Vicious attacks come daily from each political party against the other in Washington DC.  Capitol observers say they can never remember a time when there was so much rancor, bitterness, and outright hatred. You regularly hear the President, the Democrats, the Republicans, all accusing each other of being liars.  In fact, even within party caucuses,...Read More

We are on the fast track for a lively weekend radio show just around the corner. Government shutdowns, political parties refusing to talk to one another, and incompetent Supreme Court that has just decided to go to work, all these issues will be discussed.  And we are the leader of the free world.  Other countries...Read More

Look, I certainly know that when you get a little older, you slow down a bit. But does life end at 40? Miley Cyrus thinks so. Take a look at her “off the wall” thoughts to Matt Lauer on the Today Show. And by the way, I can personally verify that she is dead wrong.Read More

Thursday, October 3rd, 2013 Baton Rouge, Louisiana  IS ANYONE PAYING ATTENTION IN WASHINGTON? I picked up my daily newspaper on the first day of October, and three stories dominated the news.  “The Government Shuts Down,” blared one headline.  We have been hearing about this possibility for months as Republicans and Democrats, alike, have dug in...Read More

Congress is in “shutdown mode,” but just what were they doing when they were supposedly paying attention? Or do they ever?  Sen. John McCain says: “The problem is that most members of Congress don’t pay attention to what’s going on.”  And you cannot find a better example of the way members of Congress bumble than...Read More

Radio weekend is close at hand, we certainly have a full agenda on the “Common Sense” radio program this Sunday.  We have picked up a number of new stations, so be sure and check your local listing and times in your part of the country.  We start off by talking about the current government shutdown,...Read More

Friday, September 27th, 2013 Baton Rouge, Louisiana DUMB LAWS, CAESAR SALAD AND LA. LEGISLATURE! Football season gives pause in Louisiana for the rough and tumble politics ahead. 2014 brings another totally unpredictable Louisiana legislative session, and congressional elections highlighted by a highly contested U.S. Senator race.  Then the state jumps into what most political prognosticators...Read More

Let’s just call it like it is. We have a lot of really stupid laws on the books throughout this country. Every state has laws that make no sense, or a waste of time, costing taxpayers millions and millions of dollars to both implement and enforce.  Assaulting someone specifically with your teeth? How about prohibiting...Read More

Radio Show Time! Sunday is just around the corner, we are already preparing for a lively weekend radio program. We broadcast Sunday mornings from 9 AM until 11 AM. But on numerous stations across the country, our program is run at various times throughout the day. For example, herein my hometown of Baton Rouge, the...Read More

It’s nice for all of us to get together with friends from time to time. A number of my former colleagues from my Louisiana legislative days traversed to Lafayette for a luncheon at Don’s seafood this week. In two and a half hours, we solved about all the state’s problems, as you can well imagine....Read More

A&E: The Governors Wife from Larry’s Deli on Vimeo. Well, the country has  already been introduced to Louisiana’s Duck Dynasty. Now the A&E cable channel is featuring the fairy tale of the Alexandria, Louisiana woman who married the prince of Louisiana politics.  That’s right.  There is no doing away with cagy Ole’ Edwin Edwards. The new TV...Read More

Thursday, September 19th, 2013 Baton Rouge, Louisiana  TWO CHEERS FOR THE FRENCH- ESPECIALLY IN LOUISIANA!  As President Obama is bluntly finding out, it can be lonely out on a limb when the rest of the world fails to respond to a call for help.  Despite the yeoman efforts of his administration, only a few other...Read More

Now that America’s once staunchest ally, Great Britain, has turned its back on giving its support to the U.S. direct intervention into Syria, is any county willing to stand toe to toe with America?  Not the Mexicans the Germans or even, pray tell, the Canadians?  Isn’t there any one who will come to the battle...Read More

Here comes the weekend, and we have a full agenda scheduled coving many of the key topics in the news worldwide. We will begin by talking about my recent hip replacement,  undertaken by Dr. Bryan Griffith.  What caused the necessity for such surgery and just how complicated is it?  You can find out more of...Read More

I’ll admit that I have always wanted to be a magician.  I understand that illusion can be created with mirrors, boxes with false bottoms, and light.  But I also like the lighter trick that all of us can do..  I came across this short clip of some basic, but fun magic.  And if you are...Read More

The Thai telecommunications conglomerate True is getting rave reviews worldwide for its latest spot, “Giving,” which tells the story of a man unexpectedly rewarded for a lifetime of good deeds he performed without expecting anything in return. TrueMove too says it “believes in the power of giving without expecting a return.” Watch this fresh and...Read More

Thursday, September 5th, 2013 New Orleans, Louisiana  ARE WE ALL FEDERAL CRIMINALS LIVING IN LOUISIANA? Congress is going “new law” crazy. In the nation’s capitol, hundreds of proposed new laws are being introduced every month, creating numerous new regulations and crimes.  And Louisiana congressional members are joining right in this push for more federal intrusion into...Read More

What gives in the nations’ capitol?  Why all these new laws being proposed? Congress today seems not to understand the difference between violation of a regulation and a crime.  There are a number of actions that are illegal but not criminal, and if criminal, then do not necessarily have to be federal crimes. Have we...Read More

  Radio weekend is close at hand, and we are preparing a lively “Common Sense” show for listeners coast to coast. Going to war in Syria will be a hot topic, and we will discuss the positives and negatives of the US war with Brian Mauro, a national security analyst.. He will join us for...Read More

My buddy Clint Eastwood may soon be handing out a fistful of dollars in his divorce settlement. Sadly, “Dirty Harry” and his much younger wife have separated after 17 years of marriage. I tried to tell Clint to be careful in marrying younger women. But old guys never pay attention. (Actually, I met Clint one...Read More

Remember Clyde “The Glide” Drexler, who was an NBA All Star and played shooting guard and small forward with the Houston Rockets? A ten-time All-Star and member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, the NBA named him one of basketball’s fifty greatest players in professional basketball history. So I’m hangin’ out after a recent Baton...Read More

Thursday, August 29th,  2013 Baton Rouge, Louisiana  JUSTICE DEPARTMENT OVERKILL ON VOTING RIGHTS ACT? These guys at the Justice Department, led by top cop Eric Holder, just don’t know when to quit.  The U.S. Supreme Court knocks them down and they get right back up, snubbing their noses at a final court decision, and starting...Read More

Is it reasonable to ask a voter to give proof of their identity?  Or is this too much of a burden in a democracy where the right to vote is sacrosanct?  All of us are regularly asked for the identification. When we cash a check, when we board an airplane, many times we use a...Read More

I’m an old Triathlon competitor from way back.  Not that I was all that good, but I enjoyed the swim, bike, run combination, and I competed in events around the South for a number of years.  And here’s some advice. Ironman contestants: in the future, please make sure to cross the finish line before celebrating...Read More

August 23nd, 2013 New York, New York  HOW BAD CAN LOUISIANA INSURANCE CLIMATE GET? In the movie Guys and Dolls, gambler Nathan Detroit (played by Frank Sinatra) says:  “How can it get any worse.  What more can you do to me?”Â  That’s what thousands of Louisiana property owners are saying about the state’s insurance climate...Read More

HOW BAD CAN LOUISIANA INSURANCE CLIMATE GET?  The cost of property insurance in Louisiana is skyrocketing, and rates have become unaffordable to many.  And if a property owner is able to scrape up the spiraling yearly premiums, their claims are often not being paid. Just last week, this column wrote about how projections of increasing...Read More

Radio weekend show time is here and we have a jam-packed agenda scheduled for the weekend.  How about my man Smokey Robinson?  He played to a sold out house at the L’auberge Resort here in Baton Rouge, and simply brought down the house with his easy listening, melodic old standers that all of us remember. ...Read More

Bill Kirchen came to Baton Rouge last week, and brought down the house at the Red Dragon Listening Room.  In 1967, Kirchen began his route to guitar stardom as a founding member of Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen. The group recorded seven albums and established a reputation as one of the first bands...Read More

Thursday, August 15th, l29013 Baton Rouge, Louisiana  WHAT TO DO ABOUT RISING FLOOD INSURANCE RATES? Property owners along the Gulf and East coasts are in a panic over projections of outrageous property flood insurance rates that, in some cases, could lead to increases of greater than 1000 per cent. Louisiana newspapers have reported proposed massive...Read More

A 1000% increase in property flood insurance rates?  “Are you kidding me?”  That’s the reaction by thousands of homeowners along the Gulf and East Coast who are facing huge increases from the national flood insurance program.  “Outrageous,“ say members of congress from these coastal regions.  But if they want to find out who the culprit...Read More

The Weekend show scheduled begins this week with current controversies in the news.  We now learn that the National Security Administration ( NSA) has admitted over 1000 violations of the law as they continue their quest together complete information on every single American.  Does that, dear listener, bother you? Do you feel you have nothing...Read More

As I often do on a Saturday night, last week I headed for my favorite musical venue, the Red Dragon listing room. Performing were to Nashville singers, Eric Brace and Peter Cooper who really put on a heckuva concert. Peter used to be a reporter and travelled with the George Bush campaign bus back in...Read More

We will be talking about the growing immigration controversy in Washington, and just what to do with all the illegal immigration on this weekend’s  “Common Sense” radio program. What to do with eleven million illegals, with more than 350,00 new additions each year?  And if some form of amnesty is given by congress, what are...Read More

Can we, in America today, find the right balance between keep us free and keeping us safe?  The answer should be a resounding “Yes!”Â  But in this new world of digital technology, it has become so easy to scoop up virtually every detail of any citizen’s daily life. The Internet makes it so easy for...Read More

This week’s radio schedule will be posted Thursday afternoon.Read More

Thursday, August 8th, 2013 Baton Rouge, Louisiana  DO WE NEED TO SPY ON DEMOCRACY? A few weeks ago, I began to think we had given up.  There were new revelations, almost daily, about how some government agency is scooping up and harvesting all available tidbits of our personal lives.  We’ve all heard about the usual...Read More

If you live in Louisiana, the state’s first family is not one based on a politics.  It’s the New Orleans Manning Clan; with two sons of former New Orleans Saints quarterback Archie Manning now each star quarterbacks in the NFL.  Direct TV has a new advertisement out with all the Manning guys, where they are...Read More

August 8th, 2013Read More

Thursday, August 1st, 2013 New Orleans, Louisiana  WILL BIG OIL FINALLY PAY THE PIPER IN LOUISIANA? A lawsuit against Big Oil for environmental damage by the Bayou State?  Are you kidding me?  Who could possibly have thunk it?  Why it’s almost blasphemous to challenge the oil industry in a state where oil revenue has been...Read More

It would be an understatement to say that political watchers in Louisiana are both stumped and dumbfounded over how a group of Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal’s political appointees have filed a multi billion-dollar lawsuit against 97 oil companies that have operated in the state.  The legal action says its time for the petroleum industry to...Read More

  The “Common Sense ” program is shaping with a solid schedule for the weekend.  We will take a hard look at the American economy and future projections with special guest,  international economist and former World Bank counselor George R. Tyler.. In his new book, What Went Wrong: How the 1% Hijacked the American Middle...Read More

August 1st, 2013Read More

Have you heard of the hot new musical group Under the Streetlamp?  They are four guys who all have performed in the Broadway show, Jersey Boys, and they sure put on an electrifying evening of Oldies from the American songbook of years gone by.  They performed in my hometown of Baton Rouge last weekend and...Read More

I can’t think of anything more enjoyable than ticking your head in the mouth of a crocodile or an alligator. Really seems like fun doesn’t it?  Check out these guys in the videos below and just watch how much they are enjoying themselves.  Boy, I’ll bet you can hardly wait to try this yourselves”¦right?Read More

I’ll admit it. I’m a lousy dancer. I’d look bad doing the foxtrot. But I always enjoyed watching creative dancing. I think you will get a kick out of the video below.Read More

It was all the fault of television! Some observers of the Zimmerman trial felt like it was a real miscarriage of justice for the whole soap opera to be played out on TV.  Too many opinionated broadcasters, radio show hosts, columnists, and the public at large just had way too many opinions and disagreements. How...Read More

“Common Sense” Radio Weekend is close at hand, and it will be hard to cover so many issues in the news.  How about the demise of Detroit? The city used to be known as the “Paris of the West,” and “the Arsenal of Democracy.”Â  But now it has fallen and it  may never get back...Read More

Thursday, July 25th, 2013 Perdido Key, Florida  TELEVISE CRIMINAL TRIALS?  OF COURSE! Following the Zimmerman verdict, a number of legal and media voices, hollered, “enough is enough.”Â  Angered by the verdict, no more criminal trials on television, they said.  But the Constitution guarantees that trials are public and open to everyone.  And what could be...Read More

July 25th, 2013Read More

Keith Sykes is a songwriter’s songwriter. I know that sounds cliché, but it’s true. From the early stages of his career up to the present, well more than 100 of his songs have been recorded by well-known artists such as Jerry Jeff Walker, Rodney Crowell, Roseanne Cash, George Thorogood, and Jimmy Buffett.  He has appeared...Read More

Daughter Campbell is the director of the Parents Transparency Project in New York City, and actively involved in major educational reform there.  One of this organization’s priorities is to shed light on the problem of sex abuse in the city schools in the hope that penalties for the offenders are severe.  She appeared on Fox...Read More

Well the Zimmerman verdict came in, he was found not guilty, and the case is now over ““ right? Hardly! This whole terrible storm of controversy that has cast deep divisions all over America still has a ways to go.  Will the Justice Department change Zimmerman with a hate crime under federal law?  If they...Read More

Thursday, 18th, 2013 Baton Rouge, Louisiana  PROSECUTORS NEED TO GET OVER ZIMMERMAN VERDICT! George Zimmerman was found not guilty this past weekend in his trial for shooting Travon Martin. But his problems are far from over.  You have to wonder whether there isn’t a perverted, almost paranoid sense of trying to “get” Zimmerman at any...Read More

On some weekends, the news is slow, and I have to dig for issues to discuss. Not this weekend. The aftermath of the George Zimmerman trial will be front and center, as the Justice Department considers bringing charges of a hate crime. What’s a hate crime, and should there even be such crimes based on...Read More

July 18th, 2013Read More

Some of you may know that I was a runner many years ago. Back in the 60s, I had the great honor of representing America on the United States track team. In that capacity, I had a chance run against athletes all over the world, traveling worldwide of the US team.  In later years, I...Read More