downtown to chant against The Independent Weekly's owners and accuse the publication of being racist in its reporting. Protest leader Khadijah Rashad said the paper unjustly publicizes the personal lives of community leaders in an attempt to hurt them politically. "We are against the (Independent's) slanderous reports of leaders in the community," Rashad said.  READ MORE

Suspicious substance on cash identified  --  The Daily Advertiser - 8-11-2011
LAFAYETTE - Lafayette and State Haz-mat officials, along with Army 62nd Civil Support Team, have identified the wet, smelly substance on the money as wasp spray. According to a press release, the wasp spray was stored in a safe at the business with the money. The can was accidentally punctured and spilled onto the money. This apparently occurred the previous night. The employee brought the money to the bank to be deposited yesterday morning. The individual (employee of a local business) visited Capital One Bank, on the 200 block of West Vermilion Street, yesterday to deposit money. He handed the bank bag with the money to the teller. When she opened the bank bag, she noticed the money had a liquid substance on it. There was also a strange smell coming from the bag. The employees contacted emergency officials after the individual left. Lafayette Police and Fire Departments are looking into the incident to determine if any further actions will be taken.

Cortez makes it official: vying for Senate 23  --  The Independent - Walter Pierce 8-10-2011
LAFAYETTE - Hoping to replace term-limited friend Mike Michot in the Louisiana Senate, state Rep. Page Cortez made official Tuesday morning his intention to seek the District 23 seat. Cortez made the announcement at Ema’s Restaurant surrounded by family and supporters. A furniture store owner by day, Cortez is completing his first term as the District 43 House representative for south Lafayette Parish.  So far, no other candidates have announced an intention to seek the seat. Cortez’s announcement, meanwhile, was not unexpected: The Republican lawmaker signalled his intention to go after the seat as early as last spring.


Don Bertrand seeking re-election  -- The Independent - Walter Pierce - 8-08-2011
LAFAYETTE - (Bertrand enlists heavy hitters) District 7 City-Parish Councilman Don Bertrand will make his re-election bid official on Wednesday with a reception at River Oaks, and the list of co-hosts for the event reads like a who’s-who in Lafayette politics: City-Parish President Joey Durel; state Sen. Mike Michot; state Reps. Page Cortez and Nancy Landry; U.S. Rep. Charles Boustany; U.S. Sen. David Vitter; Lt. Gov. Scott Angelle; along with Hub City civic and business luminaries Robert and LeAnne Daigle; Bill and Ann Fenstermaker; Glenn and Dana Armentor; and Kam and Mazie Movassaghi, to name just a few.  Bertrand, a Republican, currently has no announced opponent in the Oct. 22 primary election. Lafayette business owner Craig Spikes announced his intention to challenge Bertrand last spring, but due to redistricting Spikes is now campaigning against District 7 incumbent Keith Patin.

Doré seeking re-election  -- The Independent - Walter Pierce - Tuesday, 09 August 2011
LAFAYETTE - District 6 City-Parish Councilman Sam Doré announced in a fundraising letter this week that he intends to seek re-election. The first-term Republican has been in office for a little over two years after winning a special election in the spring of 2009 to fill the remainder of the term of his predecessor, Bruce Conque, who left public office to take a job at the Great Lafayette Chamber of Commerce.  To our knowledge, no one has expressed an intention to challenge Doré for the job.




Protesters' picket The Ind office  -- The Independent - Walter Pierce - Tuesday, 09 August 2011
LAFAYETTE - The blessings of American democracy were bestowed upon The Independent around mid-day Tuesday as about two dozen "protesters," most of them black and most carrying signs accusing this newspaper of being racist, marched in front of our downtown office.  The titular head of the procession, which paced both sidewalks of the 500 block of Jefferson Street under the watchful eyes of Lafayette Police officers, was Sister Kadijah, a civil rights activist well known in north Lafayette circles who has targeted The Ind before for our unflattering coverage of City-Parish Councilman Brandon Shelvin and former Councilman Chris Williams. We tried to engage Kadijah, to get to the bottom of her grievance, but, lo, she was stolid and uncooperative. She did, however, accept my business card and agree to call this afternoon to explain this personification of our beloved First Amendment.  We’re pretty sure the organizer who bankrolled Tuesday’s "protest" as well as a strikingly similar "demonstration" a week ago in front of City Court is a disgruntled Lafayette commercial real estate developer with a well-known beef with this paper — a beef so under-cooked and pustular its putrescence wafts over our fair city like the broken wind of a bald, corpulent cyclops in the throes of dyspepsia.
 
Does Washington have a spending problem or an income problem? We offer some key facts. -- FactCheck.org - Brooks Jackson - July 15, 2011
Washington - Washington's spending has recently been higher as a percentage of the nation's economic output than at any time since World War II. But by the same measure, Washington's revenues are the lowest in more than 60 years. So does the U.S. have "a spending problem," as Republicans keep repeating in the current debate over how to reduce the nation's record deficits? Or is the problem that taxes are not high enough? Those questions frame a long-running partisan debate, and as usual we won't offer an opinion one way or the other. But for those seeking their own answers, we can offer some fiscal history and factual context. READ MORE

Religious Blacks and their political attitudes  -- The Louisiana Weekly - 7-11-2011
PRINCETON, NJ — The latest poll from Gallup shows very religious white Americans are more than twice as likely to identify with or lean toward the Republican Party, while nonreligious whites are significantly more likely to identify with the Democratic Party. This relationship between religion and partisanship is also evident to a lesser degree among Asians and Hispanics, but does not occur among blacks, who are strongly likely to identify themselves as Democrats regardless of how religious they are.  The findings are based on Gallup Daily tracking interviews conducted January through May of this year, in which 62% of very religious whites identified as Republicans or were independents who leaned Republican, compared with 28 percent who identified themselves as Democrats. By contrast, 33 percent of nonreligious whites identified themselves as Republican, compared with 51 percent who identified as Democrats. Moderately religious whites were in the middle of these two groups, with an eight-percentage-point Repub­lican identification advantage. The three religious groups used in this analysis are defined by a combination of how important respondents say religion is to them and how often they say they attend religious services. READ MORE

Upgrades could cost LUS  --  The Advocate - Richard Burgess - 8-10-2011 
LAFAYETTE — Lafayette Utilities System could be forced to pay for more than $175 million in upgrades in the coming years to comply with stricter federal regulations on power plant emissions, LUS Director Terry Huval told the City-Parish Council on Monday.  The figure is worst-case scenario for the city-owned utility, but Huval told council members he wanted to put them on notice for what could be major new expenses related to federal air pollution standards that are in the works.  “Hopefully, it will be a lot less than that,” he said.  Huval made the comments during a presentation Monday to the council of LUS’s proposed $230 million budget for 2011-2012.  That budget does not include any significant expenses to meet new federal environmental requirements, but future budgets will almost certainly show some impacts.  “Many of them won’t be known until additional studies are completed,” Huval said.  He said there is much uncertainty because the new environmental requirements are still being developed and utility companies across the country have been working to tone down the stricter standards. READ MORE

To be young, gifted, black and unemployed  --   The Greo - Vent Casey III -  08/07/2011
 National - Are the long-term unemployed locked out of the workforce? It seems that way. As the debt ceiling and budget battle between Republicans in Congress and President Obama recedes, Democrats are attempting a tactical pivot to the jobs issue. Many of us believe jobs should have been the principal legislative priority in the previous Congress, when Democrats held majority control of both houses, but instead focused on major initiatives like health care reform and bailing out American automakers. The economy and jobs were the two most significant issues leading into last year's midterm elections. As a result, Republicans gained control of the House, along with a record 680 state legislative seats -- assuming control of 26 state legislatures. However, eight months after those legislators have taken their seats, the economy and job creation remains stagnant. This does not bode well for the prospects of much of the jobless; people like me who have been out of the workforce for more than two years. After watching Congress skirmish over every other policy point for the last two years, the fact that they are only now beginning to pivot to addressing jobs does not give me confidence that they will construct a solution, especially for the long-term unemployed. We know the statistics by now: 14 million Americans are currently out of work; 6 million of those have been out of work for longer than six months, and 4.4 million for longer than a year. Black unemployment is nearly twice the national average at 15.9 percent, and for black men, 17.0 percent (from July 2011). If you are long-term jobless, your chances at finding work diminish as time goes on. Given these statistics, this renders people like me almost doomed to failure. READ MORE

Reid: Compromise in hand to reopen FAA  --  Yahoo News AP -JOAN LOWY
WASHINGTON — Congress has reached a bipartisan compromise to end the partial shutdown of the Federal Aviation Administration that has left 74,000 transportation and construction workers idled, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Thursday. The deal would allow the Senate to approve a House bill extending the FAA's operating authority through mid-September, including a provision that cuts $16.5 million in air service subsidies to rural communities. Republicans had insisted on the cuts as their price for restoring the FAA to full operation. But the cuts may become moot. Democrats said they expect the White House to effectively waive or negate the cuts, which would allow continued service to 13 communities affected by the provision. "I don't know all the details of how they (the affected communities) will be held harmless. I just know that the White House has provided assurances that they will be held harmless," said a Senate Democratic leadership aide who asked not to be named because he wasn't authorized to speak publicly. "This is a tremendous victory for American workers everywhere," Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement.

The Meltdown’s True Villain  --  The Daily Beast - Michael Tomasky - 8-05-2011
WASHINGTON - With a double-dip recession looming and attacks on Obama mounting, it’s amazing the GOP is still setting the U.S. agenda when its own George W. Bush ran up half the debt we’ve accumulated since Reagan. As we thunder toward a double-dip recession on a possible worldwide scale, let’s step back and remember how all this happened. I’ve been pretty hard on Barack Obama lately (and will be again on Monday, as you’ll see). But Obama is not the villain in this story. Every time I step back and ponder this sordid history, I am amazed that the Republican Party has any credibility and even 100 members of Congress, let alone a sizable House majority and enough juice to be driving the nation’s agenda as it is. READ MORE

Tea party misses the point  --  The Daily Advertiser - 8-04-2011
WASHINGTON — Actually, no, Mr. Vice President, the tea party gang wasn't "acting like terrorists." They were acting like kidnappers. Let's get our insults correct.  They weren't inflicting harm on members of a group of people in order to terrorize the larger group. They acted like kidnappers who seize and detain a person (in this case, a nation of persons) in exchange for ransom. READ MORE

GOP's disrespect of Obama is beyond debt fight.  --  The Daily Advertiser - DeWayne Wickham 8-04-2011
WASHINGTON - What should be clear to the whole world watching the debt-ceiling battle is that the Republicans are far more intent on taking the president's scalp than balancing the nation's books. They had ample opportunities to do the latter during the eight years of George W. Bush. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., the minority leader with the greatest cunning and sharpest knife, signaled his party's true purpose last year when he proclaimed: "The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president." It was not to undo the health care legislation Obama signed into law, or to block another debt limit increase. Even then, two years out from the next presidential election, the Alabama-born senator said the top goal of GOP lawmakers to oust Obama. It's personal: House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., has been especially relentless in the debt-ceiling fight. He attacked this first African-American president with a palpable disrespect not only for Obama personally, but also for his esteemed office. READ MORE

Ortego seeking House seat in St. Rep. District 39  --  The Independent - Walter Pierce - 8-04-2011
LAFAYETTE - Home builder/designer Stephen Ortego announced Wednesday he’ll seek the District 39 state House seat in the Oct. 22 election. The seat is being vacated by Rep. Bobby Badon, who announced Tuesday he will not seek re-election. Ortego, a Carencro High and Tulane alumnus, narrowly missed a runoff for the seat in the 2007 primary election.  The bilingual Ortego, who made his announcement in both English and French at Prejean’s Restaurant in Carencro, is running on a “Louisiana First, Louisiana Forever” platform that stresses support for French Immersion programming in public schools and, more broadly, the preservation of Louisiana’s Francophone culture and job creation emphasizing the state’s cultural economy.  District 39 comprises Carencro, Ossun and Scott in north Lafayette Parish as well as parts of south St. Landry Parish. Read more about Ortego in The Ind's November 2009 cover story, "Arrested Development."

Badon: One and Done  -- The Independent - Walter Pierce - 8-02-2011
LAFAYETTE - State Rep. Bobby Badon, D-Carencro, announced Tuesday he will not seek re-election in October for a second term as the District 39 representative. Stung by a January 2010 arrest for OWI and, in June of this year, the release of the state police video of the arrest following a public records request by The Advocate, the former Carencro City Council member cites the expansion of his business and farming interests for his decision not to seek re-election. Following is the statement Badon released to the media Tuesday: After long thought, deep discussions with my family and friends, and some prayer, I have decided that I will not seek re-election as State Representative for House District 39. My term in the Louisiana House of Representatives ends in January. READ MORE

LA. State revokes License Of troubled New Orleans charter school.  Fox* live - 8-03-2011
BATON ROUGE, La. - The state has voted to revoke the license for Abramson Science and Technology School. The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education held a special meeting Wednesday to discuss the allegations about the school and whether to end its charter arrangement with the school's operator, the Pelican Educational Foundation. Facility will open Aug. 10 and will be directly run by the Recovery School District.  Allegations of rape and sexual incidents between students have temporarily shuttered the school and led to the firing of two state employees. The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education voted 7-1 Wednesday to end its charter arrangement with the Pelican Educational Foundation. Lawyers for Pelican say the organization is being improperly targeted for isolated problems. They are asking a judge to overturn BESE's decision. Abramson was an independent charter school that operated under the state's Recovery School District. It has about 600 students. Parents and students filled the Baton Rouge hearing room to ask for Pelican to stay in charge. Lawyers for Pelican say the charter operator is being improperly targeted for isolated problems.

Keith's Special Comment: The Four Great Hypocrisies of the Debt Deal   --  Current TV - Keith Olbermann - 8-01-2011
WASHINGTON - I close, as promised, with a Special Comment on the debt deal. Our government has now given up the concept of right and wrong. We have, in this deal, declared that we hold these truths to be self-evident: that all political incumbents are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Re-nomination, re-election, and the pursuit of hypocrisy. We have, in this deal, gone from the Four Freedoms to the Four Great Hypocrisies.We have superceded Congress to facilitate 750 billion dollars in domestic cuts including Medicare in order to end an artificially-induced political hostage crisis over debt, originating from the bills run up by a Republican president who funneled billions of taxpayer dollars to the military-industrial complex by unfunded, unnecessary, and unproductive wars, enabled in doing so by the very same Republican leaders who now cry for balanced budgets - and we have called it compromise. And those who defend it have called it a credit to a pragmatic president who wins some sort of political "points" because, having stood for almost nothing here, he gave away almost nothing for which he stood. It would be comical if it were not tragic. Either way, it is a signal moment in our history, in which both parties have agreed and codified that the political structure of this nation shall now based entirely on hypocrisy and political self-perpetuation. READ FULL TEXT

Who's Helped and Who's Harmed By Debt Deal?  -- The Nation - George Zornick 8-01-2011
WASHINGTON - Congress might pass a debt deal this week that would raise the debt ceiling into 2013 and reduce government spending by $2.5 trillion. After all the debate over who would be affected—or not—what does the final policy scoreboard say? In short, it’s a rout of the lower and middle classes by the wealthiest Americans. Since the deal relies entirely on spending cuts with no revenues—don’t believe the White House spin that revenues are possible, because that would require Republicans to suddenly desire them—the wealthy escape any sacrifice since very few of them rely on the government services that will be cut.  Rather, as Brookings Institution senior fellow William G. Gale writes, “Low- and middle-class households have seen stagnating or declining earnings over the past few decades, and they have been hit hard in the Great Recession by the housing market collapse and the job market collapse. Now, they are being asked to shoulder—via spending reductions—all of the fiscal reduction agreed to so far.” (Yes, that Brookings Institution). READ MORE

National People's Action Protesters Jeer Boehner, Debt Ceiling Deal, Get Arrested In House  --  Huffington Post - 8-01-2011
WASHINGTON -- Twenty-two protesters were arrested Monday after disrupting the opening of the House debate on a bill to resolve the debt limit crisis, Capitol Police said. Police quickly removed the protesters from the House spectators' gallery after they interrupted the floor debate by unfurling a banner and chanting. They could be heard shouting "Boehner, get off it. It's time to tax corporate profits." House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, was not on the House floor at the time. He has opposed any tax increases to help balance the federal budget. The group National People's Action later issued a statement saying the protesters had come to Washington to demand that Boehner and Republicans stop protecting the wealthy and Wall Street and look for solutions that create jobs and raise revenue to help Americans in need.

Debt Ceiling Deal That Cuts Trillions, Creates 'Super Congress'.  --  Huffington Post - 7-31-2011
WASHINGTON -- Congressional leaders and President Obama on Sunday night announced they've cut a deal to avert a historic U.S. default, saying they have assembled a framework that cuts some spending immediately and uses a "super Congress" to slash more in the future. The deal calls for a first round of cuts that would total $917 billion over 10 years and allows the president to hike the debt cap -- now at $14.3 trillion -- by $900 billion, according to a presentation that House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) made to his members. Democrats reported those first cuts at a figure closer to $1 trillion. It was unclear Sunday night why those two estimates varied. The federal government could begin to default on its obligations on Aug. 2 if the measure is not passed. The next round of $1.5 trillion in cuts would be decided by a committee of 12 lawmakers evenly divided between the two parties and two chambers. This so-called super Congress would have to present its cuts by Thanksgiving, and the rest of Congress could not amend or filibuster the recommendations. But if the super Congress somehow failed to enact savings, the measure requires automatic cuts worth at least $1.2 trillion. Those cuts would be split equally between military and domestic programs. Social Security, Medicaid and programs for the poor would be spared, but Medicare providers -- not beneficiaries -- would take a hit.
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City-Parish budget taps reserves --  Richard Burgess - The Advocate - Acadiana bureau  7-31-2011
Durel says no raises for employees because of flat taxes. 
LAFAYETTE — City-Parish President Joey Durel on Thursday proposed a tight budget for 2011-2012 that includes no money for employee raises a nd, like this year’s budget, dips heavily into savings to meet expenses. The City-Parish Council must approve the budget, and Durel told the nine members that the focus should be to keep costs in check to rebuild the local government’s savings account, a financial cushion of sorts. “We’ve got to start building that money back up,” he said. The total proposed budget is $558 million, but the council has little leeway in spending most of that money because the bulk of it is accounted for by Lafayette’s public utility system, repaying past debt and mandated expenses. The proposed operations budget, which will be the focus of the council’s budget hearings over the next few weeks, is $134 million, down from $141 million this year. City-Parish Chief Financial Officer Lorrie Toups said expenses for retirement benefits and health care have risen while tax collections have remained flat. Sales tax revenue has gone up, she said, but the increase has been offset by declining property tax revenues. The proposed budget includes only one new position for city-parish government, bringing the total number of employees to 2,317. The proposed budget calls for those employees to pay more for health insurance — 99 cents more per paycheck for single coverage and $8.46 more per paycheck for family coverage, according to figures from Toups. READ MORE

Rep. Jeff Landry helped win changes in House deficit-reduction plan  --  Times-Picayune - Bruce Alpert - July 29, 2011Times-Picayune
Washington -The Republican-led House narrowly approved Speaker John Boehner's deficit reduction plan Friday, but only after he met conservative demands that it require Congress to approve a balanced budget amendment. The measure was quickly tabled 59-41 by the Senate, however, setting up a weekend of more high-stakes political wrangling with a Tuesday deadline looming on a federal debt default.  "The bill, passed today in the House with exclusively Republican votes, would have us face another debt ceiling crisis in just a few months by demanding the Constitution be amended or America defaults," White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said after the vote. "Now that yet another political exercise is behind us, with time dwindling, leaders need to start working together immediately to reach a compromise that avoids default and lays the basis for balanced deficit reduction." READ MORE

KJCB fined for expired license  --  The Daily Advertiser - Claire Taylor Jul. 29, 2011 
The Federal Communications Commission has fined Lafayette radio station KJCB $13,000 for submitting a late license renewal application and for operating more than six years without a license. The FCC also granted KJCB special temporary authorization, reinstated its call letters and cleared it to operate with an antenna no higher than 20 feet and operate at up to 1 kW in the daytime and .125 kW at night. The ruling was outlined in a document released July 22. READ MORE

Edwin Edwards, Trina Grimes Scott marry in private ceremony  --  The Times-Picayune - John Pope 7-29-2011
Former Gov. Edwin Edwards married Trina Grimes Scott, his third wife, on Friday morning in a small ceremony in a Hotel Monteleone suite. From the hotel, the couple and a dozen or so guests -- friends and family members -- walked around the block to Galatoire's Restaurant to join the perennially popular Friday lunch scene.  The groom, who will turn 84 on Aug. 7,  wore a black suit, a white shirt, a gold tie and a single lily in his lapel. His 32-year-old bride wore a strapless knee-length white dress.  "It's Italian silk, with a Cajun twist," Edwards quipped in the hotel lobby to a gaggle of reporters, photographers and dazzled hotel guests.  The two stood close to each other during the impromptu news conference. Edwards, clearly in charge of the moment, fielded the questions.  His wife, a Republican from Alexandria, met Edwards while he was in federal prison and was a frequent visitor. "Everybody in prison was in love with her," he said.  In discussing their romance, Edwards quipped, "I have yet to figure out what she's interested in."  Preceded and trailed by reporters and photographers, the wedding party strolled to Galatoire's in the 90-degree midday heat.  Bob D'Hemecourt, a longtime Edwards aide and friend, had helped set up the wedding lunch. Before escorting the group into the dining room, he explained to diners what the commotion was.  "You never know," he said. "Some people might not want to be seen with him."

Boehner Can't Whip GOP 'Asses in Line' as Chaos Caucus Resists   --  The Nation - John Nichols  7-29-2011.
WASHINGTON - President Obama says he has held substantial talks with House Speaker John Boehner about raising the debt ceiling, and the Democratic president suggests that he has felt at numerous turns as if he and the Republican Speaker were on the verge doing a deal. But the deal never quite happens. It’s not that Boehner is a bait-and-switch artist, teasing the president along and then substituting a new plan at the last minute. In fact, there’s nothing Boehner would like better than to cut the deal with Obama and get back to the golf course. Boehner’s fight isn’t with the president.  It is with his own caucus, and with a Republican base that is prepared to punish anyone who makes nice with Obama. And Friday's struggle to schedule a House vote on Boehner’s plan to temporarily raise the debt ceiling in return for deep spending cuts suggests that the extremists have the upper hand. The trouble, as has become all too evident, is that Boehner has never been fully in charge of the House Republican Caucus. As Obama explains—accurately, if not beneficially for the speaker: “I think Speaker Boehner has been very sincere about trying to do something big. I think he’d like to do something big. His politics within his caucus are very difficult—you’re right. And this is part of the problem with a political process where folks are rewarded for saying irresponsible things to win elections or obtain short-term political gain, when we actually are in a position to try to do something hard we haven’t always laid the groundwork for.”  READ MORE

Boehner’s problem: His party doesn’t like compromise.  --  Washington Post - Ezra Klein  7-29-2011
WASHINGTON - John Boehner has a problem. He likes being Speaker of the House of Representatives. He would like to continue to be Speaker of the House of Representatives. But being Speaker of the House of Representatives means both leading the House Republicans and compromising to get things done. And in this Republican Party, at this moment, if you want to lead the House Republicans, you can’t compromise to get things done.  
We’ve now seen the same farce play out four times. Republican leaders get close to a deal and then, just before they can close it, their members revolt and they have to pull back. The first time was when House Majority Leader Eric Cantor walked out of the Biden talks rather than discuss revenue. The second and third time when when Boehner walked out on the various iterations of the $4 trillion deal he had been cutting with Obama. And the fourth time is playing out right now. Boehner is rewriting his bill so that it links any increase in the debt ceiling to the passage of a balanced budget amendment.  READ MORE

Religious Leaders Arrested At Capitol For Budget Protest.  --  The Huffington Post - Michael McAuliff  7-28-2011
WASHINGTON -- Capitol Hill police arrested 11 people -- many of them members of the clergy -- protesting the Republican House budget-cutting plan, a police spokeswoman said. The group, organized by Common Cause's president, the Rev. Bob Edgar, occupied the center of the historic Rotunda for more than a half hour Thursday, praying and singing until police closed the massive chamber and arrested the group, one by one. Before officers closed the Rotunda, many visitors sang along, clapped, and filmed the prayers, although it was not clear that passersby understood what the group was protesting. Common Cause spokeswoman Mary Boyle said they were trying to make a simple point. "They were trying to send the message to Congress that the budget cannot be balanced on the backs of the poor, the middle class, or the neediest in society," Boyle said.  READ MORE
 
Democrats Pressure Obama To Use 14th Amendment To Raise Debt Ceiling.  --  The Huffington Post - 7-28-2011
WASHINGTON -- With time running out and still no bipartisan debt deal in sight, a growing number of House Democrats are pressuring President Barack Obama to use a constitutional option they say would allow him to raise the debt ceiling himself. "We believe that the president should invoke the 14th Amendment," Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) said Wednesday. During a press conference, Engel said he "doesn't take lightly" the ceding of power from the legislative branch to the executive branch. But given the partisan logjam in Congress and the extraordinary potential consequences of default, he said Obama should lean on the Constitution as a last resort. "The debt ceiling must be lifted," said Del. Donna Christensen (D-Virgin Islands), also at the press conference. "And if that is the only way to get it done, then Mr. President, do it. And we and many more Members will stand with you." Other Democrats, including Reps. Jerrold Nadler (N.Y.), John Garamendi (Calif.) and Sheila Jackson Lee (Texas), are also calling on Obama to step in to resolve the debt crisis if Congress can't reach a deal by August 2, when the government is expected to run out of money to pay its bills and begin to default. "Our president, we believe, has the [ultimate] power to solve this," Garamendi said. "We hope he doesn't have to use it." The provision at the heart of the constitutional debate, Section 4 of the 14th Amendment, states: “The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payments of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned.” Essentially, Democrats are arguing that since the "public debt" cannot be questioned, then the debt ceiling itself is unconstitutional. READ MORE

The Debt Showdown: The GOP's "Blank Check" Lie?  --  Mother Jones - David Corn - 7-28-2011
WASHINGTON - What happens when a political party taints a critical national debate with a falsehood? Not much!
What does the news media do when a critical national debate is tainted by a lie? Not a whole lot. During the debt ceiling showdown, the Republicans have clearly calculated that an effective charge to hurl at President Barack Obama and the Democrats is that the president, by asking Congress to raise the debt ceiling (which used to be a routine maneuver for Capitol Hill), is requesting a "blank check" for government spending. In his response to Obama's speech on Monday evening, House Speaker John Boehner claimed that Obama "wants a blank check" for a spending binge that is "sapping the drive of our people." Earlier in the day, Boehner slammed Sen. Harry Reid's last-ditch debt plan, which the White House supports, as a "blank check." On Monday morning, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor issued a statement: "We have worked for months to back the President and Congressional Democrats away from their demand for a blank check to keep spending." On Tuesday morning, the Republican National Committee sent out a fundraising email with the subject head, "Stop Obama's Blank Check." If you'd like to join the Republicans in "taking away Obama's blank check," you could send "$25, $50, $100, or more" to the RNC. On Tuesday afternoon, the National Republican Congressional Committee tweeted, "The President of No: Obama Continues to Insist on a Blank Check for More Spending." And Boehner, in desperate search of conservative support for his debt-ceiling/deficit-reduction plan, called Rush Limbaugh and vowed he wouldn't give Obama a blank check. Raising the debt ceiling is not equivalent to dispensing a blank check. In fact, Republicans, in Orwellian fashion, are turning black into white. With a blank check, a bearer is free to write (and then spend) any amount he or she places on the note. Thus, a blank check enables future spending. Raising the debt ceiling is about permitting the US government to cover past spending—and the blank checks of the past. These particular blank checks were issued by the Republicans during the Bush years. They voted (with the help of some Democrats) for wars in Afghanistan and Iraq without budgeting for them. They did the same with a Medicare prescription-drug benefit. They also green-lighted President Bush's tax cuts without accounting for the drop in revenue they would cause. Together these blank checks account for two-thirds of the deficit, if not more.Read More

Boehner Says Economic Hostage-Takers Have Infiltrated the House GOP Caucus.  --  The Nation - John Nichols - 7-28-2011
WASHINGTON - House Speaker John Boehner has a new excuse for the dissent within the ranks of the House Republican Caucus he is supposed to lead. The caucus, Boehner says, has been infiltrated by a cabal that hopes to take the US economy hostage in order to force political concessions from President Obama and Congressional Democrats. Appearing Wednesday on conservative talk radio host Laura Ingraham’s, Boehner acknowledged what every serious economic analyst has already said: that a failure to raise the debt ceiling before the August 2 deadline would be devastating to an already struggling US economy. So “why,” Ingraham asked, were House Republicans resisting the deal that President Obama has offered—a deal that is ridiculously deferent to Republican demands for cuts to needed domestic programs and for tax breaks for corporations and the wealthy. “Well,” Boehner said of the most belligerent members of his caucus, “first they want more. And my goodness, I want more too. And secondly, a lot of them believe that if we get passed August the second and we have enough chaos, we could force the Senate and the White House to accept a balanced budget amendment.” Let’s be clear about what Boehner is saying: he has members of his caucus—perhaps sufficient in number to block resolution of the debt ceiling fight—who would be willing to force the United States to default on its debts. Why? Because they want to create so much economic chaos that the president and Congressional Democrats will sign on for a bad policy that could not otherwise advance. That’s blackmail. But Boehner’s not concerned about the fact that his lawless colleagues would threaten the good faith and credit of the United States—not to mention the economic stability of their homeland—in order to score political points. READ MORE

'Right-Wing Nutters' Threaten Global Economy, as IMF Warns of "Disastrous Consequences"  -- The Nation - John Nichols 7-28-2011
London - Global markets are slumping, and the dollar is rapidly losing ground in international trading (hitting a record low against the Swiss franc Monday) amid fears that the determination of John Boehner, Paul Ryan and their henchmen to hold the US economy hostage for political purposes could create an international crisis.Concerns about the Republican refusal to allow the debt ceiling to rise are now being voiced far from Washington. And some of the loudest objections are coming from long-time US allies and governments that led by conservatives.Britian’s Secretary of State for Business Vince Cable, an economist who serves as a member of Conservative Party Prime Minister David Cameron’s coalition government, has been particularly blunt in his criticism of the economic madness that is being imposed on the United States—and now the world—by a band of career politicians whose only knowledge of how finance works comes from collecting campaign-contribution checks.“The irony of the situation at the moment, with markets opening tomorrow morning, is that the biggest threat to the world financial system comes from a few right-wing nutters in the American Congress rather than the eurozone,” Cable, a former chief economists for the Royal Dutch Shell Oil company who currently serves as president of Britain’s Board of Trade, told the BBC. READ MORE

McCain rips lawmakers demanding amendment to balance the budget  --  The Hill - Alexander Bolton - 07/27/2011
WASHINGTON - Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), the 2008 GOP presidential nominee, on Wednesday ripped Tea Party lawmakers and other conservatives pushing to pass a balanced-budget amendment before raising the debt limit. In a Senate floor speech, McCain said it is “foolish” and “deceiving” for Republican colleagues to claim a balanced-budget amendment has a chance of passing by next week. He read aloud a Wall Street Journal editorial depicting conservatives holding out for a constitutional amendment as living in a fantasy world, such as J.R.R. Tolkien, author of “The Hobbit,” might imagine. Members of the Senate Tea Party Caucus including Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) have continued to demand a balanced-budget amendment. DeMint, Lee, Paul and Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) wrote a letter to colleagues Tuesday urging them to oppose a fallback plan drafted by House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) that would cut the deficit by $850 billion and require Congress to pass a $1.8 trillion deficit-reduction package before the election. These lawmakers want colleagues to make another effort to pass the “Cut, Cap and Balance” act, which requires congressional passage of a balanced-budget amendment before raising the debt limit. McCain said this goal is utterly unrealistic given Democratic control of the Senate. A balanced-budget amendment would need the support of 20 members of the Senate Democratic Caucus to pass. “What is really amazing about this is that some members are believing that we can pass a balanced-budget amendment to the Constitution in this body with its present representation — and that is foolish,” he said. “That is worse than foolish. That is deceiving many of our constituents.” McCain said he supports a balanced-budget amendment and voted for one 13 times but thinks its unrealistic to demand one now with a potential national default only six days away. He implied that conservative freshmen who think it’s possible to sway enough Democrats are naïve. READ MORE

Louisiana GOP House members cool to compromise on debt extension  --  Times-Picayune - Bruce Alpert - 7-28-2011
WASHINGTON -- A large group of conservative House Republicans, including several from Louisiana, are limiting the negotiating flexibility of their leaders, complicating efforts to reach a compromise on a deficit extension solution before the Aug. 2 deadline. While Speaker John Boehner tries Wednesday to build support for his revised deficit reduction package, President Barack Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid aren't on board. That means a compromise will still need to be reached by Tuesday, when the Treasury Department says it won't have enough money to pay all the federal obligations.  Some Louisiana Republicans and other GOP conservatives said that the Boehner plan, now being revised, just didn't cut enough federal spending.  Rep. Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, said a bigger deficit deal, which fell apart last week when Boehner broke off negotiation with the president, was a non-starter for many House Republicans because it contained $800 billion in tax increases.  Scalise, who describes tax increases as "job killing at a time we desperately need more jobs," said many Republicans just won't vote for a deal that includes higher taxes.  Still, a poll by CNN/ORC International indicates a majority Americans support a compromise debt ceiling extension that combines spending cuts and tax increase. The poll said 64 percent of those surveyed preferred the "combo" plan, taxes and spending cuts, up from 57 percent in June. READ MORE

School officials to challenge low scores  -- The Advocate -Acadiana bureau - Marsha Sills - 7-28-2011
LAFAYETTE - The Lafayette Parish school system plans to file an appeal with the Louisiana Department of Education to challenge the low performance scores given to its four alternative schools, Superintendent Burnell Lemoine confirmed Wednesday.  Preliminary school performance scores released Tuesday by the state identified the following schools as academically unacceptable: W.D. Smith Career Center, 26; Alternative Instructional Model (AIM) Academy, 48; Lafayette Charter High, 52.5; and N.P. Moss Annex, 34.8.  The “academically unacceptable school” label is used to identify those schools with scores below 65. The scores take into consideration standardized test scores, attendance, and graduation and drop-out rates. Lafayette officials questioned how the scores were calculated, Lemoine said Wednesday. READ MORE

Boehner to GOP on debt ceiling plan: 'Get your ass in line'  --  Politico - JAKE SHERMAN & JOHN BRESNAHAN - 7/27/11

Wells Fargo Target Of Justice Department Probe; Agency Alleges Discriminatory Lending. --  The Huffington Post -  Shahien Nasiripour 7/26/11
WASHINGTON -- The Department of Justice is preparing a lawsuit against Wells Fargo, the nation's largest home mortgage lender, for allegedly preying upon African American borrowers during the housing bubble and steering them into high-cost subprime loans, according to three people with direct knowledge of the probe. The company, the fourth-largest U.S. bank by assets, is currently embroiled in pre-lawsuit negotiations with the Justice Department in hopes it will settle the accusations and avoid a public lawsuit, these people said. The allegations mirror those in public actions taken by the Federal Reserve and a separate lawsuit filed by the city of Baltimore. Last week, the Fed said that perhaps more than 10,000 borrowers were inappropriately steered into subprime mortgage loans or had their loan documents falsified by bank personnel. Wells Fargo agreed to pay $85 million to settle the civil charges. It did not admit wrongdoing. In its ongoing case against Baltimore, Wells Fargo stands accused of using those same practices, but deploying them against black borrowers in majority-black neighborhoods, an act commonly known as "reverse redlining." The city alleges that the bank targeted black borrowers, knowing they'd ultimately default on their loans, but did not fear shouldering the cost because Wells sold those loans to investors. Wells Fargo denies the allegations. READ MORE
WASHINGTON - There is still no deal in the debt ceiling impasse between Congressional Republicans and the president, so we can't say who "won." But we can definitely say who lost: America. Even if we ultimately get the touted "Grand Bargain," it's not going to be grand for anybody who correctly identifies unemployment and our economy's anemic growth as the biggest crises we're facing. After the champagne has been uncorked and lots of backs have been slapped in DC, the lives of regular Americans will not be better -- indeed, they will almost certainly be worse. Here's the maddening part: if Congress and the president had focused on the crisis of jobs and growth, the solutions they would have come up with would also have been the best solutions to the long-term debt crisis. The fact is, you can cut all the discretionary spending you want -- but it's growth, not cutting that will solve our long-term deficit problem.
READ MORE

Michele Bachmann says thumbs down on Black farmer settlement  --  The Louisiana Weekly - 25th July 2011 
WASHINGTON – Republican presidential candidate, Michele Bachmann, is criticizing the multibillion dollar Pigford settlement paid to Black farmers as “wasteful government spending.”  Bachmann made the comments during a news conference with Republican Steve King of Iowa after touring flooded areas along the Missouri River.  When asked about whether farmers affected by the flooding also should be worried by proposed U.S. Department of Agriculture cuts, the two responded by criticizing the 1999 settlement.  READ MORE
 
Congress Web Pages Go Down After Debt Speeches  --  The Huffington Post - Mike McAuliff  07/25/2011
WASHINGTON - The country has not yet defaulted, but something has already crashed amid the stalled debt debate: Many of the the Senate and House websites appeared to be down after President Obama asked citizens to reach out to their members of Congress during his Monday night address to the nation. The Huffington Post tried more than two dozen congressional sites -- including committees' sites -- and only a few sites worked, including those of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.). Among those that didn't work were the sites of House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio), Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-Pa.), Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa). While most sites seemed to be down, HuffPost found more Democratic lawmakers' sites working, which might give credence to the idea that Obama's call was answered. 

The guts of Michele Bachmann!  --  The Louisiana Weeklly - Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq. - 25th July 2011
You have to give it to Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann! She’s got guts. She doesn’t do like some politicians who tell you what you want to hear during a campaign just to get your vote. No, she tells you what she truly believes! It is clear that she believes Black people should just return to slavery in order to resolve any social problems that may be caused by one-parent households! She often gets her facts mixed up, but she sticks to her beliefs — even if she has to invent the facts to match. Congresswoman Bachmann doesn’t care too much about the sins of her forefathers against the very households she’s now applauding as the “good life.” She totally misses the point that the households during slavery actually had one person in charge — the slave master! Even though there may have been two adults in some of the households, neither had any power when it came to selling off their children, committing sins against the women and girls, and destroying the family in any way the slave master chose to do so. Did you wonder why Bachmann had no expression about the boss’ lack of family values? Often the child involved was totally unrelated to the “father” of the household in which he lived. Boss man took care of that by raping the women in the household and producing loads of children out of wedlock with the woman of the family and her daughters — another disregard for family values. READ MORE

Reid Lays Out Details Of Democrats' Final Debt Proposal - The Huffington Post - 07/25/2011 3:54 PM
WASHINGTON - Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Monday laid out the details of his $2.7 trillion debt proposal. The latest, and likely final, Democratic plan makes no changes to Medicaid, Medicare or Social Security.
Here are its core components:
$1.2 trillion in discretionary spending cuts.
$100 billion in mandatory savings, including:
•$40 billion in Program Integrity Savings (i.e. draws from
reducing fraud and abuse in mandatory programs)
•$30 billion in Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac reforms
•$15 billion in spectrum sales and Universal Service Fund Reforms
•$10-15 billion in agricultural reforms
•Higher Ed program reforms whose savings to go sustain the Pell Grant program.
$1 trillion in savings from winding down the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
$400 billion in interest savings ($220 billion from discretionary spending cuts and $180 billion from winding down the wars).
Establishes a joint congressional committee to find future savings. The committee's recommendations will be guaranteed an up-or-down Senate vote, without amendments, by the end of 2011.

Wealth Gap Between Whites, Minorities Widens To Greatest Level In A Quarter Century  --  The HuffingtonPost - HOPE YEN 7-26-2011

Boudreaux: Y’all come  --  Walter Pierce  - The Independent - 7-21-2011
LAFAYETTE - Lafayette City-Parish Council Chairman Kenneth Boudreaux is alerting residents to an upcoming series of bored meetings. We’re kidding — barely — but budget hearings can tend to promote daydreaming for the non-mathematically inclined.  The District 4 councilman, who also serves as chairman of the council’s Finance Committee, is inviting taxpayers to attend budget hearings beginning Thursday, July 28 at 5:30 p.m. in the council auditorium. Following the initial hearing, discussions of the 2011-2012 fiscal year budget will be held at 1 p.m. on various week days, beginning Wednesday, Aug. 3 with reviews of the funding for the police and fire departments. The hearings continue through Tuesday, Sept. 13 with final adoption scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 27.

Joie de Vivre opponents fight back  --  The Independent - Walter Pierce - Monday, 25 July 2011
A group mainly comprising residents living in the Mills and Hopkins additions — neighborhoods across Congress/2nd Street from downtown Lafayette where the proposed Joie de Vivre low-income housing project is slated — are appealing a Planning & Zoning Commission decision to grant waivers for the project. The City-Parish Council will hear the appeal at its Tuesday meeting. On June 13, PZC voted 4-0 to grant preliminary plat approval for the 2.7 acre project, agreeing to waive enhanced setbacks along the side streets abutting the development. The group that lodged the appeal, known as Mills and Hopkins Addition  Association, is requesting the developers do a traffic impact study for the area and enter in a Community Benefits Agreement with the neighborhood, among other things.  Dozens of people, most of them in favor of the project, attended the PZC meeting. Joie de Vivre has the support, based on minutes of the meeting, of UL architecture professors Hector Lasala and Cory Saft. But the project is also pitting neighbor against neighbor in the historic area.  Read documents pertaining to the appeal.  READ MORE.

Breaux Bridge Businessman Vincent Alexander running for District 96 seat in the La. House of Representatives  -- Teche Today.com
BREAUX BRIDGE - Breaux Bridge businessman Vincent Alexander has announced his candidacy for Louisiana House of Representatives District 96, which includes parts of St. Martin, Iberia and Lafayette parishes.  “As a Breaux Bridge native and business owner encouraged by numerous friends and the community at large, I am formally announcing my candidacy for state representative, District 96, in the upcoming fall election, Oct. 22,” Alexander said.  “As the owner of small businesses with a number of employees, I am also a supporter of those running small business enterprises.”  An insurance man, former peace office and private investigator, and Vietnam veteran, Alexander set the following priorities:  •Balance the state budget;  •Reduce unemployment to pre-recession level;  •Improve the education attainment within District 96 and across the state;  •Reduce crime, especially violent crime;  •Ensure access for all citizens to health care;  •Develop job-creating initiatives in the district and statewide. READ MORE

Raymond "Shoe-Do" Lewis - Candidate for State Representative District # 96  --  The Independent Staff - 7-25-2011
Though not formally announced, the signs are already popping up around north Lafayette asking voters to elect Iberia Parish School Board member Raymond “Shoe-Do” Lewis to the newly created state House of Representatives seat that spawned from the most recent legislative redistricting session.  The majority black district includes St. Martinville, Parks, Breaux Bridge and Cypress Island in St. Martin Parish. It also includes parts of northwest Iberia Parish and a few precincts in the city of New Iberia. In Lafayette Parish, the new district includes a small portion of north Lafayette as well as two voting precincts in Broussard. 
 

Nary Smith Sr. running for District 96 La. House seat  -- TecheToday.com -  7-25-2011
LAFAYETTE - Longtime St. Martinville policeman and former Assistant Chief Nary Smith has thrown his hat into the ring for the new “majority minority” state House of Representatives district that includes a large portion of St. Martin Parish.  District 96 includes much of St. Martinville and Breaux Bridge and predominately black neighborhoods of New Iberia and Lafayette.  “I have been a civil servant for 34 years and I would like to keep serving the public in a different capacity, honestly and fairly, with equal justice for all,” Smith said in making his initial campaign announcement.  A 1966 graduate of Adam Carlson High, Smith joined the St. Martinville Police Department in 1977 and became an administrator of SMPD in 1981.  He served as interim police chief on four different occasions, one of which lasted 18 months.  Smith recently retired from SMPD. He continues to work in private security.  Smith is married to the former Linda Menard of Breaux Bridge.

LAFAYETTE- District 3 Councilman Brandon Shelvin is seeking re-election this fall to a second term on the City-Parish Council. A reelection party/fundraiser is being held Thursday, July 28 Pat's Downtown, a downtown Lafayette restaurant.





Getting to No  --  Mother Jones - Kevin Drum - 7-25-2011
WASHINGTON - For the past few months President Obama has been open to nearly any proposal to curb spending and raise the debt ceiling. There's only one thing he's said he categorically won't accept: a short-term increase that kicks the can down the road and forces us to replay this entire battle next year. So guess what John Boehner plans to propose?  Mr. Boehner planned to unveil a new debt-ceiling plan later Monday, a spokesman said. Mr. Boehner's plan would cut the budget deficit by $1.2 trillion over 10 years and raise the debt ceiling in two phases—one that would enable the government to cover its bills through the end of the year and a second in January 2012 depending on recommendations from a congressional commission.  Is there any doubt left about what Republican goals are at this point? Boehner has rejected every possible compromise offered to him, and now plans to unilaterally hold a vote on the one thing — the only thing — that he knows Obama won't accept. This is all he cares about. He doesn't want to solve a problem, he just desperately wants to figure out some way to get Obama to say no so that he can make some political hay out of it.  Seriously, how much more obvious can he be? Is there anyone left in Washington who doesn't get this?

GOP wants short-term debt deal to stifle economy, hurt Dems in 2012  --  The Hill - Erik Wasson - 07/25/11
WASHINGTON-A senior House Democrat on Monday alleged that Republicans want the short-term debt increase in order to kill the economic recovery and blame President Obama for high unemployment. House Natural Resources Committee ranking member Edward Markey (D-Mass.) on Monday said that a two-stop approach being weighed by House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) to force another debt-ceiling vote next year was a "cynical" ploy to keep a cloud over the economy. “The Boehner approach really intends to have another debate next year that is just as big and that’s their point. A big debate this year puts a cloud over the markets and the economic environment, and another debate next year will do the same thing to our economic recovery,” he told a news conference. “So it’s a very cynical, regain-the-majority strategy that puts the entire economy at risk.”

Wonkbook: Republicans have won. But can they stop there?  --  The Washington Post - Ezra Klein - 7-25-2011
WASHINGTON - We don't yet know what the final deal to raise the debt ceiling will be. But now that Harry Reid is developing a proposal with $2.7 trillion in cuts and nothing in revenues, it's a safe bet that it won't include any tax increases. Which means that whether Republicans realize it or not, they've won. The question now is whether they can stop.  Originally, the Democratic position was that we should simply raise the debt ceiling. Republicans said "no." There would have to be a deal that reduced the deficit by at least $2.4 trillion -- which is the size of the debt ceiling increase needed to get us into 2013.  Then the Democratic position was that we should raise the debt ceiling through a deal that reduced the deficit by about $2.4 trillion, with $2 trillion of that coming from spending cuts and $400 billion coming from taxes. Republicans said "no." There would have to be a deal that disavowed taxes.  Then the Democratic position was that we should raise the debt ceiling through a deal brokered by Barack Obama that reduced the deficit by $4 trillion, with about $3 trillion of that coming from spending cuts and about $1 trillion coming from tax increases. Republicans said "no." There would have to be a deal that disavowed taxes, and it would have to be cut between the congressional leadership of the two parties. Obama couldn't have this as a win.  That brings us to where we are now. John Boehner is proposing a deal with about $1 trillion in spending cuts and a short-term increase in the debt ceiling and a bipartisan congressional committee charged with developing a large deficit reduction package that would be immune to amendments and filibusters and would be the price of the next increase in the debt ceiling. Harry Reid is developing a package of spending cuts that Democrats could accept and would reach Boehner's $2.4 trillion mark.  If you take the Republicans' goals as avoiding a deal in which they have to vote for tax increases and denying Obama a political victory, it looks like they have succeeded. That success has come with costs -- they've done themselves political damage, are risking a crisis that could do the economy tremendous harm, and have left the Bush tax cuts unresolved, which means they might end up watching taxes rise much higher than if they'd taken Obama's offer -- but it's still been a success.

US debt crisis threatens global markets as Congress is locked in blame game  --  The Guardian Co, UK - Ewen MacAskill -  7-20-2011
LONDON - Democrats and Republicans are locked into a dangerous game of seeing who will crack first over the national debt crisis, with the White House warning that the next few days could be stressful for world markets and Americans. With time running out, congressional leaders from both sides met on Saturday after the dramatic collapse of negotiations between Barack Obama and the house Republican leader, John Boehner, on Friday. But the congressional talks broke up late on Saturday night after failing to make progress. The White House chief of staff, Bill Daley, interviewed on Sunday on CBS, predicted that the next few days will be tense. "In the end, we may have a few stressful days coming up – stressful for the markets of the world and the American people." In an effort to reassure markets reopening after the weekend, he claimed he was confident a deal would be reached before the 2 August deadline.

Schumacher to expand HQ -- Company to create 600 jobs  --   Advocate Acadiana bureau - Jason Brown
LAFAYETTE — The Schumacher Group will invest $19 million to expand and keep its headquarters in Lafayette, a move that will create more than 600 new jobs with an average salary of $62,500, Gov. Bobby Jindal announced Thursday.  The $19 million capital investment will include expanded headquarter facilities and a specialized training space, according to a news release from the Governor’s Office.  The expansion was made possible in part through the state’s Mega Project Fund, which will reimburse the company for up to 50 percent of the cost, or up to $9 million, Jindal said during a Thursday morning news conference at the company’s offices on Corporate Boulevard.  The Schumacher Group contracts emergency room services to hospitals across the country, employing 1,200 people in 24 states and managing emergency medical services for more than 180 hospitals, said Kip Schumacher, company CEO and founder.  The company also contracts with about 3,000 physicians and nurse practitioners, and is the third largest such company in the country, serving more than 3.5 million people, Schumacher said.

Council prepares for budget hearings  --  The Daily Advertiser - Nicholas Persac 7-22-2011
LAFAYETTE - The budget process, which will cover the upcoming fiscal year, will decide how taxpayer dollars are spent on everything from police and fire services to recreation and arts projects. "I want to reiterate to you that the money the nine members of the council are going to budget is derived from your tax dollars," City-Parish Council Chairman Kenneth Boudreaux, District 4, said in a prepared statement. "All taxpayers have a voice at these hearings," Boudreaux said. "This is an opportunity to spend some time with the council as a whole, learn about the process and how the annual budget is adopted. The budgeting process kicks off Thursday when the council will hold a special introductory session at 5:30 p.m. in the Council Auditorium. LCG will hold eight different budget hearings during which the funding for various departments will be discussed. Those hearings will be held at 1 p.m. on various days between Aug. 3 and 24.

Majority Of Americans Support Strong Consumer Protection Agency: Poll  --  Huffington Post - James Sunshine 7-21-2011
NATIONAL - As of Thursday (7-20-2011), the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is open for business. And many Americans have already expressed their support. The agency, first conceived of by Harvard law professor Elizabeth Warren, was created under last summer's financial reform with the aim of protecting consumers from abuses by financial institutions. Republicans, however, have promised to block any nominee to run the CFPB until its powers are scaled back. The sentiments of Republicans, however, appear to stand in opposition to the sentiments of the American people, according to a new poll by Lake Research Partners. The poll, sponsored by the AARP, Americans for Financial Reform and the Center for Responsible Lending, found that as many as 63 percent of Americans favor more, not less, government oversight of financial companies. Only a small minority of those polled, 25 percent, want the opposite. Of those polled, 74 percent favored having a single agency focus on protecting consumers from financial organizations. And it's not split down partisan lines, either. Indeed, 68 percent of Republicans feel the same. The opening of the CFPB comes only one day after Wells Fargo was hit with an $85 million fine for pushing consumers with good credit into purchasing subprime loans that had high interest rates, the largest consumer settlement ever imposed by the Federal Reserve. Earlier this week, it was announced that President Obama would nominate former Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray to head the new government agency, despite Elizabeth Warren long being considered the president's top choice. In a statement to the press, Warren said Cordray would make a "stellar director."

Judge rules education’s Red Tape Act unconstitutional  -- Louisiana Federation of Teachers -  7-18-2011
Baton Rouge - A Baton Rouge District Court judge has ruled that a 2010 legislative act allowing the state board of education to waive laws for local school boards is unconstitutional.  The so-called “Red Tape Reduction and Local Waiver Empowerment Act,” which was one of Gov. Bobby Jindal’s signature bills last year, violates the state constitution’s “clear separation of powers,” according to today’s ruling by 19th Judicial District Judge R. Michael Caldwell.  The lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the act was filed by the Louisiana Federation of Teachers. In response to today’s decision, LFT President Steve Monaghan said the union filed the suit “as a matter of strong principle and out of respect for the law.”  “This is a good day for the rule of law,” Monaghan said. “As we argued consistently before every committee that heard the bill, we believe that this act is an unconstitutional delegation of legislative authority that diminishes the public’s understanding and respect for law by equating law to red tape. The legislature simply does not have the right to hand off its responsibility to another branch of government.”  If allowed to stand, the bill would permit local superintendents, with local school board approval, to ask the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education for a waiver of virtually any law or policy governing public education. The bill was amended during the legislative proceedings to allow teachers in affected schools to vote on the change.

Residents trying to recall alderman  --  The Daily Advertiser - Tina Marie Macias 7-20-2011
OPELOUSAS - Retired school cafeteria worker Betty Lazard banged on a neighbor's door Tuesday morning. She clutched a map of District D, a pen and a recall petition approved by the Louisiana Secretary of State. The neighbor did not answer, and the midmorning heat was too much for the chronically ill woman, so she retreated home. Although Lazard had one signature, her own, on the petition, she was confident that in six months she and other residents will have gathered the more than 600 signatures needed to recall Alderman Reggie Tatum, District D. "The man is crazy. The man puts on a show," Lazard said. "He needs to go." Tatum has been too busy meddling in citywide issues instead of focusing on his district and often does not answer calls from constituents, Lazard said. Tatum said he has never spoken with Lazard, adding he's always "looking out" for people in his district.

CONVICTED  --  The Independent - Heather Miller 7-20-2011
LAFAYETTE - How the federal justice system incentivizes questionable and often unreliable witnesses, including jailhouse snitches, to prosecute the War on Drugs.  “Just because the United States of America accuses somebody of being guilty of a crime doesn’t make it so.” — Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Jarzabek, chief criminal deputy of the Western District of Louisiana, speaking to U.S. District Judge Tucker Melancon at the conclusion of a high-profile public corruption trial in Monroe.  Mike Wyatt is, by trade, a master mechanic. He’s an artisan of all things auto who transforms factory features on vehicles into customized pieces for car and stereo enthusiasts alike. A hard-working small business owner, Wyatt spends 60-90 hours a week at his Jefferson Street auto and sound shop, a 9,000-square-foot haven for a specialized craft he’s been perfecting for more than 20 years. Mike Wyatt is 44 years old and has no criminal record. He’s a family man, the husband of a nurse practitioner, a father who spends his weekends outdoors with his wife and son. And now, Mike Wyatt may spend the next 10 years in a federal prison — and the rest of his life paying up to $4 million in fines to the federal government.

Murdoch denies knowledge of hacking.  --  The Hill - Gautham Nagesh - 07/19/11
LONDON - News Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch denied any knowledge of voice mail hacking at his now-shuttered tabloid News of the World and told British lawmakers at a Tuesday hearing that he has been humbled by the ongoing scandal enveloping his media empire. Murdoch and his son James Murdoch were questioned by members of the House of Commons after reports the British tabloid breached voice mail accounts and bribed law enforcement officials in pursuit of stories. Murdoch closed the paper last Sunday. "I would just like to say one sentence: This is the most humble day of my life," Murdoch said, letting his son respond to the majority of the lawmakers' questions. The Murdochs condemned the incidents and denied any knowledge of the allegations. Rupert Murdoch also said that despite reports that victims of the Sept. 11 attack had their voice mails hacked, there has been no evidence showing that, adding that he didn't believe it took place. U.S. lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have called for the FBI to investigate those allegations; Attorney General Eric Holder on Friday confirmed that the Justice Department is investigating the issue. There have been calls for the Securities and Exchange Commission to join the probe. Rupert Murdoch said he doesn't feel personally responsible for the phone hacking carried out by employees, choosing to blame "the people I trusted and the people they trusted." He noted the tabloid accounted for less than 1 percent of his media empire.

'Jonnie Marbles': the comedian and activist who attacked Rupert Murdoch.  --  The Gaurdian Co. UK - Paul Lewis and Shiv Malik 7-19-2011
LONDON- Jonnie Marbles, aka Jonathan May-Bowles, is led away by police after trying to throw a plate of foam at Rupert Murdoch at the phone-hacking hearing. The man who attacked Rupert Murdoch during his parliamentary appearance has been identified as Jonathan May-Bowles, a protester and standup comedian. May-Bowles dramatically intervened in the committee hearing when he tried to throw a plate of white foam into Murdoch's face at close range. He was quickly identified by friends in the UK Uncut network of activists. Although the activist group quickly distanced themselves from the protester, he is known to have been a key figure in their campaign. "This was a lone-wolf, solitary action," said a key organiser in UK Uncut, a tax-avoidance campaigner group. "None of us knew anything about this. This has got nothing to do with UK Uncut."

Outcry raised over tenured faculty layoffs   --  Advocate capitol news bureau - Jordan Blum - 2011
LAFAYETTE - When it was announced in April that the University of Louisiana at Lafayette would terminate its cognitive science doctoral program, Mike Kalish was upset, but he expected a transfer to the psychology department. Instead, Kalish was one of two tenured, cognitive science faculty who recently received termination notices. Faculty critics say the terminations represent another example of the abuse of tenure policies that were softened more in February within the eight-college University of Louisiana System through rule changes. The changes were criticized by faculty groups nationally. Kalish said he feels lied to, and by abandoning a developing academic program that is the only one of its kind in Louisiana, UL-Lafayette does not seem interested in being a comprehensive research university. “They implemented the rules so they could fire people,” said Kalish, who will not be out of the job until 2013 because of notification requirements. UL System and UL-Lafayette officials said the new termination policies did not factor into the recent tenured faculty layoffs. The tenure system essentially gives faculty much greater job protection once they have earned the status through teaching, outreach, research and publishing. Proponents say tenure is necessary to protect academic freedom and quality. Critics call it an antiquated system that can promote laziness and give too much job protection.

ALEC Exposed  --  The Nation - John Nichols -  July 12, 2011 *****

Celebrating Nelson Mandela at 93  -  The Root - Charlayne Hunter-Gault July 18, 2011
He set a standard of conduct to which leaders of any age should aspire.  --  
Nelson Roulihlahla Mandela is celebrating his 93rd birthday today, marking still another milestone in a life that few, perhaps not even Mandela himself, could have imagined. The boy who, like all other boys in his rural South African village of Qunu, herded sheep and kicked around a soccer ball in the rolling hills, may have dared to dream, but in those early years of the 20th century, no young black South African like himself, even one of royal lineage, would have dreamed the dream of his journey from prisoner to president of his country and icon of the world. And yet, the dream of freedom propelled Mandela into the practice of law and into the streets above ground and underground and finally into the docks, challenging an unjust system that took away 27 years of his life but not his dream of freedom.

LCG employee charged with concealed voyeurism.  --  The Daily Advertiser - Nicholas Persac 7-17-2011
LAFAYETTE - Police arrested a Lafayette Consolidated Government employee Friday for allegedly secretly filming and photographing people in a bathroom of a government office. Jeffery Larcade, 38, of the 200 block of St. Joseph Street in Lafayette, works as a planner in LCG's Planning, Zoning and Codes department. Larcade is also the secretary and treasurer of the Preservation Alliance of Lafayette, according to LCG's website. He is charged with video voyeurism and is being held in the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center on $10,000 bond. Cpl. Paul Mouton, spokesman for the Lafayette Police Department, said officers received a complaint Friday from an employee in the PZC department about a video recording device in a men's bathroom at the department's office at 220 W. Willow St. According to the affidavit for Larcade's arrest, he confessed to the crime and admitted to duct taping a miniature camera to the urinal in the men's restroom at the PZC office.

Rep. Hardy readies for race against opponent with family ties to house seat.-- The Daily Advertiser-Mike Hasten and Nicholas Persac - 7-17-2011
LAFAYETTE - The race to represent Louisiana's 44th House District will likely be a contentious one, pitting a now-established state representative against a local businessman who has family ties to the seat. Lafayette Rep. Rickey Hardy, coming off a personally successful legislative session, is seeking re-election to the post. Vincent "Vince" Pierre, the nephew of Wilfred Pierre, is leaving the private sector to run for the seat his uncle held for 16 years before term limits forced him to pass Hardy the baton. Though both Hardy and Pierre are Democrats, the two men are starkly different candidates in a race that perhaps shows a challenge against Lafayette's new guard from members of the Hub City's old guard. "Louisiana has, as many states do, a history of electing sons, nephews, wives and so on," said Pearson Cross, chair of UL's Political Science Department. "It would not be entirely unheard of for a nephew of a popular long-serving state representative to take that seat," Cross said. "That being said, Rickey Hardy has been a capable and energetic representative for District 44." When asked about his opponent, Hardy said he doesn't know Pierre "from wine or Kool-Aid." "I know Rickey Hardy, and that's the only name my constituents need to know," Hardy said. "When I get re-elected, I will be a representative for all people, unlike my predecessor." Hardy then adds that "birds of a feather flock together" and that "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree." Pierre, however, said he doesn't view the race as a fight between the old and new schools of leadership here. "This is my race," Pierre said. "I saw a need for someone to truly represent and unite House District 44 in the Legislature. It's my race, and I am going to be fighting to improve this area." Pierre said his candidacy has been well-received by the community, and he said promoting education is a cornerstone of his campaign. "I have nothing personal with Rickey Hardy, but I do disagree with some of the decisions he has made while in office," Pierre said.

A Black Heart of Revenge  --  The Independent - The Independent Editors 7-15-2011
On Aug. 27, 2010, The Independent hosted a fundraiser called The Big Hair Do Ball & Benefit at the Acadiana Center for the Arts. Cherry Fisher May, co-publisher of The Independent, worked the event, making announcements, among other duties. During her four and a half hours at the AcA, like many who attended the event, she consumed a moderate amount of wine. Following the event, at roughly 11:30 p.m., May, carrying a large amount of cash from the fundraiser, was escorted to her mini-van by uniformed Lafayette Police officers who had provided off-duty security for the event — officers trained to recognize signs of intoxication. Minutes later May, alone in her vehicle, willingly and voluntarily approached a sobriety checkpoint on Congress Street conducted by local law enforcement. When asked if she had anything to drink that evening, she readily replied yes, which led to a field sobriety test. Cherry Fisher May was sober, but at the advice of her civil attorney, whom police allowed her to call from the checkpoint, she declined to take a breath test, which under Louisiana law results in an automatic charge of operating under the influence.
 
Boffy: terminate teacher tenure  --  The Independent - Walter Pierce -7-15-2011
A candidate for the District 7 seat on the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education is calling for end of the tenure system for teachers in Louisiana public schools. Holly Boffy of Lafayette, the 2010 Louisiana teacher of the year recognized for her work at Paul Breaux Middle School — Boffy has since retired from public education and works for the Associated Professional  Educators of Louisiana — told members of the Rotary Club of Baton Rouge this week, according to The Advocate, saying “We need to get rid of it as soon as we possibly can.” The position, which is in line with BESE member Chas Roemer’s failed bid earlier this year to abolish tenure, is likely to raise the hackles of state teacher unions. Boffy is so far the only announced candidate taking on incumbent District 7 BESE member Dale Bayard of Sulphur. District 7 represents southwest Louisiana and includes Lafayette. Read more here.

Mayor worried about split --- Viator: New government could cost city  --  The Advocate - Henri LeJeune - 7-15-2011
NEW IBERIA — Youngsville Mayor Wilson Viator expressed concern Thursday that the deconsolidation of the Lafayette city-parish government could put a financial strain on Youngsville.  Viator said if the city-parish government splits into two entities, rural residents in unincorporated areas around Youngsville may want to annex their property into the city so they can still receive services, such as utilities and road work.  Supporting a larger population could cost Youngsville more money with little help coming from a shrinking parish government, he said.

Terry Landry announces his candidacy for State Representative District #96  --  Teche News - 7-15-2011
LAFAYETTE - Former Louisiana State Police Superintendent Terry Landry has announced his candidacy for the District 96 seat in the Louisiana House of Representatives. Landry’s campaign released the following statement:
House District 96 is a newly created majority black district which has five precincts in Lafayette Parish, including the Long Bridge area and some precincts in Broussard. It also includes the Breaux Bridge and St. Martinville communities in St. Martin Parish. It then runs down the St. Martinville-New Iberia highway into downtown New Iberia.  “This district is tailor made for me,” Landry said. “I live in Lafayette but am originally from New Iberia. I attended Jonas Henderson High School and graduated from New Iberia Sr. High School. My relatives are from St. Martin Parish.  “I worked in the sugar cane fields of Iberia Parish and picked peppers as a young man. I served my country in the United States Army. I am a Vietnam veteran.  “After serving my country, I returned to New Iberia to serve my community as a city police officer. From there, I was recruited by Shell Oil, where I worked for five years. I then attended an academy and became a La. State Trooper,” Landry said.  “I was named superintendent of the Louisiana State Police by then-Gov. Mike Foster in 2000 and retired in 2004.  “I am seeking this position, not because I need a job. I am seeking this position because I see this as an opportunity to serve and to become the first black person to serve as a state representative in the parishes of Iberia and St. Martin. This is a historic opportunity.

Kelly Scott announces his candidacy for State Senator District #24  --  Teche news - 7-15-2011
 LAFAYETTE - His campaign released the following announcement:
 “Mr. Scott has been talking to members of the community and business leaders in an effort to gain understanding about the true needs of the district. Kelly is actively seeking counsel to formulate solutions that will significantly address the needs of families across Southwest Louisiana.
 “Kelly J. Scott sees the concerns of the people and the broken promises of the past. He understands the lack of resources in education, and high drop our rate that affect our schools and the children in our community. Every day he comes into contact with individuals who struggle to feed their families. It is the needs of the people that were not being met, which motivated Kelly to run for office. “According to Kelly, ‘The economy and improving the job market is my top priority.’ He adds, ‘It is time for Louisiana to be more successful and thriving by providing our families and young graduates good-paying jobs, an affordable college education, and accessible quality health care and the opportunity to raise their families in the state of Louisiana.’  “Kelly has been actively involved in the community by helping various volunteer and social organizations in the area. After running for state Senate in 2009, he began getting involved in education projects and spends free time donating school supplies and visiting Heritage School for the Arts in Lafayette.”

Selling Self-Determination  --  The Independent - By Walter Pierce 7 - 13 - 2011
Lafayette - Supporters of charter repeal are gearing up for the October vote.
Bruce Conque is making the rounds of Lafayette Parish with a PowerPoint presentation about Lafayette Consolidated Government and the wisdom in repealing LCG’s Home Rule Charter and returning to separate charters for the city and parish. He’s offering the presentation for a wide array of interests — Rotary and Kiwanis clubs, city councils, et cetera. He’s done several thus far and plans to continue as long as someone is willing to listen. The former city-parish councilman and member of the Lafayette Charter Commission was instrumental in steering the panel toward its recommendation a few months ago that parish voters be given the choice about whether to maintain the status quo or grant Lafayette the autonomy and self-determination it deserves. That Lafayette has to go hat in hand to the rest of the parish and ask for emancipation remains lodged in my craw. Bruce has a foil in his campaign to win over voters. Don Bacqué, one of Conque’s fellow charter commissioners who opposes repeal, is also making a pitch to civic groups along the lines of if it ain’t broke don’t fix it and two governments cost too much. Conque is highlighting the patent inequity of the city of Lafayette being the only municipality in the parish that is governed in part by non-residents — representation without taxation, if you will.

The Down-Player  --  The Independent - Leslie Turk 7-13-2011
OPELOUSAS - Opelousas’ mayor says he’s ‘pleased’ and ‘comfortable’ with an audit of financial transactions in his city, despite that it uncovered ethics violations and criminal conduct in his administration. Will he be as dismissive if federal investigators come calling. He’s pleased. Very pleased. Pleasantly surprised. Comfortable in fact. That’s the sentiment of Opelousas Mayor Donald Cravins about the results of the Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s report on his city’s operations. The compliance audit, released publicly last week, had been in Cravins’ hands for more than a week, awaiting his response to the findings. The Independent interviewed the mayor — a former state senator — before the audit was made public, inquiring about whether there were any serious issues raised that concerned him. “We have, what I think, more procedural stuff than anything of substance,” Cravins said at the time. “A lot of procedures we really didn’t have in place. I was pleasantly surprised really because they were there for about three months. They spent a lot of time. The whole report is a little over nine pages.” So imagine our surprise when the report finally saw the light of day: Felony theft, payroll fraud by a department director, payment for contractual services without a written contract, no competitive selection process for contracts, bid law violations, free rent of public buildings for city employees (including a freebie for City Attorney Pride Doran for a political fundraiser; it was the mayor’s office that requested the waivers), cash from scrap metal sales not deposited in the city’s account for months, poor controls, no controls. Even when policies were in place, the city routinely violated them.


Voter signup violation alleged  --  The Advocate - Bill Lodge - 7-13-2011
The federal government sued Louisiana on Tuesday for alleged violations of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993. Federal officials alleged in the suit that most people receiving food stamps, disability payments and Medicaid aren’t routinely offered voter registration at their provider agencies. Justice Department attorneys wrote U.S. District Judge James J. Brady, of Baton Rouge, that the Louisiana secretary of state, Department of Health and Hospitals, and Department of Children and Family Services should be ordered into compliance. Secretary of State Tom Schedler did not return a call seeking comment. His office’s elections commissioner, Angie Rogers, said she was not authorized to comment. Others denied the state is violating the NVRA. DHH Press Secretary Lisa Faust said for both DHH and DCFS: “While we haven’t seen the details of this lawsuit, we are in compliance with the spirit and the letter of the law.”
The Justice Department alleges in its suit that the NVRA requires Louisiana “to designate as voter registration agencies ‘all offices in the state that provide public assistance,’ as well as ‘all offices … providing services to persons with disabilities.’ ”

Billboards target Independent co-publisher  --  The Daily Advertiser - Clair Taylor - 7-13-2011

AG to Becker: If it walks like a duck ...  --  The independent - Leslie Turk - 7-12-2011
LOUISIANA - State Attorney General Buddy Caldwell Monday issued a definitive opinion that Cypress Trails Limited Partnership, created specifically to develop the publicly funded $10 million Cypress Trails apartment complex in north Lafayette, is subject to the state’s public records law. Attorney Richard Becker, who represents the Lafayette Public Trust Finance Authority, requested the opinion after denying this paper access to the partnership’s records. LPTFA created a non-profit affiliate that is the general partner in CTLP, and a private entity representing a tax credit investor is the limited partner holding a majority interest. The project was awarded low-income housing tax credits from the state. This paper has been seeking to review CTLP's records after learning that an LPTFA board member, Greg Gachassin, orchestrated the entire deal and then stepped down from his position as board chairman to become the development consultant, likely earning more than $500,000 (we’ll know the exact amount from the public record soon.) The state’s Ethics Code requires that appointees to public boards and commissions wait two years before going to work on any project involving the board. State Rep. Rickey Hardy has asked the state’s Board of Ethics to investigate the potential violation.

This media is corrupt – we need a Hippocratic oath for journalists  --  George Monbiot -  guardian.co.uk, 7-11-2011 - Article history
LONDON - Our job is to hold power to account. Instead, most of the profession simply ventriloquises the concerns of the elite.
Is Murdoch now finished in the UK? As the pursuit of Gordon Brown by the Sunday Times and the Sun blows the hacking scandal into new corners of the old man's empire, this story begins to feel like the crumbling of the Berlin Wall. The naked attempt to destroy Brown by any means, including hacking the medical files of his sick baby son, means that there is no obvious limit to the story's ramifications. The scandal radically changes public perceptions of how politics works, the danger corporate power presents to democracy, and the extent to which it has compromised and corrupted the Metropolitan police, who have now been dragged in so deep they are beginning to look like Murdoch's private army. It has electrified a dozy parliament and subjected the least accountable and most corrupt profession in Britain – journalism – to belated public scrutiny. The cracks are appearing in the most unexpected places. Look at the remarkable admission by the rightwing columnist Janet Daley in this week's Sunday Telegraph. "British political journalism is basically a club to which politicians and journalists both belong," she wrote. "It is this familiarity, this intimacy, this set of shared assumptions … which is the real corruptor of political life. The self-limiting spectrum of what can and cannot be said … the self-reinforcing cowardice which takes for granted that certain vested interests are too powerful to be worth confronting. All of these things are constant dangers in the political life of any democracy." Most national journalists are embedded, immersed in the society, beliefs and culture of the people they are meant to hold to account. They are fascinated by power struggles among the elite but have little interest in the conflict between the elite and those they dominate. They celebrate those with agency and ignore those without.

Phone hacking: British politics has been corrupted by a cosy camaraderie.  --  The Telegraph (UK)- Janet Daley - 7-09-2011
LONDON - The excessive intimacy between press and politicians has tainted our political culture, argues Janet Daley. 

Roemer heads to NH in bid for White House  --  The Independent - Walter Pierce - 7-10-2011
BATON ROUGE -  Former Louisiana Gov. Buddy Roemer hasn’t made his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination official yet, although it’s clear to everyone that he’s a candidate. And on Monday he heads to New Hampshire to campaign and will likely make his candidacy official. Roemer bookended an hour-long speech at a rally Saturday in Bossier City with references to New Hampshire, an early battleground state in the nominating process, saying of the Granite State, according to an account in The Shreveport Times, “I’m not going to say it’s just like Doyline, but it’s the same sort of thing. You can kiss every baby there and shake every hand in about an hour. But they’re good people, I’m finding that we’re getting along.” A long shot at the very least, the 67-year-old Roemer has vowed not to accept donations of more than $100. According to a poll conducted last week by Manchester television station WMUR, Roemer is barely registering a pulse among likely GOP voters, polling at less than 1 percent along with former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum and former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney leads the poll with 35 percent, far outpacing the field. 

Cravins’ foes go for jugular  --  The Independent - Leslie Turk - Monday, 7-11-2011
OPELOUSAS - Reggie Tatum wasted no time retaliating against the person he thinks was responsible for removing him as mayor pro tem of Opelousas after Tatum blew the whistle on questionable city contracts.  On Friday District Judge Donald Hebert reinstated Tatum as mayor pro tem, saying a revised June 14 meeting agenda failed to adequately alert Tatum of a discussion and vote on his removal. It was Mayor Donald Cravins Sr. who asked to add the item to the agenda, and Cravins who broke the tie vote to remove him. Actually aldermen Julius Alsandor, Louis Butler Jr. and Jacqueline Martin voted for Tatum’s removal, and the three remaining aldermen (yes, there are six) abstained.  Tatum’s return to the post was a political blow to the former state senator turned mayor, but Tatum wasn’t done after Friday’s ruling. He teamed up with three of Cravins’ other adversaries, state Sen. Elbert Guillory (whom Cravins now says he may oppose this fall), State Rep. Rickey Hardy and Opelousas Alderman at Large Joe Charles in asking U.S. Attorney Stephanie Finley to investigate the city in the wake of a troubling state legislative audit of its operations and those of the Opelousas Housing Authority. The audit is already in the hands of DA Earl Taylor and the state attorney general.  “We have identified a pattern of illegal behavior for both governmental units and involving many of the same persons, with the same person directly in control,” the four men, who make up a self-appointed task force looking into problems with the local housing authority, write in a letter to Finley. The housing authority is already under federal investigation.

Kevin Naquin running for City - Parish - Council  --  Nicholas Persac - The Daily Advertiser - 7- 10-2011  
LAFAYETTE - Kevin Naquin, a business development representative for U.S. Med-Equip, is running to represent the City-Parish Council's first district. Naquin graduated from Acadiana High School in 1997 and from UL in 2001 with a bachelor's degree in science: insurance and risk management.  Naquin said he will work to restore faith and trust in government, to become a voice for all of his constituents and to make government more efficient. He said he will also work to improve road conditions. "The number of gravel roads that exist in this parish and paved roads that look like simulated moon surfaces absolutely shocks me," Naquin said on his campaign website. "We should be ashamed of ourselves. I intend to work with parish, city and state officials to eliminate this embarrassing situation." Mary Morrison holds the District 1 seat for which Naquin is vying. She is not allowed to seek re-election because the City-Parish Council appointed her to the post after her husband vacated the seat to become mayor of Scott, which is in District 1.

Pierre Addresses Allegations  --  The Independent - Walter Pierce - 7-8-2011
LAFAYETTE -- Faced with a fusillade of incriminations, presumably from supporters of state Rep. Rickey Hardy, Vincent Pierre has addressed, point-by-point, accusations leveled against him in the comment section at theind.com and elsewhere regarding his character. Within an hour after our June 28 blog, “Pierre announces bid for state House 44,” was posted, the attacks on Pierre began. He was accused of welshing on his child support payments, of bearing a child out of wedlock and resigning from a previous job at the Louisiana Lottery amid sexual-harassment allegations. Pierre denies them all. He acknowledges that he is separated from his wife, but maintains they enjoy a healthy relationship centered around the rearing of their sons. While documents from the 15th Judicial Court in Lafayette from last December show that Pierre did in fact fall behind on his $1,400-per-month child support obligation, he says he has caught up and that he and his wife, who are separated but not divorced, “have an amicable financial agreement concerning the welfare of our children and we’re both acting in accordance with that agreement,” adding that “we’re great friends and she’s in full support of my running for office.”

Audit says Opelousas violated Public Bid Law  --  The Daily AdvertiserTina Marie Macias 7-09-2011

Suit: LUS line burial erred - Companies sued for cost of reburial  --  Advocate Acadiana bureau - Richard Burgess - 7-08-2011
LAFAYETTE — City-parish government is seeking damages that could climb into the millions of dollars in a lawsuit that alleges shoddy work by contractors who installed miles of underground fiber optic lines for LUS Fiber.  Lafayette’s city-owned Internet, telephone and television service — first launched in 2009 — was made available citywide last year.  At issue is not a problem with the fiber optic cable but rather the depth that the cable was buried.  City-parish government claims in a lawsuit filed last month that contractors did not follow specifications that called for the cable to be buried deep enough so as not to be damaged by future road work.

Hack job! Murdoch axes paper to save deal  --  Alastair Macdonald and Jodie Ginsberg; Editing by Jon Boyle - 7-7-2011
LONDON - In an astonishing response to a scandal engulfing his media empire, Rupert Murdoch shut down the News of the World on Thursday, Britain's biggest selling Sunday newspaper.  As allegations multiplied that its journalists hacked the voicemails of thousands of people, from child murder victims to the families of Britain's war dead, the tabloid hemorrhaged advertising, alienated millions of readers and posed a growing threat to Murdoch's hopes of buying broadcaster BSkyB.  Yet no one, least of all the paper's 200 staff, was prepared for the drama of a single sentence that will surely go down as one of the most startling turns in the 80-year-old Australian-born press baron's long and controversial career.  "News International today announces that this Sunday, 10 July 2011, will be the last issue of the News of the World," read the preamble to a statement from Murdoch's son James, who chairs the British newspaper arm of News Corp.

The Murdoch Style, Under Pressure  --  Thr New York Times - Jeremy W. Peters and Brian Stelter: July 6, 2011
Risk-taking and line-skirting have always been just one more cost of doing business for Rupert Murdoch. But before Thursday, the widening voice-mail hacking scandal at the British tabloid News of the World had threatened to stain the company’s image in a way that other embarrassing incidents at News Corporation’s far-flung media properties — which also include the Fox networks and The New York Post — had not. In the past, Mr. Murdoch has either outlasted his critics or acted swiftly to limit the fallout. On Thursday, he was in damage-control mode again: The company announced it would shut down The News of the World as of Sunday.

Bill Clinton: Voter ID Bills Are Worst Effort To Disenfranchise Voters Since Jim Crow Laws  --  Huffington Post - 7-07-2011
WASHINGTON -- Former President Bill Clinton went after Republican governors and legislators on Wednesday for their "disciplined, passionate, determined effort" to pass controversial voter ID laws that could keep some traditionally Democratic voters from casting a ballot in 2012. "There has never been in my lifetime, since we got rid of the poll tax and all the other Jim Crow burdens on voting, the determined effort to limit the franchise that we see today," Clinton said in his keynote address to a roomful of young progressives at the Campus Progress National Conference. "This is not rocket science. They are trying to make the 2012 election look more like the 2010 election than the 2008 election." Clinton specifically chastised Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) for imposing a five-year waiting period on the restoration of voting rights for ex-prisoners, many of whom fall into racial groups that have traditionally voted Democratic -- and would likely vote for Democratic candidates in 2012.

Setting the Record Straight: Charter Schools are Public Schools.  - The CABLWire for Thursday, 7-07, 2011 to Wednesday, 6-13-2011 
BATON ROUGE - Maybe it’s because there was a much-talked about bill during the recent legislative session to allow businesses a new way to partner with charter schools. Or maybe it’s because a new coalition of education establishment types disguised as “reformers” has been bemoaning the “privatization” of public education. Whatever the reason, there’s a clear buzz out there again trying to raise red flags about charter schools with information that’s at best misleading, and at worst, flatly inaccurate. So perhaps it’s time to take a look once again at just what we’re talking about when we discuss charter schools.

Are You Ready to Rumble?  --  The Independent - Walter Pierce 7-6-2011
LAFAYETTE - Months away from the fall contest, a campaign in north Lafayette is already getting ugly.   If politics really is a contact sport, it’s boxing. And three and a half months out from the October election, the gloves are already coming off in District 44.  A couple of weeks ago Vincent Pierre, a 47-year-old Lafayette businessman, announced his intention to seek the seat held by first-term Rep. Rickey Hardy, a former school board member. Before Hardy won the seat in a runoff four years ago, it was held by Wilfred Pierre, Vincent’s uncle. A longtime former Lafayette city councilman, Wilfred Pierre held the state House seat for 16 years, or four terms, beginning in 1992.  Literally within minutes of posting a workaday story at theind.com on Monday of last week announcing the younger Pierre’s candidacy, the comment section started overflowing with vitriol, beginning with some pretty serious accusations against Pierre involving his family, his past employment and his relationship to his uncle and a certain imbroglio involving a grant-supported program Wilfred Pierre operated in Lafayette. I’m disinclined to repeat those accusations here because, as I write this on a holiday-shortened week, we’re still trying to ascertain whether there’s any truth to them. Vincent Pierre had an opportunity, however, to clear this up with me on Friday morning but he balked. He has not yet demanded — or asked or pleaded — that we remove those comments from our website.

Opelousas mayor mulls Senate bid  --  The Daily Advertiser - Tina Marie Maciasv - Jul. 5, 2011  
Opelousas Mayor Don Cravins has been eying his old state Senate seat recently and will decide soon whether he will try to reclaim the 24th Senatorial District this fall. "I served for 15 years in the Legislature as a state senator. Over the last few weeks, I've received numerous calls from people in District 24 and throughout the state asking me whether I would consider running," said Cravins, a Democrat. "And I'm seriously looking at it, talking to people and weighing my options." Cravins served in the Louisiana Legislature from 1992 until 2006 when he resigned after he won a mayoral seat. His son Don Cravins Jr. won the seat soon after, but resigned to take a job with U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu's Washingtion, D.C., office. "I'm very happy doing what I do in the city of Opelousas, but based on the amount of calls and inquiries I've gotten, I'm probably going to put together a group of people over the next few days and within the next 30 days, make a decision based on what I think is best for this area," Cravins Sr. said. The only person to announce his candidacy for the seat's Oct. 22 election is incumbent Sen. Elbert Guillory, a Democrat.

Contractor says he received call from Cravins  --  The Daily Advertiser - Claire Taylor - Jul. 5, 2011
Opelousas - The owner of a company that received at least $90,000 in city of Opelousas public works projects without formally bidding on them is the son of a longtime friend of Opelousas Mayor Donald Cravins Sr. and said Cravins personally called him on one occasion to submit a bid. Anderson Iron Works, owned by Kendall Anderson, was named in a compliance audit released this week by the Louisiana Legislative Auditor's Office as receiving work on at least one city-owned building by submitting a written quote, not a formal sealed bid. The LLA also found the company worked on seven city projects exceeding $5,000 but could not find written contracts for those projects, which is required under the public bid law. Kendall Anderson told The Daily Advertiser on Tuesday that Cravins is a longtime friend of his father, Floyd Anderson. Floyd Anderson used to be a member of the company, which was Anderson Services and Iron Works, Kendall Anderson said. Today, it's just Kendall Anderson operating Anderson Iron Works, although Floyd Anderson does help out sometimes, he said. Cravins once personally called Kendall Anderson requesting a bid on a new roof for the city library, Kendall Anderson said. For the other projects, city employees called him soliciting bids on city work. "None of them were public bids, like advertised in the paper," Kendall Anderson said. Cravins said Floyd Anderson has been his friend a long time, but that had nothing to do with Anderson Iron Works receiving city work. "Absolutely, unequivocally no. No," Cravins said. "I've heard that before. Unfounded. Totally unfounded."

House arrest ends, Edwards plans public events  --  The Daily Advertiser - Melinda Deslatte  7-06-2011
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Edwin Edwards ended his home detention Wednesday and soon will be attending public events, nearly nine years after heading to prison for a corruption conviction. In a Facebook posting, Edwards' fiancée, Trina Grimes Scott, announced the four-term former governor had signed forms officially ending his six-month home detention and allowing him to begin a series of planned public appearances around Louisiana. "FREE AT LAST... FREE AT LAST!!! IT'S OFFICIAL!!" Grimes wrote. The charismatic and popular politician plans to embark on a book tour in about a week. He's in talks for a reality TV show. He's making plans for a third wedding. And he's having an 84th birthday party in the French Quarter on July 30.


New buses to go into use  --  Advocate Acadiana bureau - Richard Burgess - 7-06-2011
LAFAYETTE — City-parish government’s new natural gas-powered buses are expected to be rolling by this fall after initial delays in plans for the specialized fueling station needed for the new vehicles.  The City-Parish Council on Tuesday accepted the donation of a temporary fueling station from Apache Corporation, a Houston-based oil and gas company that has been active in pushing the development of natural gas as a cheaper and cleaner alternative to gasoline.  The temporary station, which is expected to be installed by October, will allow city-parish government to begin using five natural gas buses that arrived in the past month but have sat idle because there is nowhere to fill them up, City-Parish Director of Traffic and Transportation Tony Tramel said.  He said that once the natural gas buses are operational, city-parish government is expected to see fuel costs for the buses cut by at least half.

Legislators use bag of tricks to stop bills --  Melinda Deslatte -  The Associated Press - 7-04-2011
Baton Rouge - That didn't stop crafty lawmakers unable to corral enough support for an up-or-down rejection of controversial or unwanted proposals. Instead, they used a series of procedural maneuvers in the final days and hours of the just-ended legislative session to ensure unwanted bills were sent to the trash pile. Some of the most hot-button issues of the session were derailed with side maneuvers: a ban on abortion; mandatory drug testing for welfare recipients; repeal of the state income tax; and a bid to give local school districts more freedom to choose textbooks, which was criticized as a back-door introduction to creationism.

Petition to recall alderman incomplete  --  The Advocate - Bobby Ardoin 7-02-2011
OPELOUSAS — A petition filed this week seeking the recall of Opelousas Alderman Reggie Tatum has been declared improper by the Secretary of State’s Office.  St. Landry Parish Registrar of Voters John Moreau said Friday that he had received a letter from Secretary of State Tom Schedler saying recall chairman Betty Lazard had failed to specify the election district represented by Tatum and did not properly list her residence and that of the recall petition’s vice chairman.  Lazard said Friday she plans to resubmit the petition after making the necessary corrections.  She said she is unsure who is the vice chairman of the recall.  In her original petition, Lazard lists her street address, but does not indicate the city in which she resides. That information is also absent from the name of the petition’s vice chairman, which is written in cursive and is illegible.  Lazard said she launched the recall after deciding Tatum is preventing city employees from doing their jobs.

Board reviews ethics rules  --  Advocate Acadiana bureau - Marsha Sills - 7-1-2011
Lafayette — School Board members sharing their opinions about board business with each other by phone is not a violation of the state’s Open Meetings Law, an attorney told board members Wednesday night during an ethics workshop.  “If you don’t do it, you’re not going to be an effective board member,” said Bob Hammonds, a Baton Rouge attorney who led the School Board member training session that lasted over two hours.  Members Mark Cockerham and Rae Trahan directed questions related to scenarios of phoning board members for opinions or polling them about how they planned to vote.  In June, the board received a visit from 15th Judicial District Attorney Mike Harson over a complaint about similar board behavior related to a proposed extension of Superintendent Burnell Lemoine’s contract.  While the phone calls weren’t a technical violation of the law, which ensures the public is aware of decisions and deliberations that affect public policy, board members’ actions violated the spirit of the law, Harson told members in June.  Cockerham asked for the “proper protocol” for talking to other members about issues outside of a board meeting.  “What if you poll the vote? If you’re calling (Tehmi) Chassion and say, ‘How are you going to vote?’ ” asked Trahan.  “Sometimes board members say who they’re going to vote for — and then they don’t carry through,” Hammonds said. “I encourage you to communicate with each other … if you get together … then that’s problematic.”
 
White Supremacist Stampede  --  The Daily Beast - Eve Conant - Jul 4, 2011
A startling number of white-power candidates are seeking public office. Eve Conant reports on their under-the-radar strategy and David Duke’s White House flirtation. Add to the growing list of candidates considering a bid for the GOP presidential nomination in 2012 America’s most famous white-power advocate: David Duke. A former grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, member of the Louisiana House of Representatives and Republican executive-committee chairman in his district until 2000, Duke has a significant following online. His videos go viral. This month, he’s launching a tour of 25 states to explore how much support he can garner for a potential presidential bid. He hasn’t considered running for serious office since the early '90s, when he won nearly 40 percent of the vote in his bid for Louisiana governor. But like many “white civil rights advocates,” as he describes himself to The Daily Beast, 2012 is already shaping up to be a pivotal year.

Audit finds theft, flaws in policies  --  The Daily Advertiser - Tina Marie Macias - Jul. 1, 2011
Opelousas - Two municipal employees allegedly stole from Opelousas for years, according to an investigation into the city by the Louisiana Legislative Auditor. Both employees were terminated and one was prosecuted. The Legislative Audit will not be released to the public until next week, but a draft was released to the Daily World by Mayor Don Cravins. He also released a copy of the city's response to the audit. The Supervisor of Public Works Leonard Hammond was fired and arrested during the auditing process, Cravins said. He was charged with felony theft in May, according to court records. The city salvages scrap metal and sells it. Louisiana law requires daily deposits of funds, according to the audit. However, from January 2008 until March the public works department kept cash for as long as four months before depositing. About $5,816 of cash from scrap iron sales were not deposited until the investigation.

Expert: TIF districts hurt economies, corrupt politicians  --  The Daily Advertiser - Nicholas Persac - Jun. 30, 2011
Lafayette - Special taxing districts like ones recently considered in Lafayette will lead to a less productive economy and a corrupt political process, according to a national expert who spoke here Thursday night. "I don't think there is a any tax increment financing anywhere that can be justified," said Randal O'Toole, a senior fellow at the libertarian think-tank The Cato Institute. "I think the states would do best to repeal the TIF laws." The Tea Party of Lafayette and The Pelican Institute hosted a sold-out fundraiser during which conservative talk show host Moon Griffon and O'Toole discussed the negative effects of special taxing districts, or TIFs. Strong public opposition to TIF districts, particularly from the Tea Party of Lafayette, forced officials to pull from consideration three different plans that would have either created or opened the door to create TIF districts in the Lafayette area during the past half-year alone, and about 200 conservatives came to hear O'Toole's expertise. The strong turnout, according to Joyce Linde, Tea Party of Lafayette coordinator, reflects a now-awoken "sleeping giant" of the silent majority here has become an active political group influencing local policies. "The Tea Party of Lafayette believes that all taxes must come before citizens for a vote, otherwise it is taxation without representation, and that is tyranny," Linde said.

Injunction: Tatum is Opelousas mayor pro tem again  --  The Daily Advertiser - Tina Marie Macias - Jun. 30, 2011
Opelousas Alderman Reggie Tatum was reinstated as the city's mayor pro tempore — for now — after District Judge Donald Hebert granted a temporary restraining order this week. Tatum, District D, filed a petition last week seeking an injunction against Mayor Don Cravins Sr. and three Opelousas City Council members. A hearing on that injunction will be held next week, and until then Tatum will remain in his former position. "It's an injustice," Tatum said of his removal. "And if this happens, then when another mayor pro tem disagrees with the mayor and doesn't rubber-stamp everything, then they could be removed." Granting a temporary restraining order is standard, Cravins said, who added he and the council were not in the wrong.

Vitter endorses Jindal, despite silence in ’10 race  --  The Advocate - Michelle Millhollon - Jun 30, 2011
U.S. Sen. David Vitter, R-La., announced Wednesday that he is backing Gov. Bobby Jindal’s re-election bid despite the governor’s silence last year on Vitter’s re-election campaign.  “I am strongly endorsing Bobby Jindal for Governor. I hope you will join with me in doing everything we can to ensure a particularly strong victory for Bobby and our state,” Vitter wrote to supporters in an email.  Vitter characterized the Republican governor as honest and competent. He coupled his endorsement with a request for money to help Jindal become as bold as possible.  The governor declined to publicly back Vitter in his race last year against then-U.S. Rep. Charlie Melancon, D-Napoleonville, and other challengers. Jindal backed candidates in past federal races.

School Board pushing 25-mill facility tax  --  The Daily Advertiser - Jushua Parrott - Jun. 29, 2011 
Lafayette - The Lafayette Parish School Board voted 5-3, with one member abstaining, to adopt a $561 million proposal for school facility improvements and place it on the Oct. 22 ballot. Board members Tommy Angelle, Kermit Bouillion and Shelton Cobb voted against it, with member Tehmi Chassion abstaining, during the special board meeting on Wednesday. The first phase of the master facilities plan will be implemented over a six-year period and cost $560.79 million, according to the request for proposal. That amount was an estimate and reflected inflation, the removal of funding for the Thibodaux Career and Technical High School and some small projects that were paid for by stimulus bonds. That phase would cost 23 mills and require a 20-year bond. There's also a bond proposal to authorize a 20-year, 2-mills tax for the purpose of repairing, maintaining and improving capital school facilities. The two millages (25 mills total) would cost the average homeowner, with a $150,000 house and a homestead exemption of the first $75,000, an extra $172.50 a year, according to Daily Advertiser calculations.
 
Death of a Good Intention  --  The  IndependentWalter Pierce - June 29, 2011
Lafayette - A bill that would have created the Lafayette Parish Redevelopment Authority was opposed by both ends of the political spectrum.
(Laf. Pub. Pol. Comment:  This bill was not in the best interest of the people of Lafayette. Only Durel and his cronies would propser).
The withdrawal of House Bill 531 on June 13 was an afterthought, really. The bill creating the Lafayette Parish Redevelopment Authority had cleared the state House on May 12 unanimously, enjoying the kind of overwhelming bipartisan support that most locally focused bills get. But before 531 was scheduled to move into a Senate committee on May 17, its sponsor, Rep. Joel Robideaux, an independent Lafayette lawmaker, pulled it from consideration. Not coincidentally, by that time howls of protest from the most far-flung political corners of Lafayette — the parish’s Democratic Executive Committee and the Tea Party of Lafayette — were reaching a crescendo. So, less than a month later when the bill limped out of the shadows to die, few were surprised and many were relieved. Robideaux cited “important questions” and “unanswered concerns” about the proposed redevelopment authority in withdrawing the legislation, and in diagnosing the death of 531 those questions and concerns appear legitimate.

Obama To GOP: End Tax Breaks For Millionaires, Oil Companies  --  Huffington Post - 6-29-2011
WASHINGTON (AP) -- In a blunt challenge to Republicans in Congress, President Barack Obama insisted Wednesday that limiting selected tax breaks for oil companies and the super-wealthy must be part of any deficit reduction plan. "That's not radical," he said at a White House news conference. He was quick to add that a bipartisan agreement is possible to cut deficits, raise the government's debt limit and avert a threatened financial crisis. Republicans in Congress have been insistent in recent days that any deficit reduction be limited to spending cuts, including reductions in benefit programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, and exclude additional revenues. But Obama said both parties must be prepared to "take on their sacred cows" as part of the deficit-reduction negotiations.

I-49 usage under survey  --  Tolls eyed to fund extension  --  Advocate Acadiana bureau - Richard Burgess -- Jun 29, 2011
LAFAYETTE — A study on whether tolls could fund the construction of Interstate 49 through Lafayette is expected to be complete by August, setting the stage for a decision on whether the toll proposal should be pursued or dropped. The Lafayette Metropolitan Expressway Commission floated the idea last year of using tolls to build an elevated stretch of I-49 through Lafayette and south toward Iberia Parish along the path of U.S. 90. The interstate upgrade, which at last estimate would cost at least $700 million, has been on the drawing board for years but has not moved forward for want of funding. The Expressway Commission is paying for a study by a traffic consulting firm to determine if enough vehicles would use the planned interstate to generate sufficient toll revenue to pay for its construction. The results are expected by August, the commission learned at a Tuesday meeting.

Pierre announces bid for state House District #44  --- The Independent - June 28, 2011
Lafayette -- Lafayette businessman Vince Pierre has announced his intention to make state Rep. Rickey Hardy, D-Lafayette, a one-term lawmaker. The 47-year-old co-owner of a Lafayette dry-cleaning business and nephew of former state Rep. Wilfred Pierre, who held the seat before Hardy, says he will seek the state House District 44 seat in the October election. The district covers most of the north side of the city of Lafayette.  “I have often been interested in working as a public servant, working for people in the Lafayette area,” Pierre says. “I’ve worked on Wilfred’s campaigns a number of times, and I have just always had an interest in being in political office.”  Pierre graduated from Holy Rosary Institute and Southern University in Baton Rouge as well as the Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Lafayette Program. He is active in several area civic organizations including Boy Scouts and Acadiana Youth. He is married with three sons — 12-year-old twins Joshua and Kyle, who are 7th graders at L.J. Alleman Arts Academy; and 4-year-old Luke, who will be a kindergartner in the French Immersion Program at Prairie Elementary next school year. He says education and economic development will be the focal points of his campaign.  “One of the things that I’m really concentrating on is educational improvement. In District 44 we have failing schools. We have schools that have been challenged,” Pierre says, adding that “District 44 is the front yard of Lafayette as I normally tell everyone, and I am very interested in trying to develop that area so we can gain employment and companies to build here.”  The three-day qualifying period for the Oct. 22 primary begins Sept. 6.

Britt Latiolais --- Candidate Lafayette Parish Council District #5  --  The Daily Advertiser - 6-25-2011
Lafayette  --  Local FireFighterfor City-Parish Council:
Britt Latiolais announced this week his candidacy to represent the City-Parish Council's fifth district, a post currently held by Jared Bellard. Latiolais is a member of the Judice Volunteer Fire Department and serves in the U.S. Navy Reserves as a first class Logistic specialist. In his campaign announcement, Latiolais said he wants to protect taxpayers while addressing problems. "Parking areas in parks haven't ben hard-surfaced, traffic and drainage problems haven't been resolved, and sadly, problems in the rural areas of district #5 have just plain been ignored," he said in the news release. "We need strong proactive and responsive leadership to fix what's wrong, especially in today's depressed economy".

Proposed Budget Cuts To Medicaid Could Kill Jobs And Short-Change Seniors  --  Huffington Post - 6-28-2011
WASHINGTON -- While the debate over entitlements is focusing on cuts to Social Security and Medicare, Senate Democrats worry that the closed-door debt-ceiling talks could instead lead to major cuts to Medicaid at a time when the joint federal-state program is under assault from cash-strapped states hoping to close budget gaps. Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) has organized more than 40 Democrats into a bloc committed to opposing cuts to Medicaid. "I can see just a feast of people who have no idea what Medicaid does and who don't care, because Medicaid people don't vote, they don't give money, they don't have lobbyists," he told HuffPost. "But it serves 68 million Americans, including all of the disabled, certain women and children, and all kinds of other things, and obviously the poor. But there's a lot of people around here who don't have any interest in the poor." Rockefeller lobbied the White House on Wednesday not to cut Medicaid. House Republicans are pushing for dramatic cuts. The House Republican budget proposal, sponsored by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.), calls for a 5 percent cut in federal funding to state Medicaid programs in 2013, 15 percent in 2014, and 35 percent by 2021. The cuts would add up to about $750 billion over ten years, 64 percent of which would go to senior nursing home residents who depend on Medicaid to pay for their housing and assistance. Another 22 percent of the Medicaid budget is allocated to 34 million very poor children.

Alderman sues over ouster  --  RICHARD BURGESS - Advocate Acadiana bureau - Jun 28, 2011


Running for Office: Britt R. Latiolais ( City-Parish Council District 5 )  --  Advocate Acadiana bureau - Jun 23, 201
Lafayette -- Britt R. Latiolais announced his candidacy Wednesday for Lafayette City-Parish Council District 5. Latiolais is a member of the Judice Volunteer Fire Department; member of VFW Post 9822; sponsor of youth baseball; sponsor and coach of youth soccer; and a logistics specialist with the U.S. Navy Reserves, according to his campaign announcement.  “I’ve seen a lot of changes take place in Lafayette, Scott, Judice and the unincorporated areas of the district. Hard-surfaced highways have replaced gravel roads, and subdivisions have replaced fields of soybean and sugarcane.  I’m all for progress, but progress brings problems that must be addressed to protect the taxpayers who are paying all the bills!” Latiolais stated in a written campaign announcement. “It’s quite obvious that many of these problems simply haven’t been addressed and that’s why I’ve decided to run for office.  Parking areas in parks haven’t been hard-surfaced, traffic and drainage problems haven’t been resolved and sadly, problems in the rural areas of District 5 have just plain been ignored.” The District 5 seat is currently held by Jared Bellard, who is seeking re-election.  District 5 covers a portion of western Lafayette Parish.  
The primary election is Oct. 22.

St. Paul's celebrates 100 years  --  The Daily Advertiser  - William Johnson - 6-28-2011
Lafayette -- Led in by members of the Knights of Peter Claver to adriving drum rhythm, church dignitaries from throughout the diocese and region came together Sunday to rededicate St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church in Lafayette. The church, one of oldest African-American congregations in the region, is celebrating its 100th year. "This is a day of rejoicing," proclaimed Bishop Michael Jarrell, who personally rededicated the altar and then moved through the church, sprinkling holy water on the building and the hundreds of parishioners in attendance.

House Revives  Cigarette Tax Bill   --  The Daily Advertiser  --  Mike Hasten - Turk - 6-21-2011  
BATON ROUGE — Gov. Bobby Jindal's veto and the House refusal to override the veto did not kill the renewal of a 4-cent-per-pack tax on cigarettes. Rep. Harold Ritchie, D-Bogalusa, the author of the tax renewal bill, got House approval to attach the tax to a constitutional amendment seeking to utilize a portion of tobacco lawsuit settlement revenue to fund the TOPS scholarship program. The procedural move, labeled by Speaker of the House Jim Tucker as "brilliant," was approved 59-40. After that attachment, the bill was approved 90-12 with even many tax opponents voting to approve the resolution. If the Senate agrees to the addition to SB53 by Sen. John Alario, R-Westwego, it cannot be vetoed by the governor. Alario said he will ask the Senate to reject the change but some senators who supported the tax say they will vote to keep it. "I would have to reject that," Alario told reporters after the House vote. "That was not the intention of our bill." Although he opposed renewing the tax as a tax increase, the governor said in a statement: "While we are disappointed that the House amended the TOPS bill to include the cigarette tax, we can't let the perfect be the enemy of the good. TOPS is too important to our children and to the future of our state." Supporters of the tax read that as a possibility that the governor won't oppose the amendment. They said Alario's original bill might not have received the necessary 70 votes without Ritchie's amendment.


Nungesser enters lieutenant gov.'s race  --  The Independent - Leslie Turk - 6-20-2011
Swatting gnats from his sweat-spattered forehead in the blistering heat last year, Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser garnered state and national headlines day in and day out in the aftermath of last year’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. In particular, he seemed to be the go-to voice for CNN’s Anderson Cooper, the cable network that provided extensive coverage of the disaster. On Monday the rotund Republican turned that exposure into a campaign for lieutenant governor, a seat currently held by fellow Republican Jay Dardenne.
“Louisianans need a lieutenant governor who has real world experience creating jobs and a track record of standing up and doing what is best for our state,” Nungesser said from Belle Chasse Monday. “Louisiana needs a fighter who has been tested and delivered real results with the proven courage to stand up to large corporations, the federal government or whoever is standing in the way of doing what is right for our state and our people.”


Senators hope House will concur with amended measure   --  MICHELLE MILLHOLLON - Advocate Capitol News Bureau -  Jun 20, 2011 
The state Senate spent Father’s Day tackling a proposed $25 billion state operating budget.  
The narrowing window on the 2011 Regular Legislative Session prompted the Sunday gathering on a spending plan that will fund state government operations in the fiscal year that starts July 1.  The Senate voted 36-2 to send House Bill 1, the main budget bill, to the House for concurrence, or agreement, on changes.  HB1 now is neither the spending plan that Gov. Bobby Jindal proposed in March nor the version that the House crafted.  The House can reject the Senate’s changes or send the legislation as is to the governor for his signature. A rejection would force the Legislature to appoint a handful of lawmakers to work out a compromise.  The Legislature adjourns Thursday at 6 p.m.

School funding gets final legislative approval  --    WBRZ-TV-6-20-2011  BATON ROUGE
A nearly $3.4 billion spending plan for state public school districts has received final passage from the Legislature with a unanimous Senate vote.The 2011-12 funding formula will keep funding static for a third year, not providing districts with the annual 2.75 percent increases they had grown accustomed to receiving to cover rising health and retirement costs. Lawmakers, Gov. Bobby Jindal and the state education board said the state couldn't afford an increase in such tight budget times. It's the third year in a row without new money. The formula divides dollars to the 70 school districts based on the number and type of students they have and the individual districts' wealth. The base amount will stay at $3,855 per student.

Voters will decide this fall if consolidated government stays or goes  --  The Daily Advertiser - 0Nicholas Persac - 6-19-2011 
More than 220 years ago, the Constitution of the United States became the land's supreme law. That governing document shaped a young nation into a global power and provided lawmakers and citizens with a road map to get there. A similar document, the home-rule charter, acts as a governing force for Lafayette Parish. Voters here approved the current document 18 years ago in order to guide the area's future. This fall, voters will decide if that document should continue steering Lafayette or if it should be tossed aside in favor of two new ones — one for each the city and the parish. On Oct. 22, Louisiana voters will elect a governor and local representatives. But voters in Lafayette will also decide if the 15 years of consolidated parish and city government here will be marked in history as a lasting fixture or simply a as failed experiment.

Future of LUS troubles many  --  The Daily Advertiser -  William Johnson - 6-19-2011
Regardless of what side of the deconsolidation debate they are on, almost everyone admits the current city-parish charter is a flawed document. Those opposed to deconsolidation argue the charter simply needs to be tweaked, while the other side argues scrapping it is the only real answer. But combatants on both sides agree that control of the Lafayette Utility System is the biggest area of concern.

Smaller cities oppose deconsolidation  --  The Daily Advertiser - William Johnson - 6-19-2011
The vote to dissolve the consolidated city-parish government can be thought of as a marriage that is ending in divorce. The parish gets the house — the courthouse, the parish jail, the district courts and the offices of the clerk of courts, district attorney and tax assessors as well as "any other mandated services." The city gets the kids — in this case the roughly 2,400 employees and the road equipment and other items used to maintain the city and parish's roads, bridges and infrastructure. The city would also keeps the Lafayette Utilities System, the Lafayette Public Power Authority and LUS Fiber. As the city gets the kids, the parish is expected to provide the child support — roughly $10 million a year to pay for the use of city employees and equipment within the parish.  Like many family divorces, what is driving the change at this point is the question of who wears the pants in the family.

Durel’s hearing postponed -3 ex-LHA members seek ruling -- Richard Burgess - Advocate Acadiana bureau -  Jun 17, 2011
Judge acquits lawmaker  --  JASON BROWN - Advocate Acadiana bureau -  Jun 16, 2011  
LAFAYETTE — A state district judge ruled Wednesday that there was no basis for the Jan. 18, 2010, traffic stop that ultimately led a state trooper to arrest state Rep. Bobby Badon on a first-offense DWI. The decision means any evidence collected as a result of that stop cannot be used against Badon, D-Carencro, Judge Herman Clause ruled Wednesday. The trooper stopped Badon for improper lane usage after Badon took a wide left turn and crossed over the fog line about 11:30 p.m. at the intersection of La. 746 and La. 182 near Carencro. Following the stop, Badon was taken to Troop I headquarters, where he submitted a breath sample, which showed his blood alcohol content was 0.125, police have said. Badon’s attorney, Barry J. Sallinger, argued in court Wednesday that video of the stop and the trooper’s own observations clearly demonstrate that his client did not commit the improper lane usage violation.

Irrational Exuberance at the Legislature  --  CABLWire  - June 17, 2011
For close to an hour-and-a half on Thursday the House of Representatives was uncharacteristically quiet. That’s remarkable because the House is never quiet. But there was hardly a peep out of lawmakers or the audience in the packed chamber as one legislator after another went to the microphone urging their colleagues to override the governor’s veto of a measure to renew a four-cent tax on cigarettes.  On the one hand it was pure political theater of a serious nature as House members pushed to override a gubernatorial veto for only the third time in modern history. A few weeks earlier, despite a veto threat from the governor, the same House mustered the two-thirds vote needed to renew the cigarette tax. The word around the chamber was that the vote to override was going to be close, but when the lights on the voting machines came on, it was anything but that.  Only 58 members voted in favor of the override, 12 short of the 70 that were needed. So that issue, which both directly and indirectly affected a lot of what’s happened during this legislative session, is dead. It’s unfortunate it came to all of this.

State Rep. John LaBruzzo is addicted to demagoguery, don't indulge him: An editorial
The Times-Picayune  --  June 17, 2011, 7:00AMA.com

Comment / Opinion "If you agree with drug testing for anyone receiving government aid, then it should be extended to ALL who receive government aid, not just welfare moms! How about companies who have sales tax exemptions, those who get tax subsidies or tax credits (i.e. oil and gas) companies receiving federal funds for job training, any non-profit that receives federal or state funding, students receiving Pell Grants for college -think they don't do drugs? That's the problem with his bill - he's only carving out one segment of the population for testing - why them and not everyone???"

Comment / Opinion "Kudos to the Times-Pic staff for calling out this guy. He's the same backwards politician who proposed paying poor women to be sterilized while offering tax incentives for college-educated, higher income people to have more children. Seriously, this guy would have already been laughed out of office in any other state in the U.S. with the possible exception of Mississippi, but the voting public in Old Metairie up to Bucktown think any jackass with a bachelor's degree from LSU and no substantial work experience must be qualified. It makes you wonder if they're aware of these assinine policies and actually support them, or if they're just uninformed. Look, David Duke tarnished the state enough back in the late 80's... let's not repeat history 20 years later."



Smokers to get break in 2012  --  The Daily Advertiser - Mike Hastin - 6-17-2011
BATON ROUGE — Gov. Bobby Jindal's veto to renew a sales tax on cigarettes means a 4-cent sales tax on each pack of cigarettes sold in the state will expire in 2012, reducing state revenues by $12 million. The switch of 11 House members to not bucking Jindal's veto Thursday led to the defeat of the attempt to keep the tax on the books. House members, who voted 70-30 to pass the tax renewal, voted 58-44 to override the veto but 70 votes were needed. Jindal and his staff heavily lobbied lawmakers to change their votes. An examination of the votes when Bogalusa Rep. Harold Ritchie's original HB591 was passed by the House May 24 and Thursday's motion to override the veto shows considerable movement. Among those switching from supporting the bill to upholding the veto were Reps. Jim Fannin, D-Jonesboro; Kay Katz, R-Monroe; Frank Hoffmann, R-West Monroe; Charles "Bubba" Chaney, R-Rayville; Joel Robideaux, I-Lafayette; and Nancy Landry, R-Lafayette.

Opelousas Council Ousts Mayor Pro Tem  --  The Daily Advertiser - Judy - Bastien/ Claire Taylor - 6-17-2011
Reggie Tatum, an Opelousas alderman who joined a task force looking into possible wrongdoing at the Opelousas Housing Authority that may involve Mayor Don Cravins was removed as mayor pro tem Tuesday. Cravins cast the deciding vote after three aldermen abstained. The action came two days after the Opelousas Daily World published a story about the task force, noting that Cravins is at the center of one of the issues the task force wants investigated. In that story, Cravins accused Tatum and others of trying to advance their political careers. The Opelousas City Council voted at its Tuesday meeting to oust Tatum, District D alderman, from his position as mayor pro tem. Cravins recommended Tatum for the post in January. Tatum is still on the council. The Legislative-City Joint Task Force on the Opelousas Housing Authority and the Louisiana Legislative Auditor pointed out possible wrongdoing by Cravins, including  the appointment of city employees to the OHA board and moving people to the top of the waiting list for public housing. Cravins has denied those allegations and said it was "nonsense" to imply that Tatum was removed as mayor pro tem because of his involvement with the task force. Cravins said he voted to remove Tatum out of concern for the council. He said some on the council felt "Tatum was not perhaps the best person to be in a position of leadership" because he did not want to work with the administration.

Controversy about an appearance by U.S. Sen. David Vitter, R-La, at the Acadiana Symphony Orchestra's Red, White and Boom concert last year has resurfaced in the weeks leading to this year's July Fourth celebration. The Lafayette Parish Democratic Executive Committee opposed Vitter's speech at last year's event, which is largely funded by taxpayer dollars, and claimed his appearance violated state election laws because he was a candidate for public office.  The controversy resurfaced Wednesday when Jenny Krueger, ASO executive director, said she felt threatened and harassed by letters and emails that Lester Gauthier, vice chair of the Lafayette Parish Democratic Executive Committee, sent her to request political candidates not be involved in this year's event. "I am urging you to commit to avoiding gratuitous appearances on your stage by political candidates, including incumbent officeholders who are seeking re-election," Gauthier wrote in a June 13 letter to Krueger and Virginia Stuller, president of the ASO board. "I request that your board take an official position on the matter no later than June 23, 2011. I await the favor of your response."


Rachel Maddow: Anthony Weiner Resignation Will Damage Democrats 'For A Generation'
Rachel Maddow went on a tear Thursday, condemning Democrats for forcing Anthony Weiner to resign and warning them that they have damaged themselves "probably for a generation" because of their actions. Maddow has repeatedly decried what she views as a double standard: Weiner was forced out because of his sexts and pictures, but Republicans like David Vitter and John Ensign managed to stay in office even though they broke the law. "Democrats have not only refused to hold Republicans accountable for the double standard, but they have joined with Republicans in piling on with the demands that Anthony Weiner had to resign even as David Vitter stays in the Senate," Maddow said. She then went on a long monologue, listing all the Republicans and Democrats who were not forced out of office even after admitting to more serious ethical violations than Weiner. "Anthony Weiner, who was not accused of corruption, who does not appear to have done anything illegal, who does not even appear to have had sex with any of the women with any of the people with whom he had scandalous talk and picture-taking, for him a line was drawn," Maddow concluded, her voice bristling with anger. She then turned her focus on the media, saying that the story was actually "the media covering the media ending a man's career." Maddow ended by addressing Democrats. She issued a dire warning. "Congratulations, Democrats," she said. "In an era of unhinged, ideological, big money conservative media that is wholly and admittedly divorced from the precepts of journalism, in hounding Anthony Weiner into resigning ... you have just fed and unleashed this beast onto yourselves, probably for a generation."

It’s on! Theriot announces reelection bid  -- The Independent - 6-14-2011 - The Independent Staff
City-Parish Councilman William Theriot announced via a press release Tuesday morning that he will seek a second term on the council for District 9, which covers parts of south Lafayette Parish including Youngsville, parts of Broussard and the city of Lafayette, and part of unincorporated Lafayette Parish. The tea party partisan’s campaign slogan is “A Real Proven Conservative,” and he’s running on an anti-tax record most recently burnished with the “no tax ordinance” co-sponsored by District 5 Councilman Jared Bellard — an ordinance that fell in a 7-2 vote last week.  Theriot will face at least one challenger this October: real estate executive and fellow Republican Walter Campbell. In anouncing his reelection bid, Theriot says, “I will continue to be accountable to the voters, representing you, not the special interests or lobbyists. I am running on my record, and have opposed raising your property taxes, adding new tax districts and raising your utility rates. The fundamental roll of government should be Roads, Drainage, Traffic, Infrastructure and Safety. I will continue to seek creative solutions, not excessive spending.” His campaign website, which is still under construction, can be found here.

Robideaux withdraws controversial bill  --  The Independent - Walter Pierce - 6-13-2011
 Lafayette  - State Rep. Joel Robideaux, no party-Lafayette, announced Monday morning that he has withdrawn from consideration a bill that raised the hackles of both Lafayette Parish Democrats and tea party members. House Bill 531 would have created the Lafayette Parish Redevelopment Authority, an appointed panel tasked with addressing blighted properties in Lafayette. It passed the House unanimously last month. Robideaux, who had filed the legislation at the request of Lafayette Consolidated Government, actually pulled the bill before it was heard by a Senate committee, but until Monday the bill's status remained unclear. “Important questions remain about the proposed redevelopment authority that call for more review,” Robideaux says in a press release announcing withdrawal of the bill. “After consultation with legislative staff attorneys and local constituents, there are unanswered concerns regarding whether the legislation would achieve its stated objectives. Because the legislation addresses important local policy objectives, I look forward to working with Lafayette Consolidated Government, legislative staff and local concerned citizens to address these issues over the long term.”

As Executive Pay Soars, Worker Pay Stagnates   --  The Huffington Post - 6-15-2011
NEW YORK -- What a glorious day to be an American worker! Pay is skyrocketing, the Great Recession is hardly a memory and leaders in Washington are putting labor concerns at the front and center of their agendas -- provided you are a worker who happens to be at the top of the corporate organizational chart.  In the latest sign of the growing disconnect between reality as enjoyed by corporate chieftains and that experienced by pretty much everyone else, compensation for chief executives of publicly traded companies in the S&P 500 last year leaped by more than 28 percent compared to 2009, according to a new survey from Equilar, a research firm that tracks executive pay.

Hardy's Housing Sunshine Bill Heads To Jindal - The Indeendent - Leslie Turk - 6-15-2011
Lafayette -- The state Senate voted 34-1 Tuesday for Rep. Rickey Hardy’s bill to make affiliates of housing authorities subject to the state’s public records law. The only dissenting vote came from Sen. Karen Carter Peterson of New Orleans. Hardy says once Gov. Bobby Jindal signs HB 188, the law is retroactive, meaning affiliates of housing authorities that have developments under way will have to immediately open their books. For the purpose of the public records law, he says, these affiliates will be considered public bodies. Hardy anticipates full support from the governor: “It’s not a bill to open his office, so he won’t have any problems with it."
Lafayette  - On April 23, 2011 a You-Tube movie was launched by Mike Stagg entitled, The Sucker Tax, which stated the following, ”Durel says he’s a conservative but his administration has been anything but conservative in his persistent attempt to circumvent the competitive bid process.”  The movie asserts Lafayette residents are paying a higher price for garbage pickup services because a competitive bid process was not used in awarding the service contract.  
On June 11,2011 a second YouTube movie appears entitled Joey Durel & The Seven Cs.  It begins with Mike Stagg saying "This is the story about how our self-proclaimed conservative City-Parish President and his administration have developed a bad habit of awarding no-bid contracts for services in Lafayette Parish. The results have been higher prices and the creation of a climate of corruption and cronyism. These are not conservative business practices."
On June 14, 2011 a third article entitled Tracking the Janitorial Services Competition Killers was published by Mike Stagg and Rick Cube on The Acadiana Accountability Project web site. This article, like the You-Tube movies is critical of City-Parish President Joey Durel and his administration for failing to use the competitive bid process in awarding a janitorial services contract. Stagg states that “it is hard to imagine that any comparison-shopping took place in light of the fact that costs have risen more than 60% since the contract went no-bid.  The end of competition for the LCG janitorial contract was swift and clean.

Jindal Tranparency Bill Fails  --  The Independent - Walter Pierce 6-14-2011
A bill that would have opened the governor’s office to public-records requirements similar to those state lawmakers are subject to fell in the Senate late Monday on a 22-14 vote. Acadiana-area Sens. Mike Michot, Elbert Guillory and Fred Mills voted with the majority in defeating the bill.  Even in defeat, Sen. Robert Adley, R-Benton, made a compelling case for pushing back against Gov. Bobby Jindal’s famed lack of transparency. Adley’s Senate Bill 57 would have undone what Jindal managed to do in his first year in office — shield virtually all the records of Louisiana’s executive branch from the state’s public records law. Jindal has argued that releasing some records could jeopardize negotiations for economic development deals and other sensitive matters.

Gov. Jindal vetoes 4-cent cigarette tax renewal  --  The Daily Advertiser - Melinda Deslatte -6-14-2011
Gov. Bobby Jindal rejected a 4-cent cigarette tax renewal Monday night, setting up a showdown with lawmakers over whether they will override a gubernatorial veto for the first time in 18 years. The governor had said for days that he would veto the legislation by Rep. Harold Ritchie, D-Bogalusa, calling it a tax hike because the levy is set to expire.

Senate approves 'pass to play' bill (Rickey Hardy) -- The Daily Advertiser - Claire Taylor - 6-14-2011
Lafayette -- Students in Louisiana's middle and junior high schools and high schools would be required to maintain a C average to participate in sports under a bill approved Monday by the state Senate. The state House of Representatives previously passed the bill by state Rep. Rickey Hardy, D-Lafayette.  If Governor Bobby Jindal signs House Bill 31 into law, the Board of Elementary and Secondary education would be authorized to adopt the C average as a minimum requirement for playing sports.  The newacademic requirement would become effective with the 2011-2012 school year.  The legislation mirrors the scholastic requirements adopted by the Louisiana high school Athletic Association in January of 2010.  Hardy, who served on the Lafayette Parish School Board before his election to the House of Representatives, has long been an advocate for higher academic standards for student athletes.  In 2006, while still on the board, Hardy attempted to raise the academic requirements for student athletes in Lafayette Parish.  Opponents argued that sports is the only thing keeping some students in school and tougher academic standards will force them to drop out.

Lafayette -- Two state legislators and two Opelousas City Council members have formed the Joint Task Force on Opelousas Housing Authority to first investigate irregularities reported in a legislative audit and an independent audit on the embattled agency and to subsequently take action, if necessary.  The four-member task force includes state Sen. Elbert Lee Guillory, D-Opelousas, state Sen. Rickey Hardy, D-Lafayette, and Opelousas City Councilmen Joseph Charles, D-alderman-at-large, and Reggie Tatum, D-District D.  The task force is focusing its attention primarily on alleged improper appointments to the Opelousas Housing Authority Board of Commissioners and payments to contractors for work that was never done, as well as contracts that were awarded without benefit of proper procedures.

Joey Durel and Seven C's  -6-11-2011  --  You-Tube - Joey Durel and Seven C's
Lafayette -- A new You-Tube video by Mike Stagg accuses Lafayette City-Parish President Joey Durel of seven "C's" (conservative, competition,  circumvent, cost, cronyism, corruption, contempt). Stagg says Durel has illustrated by example poor judgment and has wasted  taxpayers’ money. ”Durel says he’s a conservative but his administration has been anything but conservative in his persistent  attempt to circumvent the competitive bid process. This has driven up the cost of services purchased by Lafayette Consolidated  government. It has also left citizens of LCG taxpayers subject to corruption and cronyism in the awarding of those contracts."   http://youtu.be/narHmT-fsPM

Gov. Bobby Jindal turns 40, and his political future is far from certain -- The Times-Picayune - Jan Moller, 6-10-2011 The Times-Picayun
BATON ROUGE -- Whiz kid. Prodigy. Boy wonder. Bobby Jindal leaves all that behind today for a whole new chapter. The governor is turning 40. While it's not a chronological milestone most people relish, it holds a special significance for a governor who has long won acclaim not just for the things he has done but for doing them at an unusually young age.  If not quite the onset of middle age, 40 is generally seen as the end of youth, and an age when most political careers are just getting started.  But Jindal has been in the public eye for almost 16 years, as a health care official, congressman, college system president and now governor. And that early success, analysts say, comes with its own set of challenges and expectations. "His success has placed him in actually kind of a precarious position," said Pearson Cross, the head of the political science department at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. "He may be 44 at the end of a second term and be pretty much finished politically, career wise. There's that danger." While Jindal's national profile is still emerging, he is a known commodity in his home state, and that doesn't always carry the advantages it once did. "Twenty-five, 30 years ago, Louisiana elected them young and they stayed forever, whether it was the Legislature or the governor," said Baton Rouge pollster Bernie Pinsonat. Huey Long was just 35 when he was elected governor. "But there's been a change in the electorate, not only here but around the country. We don't like people to be in politics forever.

 





 In rare move, Senate panel issues subpoena  --  The Independent - Leslie Turk - 6-09-2011  
BATON ROUGE — Fed up with Gov. Bobby Jindal and his lack of transparency, a state Senate panel called an unusual vote Wednesday to subpoena information from the Jindal administration concerning proposed privatization of a state health insurance plan. The controversy over the secret financial analysis of the Office of Group Benefits and its $500 million surplus, prepared by New Orleans-based Chaffe & Associates, also has the attention of the national media; The Independent has obtained a public records request from political news site Talking Points Memo dated June 8.

BATON ROUGE — Members of the House of Representatives who unanimously voted for legislation that calls for the Ten Commandments to be posted on a monument of the state Capitol grounds acknowledge that it's a religious statement.  But they say it's also a statement of historic law, so it's fitting to make such a statement outside the building where laws are made.  Rep. Patrick Williams, D-Shreveport, who is the author of HB277, said the Legislature every day opens its sessions in the House and Senate with a prayer, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance, so religion plays a part in government. All denominations are allowed to pray.
Asked about separation of church and state, he answered, "How do you determine what separation is when prayer is a part of everyday operations?"  Although a devout Christian, Williams said he sees the proposed monument as more of an historic marker than a religious one. He said it's the role the Ten Commandments plays in shaping society and laws that's being recognized.

Reality Check on Cutting Income Taxes  --  The CABLWire for Thursday, June 06-09-2011
When the series of bills was introduced this session to eliminate all personal and corporate income taxes in Louisiana, they didn’t garner much attention. As huge as doing that might be, the truth is no one took them very seriously.  Now some people are beginning to wonder. By all accounts, there were enough votes in the Senate this week to pass SB 259 by Sen. Rob Marionneaux in pretty much its original form. That would have phased out personal and corporate income taxes in Louisiana over a 10-year period beginning in 2013. The version that ultimately passed by a vote of 35-4 slowed that train down a bit by requiring a commission to figure out how to handle the loss in revenue before the tax cuts could go into effect, but the sentiment to eliminate income taxes in Louisiana is clearly there.  Jump over to the House of Representatives and two bills have already passed out of committee that would eliminate the corporate and personal income taxes. But in the case of this legislation, there would be no commission to study it and the elimination would be immediate with no phase-out period.  So now, at a time when we haven’t even figured out how we’re going to fix the $1.6 billion shortfall in the coming year’s budget, a House that prides itself on being fiscally conservative on the budget and taxes is about to debate cutting more than $2 billion more in taxes. That’s beginning to send serious jitters throughout the Capitol, as well it should.


  The Big Lie  --  MSNBC - Lawrence O’Donnell - 6-07-2011
Tim Pawlenty who on this program and nowhere else is considered the front runner for the Republican nomination for president picked today the tenth anniversary of the bush tax cuts to announce the stupidest tax cut proposal ever advanced by a Republican front runner for the party's nomination for president thereby proving once again that he has exactly what it takes to be the front runner in today's republican party. The Republican party that believes Paul Revere's job was warning the British. In today's republican party the difference between the real leaders like John Boehner and the gadflies like Sarah Palin is the real leaders know when they were saying stupid things.

Council stops no tax law --  Majority in attendance favored bill  --  Thr Dail;y Advertiser - Nicholas Persac - 7-08-2011  
Lafayette -- A controversial ordinance that would have prevented the City-Parish Council from considering any new taxes without a public vote failed.The council killed the ordinance with a 7-2 vote. Only the plan’s sponsors, Councilmen William Theriot, District 9, and Jared Bellard, District 5, supported it. Conservative groups here, especially the Tea Party of Lafayette and Acadiana Patriots, strongly backed the ordinance and attended Tuesday’s meeting in droves.  City-Parish President Joey Durel and his administration, however, opposed the plan saying it would put Lafayette at an economic disadvantage to other Louisiana cities that use the state’s enabling legislation to create special taxing districts. Theriot and Bellard proposed the ordinance earlier this year in response to public outcry about the possible creation of Tax Increment Financing districts to fund a luxury hotel’s construction.

Rep. Landry: 'Represent' is a verb  --  The Daily Advertiser - Opinion - 6-07-2011
Lafayette -- When President Barack Obama invited 200 Republican congressmen to talk about the budget and the federal debt limit last week, U.S. Rep. Jeff Landry, R-New Iberia, RSVP'd via press release. Rep. Landry has challenged Obama to come up with a deficit reduction plan, which is fair enough. In the meantime, decisions, even decisions to hold one's ground, get made by the people who show up. And Rep. Landry didn't.

Lafayette Solons Split On Prison Sale, Hardy Gets Last Laugh  --  The Independent - Walter Pierce - 6-07-2011 

Lafayette -- Lafayette’s members on the powerful House Appropriations Committee were divided Monday on deferring — effectively killing — a bill that would authorize the sale of four prisons in north and central Louisiana to private companies. Democrat Rickey Hardy joined the 13-vote majority in squashing the bill, which was a key component of Gov. Bobby Jindal’s legislative package for this session. Republican Page Cortez was among 12 committee members to vote against the deferral.  


Five Progressive Tax Increases Washington Won't Talk About  --  The Huffington Post - 6-07-2011
Ten years ago today, the first Bush tax cuts were signed into law. The fiscal damage they have inflicted is still unparalleled. But while the tax cuts for the top 2 percent of American earners will stay off the table until December 2012, there are any number of other progressive tax increases that Washington could adopt, but won't even consider. The public deserves to know what they are. Here are my picks:

House passes two retirement bills  --  The Advocate -  Jordan Blum - 6-06-2011
Baton Rouge -- A legislative package that would effectively reduce retirement pensions for future retired state employees and  increase pension contributions for many municipal employees was approved Monday in the Louisiana House. The legislation was amended to delete a hotly debated measure that also would have increased state employees' contributions for retirement. House Bill 530 by Republican Rep. Kevin Pearson, of Slidell, would reduce pension benefits for state employees by chang-ing how retirement benefits are calculated. The benefit would be based on the average compensation over the past five years - in-stead of three years - and limit pay raises that could be counted during that period. By counting five years, it would effectively reduce the pension benefit.  The legislation applies to the Louisiana State Employees Re-tirement System, called LA-SERS, and to higher education workers in the Teachers Re-tirement System of Louisiana.
La. Republican Aims To Overturn Roe v. Wade  --  The Huffington Post - 6-06-2011

SUNO's role lowers its graduation rate  --  The Daily Advertiser - OPINION - Jamal Taylor - Jun. 4, 2011   
Lafayette -- A couple of weeks back I had the opportunity to publish a letter to the editor that took an honest look at our state representative from District 44. In doing so I received both positive and negative feedback. I welcome both of these sides because it brings to light that most of the folks in our community are uneducated to how education in this state works. Many individuals talk about how poor-performing SUNO is. These same individuals have no idea that if a school performs poorly it gets less money to educate its students. More importantly, they have no idea that the people that attend SUNO are nontraditional and work full-time in a lot of instances. Therefore, they are losing more money because they normally take a part-time course load. This of course hurts the graduation rates of the institution because our governor fought to have graduation rates tied to funding. What's more is he and his folk know that we are not doing a good job in our state elementary and secondary schools. Then we have Recovery School District that is not doing a good job of recovering. We are left with students who are being told to get a trade or go to a two-year college. Our governor needs to take a strong look in the mirror and ask himself if he is attempting a "high-tech lynching" on education for those students who have been failed by our crippled education system in Louisiana. We are not blind. It is time we elect a new governor but more importantly a real representative of District 44.

Lafayette -- The Lafayette Charter Commission — formed by the City-Parish Council to explore changes in local government — recommended in April that voters should decide whether to undo the 1996 merger of Lafayette’s city and parish governments.  The City-Parish Council is scheduled to decide Tuesday whether to bring the issue to voters in October at the same time as the council elections, barring any unforeseen roadblocks. “The goal is to get it on the October ballot,” Council Chairman Kenneth Boudreaux said. The council is legally mandated to bring the charter commission’s proposal to voters, but there have been questions on when that should happen. There was an early concern that the deconsolidation proposal would need to be pre-approved by the U.S. Justice Department. The Justice Department must sign off on proposals that directly or indirectly affect where and how people vote in most Southern states, a requirement that dates to the 1960s and aims to prevent efforts to reduce minority voting strength. No problems are expected, but the federal review is required, and waiting for its completion could push the timeline back beyond the fall elections. But Louisiana law appears to require that a charter commission’s recommendation be put before voters on the next available election date after the recommendation is approved, according to city-parish attorneys. Boudreaux said the deconsolidation proposal could be put on the October ballot without pre-approval from the Justice Department. If the proposal passes and the Justice Department has an issue, a second election could be held to amend the proposal to address the problems, Boudreaux said. “Anything that is not good and sound could be dealt with after the fact,” he said.

Unemployment Rate for African Americans Inches Higher in May  --  Politic 365 - Alton Drew - 6-03-2011
The U.S. Department of Labor today released its May jobs report, and the story continued to be demoralizing for African Americans — the unemployment rate among blacks rose to 16.2 percent, up ever so slightly from the 16.1 percent reading for April. The unemployment rate for all Americans rose a tenth of a percent as well, to 9.1 percent. The increase in unemployment among blacks is especially troubling because it indicates a true lack of available jobs, versus the uptick in that commonly occurs when more people enter the workforce. That bump commonly occurs because discouraged workers, those who have given up, are not counted as part of the labor force, which includes only people at work or actively looking for work. Ironically, when discouraged workers renew their hunt for jobs, they rejoin the count, the labor force swells, and the unemployment rate often kicks up, even though more people are finding work. Unfortunately, more African Americans grew discouraged and left the labor force. In May, there were 17.7 million African Americans in the labor force, a decrease from the 17.8 million reported in April. The number of employed African Americans fell to 14.9 million in May, down from April’s 15 million.

Buddy Roemer in New Hampshire unexpectedly -- JUANA SUMMERS | 6/03/2011 Former Louisiana Gov. Buddy Roemer will make an impromptu New Hampshire trip today. Making his fourth trip to the Granite State, the largely overlooked presidential hopeful will attend the Belknap County Republicans’ Lincoln Day Lake Winnepesaukee cruise. Roemer, who jumped into the race in March, has won little respect for his campaign from the political establishment. However, he was in New Hampshire as recently as late May, when he met with former New Hampshire Senate candidate and conservative kingmaker Ovide Lamontagne. Former governors Jon Huntsman and Gary Johnson will also attend the cruise.

La. congressional plan goes to DOJ  --  The Independent - Walter Pierce - Friday, 03 June 2011
The Louisiana Department of Justice this week submitted the state’s U.S. House of Representatives redistricting plan to the U.S. Attorney general for pre-clearance. Because Louisiana and other formerly segregated Southern states are subject to the federal Voting Rights Act, the plan must be pre-approved by the Department of Justice before the districts can be officially established. If approved, the districts will become official in January of 2013, but will be in practical effect when candidates qualify to seek congressional seats next fall. Due to stagnant population growth between 2000 and 2010, Louisiana lost one of its seven House seats. State lawmakers convened a special redistricting session in March to reconfigure those districts into six, a process that proved contentious and pitted north Louisiana against south Louisiana. Ultimately what emerged was a plan that effectively protected incumbents, allowed north Louisiana to maintain two vertical districts seated by Monroe and Shreveport, and left freshman GOP Rep. Jeff Landry of New Iberia the uninviting prospect of running against established, entrenched incumbent Rep. Charles Boustany, R-Lafayette, should Landry choose to seek reelection.

Senate approves cigarette tax bill  --  Advocate Capitol News Burea  -  WILL SENTELL - Jun 3, 2011
Baton Rouge -- A bill to renew part of the state’s cigarette tax won final legislative approval Thursday,  setting up a confrontation with Gov. Bobby Jindal. The measure, House Bill 591,  won state Senate approval 29-8 after only a brief discussion. Jindal opposes the measure, considers it a tax hike and plans to veto the bill.  Assuming that happens, the  Legislature would have to muster a two-thirds majority for the measure to take effect, which has only happened twice since the 1920s, according to the Louisiana News Bureau.  The bill won two-thirds majorities in both the House and Senate. However, whether those margins would stand up in any veto override attempt is unclear but should be decided before adjournment on June 23.  The legislation would prevent the state tax from being lowered on a pack of 20 cigarettes. Four cents of the 36-cent state tax are set to expire on June 30, 2012. The money raises about $12 million per year. Backers said the measure is needed to make smoking less affordable, especially for youngsters.  If renewed, the revenue would be dedicated to the state’s health-care expenses. The money now goes to the state’s general revenue fund, where it can be used for a wide range of services is the right thing to do,” said Senate President Joel Chaisson II, D-Destrehan and sponsor of the bill. Chaisson said the renewal is especially needed because the $12 million would grow to $48 million with federal matching dollars. He noted that Louisiana has the second lowest cigarette tax in the nation.

Water fight continues in Broussard  -- The Daily Advertiser - William Johnson - Jun. 2, 2011
The roughly 200 families in the upscale Shenandoah Subdivision east of downtown Broussard just want one thing — clean drinkingwater. Steven Broussard has lived in the subdivision off Bayou Tortue Road for six years. His body is covered with sores and blisters, and he blames it on the water.  "It's horrible; very dirty. You can't drink this water," said Broussard, who says he's also stopped cooking with the water.  Carolina Tuminello, who lives a few streets away from Broussard, agrees the subdivision's water woes are only getting worse.  "This morning it looked like Tang," she said of the water. "It was that (bad)." "It comes and goes," her husband, Graeme, said of the poor water quality. "Lately it has been coming more than going."  Most folks in the subdivision are using bottled water to drink, and Graeme Tuminello said the subdivision's water has become so bad it can't even be used to wash clothing — the clothes, he said, often come out dirtier than when they went in. Like most residents of the subdivision, the Tuminellos installed a private water filter system to try to clean up the worst of the water problems. But the filters turn brown so quickly they have to be constantly replaced, meaning the cost is high, they said. "We are having to pay for softener and all that. What can you do?" said Graeme Tuminello, who is heading a neighborhood water coalition to hopefully find a solution.  The water is so bad and pressure so low, residents fear it's hurting property values. Several mentioned contracts to sell their homes being broken after potential buyers discovered the area's water problems.

Board Violated 'Spirit' of Open Meetings Law  --  The Daily Advertiser - Tina Marie Macias 6-01-2011
Lafayette -- The Lafayette Parish School Board might not have been in direct violation of the Louisiana Open Meetings Law, but there was a "violation of the spirit of the law," 15th Judicial District Attorney Mike Harson said Wednesday. Harson spoke in front of the board during its regular meeting, and gave the group a verbal warning for its phone calls and conversations prior to a scheduled discussion on May 4 about Superintendent Burnell Lemoine's contract.  "During the conversation the word 'votes' started to be thrown around," Harson said. "Somewhere along the line there were some more conversations and I saw some emails and text messages."

Consolidation likely on October ballot  --  The Daily Advertiser - Nicholas Persac - 6-01-2011
Lafayette -- Lafayette voters will likely cast ballots this October to decide if the city and parish government should remain consolidated or split into separate entities. The City-Parish Council will consider Tuesday a resolution to put the Charter Commission's proposal on the Oct. 22 ballot, which is also the state's gubernatorial primary. The Charter Commission, instructed by the City-Parish Council to examine the consolidation of governmental functions, concluded nine months of work in April by backing a single ballot option to create two separate governmental charters. Voters who support giving the city autonomy from the parish would vote in favor of the referendum while those supporting the current structure of government would vote against it. Regardless of what voters decide, the government can't change shape before 2016 because state law prohibits cutting short the term of any elected official, and voters here will elect this fall a new council and city-parish president to serve from 2012 until 2016. If voters approve the proposal, it would abolish the current nine-member City-Parish Council in order to create separate councils for the city and for the parish, both with seven members. The proposal would also split the city-parish president's job in favor of both a city mayor and a parish president. Proponents of this proposal argue it will allow the city of Lafayette to control its own destiny and funds. Opponents of the proposal argue splitting Lafayette Consolidated Government into two governments would be expensive and may reduce services provided by LCG. Voters approved merging city and parish governments on a 1992 ballot, and the current form of government started in 1996.  Speaker names Hardy to Appropriations Committee  --  The Independent - Mike Hasten - Jun. 1, 2011  
 Lafayette -- Lafayette Rep. Rickey Hardy has been named to the House Appropriations Committee, arguably the most powerful panel in the House. The committee handles the state budget and other spending matters.  Speaker of the House Jim Tucker, R-Terrytown, made the appointment Tuesday in a letter saying "I know you will be an asset to the House and to the entire state as a member of the committee. I look forward to working with you in a joint effort to best serve the citizens of the state." Hardy, a Democrat, said he considers the appointment "significant because it deals with funding for the entire state. I'm going to be fiscally conservative and make sure the taxpayers' money is being spent wisely."  He said it also puts him in a position to "benefit Acadiana because we will have another voice. We will make sure UL is funded appropriately and that we get the biggest bang for the buck for Lafayette and Acadiana."  Hardy joins fellow Lafayette lawmaker Page Cortez, a Republican, and Simone Champagne, R-Jeanerette, representing Acadiana. Rep. Joel Robideaux, I-Lafayette, is an ex-officio member as Speaker Pro-tem of the House.  Hardy has to resign his post on the Commerce Committee.

Former ADA gets 18-month sentence  --  The Daily Advertiser - Amanda McElfresh - Jun. 1, 2011
Lafayette -- Former assistant district attorney Joseph Floyd Johnson was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison on Wednesday after pleading guilty to one count of tax evasion. Pending an appeal, Johnson, 50, must report to jail by July 7, perhaps at a facility in either Oakdale or Pollock, although his attorneys may request moving him out of state in order to keep him away from inmates he may have prosecuted. He must also pay $179,661 in restitution to the IRS immediately, although he will not have to pay an additional fine because of his lack of current assets.  The sentence came down after nearly three hours of discussion and testimony in Judge Richard Haik's courtroom that showed while Johnson was handling community issues, prosecuting one of Lafayette's most well-known murder cases and operating his own law practice, his private life — especially his financial situation — was troubled at best.  "He did good things for the community," said Valerie Garrett, one of Johnson's attorneys. "When it came to his own personal life, it was a mess. When he stepped out of that mess, he tried to do good things and provide for his family." Based on court documents and testimony, that "mess" included not filing tax returns or failing to accurately file returns between 2003 and 2008; lying to the IRS; using the names of family members to hide his ownership of real estate and other assets; and depositing money into a trust account to make it seem like that money was not income all in an attempt to avoid paying thousands of dollars in income tax over the years.

Annexation, infrastructure tensions erupt among mayors --  The Independent - Walter Pierce - June 1, 2011
Lafayette  --  A long-running, wide-ranging animus between the administrations in Lafayette and Broussard is red, tender and throbbing yet again, due this time to a refusal by Lafayette Consolidated Government to provide water to an unincorporated subdivision surrounded by the corporate limits of Broussard.  The animosity and mistrust between the administrations of Lafayette City-Parish President Joey Durel and Broussard Mayor Charles Langlinais have been well chronicled by local media, this newspaper included. The latest flare-up centers around Shenandoah Estates, a tidy subdivision of about 225 middle class homes near Bayou Tortue Road that is completely enveloped by the city of Broussard. Shenandoah’s water service is supplied by Total Environmental Solutions Inc., a private, state-regulated utility company. Residents in the neighborhood have long complained about the service provided by TESI, and have lobbied Langlinais to annex them into city, which would make them eligible to receive clean, potable LUS water. (LUS, under former C-P President Walter Comeaux, entered into a long-term contract with Broussard nearly two decades ago to sell water at wholesale to the south Lafayette Parish city. LUS has contracts with other small municipalities and water works districts within Lafayette Parish as well, but does not supply water to unincorporated parts of the parish that are not covered by those water works districts. As a result, roughly 80 percent of Lafayette Parish receives LUS water. Shenandoah Estates does not.)

Henry Mouton: 'I am guilty'  --  The Independent - Heather Miller - 6-01-2011  
LAFAYETTE  -- Former state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries commissioner Henry Mouton could spend up to five years in prison and a receive a maximum $250,000 fine after pleading guilty Wednesday afternoon to federal charges of conspiracy to receive bribes and illegal payoffs. In his appearance before a U.S. District Court judge in New Orleans, Mouton, 54, of Lafayette, admitted to using his position as a Wildlife and Fisheries commissioner to lobby public officials statewide in an attempt to keep the Old Gentilly Landfill closed in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. He admitted to receiving 170 checks totaling $463,970 from an unidentified “co-conspirator” in return for his efforts, which also included trying to prevent the Two Rivers Recycling Landfill from opening in Catahoula Parish. U.S. Attorney Jim Letten has not yet identified the rival landowner, but court documents have linked Mouton to River Birch Landfill owner Fred Heebe. Letten said in a press conference Wednesday that no one else has been charged yet in connection with Mouton's case, also noting that his office will not confirm or deny whether target letters have been sent to Heebe or anyone else involved. “The investigation continues … and notwithstanding any other individuals being looked at, [Mouton] admitted under oath to conspiring with another individual. Where this goes, I can't comment … but stand by,” Letten said.


545 vs. 300,000,000 People  --  By Charlie Reese - The Orlando Sentinel

Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.

Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?

Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?

You and I don't propose a federal budget. The President does.

You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does.

You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does.

You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does.

You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.

One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one President, and nine Supreme Court justices equates to 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.

Jindal angles to reverse cuts in $25B budget  --  The Daily Advertiser - May. 30, 2011
BATON ROUGE — Gov. Bobby Jindal's administration tried Monday to persuade senators to reverse a series of House-backed cuts to next year's $25 billion budget, saying the cuts would have dire consequences: prisoners released from jail, emergencies left unattended and health care services shuttered. Jindal wants the Senate Finance Committee to restore more than $200 million in state spending to the 2011-12 budget, money stripped by the House to lessen the use of one-time dollars for ongoing expenses and to remove "contingency" dollars tied to separate legislation that has yet to pass. The governor's top financial adviser, Commissioner of Administration Paul Rainwater, pitched the Jindal budget recommendations to the senators as a "more prudent, balanced, deliberative approach" than the House budget. Jindal's budget proposed to close a more than $1 billion budget gap with a mix of cuts, one-time patches and a boost in certain types of federal funding. The governor's budget office provided little information about those reductions, calling them efficiencies, "transformational reforms" and agency redesigns. Meanwhile, Rainwater described House-backed cuts as deep and damaging to critical health care, education and public safety programs. "The biggest difference is we worked with agencies for almost a year to develop a budget that makes sense," Rainwater told senators. "The House didn't ask agencies where they could take their cut." Sen. Lydia Jackson, D-Shreveport, suggested the Jindal administration wasn't offering enough information about its original planned cuts before the House reductions. Jackson questioned why the administration could propose millions more in cuts than the House and describe them as "efficiencies" when it frames the House cuts as devastating. "You had us falling off an $850 million mountain. I'm not sure that the $120 million hill we're falling off with the House is any worse," Jackson said.

In Shift, Feds Target Top Execs For Health Fraud  --  The Huffington Post - RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR   05/31/11
WASHINGTON -- It's getting personal now. In a shift still evolving, federal enforcers are targeting individual executives in health care fraud cases that used to be aimed at impersonal corporations. The new tactic is raising the anxiety level – and risks – for corporate honchos at drug companies, medical device manufacturers, nursing home chains and other major health care enterprises that deal with Medicare and Medicaid. Previously, if a company got caught, its lawyers in many cases would be able to negotiate a financial settlement. The company would write the government a check for a number followed by lots of zeroes and promise not to break the rules again. Often the cost would just get passed on to customers. Now, on top of fines paid by a company, senior executives can face criminal charges even if they weren't involved in the scheme but could have stopped it had they known. Furthermore, they can also be banned from doing business with government health programs, a career-ending consequence. Many in industry see the more aggressive strategy as government overkill, meting out radical punishment to individuals whose guilt prosecutors would be hard pressed to prove to a jury. The feds say they got frustrated with repeat violations and decided to start using enforcement tools that were already on the books but had been allowed to languish. By some estimates, health care fraud costs taxpayers $60 billion a year, galling when Medicare faces insolvency.

America's Best Affordable Places, 2011  --  Bloomberg Businessweek - Venessa Wong and Jennifer Prince, - May 27, 2011
LAFAYETTE -- In an exclusive ranking for Businessweek.com, Bloomberg Rankings analyzed government-gathered data on more than 3,000 counties across the U.S. to select the best affordable place in each state. We then scored each county by state. Next we tallied the top-ranked county in each state to arrive at a national ranking. Factors that were most heavily weighted include housing cost, crime, unemployment, and educational attainment in the county, in addition to such other metrics as family income, poverty, commute time, air quality, diversity, and share of families with children.
No. 9: Lafayette Parish, Louisiana
Population: 212,684
Median family income: $59,910
Households spending more than 30 percent income on housing: 25.4 percent
Unemployment: 6.6 percent
Adult population with bachelor's degrees: 27.7 percent
Major cities: Lafayette, Scott
The population of Lafayette Parish has expanded quickly, growing by 16.3 percent from 2000 to 2010, above its 15.6 percent growth rate from 1990 to 2000, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. The area has several communities that have been recognized for quality of life, including Youngsville, Lafayette, and Broussard
Remember school officials who ducked  -- The Daily Advertiser - Opinion - 5-29-2011
LAFAYETTE -- Remember these names: Shelton Cobb, Rae Trahan and Mark Cockerham. We'll get to them in a minute.  As staff writer Tina Macias detailed in Sunday's Advertiser, the Lafayette Parish School Board's private wrangling over whether to extend Superintendent Burnell Lemoine's contract was messy, replete with accusations of secret caucuses and behind-the-scenes maneuvering. In the end, board member Hunter Beasley went to Lemoine before the meeting and told him it appeared the votes weren't there for the extension, and shortly thereafter Lemoine announced his retirement. The vote was dropped.  We recognize the board had a tough decision to make. We appreciate it didn't want to send a right hook to the superintendent's jaw in public, especially given he will remain in the post until December. But folks, government is messy. It is supposed to be that way. We neither want, nor expect, any board to put harmony, or the appearance of it, ahead of candor and debate. And when you agree to be the top-ranking official in a public school system, you do so with the full understanding you will take more than your fair share of right hooks to the jaw.  This is what everyone involved signed up for. Today, we care less about the outcome — though we have been on record as favoring change — than we do the shroud of secrecy surrounding how we got there. Today, we as a community stand here knowing little more than we did six months ago about how our board truly feels about the quality of education our schools provide. 

Right-wingers killed bullying bill  -- The Advocate: Opinion Letter - Kevin Serrin, chairman - Capital City Alliance - Baton Rouge - Published: May 26, 2011
BATON ROUGE -- Our state legislators have spoken and, apparently, it is legally acceptable for certain students in Louisiana public schools to be bullied to the point of suicide. On May 19, the Louisiana House of Representatives failed to pass HB112, the safe schools bill, authored by state Rep. Austin Badon, D-New Orleans. HB112 was critical because it clarified existing policy by outlining common types of bullying and those target groups that are most vulnerable. The bill also removed the exemption that six parishes, including East Baton Rouge Parish, have from existing anti-bullying law. Why any school district would want to be exempt from a policy that protects students from bullies remains a mystery to me. More than 40 state and national organizations, including the Louisiana Association of Educators, Louisiana School Councilors Association, Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana, League of Women Voters, Capital City Alliance and Forum for Equality publicly supported the bill (a complete list of supporters is available on the CCA website at http://www.ccabatonrouge.org).

Former bus driver files suit against school system  --  The Daily Advertiser - Tina Marie Macias - May. 26, 2011  
LAFAYETTE --A former school bus driver's discrimination lawsuit against the Lafayette Parish School System likely will be argued in federal court. In the lawsuit, Larry Chaisson claimed he was terminated based on race discrimination in 2007 after an altercation with his supervisor. Chaisson went to the school system office in August 2007, Chaisson wrote in his lawsuit. He, and other bus drivers, objected to new parking rules, which escalated into an altercation between Transportation Director Bill Samec and Chaisson, according to Chaisson's lawsuit Chaisson claimed Samec shook his index finger at Chaisson, to which Chaisson pointed at Samec. Samec then slapped away Chaisson's hand and Chaisson responded by pushing Samec, Chaisson wrote in his lawsuit. Chaisson was terminated in October 2007. "Mr. Samec only received a reprimand, and was able to remain in his employment. The supervisor is a white male and (Chaisson) is an African American male subordinate," the lawsuit read. "Therefore, it is alleged the only bases (sic) for the differentially treatment regarding the discipline of these employees is based on race in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964."

Tea Party and Democrats force blight bill deferral   --  The Daily Advertiser - Nicholas Persac - 5- 26, 2011
LAFAYETTE -- battle against blight in Lafayette came to a stalemate Thursday when opposition from both local Tea Party members and Democrats forced a voluntary deferral of a bill in the state Legislature. State Rep. Joel Robideaux, I-45, backed House Bill 531 at the direction of City-Parish President Joey Durel's administration. The bill would create the Lafayette Redevelopment Authority to let the government here more quickly move adjudicated properties back into commerce. Local councilmen, the Tea Party of Lafayette and the Lafayette Parish Democratic Executive Committee took issue with the bill's vagueness, a board of government appointees it would create and the power it would give to levy new taxes without a vote. "If the locals can't come together, then the legislators are not inclined to even want to hear the bill," Robideaux said Thursday afternoon after voluntarily deferring the bill. The bill passed in both a House committee and in the full House without any opposition earlier this month. The State Senate's Local and Municipal Affairs committee was scheduled to consider the bill Thursday. Because the bill was only deferred, it could still resurface during this year's legislative session, a possibility Robideaux did not rule out. The bill marks the second time in two years Durel's administration has pushed for such legislation. Robideaux said officials pulled the bill this past year before a House committee could hear it.

Employee arrested in theft at ULL --  The Daily Advertiser - Amanda McElfresh - May. 26, 2011
LAFAYETTE — A UL employee has been arrested after she allegedly stole about $85,000 from the school's Parking and Transit Division. Nancy Eileen Hanson, 54, was arrested May 11, according to a UL statement issued Wednesday night. Hanson remains in the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center on a $150,000 bond and has been charged with one count of felony theft, according to jail records. In the statement, officials said that the UL Internal Auditor notified the school's police department May 11 about missing funds from the parking and transit division. The auditor's findings were turned over to police, who learned the alleged thefts happened between October 2009 and May 2011. Hanson was arrested the same day. Hanson described her work in an online profile on the professional networking and social media website LinkedIn. She lists herself as the cash manager and field operations supervisor for pay lots and corresponding computer operations. Among her listed duties were collecting, counting, verifying and depositing field operations money on a daily basis to an auditable system. In addition, Hanson wrote that she coordinated special events in parking areas, maintenance in permitted and zoned parking areas and maintaining open relations with the campus police department. School officials said the investigation is ongoing.

 State plans facility in region  --  Advocate Acadiana bureau - By JASON BROWN - May 26, 2011   
LAFAYETTE — Twice in the past few years, public protests have derailed attempts by the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office to build a facility for juvenile offenders. But there was no public outcry or opposition Wednesday evening at a forum aimed at gauging public sentiment over a similar project proposed by the state.  The Sheriff’s Office called the meeting to discuss concerns and to solicit public comments about plans by the state Office of Juvenile Justice to build an Acadiana Center for Youth somewhere within the region. OJJ has asked communities interested in the facility to submit information on possible locations by Friday. The Sheriff’s Office has identified a mostly rural, 9.5-acre site at 215 Raggio Road in Scott as a possible spot for the proposed 42-78 bed therapeutic-treatment facility. About 30 people, most of whom were officials, attended Wednesday’s meeting at the Clifton Chenier Auditorium in Lafayette. Sheriff Mike Neustrom said his department is very interested in having the complex in Lafayette Parish. The facility would be operated by OJJ, but he said he hoped his department, which is experienced in therapeutic models, would have input. Rob Reardon, director of corrections for the Sheriff’s Office, said Acadiana ships out 52 youths each year to state-run facilities for juvenile offenders. The proposed site in Lafayette Parish would be less than a mile from the parish’s own planned Public Safety Complex, a 300-bed facility for work-release inmates and minimum-security prisoners. The planned juvenile facility would be based on the nationally acclaimed Missouri Model, which uses smaller facilities designed like group homes rather than juvenile prisons and provides counselors rather than prison guards. Having the facility in Lafayette would keep the youngsters close to home and help to get the parents involved in their children’s rehabilitation, Neustrom said. “We’re trying to detour kids from getting into the adult facility,” Neustrom said.

The Failure of American Schools   The Alantic  -  June 2011
Who better to lead an educational revolution than Joel Klein, the prosecutor who took on the software giant Microsoft? But in his eight years as chancellor of New York City’s school system, the nation’s largest, Klein learned a few painful lessons of his own—about feckless politicians, recalcitrant unions, mediocre teachers, and other enduring obstacles to school reform.

Senate rejects Ryan budget  --  The Hill - Alexander Bolton - 05/25/11
The Senate on Wednesday resoundingly rejected a budget sponsored by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) that calls for significant cuts to future Medicare benefits. The 40-57 vote came one day after Republicans suffered an upset defeat in a special election in upstate New York where Democrats made Medicare cuts the primary issue.  Five Republican senators voted against a motion to take up the ambitious House budget plan, which suffered only four Republican defections when it passed the lower chamber earlier this year. Four centrists voted no: Sens. Scott Brown (R-Mass.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine). Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who favored larger budget cuts than what was proposed in Ryan’s budget, was the fifth no vote.
Every Democrat voted no except for Sen. Charles Schumer (N.Y.), who did not vote.

House Refuses To Vote On Abortion Coverage For Military Rape Victims  --  Huffington Post - 5-25-2011  
The House Committee on Rules blocked an amendment from going to vote on Wednesday that would have allowed military rape victims to access abortion care through their government-provided health plans. Earlier this week, Rep. Susan Davis (D-Calif.) and five other House Democrats submitted an amendment to the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act that would reverse the current policy of denying abortion coverage to military women who are raped and become pregnant during their service. As the bill currently stands, servicewomen have to pay out of pocket for an expensive abortion procedure unless they can prove that their lives are in danger. By contrast, other federal bans on abortion coverage, including those for Medicaid recipients, federal employees, and women in federal prisons, all include exceptions for victims of rape and incest. The ban on abortion coverage for military rape victims is actually more extreme than the Hyde Amendment, which has prohibited federally-funded abortions for the past 30 years except in the cases of rape, incest and life endangerment. "I think it's outrageous that we have young women who are serving our country and sacrificing their lives, and if they are raped and a pregnancy happens then they cannot utilize federal resources in order to have an abortion," Rep. Davis told HuffPost. "How can we tell a servicewoman that we would provide funding for her if she were sitting in a safe office in Washington, DC, but because she's fighting for our freedom in Afghanistan we tell her no? It's just not acceptable."

Will Government Spending Cuts Now Mean More Growth Now?  --  Daniel Indiviglio - The Atlantic - May 25 2011
As the deficit debate drones on in Washington, there's one essential question that must be answered: would it be better to cut government spending or raise taxes? In order to make deep deficit cuts, Congress must choose one of these options or a combination of the two. Republicans generally support spending cuts. Would they ultimately benefit economic growth? This question is one of the most contentious in the political discourse, but it gets easier to answer if you qualify for timing. 
The Claim -
A Washington Post article today says that Republicans think immediate spending cuts will strengthen economic growth immediately. The article says "many" economic analysts disagree. I should hope so, because the claim is trivially false.  The very definition of gross domestic product shows that cutting government spending will cut growth. As you learn in intro macroeconomics, here's how GDP is calculated:
GDP = Consumption (C) + Investment (I) + Government Spending (G) + Net Exports (X)

Reflections of a Rally  --  By William Kalec - The Independent - 5-25-2011
Less than a year after thousands converged in the Cajundome fearing the worst, Lafayette’s economy has taken a turn for the better.
Lafayette -- They came in droves – your angry, your worried, your curious, your concerned — all congregated beneath the Cajundome’s concrete roof, suitable shelter from a falling sky. On July 21, 2010, a confluence of fear, uncertainty and perceived desperation permeated “The Rally For Economic Survival,” the oil sector’s organized response to the federal moratorium placed on deepwater drilling and exploration after the Deepwater Horizon rig blowout. A wide-ranging but united mix of 11,000 attendees — from those wearing Half Windsor knots to those whose names were sewn in script on their work shirts — sat for two hours and absorbed essentially the same morbid message delivered in a multitude of ways by headlining politicians and industry leaders.  Then-interim Lt. Gov. Scott Angelle, who emceed the majority of the event, won favor from the crowd by reminding President Obama this moratorium hurts “the Cheramies, and the Colliers, and the Dupuys, and the Robins, and the Boudreauxs, and the Thibodeauxs” much more than it did the BP stockholders — claiming the decision to cease deepwater activity was “crippling the middle class of the Gulf Coast.” Don Briggs, president of the Louisiana Oil and Gas Association, predicted the moratorium would be a financial disaster for Louisiana. Gov. Bobby Jindal insisted Louisiana residents didn’t want to collect unemployment or cash BP checks. Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser told the audience the moratorium would turn “Louisiana into a state of bankrupt businesses.” We thought Lafayette would be absolutely losing jobs this year and next year. “And, it turns out, it’s exactly the opposite.”
Former president joins Acadian event   -  Advocate Acadiana bureau - May 25, 2011
LAFAYETTE — Acadian Ambulance Service celebrated its 40th anniversary Tuesday with special guest former President George W. Bush. More than 2,200 people filled the Cajundome arena Tuesday for the company’s annual paramedic luncheon. The event honored the company’s paramedic of the year, Steven Simon, of Lake Charles, an 11-year Acadian employee. Members of the media were not allowed in the arena during the former president’s remarks.Until Monday, members of the media were instructed by Acadian that they would be allowed to cover the first three minutes of Bush’s speech, but were prohibited from taking voice or video recordings of his comments. Gov. Bobby Jindal served as the master of ceremonies. Simon is a certified Emergency Medical Technician instructor and is an adjunct instructor at the National EMS Academy. Simon praised his colleagues for their compassion and service, according to company news release. “What I love most about Acadian is the way we treat our patients and each other, with the utmost compassion and respect,” Simon said. “It’s what sets us apart. It’s what makes us more than just an ambulance service.”

Kathy Hochul Wins NY-26 as Paul Ryan's Medicare Plan Costs GOP a House Seat  --  John Nichols - The Nation - May 25, 2011  
Newly-elected Congresswoman Kathy Hochul, D-New York, was a terrific candidate, as good a contender as the Democratic Party could have asked for in the special election to fill the open congressional seat representing New York's 26th congressional district. But Hochul did not stand a chance of winning a district so safely Republican that it backed John McCain for president in the 2008 election that saw the rest of the state back Barack Obama. In recent congressional elections, Republicans have gained as much as 70 percent of the vote. New York's 26th district backs Republicans by tradition and nature. And it was going to back Republican nominee Jane Corwin to fill the seat vacated by Republican Congressman Chris Lee after the married man got caught trolling for dates on the Internet. Democratic strategists in Washington weren't even taking Hochul seriously when the campaign got going. It was Emily's List and the Working Families Party, a union-backed grassroots party, that kept talking up Hochul -- who ran on the third party's ballot line, taking advantage of New York's fusion law, which allows cross-endorsements. Then came Paul Ryan. The House Budget Committee chair's budget plan contained a proposal to end Medicare as we know it. Ryan's scheme -- to shift Medicare spending away from providing health-care coverage and toward the accounts of for-profit insurance companies -- was transparently obvious. The American people rejected it.

Did David Vitter overstep on Ken Salazar pay?  --  Politico - DAVID ROGERS | 5/25/11
Was this a Senate hold —or heist?
That’s the question left hanging in the air after Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) this week blocked a nearly $20,000 pay adjustment due Interior Seretary Ken Salazar, demanding that his former Senate colleague first agree to use his Cabinet post to accelerate deepwater drilling permits in the Gulf of Mexico. It was Washington politics at its rawest, but Vitter’s actions also tread close to federal statutes which make it a crime to offer anything of value to a public official “to influence any official act.” In a letter to Salazar, Vitter explicitly said “I will end my efforts to block your salary increase” only when the rate of permits for deepwater wells had been increased by Interior to six per month. “It reads like the bribery statute,” said a Washington defense attorney with long experience dealing with such cases. And in a letter provided Tuesday to Capitol newspapers including POLITICO, Salazar— a former state attorney general in Colorado— asked that the pay bill be withdrawn rather than give in to what he saw as Vitter’s “attempted coercion of public acts here at the Department.”

North La. teacher running for governor  -- The Independent  - Walter Pierce - Monday, 23 May 2011 
BATON ROUGE —A largely unknown, self-identified “conservative Democrat” has announced a bid to unseat Gov. Bobby Jindal this fall. Claiborne Parish public-school teacher Tara Hollis, who has no prior experience in elected office, made the announcement via email Sunday evening, citing state cuts to education, Louisiana’s spiralling incarceration rate, inadequate care for veterans and other issues for her motivation to run for Louisiana’s highest office. The 33-year-old Haynesville resident earned a master’s degree in education from Louisiana Tech. She teaches special education for fifth and sixth graders in a parish that recently moved to lay off more than 60 public-school employees including her husband, a 13-year veteran of the school system. “Cuts to education is the fastest way to kill our economy, but seems to be the first place everyone cuts funding. If this state is to survive and grow, we need to put the focus back on building up our school system,” Hollis says in a press release. “Promises have been made to the people of Louisiana, and those promises have fallen short. Jindal promised education reform, economic growth, and more jobs; instead over 169,000 Louisianans across the state have been let go, and funding for literacy programs, early and adult education programs, as well as cuts to higher education have left this state’s school systems surviving only on life support.”

 Cravins named in housing board audit  --  The Daily Advertiser - Claire Taylor - May. 24, 2011  
LAFAYETTE -- Mayor Don Cravins Sr. may have violated state laws and the ethics code in appointing city employees to the Opelousas Housing Authority board and bumping some people to the top of the waiting list for public housing. Those are some of the conclusions of an independent audit of the OHA for the fiscal year from July 1, 2009, to June 30, 2010, conducted by William Daniel McCaskill, CPA, of Mandeville. Results of the audit were released Monday on the Louisiana legislative auditor's website. The findings differ somewhat from those released by the LouisianaLegislative Auditor's Office in April which were forwarded to the U.S. attorney and district attorney. Cravins, on Monday, denied that he knowingly did anything improper.

Budget Decision Looms --- Cuts will be based on tax projections  --  The Advocate's Daily Digest  --  By MARSHA SILLS - May 24, 2011 
LAFAYETTE — The Lafayette Parish School Board may decide Tuesday where and whether to make additional cuts to student instructional and support services to fill either a $2.2 million or a $4.9 million shortfall. That $2.7 million difference in projected deficits is linked to tax revenue projections. The board will move into its third workshop focused on the general fund at 4 p.m., and it has yet to decide whether to accept tax revenue projections devised by its finance department. Finance staff recommend tax revenue projections that would place the deficit at $2.2 million. Board members have requested more-conservative projections, which in turn would raise the deficit to $4.9 million. While the board has the option to use its rainy day funds to fill any holes, some board members would prefer to take a hands-off approach to the reserve account. Meanwhile, staff continue to whittle down the budget — by another $957,299 since the board’s last budget workshop, on May 17.

House bill could force budget cuts - The Advocate's Daily Digest - By MICHELLE MILLHOLLON - May 24, 2011 
BATON ROUGE —The Louisiana House passed a rule Monday that could doom proposals by Gov. Bobby Jindal and legislators for balancing  state government’s operating budget. House Resolution No. 27 by state Rep. Brett Geymann gives lawmakers a choice: Agree with a two-thirds vote to use more than $386 million in one-time state dollars to balance the budget or make cuts. The rule will apply Wednesday, when the House is scheduled to debate a proposed $24.9 billion state operating budget that contains roughly $500 million in nonrecurring money. The budget is for the fiscal year that starts July 1. The rule limits one-time, or nonrecurring, money — such as dollars from selling a state asset — for continuing expenses to the projected growth in the state general fund from the upcoming and subsequent state fiscal years.

Panel Blocks Privatization Of Program  --  The Advocate's Daily Digest - By MICHELLE  MILLHOLLON -  May 24, 2011 
BATON ROUGE —A House committee Monday unraveled part of the Jindal administration’s proposal to privatize a state workforce health insurance plan. The House Committee on Appropriations reinstated funding for 149 state government jobs that Gov. Bobby Jindal wants to eliminate at the Office of Group Benefits. However, Commissioner of Administration Paul Rainwater said lawmakers’ changes to House Bill 32, the ancillary budget, will not deter the Jindal administration’s push to outsource a health plan that insures more than 60,000 people.

A Board divided  --  The Advertiser.com - Tina Marie Macias - 5-21-2011
LAFAYETTE - It started off like any other School Board meeting. A prayer led by a board member. The Pledge of Allegiance. And the superintendent's opening remarks. Scholarship winners were congratulated, and then Burnell Lemoine turned solemn. "Tonight, one of the agenda items is extending my contract ..." he began. Twenty seconds later it was over. A showdown over the continued leadership of the embattled chief of Lafayette Parish Schools would not happen. Lemoine was choosing to end his 43-year run with the school system on his terms. Or had he? Behind the scenes, this tale of political theater is flush with allegations of secret alliances, broken laws and improbable twists.

Bulls' Noah says $50,000 fine for gay slur is 'fair'  - By theGrio - 05/24/2011
MIAMI (AP) -- Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah said the NBA's decision to fine him $50,000 for directing an anti-gay slur toward a fan is "fair."Speaking Tuesday morning as the Bulls prepared to face the Miami Heat in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals, Noah again acknowledged making a mistake in his back-and-forth with the fan. "I made a mistake, learned from it and move on," Noah said. "That's about it." The NBA announced the fine Monday afternoon, one day after television cameras caught Noah using a profanity, followed by the slur, after returning to the Chicago bench midway through the opening quarter of Game 3 in Miami. Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers was fined $100,000 for using the same slur in April, directing it toward a referee. Noah said he was not sure what to expect in terms of a fine when he met with NBA officials to discuss the matter on Monday, hours before the sanction was announced. "I was just ready to face the consequences and move on and get ready for this game," Noah said. "I don't want to be a distraction to the team." The Bulls entered Tuesday down 2-1 in the best-of-seven series. Noah said Game 4 is Chicago's most important game of the season, adding that he is not concerned about what the reaction will be when he faces the Miami crowd. "That's the last of my worries," Noah said. He also said he does not believe security around the bench areas is an issue.

Bully bill demise stirs discord among Dems  -  The Independent - Walter Pierce - 5-20-2011
LAFAYETTE  - The demise of an anti-bullying bill that spelled out protections in schools based in part on sexual orientation has caused a rift among some state Democrats. Dubbed the “Safe Schools Bill,” the legislation by state Rep. Austin Badon, D-New Orleans, was stripped by the full House Thursday of language specific to sexual orientation when it approved an amendment by Amite Democratic Rep. John Bel Edwards. Following impassioned floor debate pitting social conservatives against progressives, the House then shot down the bill, despite the absence of the controversial language. But it was the fact that several Dems voted for the Edwards amendment, which supporters of the bill decried as an attack on the main purpose of the legislation — to protect gay, lesbian and transgender students from harassment — that raised some hackles within the party. Political activist Stephen Handwerk of Lafayette, co-chair of the National Stonewall Democrats — a gay-rights wing of the party that is a counterpoint to the Log Cabin Republicans — unloaded on his Facebook page just moments after the final roll call, singling out a handful of Dems who voted for the Edwards amendment: “Louisiana Legislators just declared open season on gay & disabled children... shame on you Karen St Germain and John Bel Edwards, Rickey Hardy, Regina Barrow who voted to exclude protections for the most vulnerable children in our state... See you on Election day in October! How many kids must commit suicide before you act? 50? 100? 1,000? Just let us know,” Handwerk fumed in a status update.

2012 Courting Fuels Tension Between GOP Factions  -  Huffington Post - 5-21-2011
DES MOINES, Iowa — Some leading Republicans are trying to entice a more established candidate to jump into the presidential race, a courtship that's aggravating tensions between tea partyers and the GOP's traditional business wing, a deep-pocketed source of financial support in the campaign. Influential GOP donors have sought to coax Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush or New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie to run. The goal is to find a contender with a strong record as a fiscal conservative and the political stature to challenge President Barack Obama. The behind-the-scenes efforts have been taken as a snub by some tea party organizers who favor the anti-establishment messages of Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, businessman Herman Cain and Texas Rep. Ron Paul, who are in the race or are considering it. New contenders could undermine their chances for donors and for success.

School Official's Calls Rapped  -  Advocate Acadiana bureau - MARSHA SILLS - Published: May 20, 2011
LAFAYETTE — “Strange” business of the Lafayette Parish School Board was revealed late Wednesday during the board’s discussion of how it would conduct its superintendent search. Board member Tommy Angelle called out fellow board newcomer Kermit Bouillion for “caucusing” other members on whether they’d support a proposed extension of Superintendent Burnell Lemoine’s contract. “He told me that they had decided amongst themselves that they would vote — under no circumstances — for extending the superintendent’s contract,” Angelle said of a phone exchange he had with Bouillion on May 7. “The term he used was there’s five of us and there’s four of y’all. I found that kind of strange … because he (didn’t) know how I was going to vote.”

The GOP's Apology Primary - The Atlantic - Ronald Brownstein - May 20 2011
In the 2012 Republican presidential race, love apparently means always having to say you're sorry.
On an array of issues, the field of GOP contenders is facing enormous pressure from an ascendant conservative base to renounce earlier positions that challenged orthodoxy on the right. Their response to those demands could cast a big shadow over not only next year's Republican primary but also the general-election contest against President Obama. The emergence of these pressures testifies to a decisive shift in the GOP's balance of power. The ideas now drawing the most fire from conservative activists--including support for a cap-and-trade system to limit greenhouse-gas emissions, a mandate on individuals to purchase health insurance, and a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants--all flowered in Republican circles during the middle years of George W. Bush's presidency, especially among governors. In different ways, each of these proposals embodied the common belief that Republicans had to broaden their message beyond a conventional conservative argument focused almost exclusively on reducing government spending, taxes, and regulation. Intellectually, these initiatives reflected an impulse to redefine conservatism in ways that accepted a role for government in empowering individuals or promoting market-based solutions. Politically, they reflected the belief that to build a lasting majority, Republicans needed to attract more minority voters, especially Hispanics, and to loosen the Democratic hold on blue states by reclaiming more suburban independents.

Former Lafayette CIO still uncharged  -- Daily World - Nicholas Persac 5-19-2011
Lafayette - After helping scam $45,000 from Lafayette Consolidated Government for a no-bid contract in which "zero" work was done and accepting a pile of kickbacks for swaying $300,000 worth of LCG contracts to the vendor who gave those bribes, the former LCG official who facilitated the deals still is not facing criminal charges. Keith Thibodeaux, who worked as LCG's first Chief Information Officer, was fired in October after federal court documents showed he allegedly accepted "bribes and kickbacks" from Mark St. Pierre, the technology vendor whose bribes reached technology officials in the governments of New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Lafayette.  Thibodeaux was not charged despite his involvement with St. Pierre being used as a cornerstone to build a case against St. Pierre. Officials would not say why Thibodeaux was not charged in the case or if he will be charged in the future.

LAFAYETTE -  Durel names Keith Thibodeaux Chief Information Officer  --  Lafayette Consolidated Govt.
 
Lafayette tech officer fired over allegations that he took kickbacks from Mark St. Pierre  -- Gordon Russell, The Times-Picayune   10-6-2010 - 5-09-2010

NOLA.com LAFAYETTE -  City Parish President Announces Termination of Chief Information Officer

LAFAYETTE -  Chief Information Officer Fired --  KLFY.COM Oct 06, 2010

Dems In Destress  --  The Independent - By Penny Font 5-18, 2011
LAFAYETTE —Is the party over for Louisiana Democrats, who in the past decade have been losing their grip on voters and politicos, leaving U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu as the only one currently elected to a statewide office? In Caroline Fayard, Louisiana Democrats thought they finally had the breath of fresh air they so desperately needed.  Someone to counter their waning influence in statewide politics. Someone to ignite the party base and stop the decades-long bleeding of membership from the voter rolls. Someone to make headlines besides a steady stream of longtime Democrats in office defecting to the Republican Party. Someone to inject a little more blue into a state that grows redder by the election. And maybe — just maybe — someone to give Gov. Bobby Jindal a run for his money this fall.

Meffert: former Lafayette official in on kickback scheme -- The Independent -- Leslie Turk - 5-19-2011
LAFAYETTE —Testifying in New Orleans federal court last week, former New Orleans Chief Technology Officer Greg Meffert said tech vendor Mark St. Pierre struck a quid pro quo in 2005 with then-Lafayette CTO Keith Thibodeaux, under which LCG would hire one of St. Pierre’s companies, NetMethods, if Meffert would hire Thibodeaux’s wife. St. Pierre is on trial for allegedly bribing two New Orleans technology chiefs in exchange for no-bid city contracts; he is charged with wire fraud, conspiracy and money laundering.

New details emerge in alleged LCG kickback  --  The Daily Advertiser  -- Nicholas Persac  5-19-2011
LAFAYETTE — Court documents surrounding the federal bribery case of a New Orleans technology vendor allege a former Lafayette Consolidated Government official received more than $100,000 in kickbacks after awarding the vendor a $45,000 LCG contract.  Mark St. Pierre is charged with giving city officials kickbacks in order to land municipal contracts. His alleged illegal activities reached local governments in Baton Rouge and in Lafayette.  Keith Thibodeaux, who worked as LCG's first chief information officer, was fired in October after federal court documents showed he allegedly accepted "bribes and kickbacks" from St. Pierre.

LHA Dismissel Hearing Set  -- The Advocate - Richard Burgess - 5-19-2011 
LAFAYETTE — City-Parish President Joey Durel and the Lafayette City-Parish Council are set to appear in court on June 20 to face a contempt hearing for the removal of three members of the Lafayette Housing Authority.  At issue is Durel’s decision to remove the members a second time — and the council’s decision to uphold that removal — after 15th Judicial District Judge Edward Rubin had reinstated the men after an earlier dismissal.

Bill to ban abortion in La. draws crowds  -- Advocate Capitol News Bureau  -  By MARK BALLARD -  May 19, 2011
BATON ROUGE —Supporters and opponents of a bill that essentially would ban abortion gathered Wednesday outside the State Capitol after a House committee postponed a hearing until next week.  At the start of Wednesday hearing before the House Committee on Health and Welfare, state Rep. John LaBruzzo, R-Metairie, submitted a dramatically rewritten House Bill 587.  The newly redrafted anti-abortion would define life as legally beginning at the moment of fertilization, would forbid spending Medicaid dollars on procedures that terminated rape and incest pregnancies, and would criminalize many of the practices involved with abortion.  “I don’t want to regulate abortion. I want to end it,” LaBruzzo said.  “This is a full-out ban,” agreed Julie Mickelberry, director of Public Affairs for Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast Inc., who was among a group opposing LaBruzzo’s legislation.

SU - Uno Merger Dead  --  By JORDAN BLUM -- Advocate Capitol News Bureau -- May 19, 2011
BATON ROUGE —The controversial proposed merger of the University of New Orleans and Southern University at New Orleans is a dead issue after House Speaker Jim Tucker conceded late Wednesday he does not have the votes to pass the legislation out of the Louisiana House.  The announced compromise with the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus would instead move UNO from the LSU System and into the University of Louisiana System, while forming a better working relationship among UNO, SUNO and Delgado Community College.  (Inserted Notes Follows:  Southern University was chartered in 1880 by Act 87 of the General Assembly of the State of Louisiana. The first campus was located in New Orleans, La.  Southern University, Baton Rouge , was opened north of Baton Rouge on March 19, 1914. The Southern University system is the largest predominately African American institution of higher learning in the United States. The S. U. system is currently located on three campuses... Baton Rouge, New Orleans, and Shreveport-Bossiefr City. S.U Baton Rouge is located approx. 10 miles from down town Baton Rouge and is situated on a tract of 512 acres on the banks of the Mississippi Tiver. There are 12,ooo students enrolled at S. U., three campuses, 9,000 of which are on the Baton Rouge campus.  

Testimony: donated devices sold to LCG for $22,000   -  The Independent - Leslie - Turk  - 5-18-2011
LAFAYETTE  - Testifying in the federal bribery trial of former New Orleans tech vendor Mark St. Pierre, Lafayette Consolidated Government Chief Administrative Officer Dee Stanley said that four wireless routers were purchased by LCG in 2005 from St. Pierre’s firm, NetMethods, for more than $22,000. At the time, Lafayette city officials had no idea the devices had been donated, but serial numbers on them now reveal that they were among 50 donated to New Orleans by Tropos Networks of California in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, The Times-PicayuneThese wireless nodes, or routers, that transmit data were purchased under a state of Louisiana contract that set the price at that time. The price was neither set nor negotiated by LCG. reported.

Lurid details emerge in Mark St. Pierre's bribery trial  --  NOLA.COM - David Hammer - 5-18-2011
LAFAYETTE  - Adding shocking detail to the myriad ways technology contractor Mark St. Pierre allegedly bought his way into government contracts, Jimmy Goodson, St. Pierre's well-paid gofer, testified Monday that he lavished public officials with booze, vacations, illegal campaign donations and hookers -- all because his boss asked him to. Prosecutors also presented documents and testimony Monday showing St. Pierre took at least four wireless routers that were donated to help the city after Hurricane Katrina and sold them for profit to the city of Lafayette.
 
LCG officials stay mum on scam --  The Daily Advertiser - Nicholas Persac - 5-18-2011   
LAFAYETTE  -  Court proceedings in New Orleans about federal bribery charges involving a technology vendor show Lafayette Consolidated Government unwittingly bought equipment that was donated to the Crescent City and then lost $45,000 for work that was never done.  LCG Chief Administrative Officer Dee Stanley, who testified in court this week about the case, said Tuesday evening that he would "not comment on an ongoing federal criminal proceeding," but said information reported by the New Orleans newspaper, The Times-Picayune, was accurate.   Mark St. Pierre, who sold technology equipment to New Orleans, is charged with giving city officials kickbacks in order to land contracts. His alleged illegal activities also reached local governments in Baton Rouge and Lafayette.   Keith Thibodeaux, who worked as LCG's first chief information officer, was fired in October after federal court documents showed he allegedly accepted "bribes and kickbacks" from St. Pierre.

Drug Testing Bill Clears LA. House  -  The Advocate - Masha Shuler - 5-18-2011
BATON ROUGE —Twenty percent of Louisiana recipients of cash welfare payments would be subject to random drug testing annually under a bill that cleared the House on Tuesday. The House voted 67-26 for the legislation which opponents said unconstitutionally targeted one segment of the state’s population — poor women who receive temporary assistance.  House Bill 7 now heads to the Louisiana Senate for debate.  State Rep. John LaBruzzo, R-Metairie, said some 7,000 individuals receive almost $200 a month in taxpayer funds.  “They (taxpayers) have a right to be relatively sure that that money is not going to support a drug habit,” LaBruzzo said.  LaBruzzo also said identifying drug users and getting them into treatment programs will help them be better parents and get jobs.  Under the legislation, those identified as drug users would have to go into treatment or forego the cash benefit through the Family Independence Temporary Assistance Program.  The legislation marks LaBruzzo’s third attempt to pass the drug-testing initiative.

Panel snubs Jindal plan  --  Budget bill has cuts, takes funds  --  MICHELLE MILLHOLLON - Advocate Capitol News Bureau - May 18, 2011
BATON ROUGE —A Louisiana House committee on Tuesday advanced a state operating budget that would no longer hinge on selling state prisons, reshuffling tobacco settlement dollars and shrinking state workers’ pay.  By purging those proposals, the House Committee on Appropriations rejected key parts of Gov. Bobby Jindal’s plan for balancing the state budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1.  Jindal called the panel’s action “irresponsible.”  The panel replaced the dollars by making $139 million in cuts and by taking $82 million from an economic development fund. Under the new budget plan, state agencies would be forced to forego funds for travel, operating services and supplies. The plus for state workers: Their take-home pay no longer would diminish to build up their retirements.  “We now have a balanced budget that does not use contingency funding,” said state Rep. Jim Fannin, D-Jonesboro and the budget bill’s sponsor.

Debate on repealing income tax heated  --  JORDAN BLUM  --  Advocate Capitol News Bureau  5-18-2011
BATON ROUGE —Controversial legislation to repeal the state personal and corporate income taxes was nearly defeated Tuesday on the Senate floor during an often-heated exchange before the bill was even supposed to be debated.   State Sen. Dan Claitor made a motion that interrupted a routine reading of Senate Bill 259. Usually ignored by the senators, the procedure is legally necessary to move the legislation into the posture for a final vote by the full Senate. The Baton Rouge Republican asked that the Senate approve sending the income tax repeal bill to the Senate Finance panel. His move would allow a second committee to consider and vote on the measure before all the senators would be asked to vote “yes” or “no” on eliminating corporate and personal state income taxes.   Claitor said the legislation would remove $600 million from the state‘s treasury. “I thought it only fair … that they be able to discuss this topic,” he said about the state Senate Committee on Finance. SB259sponsor, state Sen. Rob Marionneaux, said Claitor’s real intent was to defeat the measure.

Senate GOP Votes Down Bill To End Big Oil Subsidies  --  The Huffington Post -- 5-18-2011
WASHINGTON -- A ceremonial vote over whether to end subsidies to major oil companies failed on Tuesday, with 45 Republicans and three Democrats voting to continue the tax incentives to the five largest oil companies.   Atlhough the 52-48 vote broke down mostly along party lines, Republican Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins of Maine split with the rest of the GOP to support the effort to repeal oil subsidies. Democratic Sens. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), Mary Landrieu (D-La.) and Mark Begich (D-Alaska), voted against the bill.   Still, the debate over whether to end the subsidies is unlikely to die with Tuesday's vote. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) vowed to continue pushing for the government to end the series of tax credits to five oil companies, which Democrats say could produce $21 billion over the next decade.   "I am confident that before we finish our budget negotiations here, and in anticipation of raising the debt ceiling, that that will be part of it," Reid said at a midday press conference.

Blue Dogs' Lobbying, SEC's Revolving Door and More in Capital Eye Opener  --  Open Secrets Blog - Evan Mackinder - May 16, 2011
BLUE DOGS CHASE JOBS ON K STREET: Having been systematically targeted by congressional Republicans during the 2010 election cycle, some conservative Blue Dog Democrats appear to have found a silver lining to their exile from Capitol Hill. A new report by Center for Public Integrity's iWatch News service finds that nearly one-third of Blue Dog Democrats that were defeated or retired during the last election are cashing in on their congressional experience by taking top paying jobs at lobbying firms.  The Blue Dog caucus, which counted 54 seats among its ranks in the 111th Congress, shrank dramatically to 26 members last November in the wake of a Republican wave that swept Democrats from power in the House of Representatives. Eight of those Democrats from the House have swung through Washington's revolving door and landed on K Street.

Republican Party or No Tax Party?  --  Berkeley Political Review -- Christopher Haugh-- 4-18-2011
Two weeks ago, during the Berkeley Political Review DeCal class, A.G. Block, former editor of the California Journal came in to discuss his views on California politics. He spoke about the inevitable deficit and the problems in negotiating a budget, but he also spoke about the morphing Republican party. “It seems as if the Republican Party has become the No-Tax Party,” he stated as we listened on. “Have you seen the Pirates of the Caribbean? Well, in the Pirates of the Caribbean, Jack Sparrow takes off his hat to salute pirates that have been hung. In my eyes, those pirates are like Republicans who have committed “suicide” due to standing up against the no tax policy of the Republican Party. They can stick to what their ideals are and become heroes for standing against the party for a short while…but little do they know they have committed suicide in their political careers.”

Gov. Bobby Jindal releases tally of African-American appointments in state government - The Times-Picayune - Ed Anderson - May 17, 2011
Baton Rouge -- Gov. Bobby Jindal has named 337 African-Americans to various positions in state government since he took office in 2008, about 10.6 percent of all of his 3,191 appointees, records released by his office show. When American Indians and other races or ethnic groups are added, Jindal's minority appointments total 13 percent. His non-minority appointees total 2,766, about 87 percent. The records from the governor's office also show that more than 72 percent of the appointees are male and 28 percent are women. African-Americans make up about one-third of the state's 4.5 million residents and women a little more than 51 percent. According to a breakdown provided by Jindal press secretary Kyle Plotkin, the governor has named a total of 415 non-white members to boards and commissions since he was sworn in: 337 African-Americans, 11 American Indians and 67 from "other ethnic groups." Rep. Rick Gallot, D-Ruston, who is chairman of the House Committee on House and Governmental Affairs, has pressed the administration for several months to release the number of its appointments by race and gender. He has invited Jindal to attend his committee meeting today to discuss the appointments. "This governor can do better and should do better," Gallot said. "People of this state deserve better."

SUNO-UNO Merger: A View from Mike Stagg  --  The Daily Kingfish -- Lamar Parmentel - May 16, 2011
LAFAYETTE -A view from Lafayette's Mike Stagg on the proposed SUNO-UNO merger and the implications for Democrats:
The Louisiana Democratic Party is the only political party in this state committed to being a multi-racial party. The Republican Party here is a party of whites who want to continue to pretend that this state is of whites and for whites. White Democratic members of the House need to decide if they are, in fact, Democrats. If they are, they will vote against this racially driven attempt to pretend that the only institution of higher education in Louisiana not meeting its mission is Southern University at New Orleans.The Legislative Black Caucus has proposed an alternative bill that would require a review of the performance of all institutions of higher education in our state instead of singling SUNO for punitive action.

SUNO-UNO merger vote postponed in House  --  The Times-Picayune -- Jan Moller  5-16-2011
The scheduled debate on the proposed merger of the University of New Orleans and Southern University at New Orleans has been postponed until at least Wednesday, House Speaker Jim Tucker said.  The House of Representatives had been scheduled to take up House Bill 537 on Monday, but Tucker, R-Algiers, said at least two of the members who had committed to voting in favor of the measure were called away on business.  "A couple of our votes are just not here and it's just (a) tight (vote)," Tucker said.  Approval of the bill requires at least a two-thirds majority -- or 70 votes -- in the House.  Tucker's bill would combine majority-black SUNO and majority-white UNO into the University of Louisiana at New Orleans starting in fall 2013. The new entity, which would be part of the University of Louisiana system, would consist of two units with different entrance requirements and course offerings.  Students in need of remedial education would be steered to Delgado Community College, which would open a branch campus on the grounds of present-day SUNO.  The bill has strong backing from Gov. Bobby Jindal, who says both schools have done a poor job of graduating students, leaving many dropouts with few skills and a heavy debt load. SUNO's six-year graduation rate of 8 percent is among the lowest in the country, while UNO's 21 percent graduation rate ranks it far below most of its national peers.  But opponents have said a merger would close off educational opportunities for black students, and that the adjacent Lakefront campuses have too many cultural differences to function as a cohesive unit.

Baton Rouge Aids Rate 2nd in US  --  The Advocate's Daily Digest - STEVEN WARD - 5-17-2011
For the second year in a row, the Baton Rouge metropolitan area ranked second in the nation in the rate of AIDS cases, according to 2009 data released recently by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  The rate is 30.6, which means 30.6 per 100,000 people in the Baton Rouge metro area have AIDS, according to the data.  In 2008, the rate for the metro Baton Rouge area was 40.  Even though the Baton Rouge ranking was the same, state Department of Health and Hospitals HIV/AIDS Program Administrative Director DeAnn Gruber said, the lower rate reported is encouraging.  “It’s nice to see that decrease for Baton Rouge, but the ranking remains the same and that’s because the whole country is seeing a decrease,” Gruber said.

Hardy's housing bill sails through House 97-0  --  The Independent  -  Leslie Turk  --   Monday, 16 May 2011
LAFAYETTE - State Rep. Rickey Hardy’s bill to make affiliates of housing authorities subject to the state’s public records law won overwhelming support in the House, which voted 97-0 to strip their  exemption from the sunshine law. Hardy, who played a key role in helping to expose potential corruption in the Lafayette Housing Authority (the feds continue to investigate, but there is ample evidence of wrongdoing), wants the public to be able to review the deals designed to bring much-needed low-income housing developments to Lafayette.

Time to separate politics, leadership ---  The Daily Advertiser -- "Opinion"   5-16-2011
LAFAYETTE - No general has emerged to lead Lafayette's Democratic forces against City-Parish President Joey Durel's bid for re-election this fall. That doesn't mean the bullets aren't flying.  First came the "Sucker Tax" YouTube video by local Democratic leader Mike Stagg, alleging that Durel's haste to enter a trash pickup contract with Allied has cost Lafayette residents millions of dollars. Now Democrats are pointing to published comments by Chief Administrative Office Dee Stanley that leave him open to charges that he's using a public office to work for Durel's re-election.  As we said, the bullets are flying, some of them badly aimed. But there's also a feeling that if the Durel administration has been hit, some of the wounds are self-inflicted.

House to decide SUNO/UNO merger  --  The Daily Advertiser  -  5-16.2011  
BATON ROUGE — White Democrats will likely decide the fate of a racially charged proposal up for a vote today in the Louisiana House that would merge historically black Southern University at New Orleans with the largely white University of New Orleans.  Republicans back the consolidation proposal pushed by Gov. Bobby Jindal and sponsored by House Speaker Jim Tucker, both members of the GOP, while black Democratic lawmakers oppose the idea.  To pass the bill that needs a two-thirds vote, Tucker will need all 55 Republicans to vote in a bloc — and will have to pick up 15 other members. With only three independents to call on, supporters will have to rely on white Democrats to make up the rest of the vote.  Members of the Legislature's black caucus said they are working to peel off Tucker's supporters and keep their fellow Democrats with them.

Texas’ Wild Tea Party -- The Nation -- Bob Moser -- May 11, 2011
On the muggy afternoon of Tax Day, state Representative Mike Villarreal hurried into his House Ways and Means Committee meeting, running late. One of the few rising stars in the Texas Democratic Party, which was swamped in November by a Tea Party tsunami, the 39-year-old from San Antonio is known as that rarest of beasts at the Capitol: a thoughtful, progressive policy wonk. Even at the best of times, the Texas Legislature—which Molly Ivins aptly called “the national laboratory for bad government”—is a lonely and frustrating place for the likes of Villarreal. But this session, which kicked off in January with news of a $23 billion budget shortfall for the next biennium, has been downright mind-boggling.


New president takes power in struggling Haiti --  USA Today - 5-14-2011
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Charismatic pop star-turned-president Michel Martelly took over Haiti on Saturday, promising to rebuild its earthquake-devastated capital, develop the long-neglected countryside and build a modern army.  The 50-year-old performer known to Haitians as "Sweet Micky" was swept to power in a March 20 presidential runoff by Haitians tired of past leaders who failed to provide even basic services, such as decent roads, water and electricity in the Western Hemisphere's poorest country.  Martelly was sworn in during a power outage in front of dozens of dignitaries including former U.S. president Bill Clinton, the U.N.'s special envoy to Haiti, and Edmond Mulet, head of the U.N. mission that has maintained order in Haiti since 2004. Also present was Desi Bouterse, the president of Suriname who is on trial for the 1982 executions of 15 political opponents.

Shirley Sherrod returns to the USDA  --  Politico - JOSEPH WILLIAMS  5-14-11
Shirley Sherrod, the U.S. Department of Agriculture employee who was forced out after a portion of a videotape was misleadingly used to show her making a racially insensitive remark, will start working for the USDA again, the department told POLITICO Friday. But she’s not getting her old job back.  Instead, Sherrod will help the USDA improve its dismal civil rights record.

Women and Minorities Lose Ground in Fortune 500 Corporate Boards, Report Shows  --  Alliance for Board Diversity --  Washington, DC — May 2
Women and minorities lost ground in America’s corporate boardrooms between 2004 and 2010, according to a report by the Alliance for Board Diversity.   
The report titled, “Missing Pieces: Women and Minorities on Fortune 500 Boards―2010 Alliance for Board Diversity Census,”  shows that white men still overwhelmingly dominate corporate boards with few overall gains for minorities and a loss of seats for African-American men. In the Fortune 100, between 2004 and 2010, white men increased their presence, adding 32 corporate board seats, while African-American men lost 42, and women ― particularly minority women ― did not see an appreciable increase in their share of board seats. In the Fortune 500, which is included in this year’s report as well, the overwhelming majority of seats were held by white men.

Scholars to discuss La. slave's biography  -- Paul South - The Daily World - 5-13-2011
Solomon Northrup was a free man of color in 1841. A skilled violinist, Northrup was living a good life in Washington, D.C, when he was approached by two men. Posing as circus promoters impressed with Northrup's musical talent, the men offered him money to work for the circus, and to put him up in a Washington hotel. Upon arriving there, however, Northrup was drugged, bound and moved to a slave pen near the National Mall.  Thus began his 12-year trial as a slave at plantations in southwest Louisiana.  On Saturday (5-14-2011), a panel of scholars and local historians will discuss Solomon Northrup's harrowing journey in Louisiana at a meeting of the Imperial St. Landry Genealogical and Historical Society, set for 10 a.m. at Opelousas General Hospital's South Campus.

Newt Gingrich Was More Supportive Of Individual Mandates Than Mitt Romney --  Huffington Post - 5-12-2011

Health-care compact bill discussion delayed one week-Sen. Guillory preparing for upcoming debate -- The Daily Advertiser - May. 11, 2011
LAFAYETTE -- A state senate committee will not hear a bill providing for a health-care compact today but will, most likely, take up the issue next week. Louisiana state Sen. Elbert Guillory, a Democrat representing the state's 24th district, is backing Senate Bill No. 206, which would allow Louisiana to enter into compact agreements with other states to reshape the health-care system. Guillory said the bill was originally scheduled to be heard in committee today, but he voluntarily deferred the discussion to May 18. The senator said he made the decision to wait one week to discuss the bill in the senate's Health and Welfare Committee to give time for "high-powered witnesses" to prepare for testimony.  Guillory wouldn't say who those witnesses are or what they'll potentially say because he "didn't want to destroy the drama of what is going to take place." "I give you my assurance," he said, "they will be worth listening to." Guillory said he is confident the bill will pass through the senate's Health and Welfare Committee and find strong support in both the Senate and in the House. He said he has not spoken with Gov. Bobby Jindal about the bill and is unsure if the governor would sign it.

Hardy didn't do right by SUNO  -- The Daily Advertiser -- Jamal Taylor -- OPINION 5-12-2011
LAFAYETTE -- Rickey Hardy voted in favor of merging SUNO and UNO — in a 10-5 House Education Committe vote.  This is a tremendous disservice to his entire party in the House. More importantly, it is a slap in the face of the mostly African-American district he was elected to serve in.  This decision, disheartening as it may be, does not surprise me one bit. His votes and decisions give me cause for great concern, as they should give every member of our community.  On the occasions where he has been quoted, it seems that he has one thing in mind: his elevation, however small that elevation might be.  It seems that some strange force makes his decisions for him.

Pre-K3 registration on hold over budget issues  -- Advocate Acadiana bureau  -  May 12, 2011
LAFAYETTE — Registration for the Lafayette Parish School System’s Pre-K3 classes is still on hold pending a School Board decision about the program’s funding. Registration for the 3-year-old classes was tentatively set for May 17, but has been postponed while the board hashes out its budget.  Federal stimulus dollars have helped pay for classes that serve 80 3-year-olds.  That money runs out in June, and $325,000 is needed to continue the classes, said Christine Duay, Lafayette Parish Schools Early Childhood supervisor.  The board has not made a decision on whether to fund the 3-year-old classes.

Lawyer asks for $10M in desegregation case  --  The Dispatch.com -  May 11, 2011 
Opelousas - The attorney who filed the original desegregation lawsuit against the St. Landry Parish School Board in 1965 is seeking nearly $10 million in legal fees for his work on the case over the past 46 years.  Opelousas attorney Marion Overton White has asked a federal judge to award him a fee of $700 an hour for 14,136.5 hours of work on the case - a total bill of $9,895,550.  U.S. District Judge Tucker Melancon has set a June 23 court date to consider the request, but attorneys for the School Board have asked for more time to review the billing information submitted by White.

Dee Stanley's focus in question  -  The Daily Advertiser  -  5-10, 2011
LAFAYETTE  -- Democrats in Lafayette Parish are calling for Dee Stanley, who works as Lafayette Consolidated Government's chief administrative officer, to refrain from campaign activity or to take a leave of absence.  Stanley has been quoted in several media outlets, including The Daily Advertiser, discussing his involvement to help get City-Parish President Joey Durel re-elected. Durel is running for his third term this fall.  In the April 9 issue of The Daily Advertiser, Stanley said he is focusing on Durel's re-election.


It ain’t just hay allowing Lafayette landowners to skirt their share of taxes - The Independent - Heather Miller -5-11-2011
LAFAYETTE -- It ain’t just hay allowing Lafayette landowners to skirt their share of taxes.  The grass is not always greener on the 4,000-plus acres of farmland within the city limits of Lafayette, but for the landowners who sit on undeveloped prime lots and pay less than a fraction of what commercial land is billed in property taxes, the green just keeps on piling up in the form of tax breaks.

Last Word First: Fool's Gold  --  The Independent  --  Leslie Turk --  5-11-2011 
LAFAYETTE  -- Greg Gachassin’s role in Lafayette’s low-income housing fiasco appears headed for a state ethics investigation, but what price will he pay — if any at all? by Leslie Turk.  Development consultant Greg Gachassin’s potential ethics dilemma won’t end with The Independent Weekly’s April 20 cover story, “How Gachassin Games the System.” And it shouldn’t.  That report revealed that the low-income housing fiasco that has been dogging Lafayette since last summer, and which led to a federal investigation of the Lafayette Housing Authority, involves some very well-connected local professionals. And at least one of them, Gachassin, appears to have violated the state’s Code of Governmental Ethics.  The Louisiana Board of Ethics is now compelled to take the matter up, because on May 2 state Rep. Rickey Hardy, who helped blow the whistle on the LHA’s troubles, lodged a formal complaint. “It would seem as if Mr. Gachassin has violated the ethics laws of the State of Louisiana while serving as chairman and member of the Lafayette Public Trust Finance Authority... [and] appears to have been in ethics violation even after his resignation from the [LPTFA],” Hardy wrote to the state’s top ethics administrator, Kathleen Allen. 

Pastorek resigns as state's education head  -- The Daily Advertiser  -- Tina Marie Macias - Mike Hasten - 5-11-2011
Local education leaders and lawmakers had one word to describe their reaction to state Superintendent of Education Paul Pastorek’s resignation — surprise.  Pastorek announced his resignation Tuesday afternoon after a morning of speculation. His last day as the leader of Louisiana education will be Friday.  
“It comes to me as a big surprise, because I felt that he was moving the education system in the right direction,” state Rep. Rickey Hardy, D-Lafayette, said. “He shook up local school boards through the state and he was trying to deal with the bureaucrats of local school board politics.”

Ex-bank VP files discrimination suit  --  The Daily Advertiser -- 5-10-2011
LAFAYETTE —A Lafayette businesswoman filed a federal lawsuit against MidSouth Bank and its holding company Monday, alleging sexual discrimination and violations of the Family Medical Leave Act.  Karen Hail, 57, had been with MidSouth since 1984, serving as an executive vice president, senior executive vice president, chief operating officer and member of its board of directors.  In October 2009, Hail applied for leave under the Family Medical Leave Act, but she was placed on administrative leave before her medical paperwork was completed, the lawsuit states. Once she was placed on leave, according to the lawsuit, she was blocked from her email accounts and forced to leave the business premises. MidSouth Bank CEO Rusty Cloutier allegedly declined to meet with Hail to discuss the situation. When she returned to work, bank officials allegedly re-assigned her new tasks, interfered with her ability to perform her job, failed to give her directives, made false statements about her to others in the banking industry and denied her promotional opportunities, the lawsuit continues.  The situation escalated in June 2010, the lawsuit contends, when William Charbonnet, chairman of MidSouth Bancorp's board of directors, allegedly told Hail she would not be re-nominated for a board position.

Hardy seeks racial profiling task force - The Independent - Walter Pierce - 6-11-2010
Lafayette -- A bill by Rep. Rickey Hardy, D-Lafayette, that would create a task force to study the feasibility of compelling Louisiana law enforcement agencies to compile data regarding the race of persons stopped for traffic violations goes before the full House Friday. According to House Concurrent Resolution 87, “there is some concern that traffic data is not being properly disseminated and that racial profiling continues to exist.” The resolution cites a 2009 report by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Rights Working Group that claims there is evidence of racial profiling in the state.

Hardy's 'local' bill is out of line - Daily World
Lafayette -- News that state Rep. Rickey Hardy of Lafayette has filed a bill changing how the Opelousas Housing Authority Board is appointed has hit the local community like a brick.

Bill remakes housing board  -  Daily World
Lafayette -- In a highly unusual step, state Rep. Rickey Hardy, D-Lafayette, has prefiled a bill to remove the mayor of Opelousas from authority in appointing the Opelousas Housing Authority's board.

 Hardy files ethics complaint against Gachassin  --   Leslie Turk --   Monday, 09 May 2011 
LAFAYETTE -- Development consultant Greg Gachassin’s potential ethics dilemma won’t end with The Independent Weekly’s April 20 cover story, “How Gachassin Games the System.” And it shouldn’t.  The low-income housing fiasco that has been dogging Lafayette since last summer and led to federal investigations of the Lafayette Housing Authority also involves some very well-connected local professionals. At least one of them, Gachassin, appears to have violated the state's Code of Governmental Ethics.  The Louisiana Board of Ethics is now compelled to take the matter up, because on May 2 state Rep. Rickey Hardy, who helped blow the whistle on the LHA's troubles, lodged a formal complaint. “It would seem as if Mr. Gachassin has violated the ethics laws of the State of Louisiana while serving as chairman and member of the Lafayette Public Trust Finance Authority... [and] appears to have been in ethics violation even after his resignation from the [LPTFA],” Hardy wrote to the state's top ethics administrator, Kathleen Allen.   The LPTFA is a trust organized under the laws of the state that holds millions for the benefit of Lafayette Consolidated Government. In his letter, Hardy is referencing this newspaper’s story about how Gachassin, while on LPTFA's board, orchestrated low-income housing deals in north Lafayette that involved both LPTFA funding and federal low-income housing tax credits. He then signed on as a consultant for two of them, Villa Gardens and Cypress Trails, while still on the board or within weeks of his Nov. 17, 2009, resignation from it. (Gachassin also is the development consultant for Joie de Vivre, a downtown apartment complex with partial funding from LPTFA that is paying him a $1 million consulting fee.)   The state’s ethics code appears clear on this “post-employment” restriction: After leaving a public board, you must wait two years before engaging in a transaction, for compensation, with the board. The definition of transaction is broad, covering just about anything the governmental entity is a party to or has an interest in.  Gachassin’s cut on the Villa Gardens and Cypress Trails developments? More than $1 million bucks (he gets about half of the developer fee).  Read more on this issue in Wednesday’s Independent Weekly.

Rep. Charles Boustany - GOP Bill would Require Drug Testing Of Welfare Recipients   The Nation - 5-10-2011
LAFAYETTE —Late last week, Rep. Charles Boustany, a Republican representing a rural area of Louisiana, introduced without fanfare a bill that would require drug testing of anyone on—or applying to—the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program.  TANF, formerly known as welfare until Bill Clinton and Newt Gingrich overhauled the program in 1996, provides cash assistance to low-income families with children. But as Greg Kaufman noted yesterday, the Clinton-Gingrich “reforms” resulted in a dramatic decrease in the proportional number of families eligible for help, because of many different barriers erected by states that dole out the assistance. Only 28 families out of every 100 in poverty receive TANF benefits.  Boustany’s bill would create yet another obstacle for poverty-stricken families in need of help. It would require states to “implement a drug testing program for applicants for and recipients of assistance” under TANF. It is similar to a proposal by Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) last summer that went nowhere in the Senate after many Republicans failed to support it.

Welfare Drug Testing Bill Passes House  KPEL 96.5 FM Radio - Ken Romero  5-19-2011
Lafayette  -- The full House has passed a bill that would require a percentage of state welfare cash recipients to submit to drug testing. Among lawmakers opposing the idea, Amite Rep. John Bel Edwards who says the bill unfairly targets the poor, and the state gives much more cash away to others with no strings attached.  Lafayette Democrat Rickey Hardy co-sponsored the bill as a way to identify drug addicts that are getting state cash, which they may be using to buy drugs.  The bill passed by a 65-26 vote and will now move to the Senate.

House panel approves Jindal plan to support TOPS with tobacco settlement money  --  Times-Picayune - Bill Barrow, - May 10, 2011
Baton Rouge -- After lengthy discussion that included rare legislative testimony from Gov. Bobby Jindal, the House Appropriations Committee Tuesday overwhelmingly endorsed a plan to redirect future tobacco settlement revenues to the TOPS college scholarship program.

Movement seeks to elect U.S. president by popular vote  -- Shreveport Times -- 50-07-2011
People, not a select group of political party members, should decide who is elected president of the United States.  That's the contention of a national organization and a group of Louisiana lawmakers pushing legislation to join the National Popular Vote movement.  "It's the one-man, one-vote system," says Sen. Joe McPherson, D-Woodworth, who has legislation in the Senate that would declare Louisiana's intention to switch from the Electoral College system of choosing the president.  But before the change could be made, states that make up a majority of the electoral vote — 270 votes, the same needed to elect a president — would have to pass legislation agreeing to the switch.   McPherson said the current method of choosing the nation's leader is "antiquated and disenfranchises voters."

Sucker Tax video contents debated -- The Daily Advertiser - Nicholas Persac - 5-06-2011    (See Scuker Tax Video)
LAFAYETTE — Some of the numbers reported in the "Lafayette Sucker Tax" video are either misleading or inaccurate, according to Pat Logan, an associate director of Lafayette Consolidated Government's Public Works Department.  Lafayette resident and political activist Mike Stagg created the video, which sharply criticizes City-Parish President Joey Durel and how he handled a trash collection contract here.  In the video, Stagg claims residents of the city of Lafayette and the unincorporated portions of the parish are paying more for waste collection services than they should and dubs the extra payments a "sucker tax" being levied on all residents under Lafayette Consolidated Government's jurisdiction.  Logan provided The Daily Advertiser with a break down of fees paid by residents of Lafayette city and by those who live in the unincorporated portions of the parish.  In the video, Mike Stagg said city residents pay $22.51 per month for garbage collection and $2.18 per month for recycling.  Logan said city residents pay a total of $24.82 for LCG's monthly environmental charge. Residents pay $19.97 for waste collection, $2.21 for recycling collection and $2.64 for an environmental quality administrative fee.

UL officials pull taxing district bill  - The Daily Advertiser - Nicholas Persac -  5-06-2011
LAFAYETTE — UL officials have pulled from consideration a controversial state bill that would have created a special taxing district on UL property.  "The university will delay pursuit of the establishment of an economic development district until the master planning effort is complete," Christine Payton, university spokeswoman, said in a news release.  Payton said UL is working on a campus master planning process that should be complete by the end of the year.  Rep. Joel Robideaux, an independent representing District 45, sponsored House Bill 566. His bill came under fire this week by groups like the Tea Party of Lafayette, which opposed giving the authority to levy taxes in the special district to a board of university appointees.  The bill would have given the board the power to levy hotel occupancy taxes within the district up to five mills, up to two percent of sales taxes and as much as two percent of hotel occupancy taxes. The bill would have also allowed the creation of a Tax Increment Financing, or TIF, district.

Unions, Activists Plan March on Wall Street to Oppose Mass Teacher Firings --The Notion - The Nation's Group Blog - Allison Kilkenny 5-06-2011
Mayor Bloomberg announced Friday that he intends to eliminate 4,100 teaching jobs through layoffs and another 2,000 through attrition.
In response, a broad coalition of students, unions and activist groups have planned a May 12 march on Wall Street to demand the big banks and millionaires start paying their fair share during these times of economic crisis.  “There is no revenue crisis; there is an inequality crisis,” On May 12’s organizers said in a written statement. “ The Big Banks that crashed our economy, destroyed jobs, caused millions to lose their homes, and bankrupted city and state budgets, are reaping record profits—and yet they are refusing to pay their fair share of what it will take to rebuild our economy. From Wisconsin to Wall Street people are fighting back!“.   The event website features videos from participants who explain why they'll be taking part in the march.  Organizers are planning for thousands of working people, students, seniors, people on public assistance, and community activists to descend upon Wall Street this Thursday. Participants include SEIU workers, the United Federation of Teachers, the Communication Workers of America, ACT UP, Code Pink, Greater NYC for Change, Urban Youth Collaborative, the Working Families Party, and many more. (A full list of the parties involved can be found at the event’s official website).

Colin Powell: Obama Blew Away The Birthers
ORANGEBURG, S.C. -- Colin Powell told graduates of South Carolina's premier historically black university that they were graduating during a tumultuous time that saw a royal wedding, a pope's beatification and a U.S. military assault that killed Osama bin Laden, "the worst person on earth."  But the former secretary of state and Joint Chiefs chairman told South Carolina State University's 400 graduates on Friday that he particularly enjoyed another recent event: "That was when President Obama took out his birth certificate and blew away Donald Trump and all the birthers!"
The stadium roared in approval of Powell's comments on the president's move last week to quell the doubts of those who don't believe he was born in Hawaii. The retired Army four-star general endorsed Obama's 2008 presidential bid.  Earlier Friday, Powell was made an honorary member of the school's ROTC hall of fame.

Robideaux’s UL bill under fire  - The Independent - Walter Pierce - 5-05-2011
LAFAYETTE —A bill by state Rep. Joel Robideaux, no party-Lafayette, that would create an “improvement district” for UL Lafayette, is facing opposition from some well-placed conservatives. The bill would create what amounts to a tax increment finance district for UL and allow the university, through a board that comprises university brass and boosters, to levy additional sales, ad valorem and hotel occupancy taxes in accordance with state law. House Bill 566 is currently assigned to the House Municipal & Parochial Affairs Committee.
It’s Section F of the bill — Taxing Authority — that is raising the hackles of opponents:

Lafayette Public Schools Board Gives Go Ahead On Tax Prop  - The Independent - Heather Miller - 5-5-2011
LAFAYETTE — The Lafayette Parish School Board is moving forward with plans to place a property tax referendum on the ballot for voters this fall. At its Wednesday night meeting, the board voted 7-1 in favor of the property tax recommendations, with Tehmi Chassion abstaining. Hunter Beasley, Rae Trahan, Mark Cockerham, Mark Allen Babineaux, Shelton Cobb, Tommy Angelle and Greg Awbrey voted for the recommendations. Kermit Bouillion was the lone no vote.
Discussion about the tax proposal was limited and centered around the verbiage of the committee’s recommendations and other technicalities. There was no talk about the 100 Black Men of Greater Lafayette’s recent request for the board to hold off on a property tax until it selects a permanent superintendent and a long-term education plan to address the broad achievement gap for at-risk, low-income students.

Durel"s "Sucker Tax" hits You-Tube  - (Lafayette Sucker Tax - YouTube) - The Independent - Walter Pierce - 5-5-2011

Northside Coach Arrested  - Advocate Acadiana bureau -  May 6, 2011 
LAFAYETTE — The Northside High School girls’ track coach, who was arrested Wednesday on allegations that she “aggressively” bumped into a student at the school, is on paid leave pending an investigation, a school official said Thursday.  Lafayette Police arrested Tawanna Jane Williams, 30, Wednesday after she allegedly bumped into the student “in an aggressive manner,” while the two were walking on a sidewalk at the school shortly before noon Wednesday, said police spokesman Cpl. Paul Mouton.  A school resource officer investigated the incident and determined there was enough evidence to arrest Williams, Mouton said.  This is the second time that Williams has been cited for simple battery against the same student, Mouton said, referencing a misdemeanor summons that was issued to Williams March 25, 2010.

How Gachassin Games the System  -- The Independent - Leslie Turk - April 20, 2011
LAFAYETTE — Board member one month, recipient of its largesse the next, a local real estate investor maneuvers government regulations for housing the poor into a pending $2.5 million payday for himself.

System Eyes Reserve Funds  - Advocate Acadiana Bureau - Marsha Sills - 5-04-2011
LAFAYETTE — The Lafayette Parish School Board could move into the next school year without a deficit by siphoning nearly $2.7 million from its reserve fund, said Chief Financial Officer Billy Guidry on Tuesday. The hit to the rainy day fund could grow to about $5.6 million if the board adopts a more conservative projection on sales tax revenues, Guidry said. The board reviewed its $240 million general fund, which includes salaries and instructional services, for the first time Tuesday.
George W. Bush to speak at luncheon  The Daily Advertiser -  Connie Lewis - 5-04-2011
LAFAYETTE - Former President George W. Bush will be the keynote speaker at Acadian Ambulance Service's Annual Paramedic Luncheon slated for May 24 at the Cajundome.  Bush follows a lengthy list of notables who have addressed the events in past years, including his father, former President George H.W. Bush, in 2006. For that occasion, George W. introduced his father via a pre-recorded video, taped in the White House. Acadian CEO Richard Zuschlag said he is hoping that the elder Bush will reciprocate and tape an intro for his son.  "We are extremely honored that George W. Bush has agreed to attend the paramedic luncheon," Zuschlag said. "This marks the 40th anniversary of Acadian.  "We started with two ambulances and eight employees and today we have 3,500 employees and approximately 400 ambulances. The reason we've been so successful is the kind of people who work here. They are loyal and hardworking and this community has been loyal and supportive of our program."
10 States With The Highest Female/Male Wage Discrepancy: American Community Survey  - Huffington Post - 5-04-2011
LOUISIANA - Women in the U.S. have made tremendous strides in the past century, most notably in educational attainment. Just last week, in fact, the Census showed women now surpass men in total number of advanced degrees.
But differences in pay between men and women remain the country's glaring hole on the road to gender equality. While the gap has narrowed, women are paid less than men in every single U.S. state.
Board may keep superintendent -- The Daily Advertise -  Tina Marie Macias -  5-03-2011 
LAFAYETTE - Lafayette Parish schools Superintendent Burnell Lemoine could remain in his position until the middle of 2012, if a recommendation by Lafayette Parish School Board leadership is approved.   Lemoine's leadership has at times divided the community. He has served in his current post since July 2007 and has received glowing evaluations from current and past School Board members. But dissatisfaction with Lemoine has surfaced through election campaigns, community groups and even the state schools superintendent. More recently, civic group 100 Black Men of Greater Lafayette asked for a new superintendent be named to lead the School Board in developing a systemwide educational plan and oversee the execution of its new technical high school and its facilities master plan.  "It's real simple in my perspective: Why delay the inevitable? We're going to get a new superintendent. Why are we waiting?" 100 Black Men of Greater Lafayette member and School Board gadfly Gary McGoffin said.

Justice Has Been Done ... Osama Bin Laden Is Dead!


A Cronology Of His Political Life ---Osama Bin Laden   --- PBS  5-02-2011

Osama Bin Laden Uses His Wife As Human Shield - Times of London - Nico Hines - May 2 2011
 Osama bin Laden used his youngest wife as a human shield in the minutes before he was shot dead by US Navy Seals inside al-Qaeda’s clandestine compound in Pakistan, according to White House security officials.

The Most Wanted Face of Terrorism  - New York Times - KATE ZERNIKE and MICHAEL T. KAUFMAN - Published: May 2, 2011
Osama bin Laden, who was killed in Pakistan on Sunday (5-01-2011), was a son of the Saudi elite whose radical, violent campaign to recreate a seventh-century Muslim empire redefined the threat of terrorism for the 21st century.  With the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001, Bin Laden was elevated to the realm of evil in the American imagination once reserved for dictators like Hitler and Stalin. He was a new national enemy, his face on wanted posters, gloating on videotapes, taunting the United States and Western civilization.  It took nearly a decade before that quest finally ended in Pakistan with the death of Bin Laden during a confrontation with American forces, who attacked a compound where officials said he had been hiding.

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Osama Bin Laden Dead, Obama Announces  - Huffington Post - 5-02-2011
Osama Bin Laden is dead, President Obama announced Sunday (5-01-2011) night, in a televised address to the nation. His death was the result of a U.S. operation launched today in Abbottabad, Pakistan, against a compound where bin Laden was believed to be hiding, according to U.S. intelligence. After a firefight, a small team of American forces killed bin Laden and took possession of his body, the president said.  “Tonight I can report to the American people and the world that the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden,” Obama said during brief remarks at the White House. "Justice has been done,” he said, in comments that marked a formal end of the manhunt for the most visible and emotionally-charged symbol of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.  The president said U.S. intelligence operatives received a tip in August on bin Laden’s whereabouts, which ultimately led to Sunday’s attack. Obama said he determined last week that the U.S. had enough reliable information to take action; by Sunday morning, he had authorized “a small team of Americans” to conduct an operation targeting bin Laden.  “After a fire fight, they killed Osama bin Laden and took custody of his body,” the president said. “No Americans were harmed. They took care to avoid civilian casualties.”

Contempt issue must be settled before challenge  - RICHARD BURGESS - Advocate Acadiana bureau - Apr 30, 2011 
LAFAYETTE — City-Parish President Joey Durel and the City-Parish Council may soon be back in court for a contempt hearing in connection with the dismissal of three board members of the troubled Lafayette Housing Authority.  The hearing had been set for last month but was put on hold while city-parish attorneys asked the state 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal to block the contempt proceedings.  A three-judge appeals panel this week declined to hear the case, writing that city-parish government cannot challenge the contempt proceedings until after 15th Judicial District Judge Ed Rubin makes a ruling on the issue.

Jindal Blasts Budget Critics  -- Advocate Capitol News Bureau - MICHELLE MILLHOLLON -Apr 30, 20119A
LOUISIANA - Gov. Bobby Jindal on Friday blasted critics of his plans to sell state prisons, privatize a state workforce health-care plan and merge two universities.  “People who don’t want to change ... they want to make it easier to raise your taxes,” the governor said to a hotel ballroom filled with business executives and state officials.  He also challenged House Speaker Jim Tucker’s assertion that a constitutional amendment to help dedicate more funding to the TOPS college scholarship program is shaky in the Louisiana House.

Louisiana Lawmaker (Rickey Hardy) Wants To Force Fetus Burial/Cremation - by: Omnisexual - Maddie Garrett - Updated: Apr 21, 2011
A new controversial State bill is on the table this year that deals with the proper burial of dead or unborn fetuses. Representative Rickey Hardy (D-Lafayette) knows his new bill -- House Bill 379 -- could stir the pot in the State's legislature.  "Is it controversial? It is but somebody got to do it," said Hardy.  His proposed bill requires a fetus must be buried or cremated if it dies after at least eight weeks of gestation or has recognizable head, torso, arms, legs backbone or cartilage.  "Whether it is through a miscarriage, through abortion, you should still give that person a decent burial, that's the decent thing to do," said Hardy.  After eight weeks of pregnancy the fetus is no bigger than the size of kidney bean. Nerve cells are beginning to branch out in the brain, the tail is almost completely gone and the fetus now has webbed fingers and toes.  "Then you can really see the development, that's two months," said Hardy.

Property tax election sees small turnout -- The Daily Advertiser -4-30-2011
LAFAYETTE - A small number of voters in Lafayette Parish cast ballots in Saturday's election and favored renewing two property taxes.
Only 3,252 people voted, or 2.3 percent of those eligible, according to results provided by the Secretary of State.  The 10-year, 1.5-mill property tax funding mosquito abatement passed with 78 percent of the vote, or 2,523 total votes. A total of 729 people voted against the renewal, or 22 percent of the vote.  This mosquito abatement tax faced its first renewal after being approved a decade ago to fund spraying that helps control mosquito populations across the parish.  The second tax, a 10-year, five-mill property tax to fund improving and operating school buildings in the first school district, passed with 66 percent of the vote, or 2,161 total votes. A total of 1,091 people voted against the renewal, or 34 percent of the vote.  That millage generates an estimated $7.7 million to $8.1 million a year, according to Billy Guidry, the Lafayette Parish School Board's chief financial officer.  Republican Bob Hensgens was elected to represent the state's 47th congressional district, which covers Cameron and Vermilion parishes.  Hensgens, who is mayor of Gueydan, narrowly defeated his opponent, Republican Linda Hardee, by 312 votes.  Hardee, who worked as mayor of Kaplan from 2006 to 2010, earned 48 percent of the vote — 3,165 total votes — while Hensgens captured 52 percent of the vote, or 3,477 votes.  The 6,642 ballots cast in that election represents only 24.4 percent of the total number of eligible voters.  Jonathan Perry vacated that seat when he was elected to represent the state's 26th Senate district. Voters elected Perry during a special election to replace Nick Gautreaux, who is now commissioner of the state's Office of Motor Vehicles.
Natural Gas Vehicle Plan On Empty, For Now -- Advocate Acadiana bureau  - RICHARD BURGESS -  Apr 29, 2011
LAFAYETTE — City-parish government’s plan for new natural-gas-powered buses and city vehicles has hit a few bumps in the road but should be up and running by next year, officials said this week.An initial timeline had called for the natural gas initiative to launch this summer, shifting some of the city’s vehicle fleet to a cheaper and cleaner burning fuel.  But technical problems in lining up a contractor to build a special fueling station for the vehicles has led to delays, said City-Parish Director of Public Works Tom Carroll.

Lafayette Ozone Grade "D"  -  AMY WOLD - Advocate staff writer --  Apr 27, 2011
LAFAYETTE --  While no Louisiana community made the top 25 list for having the “worst” quality of air in a metro area in the  American Lung Association’s annual “State of the Air 2011” report, the Lafayette area still received a “D” for its ozone levels.
The annual report takes information from air-monitoring data sent to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that detects levels of ozone pollution and particulate pollution, tiny particles in the air that cause health problems, and suggests which populations are most at risk for the pollution.  Lafayette Parish received an “A” grade for particulate pollution in the report.

Bernie Sanders Demands Action From Obama On Wall Street Oil 'Gambling'  - Huffington Post -  4-28-2011
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) demanded on Thursday that regulators impose limits on oil speculation to help lower the price of gas in a letter sent to President Obama.  “There is mounting evidence that the skyrocketing price of gas and oil has nothing to do with the fundamentals of supply and demand, and has everything to do with Wall Street firms that are artificially jacking up the price of oil in the energy futures  markets,” Sanders wrote. “In other words, the same Wall Street speculators that  caused the worst financial crisis since the 1930s through their greed, recklessness, and illegal behavior are ripping off the American people again by gambling that the price of oil and gas will continue to go up.”
A step in the wrong direction - Houmatoday.com - April 29, 2011
LOUISIANA - Recently, Attorney General Buddy Caldwell issued an opinion stating government officials’ emails that are “of purely personal nature” should be protected from public disclosure even when sent and received on public, taxpayer-funded resources. In an era of Louisiana striving to correct its perception of corruption, Caldwell’s position is a step in the wrong direction.  Government at all levels has lost the people’s trust in large part because politicians have forgotten who they work for.
The opinion is just another example of a politician ignoring the fact that we are a government of the people, by the people and for the people — not for politicians.  It is simple: If you are a government official on the taxpayers’ dime and you are using a public computer for emails, the public has a right to know what you are doing. If you don’t want public disclosure, use your personal computer on your own time.


Why Was New Orleans's Charity Hospital Allowed to Die?  - The Nation - Roberta Brandes Gratz -4-29-2011
LOUISIANA- Before Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005, Charity Hospital was the pride of New Orleans. A 1930s Art Deco–style icon built with WPA funds, Charity was one of the oldest continually operating public hospitals in the country and was regarded as one of the most vital and successful. “Charity was one of the best teaching hospitals in the country, where students from Tulane and LSU did their training,” says Dr. James Moises, a former Charity emergency room physician, noting that it served 100,000 patients a year before the storm.
Today Charity is a skeleton of its former self, with smaller, temporary facilities. The interim coverage does not include “urgent and chronic outpatient care,” notes Moises, and reaches a vastly reduced patient population. Meanwhile, the money that has flowed from the state and federal governments to compensate for the storm’s damage to the hospital is set to be spent on a highly controversial new $1.2 billion complex on an entirely different site, separated from the downtown core by an interstate highway.
The abandonment of the old Charity Hospital stands as a potent symbol of the many disappointments and betrayals experienced by the residents of New Orleans after Katrina. The loss has been a huge blow to the poor African-American community Charity served—an outcome that is all the more tragic, critics say, because it didn’t have to happen.
Reclaiming Oil Subsidies:  - Huffington Post - 4-28-2011
Senate Democrats Prepping Bill That Would Recover Billions From Big Firms  - 
Seizing the moment, Senate Democrats are working on legislation that would reclaim billions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies to Big Oil and redirect the money toward developing cleaner and cheaper fuel sources instead.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) announced on Thursday that his committee is crafting a measure that would repeal major tax breaks for the five largest oil and gas companies, which reported huge spikes in first-quarter profits this week due to skyrocketing oil prices.
"Now is not the time to stand idly by while large oil and gas companies get billions of dollars in tax breaks -- now is the time to take concrete steps toward cleaner, more affordable, domestically-produced energy," Baucus said in a statement. "Reducing dependence on foreign oil isn't easy, but this plan puts us on a path toward a clean, affordable energy future that works for our planet -- and our pocketbooks."

Inside the GOP's Fact-Free Nation - Mother Jones  - By Rick Perlstein
From Nixon's plumbers to James O'Keefe's video smears: How political lying became normal.
IT TAKES TWO THINGS to make a political lie work: a powerful person or institution willing to utter it, and another set of powerful institutions to amplify it. The former has always been with us: Kings, corporate executives, politicians, and ideologues from both sides of the aisle have been entirely willing to bend the truth when they felt it necessary or convenient. So why does it seem as if we're living in a time of overwhelmingly brazen deception? What's changed?
Today's marquee fibs almost always evolve the same way: A tree falls in the forest—say, the claim that Saddam Hussein has "weapons of mass destruction," or that Barack Obama has an infernal scheme to parade our nation's senior citizens before death panels. But then a network of media enablers helps it to make a sound—until enough people believe the untruth to make the lie an operative part of our political discourse.

There's a lot of annoying mendacity in Paul Ryan's budget proposal, but the most annoying by far is his repeated insistence that under his plan seniors would get "the same kind of health-care program that members of Congress enjoy." Aside from the fact that he's offered no details about how or why private insurers would magically decide to provide the same kind of benefits to the elderly that they do to members of Congress, he's just flatly lying about the most important part of his proposal: namely that it will force seniors to pay far, far more for Medicare than they do now — and far, far more than members of Congress pay for their health insurance. If you're a millionaire, maybe this counts as the "same kind" anyway, but for the rest of us it doesn't.
Here's the difference: under Ryan's plan, the government pays a set amount for Medicare and you pay for the rest. So far, that's pretty similar to the congressional plan. But that set amount goes up very slowly under Ryan's plan — much more slowly than the actual rise in the cost of health insurance — which means that seniors have to pay a bigger and bigger share of the total premium cost as the years go by.

Why the White House Couldn't Fight the "Obamacare" Lie  - Mother  Jones - David Corn-May/June Issue
The secret campaign behind the phrase "government takeover of health care."
Mother Jones _ David Corn - Washington bureau chief.
IN THE SPRING of 2009, as the titanic fight over President Barack Obama's health care proposal was beginning, Frank Luntz—an infamous Republican consultant who specializes in the language of politics—drew up a confidential 28-page report (PDF) for congressional GOPers on how they could confront, and defeat, Obama on this crucial issue. He suggested that they use a particular phrase: "Government takeover of health care." And they did. Again and again, for the entire months-long debate. During one Meet the Press appearance, Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio), then the House minority leader, referred to Obama's plan as a "government takeover" five times (without once being challenged).

Tornadoes devastate South, killing at least 280 - 2theadvocate - April 28,2011
Firefighters searched one splintered pile after another for survivors Thursday, combing the remains of houses and neighborhoods pulverized by the nation's deadliest tornado outbreak in almost four decades. At least 280 people were killed across six states - more than two-thirds of them in Alabama, where large cities bore the half-mile-wide scars the twisters left behind.
The death toll from Wednesday's storms seems out of a bygone era, before Doppler radar and pinpoint satellite forecasts were around to warn communities of severe weather. Residents were told the tornadoes were coming up to 24 minutes ahead of time, but they were just too wide, too powerful and too locked onto populated areas to avoid a horrifying body count.
Swing-state Ohio at heart of union-rights battle - Los Angeles Times - Paul West, Washington Bureau - April 28, 2011,
Reporting from North Canton, Ohio— In this former company town, an aging smokestack marked with "Hoover" in tall white letters stands like a tombstone over the union jobs lost when the vacuum-cleaner factory shut down in 2007. The decision to shutter an icon of America's industrial heyday, made by the company's new Hong Kong owners, was another step in labor's relentless slide in a state once known as a union stronghold. Now, organized labor is facing an existential test in Ohio, a showdown with implications for next year's presidential election. Republican Gov. John Kasich recently signed a new law sharply curtailing the collective bargaining rights of public employees. Labor and its allies responded by promoting a ballot measure to repeal it this fall.

An Offer They Can Refuse - The Independent - April 27, 2011
LAFAYETTE — A Lafayette civic group makes a strong case for holding off on new taxes for our public schools. Will the board listen?  The name may be polarizing, but 100 Black Men of Greater Lafayette’s recent request of the Lafayette Parish School Board is something we can rally around. Last week, 100 BMGL urged the board to defer asking Lafayette Parish voters to approve a new property tax until a long-term superintendent is in place and both an education plan and transparency are adopted by the board. I’m sticking to my observation of two weeks ago: With renewal of a 5-mills property tax that generates about $8 million annually on the ballot this Saturday, April 30, now is not the time to be talking about a new tax. The school system’s Citizens’ Oversight Committee is urging a fall 2011 proposition. The board will decide May 4.

It's not about his birth, it's about his race - CNN News  -  Sherrilyn Ifill - 4-28-2011
Baltimore, Maryland (CNN) -- I will not click on the link to view the long form of President Obama's birth certificate. I will not participate in this final humiliation -- in the president's reluctant acquiescence in this ongoing smear.
The release of the president's long-form certificate proving his birth in Hawaii will not stop the attempts to discredit his leadership. The so-called "birther" movement veils a much more basic challenge to Obama's legitimacy. And yes, that challenge has a great deal to do with his race.
This is not new. Black leaders always have had to prove their "legitimacy" and their allegiance to America. The way to smear the NAACP in the '40s, and leaders like the Rev. Martin Luther King in the '60s, was to suggest that they were Communists working against America.
Ex-LHA members win another court round - The Daily Advertiser - Claire Taylor - April 28,2011City-Parish President Joey Durel's
LAFAYETTE — Administration lost another round in its court battle against three exiled Lafayette Housing Authority board members.  The 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal on Monday denied two requests filed by attorneys for Durel and the City-Parish Council.

Lawrence O'Donnell And Birther Orly Taitz Have Wild Shoutfest About Obama
Lawrence O'Donnell had a wild, high-decibel, nearly incomprehensible interview on his Wednesday program with so-called "birther queen" Orly Taitz, at whom he grew so enraged that he cut the interview short halfway through.

White House releases Obama's birth certificate - 4-27-2011

The White House released the long form of President Barack Obama's birth certificate Wednesday in response to questions about whether he was really born in the U.S.
The certificate says Obama was born in the state of Hawaii, which makes him constitutionally eligible to hold the office of president. Obama released a standard short form before he was elected in 2008, but requested copies of his original birth certificate from Hawaii officials this week in hopes of quieting the lingering controversy.
White House spokesman Jay Carney says Obama felt the debate over his birthplace had become a "sideshow" that was bad for the country and political debate.
White House officials have said the issue was settled long ago. But so-called "birthers" opposed to Obama have kept the issue alive. Potential Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump recently began questioning why Obama hadn't ensured the long form was released.
"The president feels this was bad for the country, that it's not healthy for our political debate," Carney said in releasing copies of the long form to reporters.
The certificate is signed by the delivery doctor, Obama's mother and the local registrar. His mother, then 18, signed her name (Stanley) Ann Dunham Obama.  The form says Barack Hussein Obama II was born at 7:24 p.m. on Aug. 4, 1961, at Kapiolani Maternity and Gynecological Hospital, within the city limits of Honolulu.  There's no mention of religion. It says his father Barack Hussein Obama, age 25, was African and born in Kenya and his mother was Caucasian and born in Wichita, Kansas. Obama's mother and the doctor signed the certificate on Aug. 7 and 8.
Hawaii's registrar certified the new photocopy of the document provided to the White House on April 25, 2011.

Why Obama shouldn't have had to 'show his papers' - Goldie Taylor - The Greo - 04/28/2011
"Show me your papers!"
Major Blackard, then just 19 years old, dug into his trousers in search of his wallet. He padded his jacket, but could not find his billfold.
"Sir, I done left my wallet..." Blackard said. Before he could finish his sentence, the young man was posted against the brick wall, cuffed and taken to the St. Louis city jail. Unable to prove his identity, he would spend the next 21 days in a cramped, musty cell. That's where his older brother Matt found him, beaten and bloodied. Matt returned with Major's employer later that day, wallet and identification card in hand, to post bond.
The year was 1899. Major Blackard was my great, great grandfather. The real crime, as Pulitzer Prize winning author Doug Blackmon points on in his seminal work Slavery by Any Other Name, was that my grandfather was a colored man in America. This morning, as White House staffers released copies of the president's long form birth certificate, I couldn't shake the feeling that something very ugly was going on. For the first time in recorded history, a sitting president of the United States found it necessary to produce his original birth certificate for public inspection. Not once, in 235 years, have we ever demanded proof that our president was born on American soil. In a stunning display of unchecked ego, Donald Trump quickly hosted a news conference, during which he took credit for forcing President Obama's hand. The sometime real estate developer, socialite, author and television personality went on to caution onlookers to let "experts" examine the document. Lest the president continue perpetrating was Trump has called potentially the "biggest fraud in American history."
Race complaints in La. gov's plan to merge schools - KEVIN McGILL - Associated Press 4-27-2011
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Eye-level watermarks, gutted buildings and rows of mobile classrooms linger as reminders of the flooding from Hurricane Katrina that nearly wiped out Southern University at New Orleans in 2005.
Now the predominantly African-American university faces what students and administrators view as a new threat: Gov. Bobby Jindal's proposal to consolidate the school with the nearby, mostly white University of New Orleans.
"It will be the death of SUNO," student government vice president Ellis Brent Jr. said recently as he worked on a letter-writing campaign in hopes of killing the idea in an upcoming legislative session.

Looking back on the road to unitary status -   Tina Marie Macias - The Daily Adver5tiser 4-24-2011
LAFAYETTE — The idea of desegregation might seem archaic and conjure images of race riots, violence and forced-busing for many. But when Lafayette Parish schools' 41-year-old desegregation case ended five years ago today, there were protests, minimal violence and forced busing at the case's civil-rights era beginning, but the transition was peaceful overall.

Some schools still struggle despite efforts - Tina Marie Macias - The Daily Adver5tiser 4-24-2011
LAFAYETTE — When people talk about what's wrong with Lafayette Parish schools, four schools always are named — Alice Boucher Elementary, J.W. Faulk Elementary, N.P. Moss Middle and Northside High schools.   All are located in north Lafayette and have the lowest school performance scores in the parish. Each has student populations made up of 89 percent or more black students, and — except Northside — 92 percent or more free-or-reduced-lunch students, an indicator of poverty. About 78 percent of Northside's students qualify for free or reduced lunch, according to state data.
Truman, James share success spotlight _ Tina Marie Macias - The Daily Adver5tiser 4-24-2011
LAFAYETTE — A trip to J. Wallace James Elementary or Truman Montessori schools will remind anyone what it was like to be excited about learning.   Truman students do not sit in chairs unless they are working on art projects. Instead, the prekindergarten students gather on rugs and spend much of their time dancing and singing lessons.   Prekindergarten- to fifth-grade James students, meanwhile, sample visual and performing arts and pick their favorite to be their "major."   Both schools reside in north Lafayette neighborhoods. Both have waiting lists.

DID YOU KNOW?   The CABLWire _ April 28, 2011 
-- Louisiana 's per capita income in 2010 was $38,446 which ranked 26th in the country. The national per capita income was $40,584 . Get more from the Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Democrats: House's redistricting firm creates conflict - Marsha Shuler -  The Advocate - April 15, 2011
LOUISIANA - The hiring of a Washington law firm with Republican ties to seek federal approval of new Louisiana House election districts “does not meet the smell test,” a redistricting leader said Friday.
State Rep. Rick Gallot, D-Ruston, who spearheaded remap efforts, said House Speaker Jim Tucker’s hiring of the law firm also “creates the appearance of impropriety” because it advised Republican lawmakers during the session.

2012 GOP Presidential Candidates Raised Taxes -Thr Daily Beast - by Andrew Romano
Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty, Mike Huckabee, and other top Republican presidential contenders denounce Democrats as immoral tax hikers—but they oversaw dozens of tax hikes as governors facing deficits, writes Andrew Romano. The GOP's most promising 2012 presidential contenders—Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty, Haley Barbour, Mitch Daniels, and Mike Huckabee—have a lot in common. They are all white. They are all middle-aged. They were all governors at one point. And despite a shared tendency to denounce Democrats as inveterate, immoral tax hikers, they all have the exact same skeleton in their closet: a rather inconvenient history of raising taxes themselves.


Council to vote on district plan - Advocate's Daily Digest Acadiana bureau - By RICHARD BURGESS - Apr 19, 2011
LAFAYETTE — The City-Parish Council is scheduled to vote next week on a plan to redraw districts that would dramatically shift some boundaries to account for strong population growth in the southern half of the parish. The council gave preliminary approval to a redistricting plan earlier this month, but the precise district lines are still up for discussion pending final approval April 25, said City-Parish Council Chairman Kenneth Boudreaux. The council is required to redraw districts after each 10-year federal census to ensure the nine districts are about equal in population.

NAACP Presses fo Education Over Incarceration - Jasmin K. Williams  04-11, 2011- Special to the NNPA from the New York Amsterdam News –
Education over incarceration is the message of a report released by the NAACP. The nation’s oldest civil rights organization is challenging America to re-evaluate its spending priorities in the report, titled “Misplaced Priorities: Under Educate, Over Incarcerate,” which was introduced at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. In it, the NAACP calls attention to the proven fact that excessive spending on housing prisoners undermines education and public safety.

TIF tiffs go beyond Lafayette - The Independent - By: Leslie Turk -  April 19, 2011
LAFAYETTE — Tax Increment Financing districts have become a blazing topic in Lafayette in recent months, sparking heated debates over a now defunct plan to fund Parc Lafayette with additional site-specific sales taxes — and an ordinance that if approved at tonight’s City-Parish Council meeting will effectively block the creation of any new taxing districts without first heading to a ballot for voters to decide.

Lafayette School Board Seeks Tax Renewal - The Advocate's Daily Digest - By MARSHA SILLS - Apr 15, 2011
LAFAYETTE — The renewal of a 10-year, 5-mill property tax that pumps about $8.1 million each year into Lafayette Parish public school maintenance and operations is on the April 30 ballot.  Early voting begins Saturday.
Though the current 10-year millage expires at the end of 2011, the Lafayette Parish School Board voted in February to place the renewal issue on a spring ballot rather than wait for fall elections.
At the time, Chief Financial Officer Billy Guidry advised the board that the spring timing allows for another shot at the renewal in the fall, if the measure fails.
In February, when the board voted to put the renewal on the April 30 ballot, board member Kermit Bouillion said if the tax were not renewed, Lafayette risked a funding “fiasco.”

100 Black Men to Lafayette Public School Board: Defer the tax prop. - The Independent - By: Walter Pierce -  April 19, 2011
LAFAYETTE — A Lafayette civic group is urging the school board to hold off on putting a property-tax proposition before voters until a long-term choice for superintendent is in place and school system administrators submit an educational plan that addresses low graduation rates, especially among low-income and minority students, as well as the achievement gap. The group, 100 Black Men of Greater Lafayette, is also asking the Lafayette Parish School Board to embrace accountability and transparency.

Nil, Baby, Nil: Congress Fails To Pass A Single Oil Spill Law - Marcus Baram - Huffington Post
In the year since the worst environmental disaster in the nation's history, Congress hasn't adopted any major laws on oil and gas drilling -- despite introducing more than 150 bills to improve the safety and oversight of offshore drilling and holding more than 60 hearings to discuss the spill's causes and consequences with regulators, oil company officials, grieving relatives and Gulf-area fishermen.

10 Reasons to Still Be Pissed Off About the BP Disaster

House Republicans Paying Outside Counsel $500,000 To Uphold Defense Of Marriage Act

WASHINGTON -- House Republicans plan to pay former Solicitor General Paul Clement and his legal team from King & Spaulding as much as $500,000 of taxpayer money to uphold the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) on behalf of House of Representatives, according to a document obtained by the Huffington Post.
"The General Counsel agrees to pay the Contractor for all contractual services rendered a sum not to exceed $500,000.00," the Contract for Legal Services obtained by The Huffington Post says. The cap could be raised "by written agreement between the parties with the approval" of the House, the document states.
The hourly rate that King & Spaulding will be receiving a "blended rate" of $520 per hour -- which could actually be considered a deal. Some reports say that the firm's top attorneys receive as much as $900 per hour. It will also be getting "75 percent of the Contractor's usual and customary rates for all reasonable non-attorney time expended in connection with the Litigation," as well as reimbursements for "reasonable expenses" related to the case.

Boehner's decision to have the House intervene and defend the law, which defines federal marriage as between one man and one woman, came after Attorney General Eric Holder announced in February that the administration would no longer argue in support of the law after it concluded that the law is unconstitutional.

Unemployment down, but not for Blacks  The Louisiana Weekly - By Julianne Malveaux -- NNPA Columnist
More than 200,000 jobs were created last month, 216,000 to be exact.  Coming after the February lift of more than 200,000 jobs, there are those who are saying that economic recovery is around the corner.  I don’t know what corner they are standing on, but the African-American corner took a hit in March, and the Black unemployment rate rose from 15.3 to 15.5 percent.  No other racial/ethnic group saw unemployment rates rise.  Some will say the slight increase is statistically insignificant.  Try telling that to the African Americans who don’t have jobs, or to those who are not in the labor force.  Indeed, while the number of Whites who had dropped out of the labor force went down, the number of African Americans out of the labor force went up.
Michel Joseph Martelly Elected New President of Haiti - "Citizen" Chicago's Premiere African American Weekly
By Karen Juanita Carrillo - Special to the NNPA from the New York Amsterdam News
Preliminary results indicate that the singer Michel Joseph Martelly has been elected the new president of Haiti.
Following the fiasco of the Nov. 28, 2010, elections, a second round of voting was held on March 20 between two run-off candidates, one of whom will succeed René Préval as president.
And, yet even the March 20 vote had problems, with many voters not finding their names on voting rolls, earthquake survivors who are still homeless having little access to the polls and others arriving at polling stations where election officials did not have correct ballots and were unable to process votes.

The stunning figure was released earlier this month by the Social Security Administration, but apparently went unreported until it appeared today on Tax.com in a column by Pulitzer Prize-winning tax reporter David Cay Johnston.  It's not just every 34th earner whose financial situation has been upended by the financial crisis. Average wages, median wages, and total wages have all declined -- except at the very top, where they leaped dramatically, increasing five-fold.
Johnston writes that while the number of Americans earning more than $50 million fell from 131 in 2008 to 74 in 2009, those that remained at the top increased their income from an average of $91.2 million in 2008 to almost $519 million.
The wealth is astounding, says Johnston. "That's nearly $10 million in weekly pay!... These 74 people made as much as the 19 million lowest-paid people in America, who constitute one in every eight workers." Johston sees the depressing figures as a result of government tax policies maintained by politicians with an eye on re-election, not good government:
It is the latest, and in this case quite dramatic, evidence that our economic policies in Washington are undermining the nation as a whole.We have created a tax system that changes continually as politicians manipulate it to extract campaign donations. We have enabled ''free trade'' that is nothing of the sort, but rather tax-subsidized mechanisms that encourage American manufacturers to close their domestic factories, fire workers, and then use cheap labor in China for products they send right back to the United States. This has created enormous downward pressure on wages, and not just for factory workers.
Combined with government policies that have reduced the share of private-sector workers in unions by more than two-thirds -- while our competitors in Canada, Europe, and Japan continue to have highly unionized workforces -- the net effect has been disastrous for the vast majority of American workers. And of course, less money earned from labor translates into less money to finance the United States of America.
Johnston's assertions appear to be supported by a recent Senate vote.
In September, Senate Republicans along with a handful of Democrats, partnered to defeat the Creating American Jobs and Ending Offshoring Act, a bill that would have raised taxes on companies that send jobs abroad and benefited companies that bring jobs back to American soil.
The notion that it's good business for American corporations to send jobs overseas has been championed by U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the nation's biggest and most powerful business lobby.
The tabulations, staggering as they may be, are only half of half of picture.  Behind the official 9.6 percentwhich is probably somewhere closer to 22 percent), are the stories of millions of individuals who are struggling to get by or are coming to terms with a future of lower wages and a life with less. unemployment (
"60 Minutes" profiled the underemployed and unemployed on Sunday in a piece titled "The 99ers."  Among the most troubling stories: a financial analyst unemployed for two years and living in a stranger's attic and a former office manager who collects bottles and cans to get by.

Fewer people than expected have applied for money from a $100 million fund BP PLC set up to help deepwater rig workers after a federal moratorium on drilling prompted by the massive oil spill.   New Haven Register, New Haven CT.

Eight False Things the Public "Knows" Prior to Election Day  (Dave Johnson,  Fellow, Campaign for America's Future  Huffington Post October 22, 2010 )  
There are a number things the public "knows" as we head into the election that are just false. If people elect leaders based on false information, the things those leaders do in office will not be what the public expects or needs.

Privatizing Social Security: Haven't We Seen This Movie Before?

Privatizing Social Security was a bad idea in 2005 when it was proposed by President Bush and rejected by the American people. It's still a bad idea, despite recent Republican attempts to revive it.
Three new analyses out this week make clear that GOP proposals would cut benefits for middle-income Americans, jeopardize the solvency of the Social Security Trust Fund and weaken the program's ability to keep millions of Americans out of poverty.

Diversity and the Myth of White Privilege

DEMOCRATS FIRE BACK ---
We are told by the Tea-Party   that they are “mad and can’t take it anymore” and that the rest of us should be too!
We had eight years of Bush and Cheney, but NOW they are getting mad  ???? REALLY ? !!!!   NO, REALLY?  !!!!
They didn't get mad when the Supreme Court stopped a legal recount and appointed a President.
They didn't get mad when Cheney allowed Energy company officials to dictate energy policy.
They didn’t get mad about gas prices when Bush and Cheney friends at the oil companies raised a gallon of gas price to more than $5 and posted highest profits in the history of U.S for 8 years straight (Bush presidency).
They didn't get mad when a covert CIA operative identity was revealed.
They didn't get mad when the Patriot Act , which allows torture and disregards personal rights for Americans, got passed.
They didn't get mad when Bush and Cheney illegally invaded a country that posed no threat to us, Iraq.
They didn't get mad when Bush and Cheney spent over 600 billion (and counting) on said illegal war, Iraq.
They didn't get mad when over 10 billion dollars just disappeared in Iraq.
They didn't get mad when they  found out about torturing people.
They didn't get mad when the government was illegally wiretapping Americans.
They didn't get mad that Bin Laden was not caught when Bush had a chance to do so.
They didn't get mad when they saw the horrible veterans conditions at Walter Reed.
They didn't get mad when Bush let a major US city drown like a 3rd world country.
They didn't get mad when Bush gave a 900 billion tax break to the rich.
They didn't get mad when, using reconciliation; a trillion dollars of our tax dollars was redirected to insurance companies for Medicare Advantage,   which cost over 20 percent more for basically the same services that Medicare provides.
They didn't get mad when the deficit hit the trillion dollar mark (when during Clinton presidency we had almost a Trillion dollars surplus), and our debt hit the thirteen trillion dollar mark.
They finally got mad when a government decided that people in America deserved the right to get treatment if they are sick and can not afford to do so.
Yes, an illegal war, lies, corruption, torture, stealing your tax dollars to make the rich richer, are all okay with the Tea party. They are partying not with tea, but with sucking the blood of the ordinary Americans.
Sure!  NOW, THEY ARE MAD!
Get Real!!!

Jindal says GOP could take a cue from Obama
LOUISIANA - One thing that struck Gov. Bobby Jindal about last week's inauguration was the graciousness, the tableau of the new president and his wife escorting their predecessors to their waiting helicopter, but first stopping to share a warm, hearty and apparently genuine laugh.  The day after Democratic President Barack Obama took the helm of the federal government, Jindal, widely considered one of a handful of Republicans with a bright national future, was in a gracious mood too.  "I think what was great about the day is that you saw such joy, " Jindal said. "It's reflected in the polls. I think the country is coming together. I think (Obama) starts with an enormous amount of good will. You heard people like me say, 'I didn't vote for him but I want him to succeed.' You don't get the sense that people are waiting for him to stumble."  Despite his philosophical differences, Louisiana's governor gets the joy. He likes Obama's conciliatory, pragmatic tone, the emphasis on effectiveness and accountability, and sees why they're playing so well. And Jindal thinks his own party, if it hopes to claw its way back into the national mainstream and rebuild its brand, would do well to emulate the new president.  It may sound strange, but Jindal says that the best thing the GOP can do is "stop worrying about the Republican Party and start worrying about the nation."  "You see all this navel gazing, " he said. "The American people are looking for results."

Video of Presiddent Barack Obama's Inaugural Address  (Video & Text)

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA'S AGENDA (Excerpt - whitehouse.gov)
Each President is confronted with new and unique challenges. Learn more about the Obama-Biden Administration's positions on everything from health care and the economy to alternative energy and foreign policy.

Civil Rights                                 Fiscal                             Seniors & Social Security

Defense                                      Foreign Policy               Service

Disabilities                                 Health Care                    Taxes

Economy                                    Homeland Security        Technology

Education                                   Immigration                  Urban Policy

Energy & Environment               Iraq                                Veterans

Ethics                                          Poverty                         Women

Family                                         Rural                              Additional Issues


Hardy Crosses District Lines -  Jason Newton - KLFY TV-10 - Mar 23, 2010 6:44 PM CDT 48 Hours in Jail for DWI Says Hardy -  by Veronica White - Updated: Mar 8, 2010 6:24 PM
Lafayette -- Drunk drivers will be in for a harsher punishment if a proposed bill passes this spring.  House Bill 104, proposed by Representative Rickey Hardy of Lafayette, is a direct result of a case involving a Lafayette school bus driver who drove his route, hours after police arrested him on suspicion of driving drunk. The bill would require anyone arrested for driving while intoxicated to be detained for 2 full days from the time of arrest.  This time period cannot be waived or suspended.  The bill, according to Hardy, offers 2 benefits.  Firstly, it allows a driver to get the alcohol out of his or her system before getting back out on the road.  "If he gets bailed out, his friends pick him up, and once he's out he goes and drives again-- still under the influence of alcohol," says Hardy.  Secondly, as MADD-- or Mothers Against Drunk Driving-- says, it teaches them a lesson.  "It gives them time to think of the seriousness of the crime and hopefully it'll then deter them from ever doing it again," says Gene Guidry from MADD.  This bill will be brought to Baton Rouge for lawmakers to debate this spring.

Hardy Approves School Money --  jcarrere - katc tv - 12-08-2009
State Representative Rickey Hardy was in the spotlight today after denying the Lafayette Parish School System $746,000 last month. Tuesday morning in Baton Houge, Hardy had Harsh words for Parish Director of Curriculum and Instruction Louise Chargois. While the parish has received the tobacco settlement money to keep students in school for a decade, Hardy said Northside high has a dropout rate of 44 %. But Hardy made one last effort to keep his hand on top of the money. He wanted to approve the funding contingent on positive results relative to academic performance in the Parish. But after the committee chairman ordered hardy to decide he approved the funding outright.  Hardy says he wanted a contingency plan because he doesn't see any sense in, "continuing to reward failure." But Chargois insisted the district needed the money. "Without these funds we would not be able to to provide some of the additional programming that we have for our students," says Chargois. Both sides say Hardy expressed several concerns to Superintendent Burnell Lemoine about improving Lafayette's schools. As far as denying the school system the money the first time around? Hardy says he had no intention on holding the money. He says he, "just wanted some dialogue and discussion."

Hardy makes sense on retirement - 2009 - Daily World
Lafayette -- State Rep. Rickey Hardy has made some pre-headlines with his prefiled bills in advance of the legislative session that opened Monday. His offerings range from the ridiculous to the sub-waistline - as with his bills to block people older than 70 from running for public office and to ban pants that show an unseemly expanse of underwear, or worse.

(Rickey Hardy) Driver's Licenses Flagged For Twice-Convicted Felons -  2009 -  on KATC News
Lafayette -- RANT: Should driver's licenses should be flagged for people twice-convicted for felony drug offenses? Email Hoyt at hoyt.harris@katctv.com. We could use your RANT at 10:00. The words drug offender would be written in orange across the license, under the bill by Rep. Rickey Hardy, a Democrat from Lafayette. The House Transportation Committee agreed to the proposal Tuesday without objection. It goes next to the full House for debate.

The Munson Group: Clients (Rickey Hardy) Win - November 17, 2007
Lafayette --was recruited to help Rickey Hardy win a Lafayette State House of Representatives seat against a long-time political powerhouse in the area. “Hardy trailed his opponent by 11 points going into the runoff,” said Bob Munson. “And, most of his primary opponents went on to endorse the other candidate, but Rickey remained firm in his determination and hard work. We provided radio and powerful, hard-hitting direct mail to assist Rickey in what is an upset win for him and a very positive step forward for that legislative district.” Hardy won with
56% of the vote.