Wednesday, March 3, 2010 Baton Rouge, Louisiana TIME TO ASK SOME TOUGH QUESTIONS ABOUT LOUISIANA INSURANCE A number of Louisiana legislators are feeling increasing heat back in their districts about why Louisiana continues, year after year, to have the highest insurance rates in the nation.  A small deep southern state should be way down the...Read More

  Thursday, February 25, 2010 New Orleans, Louisiana COMMON SENSE IN LOUISIANA GOVERNMENT? COME ON MAN! There is no shortage of controversial and often puzzling happenings in Louisiana to write and comment about.  One of the more challenging things about writing only a weekly column is how to pick and choose.  No problem in Iowa...Read More

Thursday, February 18, 2010 Baton Rouge, Louisiana JUST THE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR’S OFFICE? ABOLISH EM’ ALL BOBBY! A number two guy in Louisiana?  Lieutenant Governor! What Lieutenant Governor?  If Gov. Bobby Jindal has his way, the number two spot in the state hierarchy is a gone pecan.  But hey Governor, why stop there?  Do we really...Read More

  Thursday, February 11, 2010 New Orleans, Louisiana WHEN THE CHEERING STOPS IN NEW ORLEANS, WHAT WILL THE NEW MAYOR DO?  What a week for Mayor-elect Mitch Landrieu!  How could anyone create a better scenario to begin rebuilding and renewal in New Orleans?  An overwhelming first primary victory, the saints win the Super bowl, and...Read More

Thursday, February 4, 2010 Portland, Oregon THE SAINTS vs. STEVE JOBS AND THE iPAD Two different parts of the country and two different issues dominate the news. For obvious and understandable reasons, the “Who Dat” nation has captivated Louisiana. Other news stories fade to the inside pages as the success of the New Orleans Saints...Read More

Thursday, January 28, 2010 Baton Rouge, Louisiana OPEN SEASON IN LOUISIANA FOR OUT-OF-STATE CAMPAIGN MONEY? Last week’s Supreme Court decision declaring that corporations and unions can spend money on political advertising has unleashed a storm of controversy on both sides of the political spectrum. And some press reports predict that Louisiana will become “the wild,...Read More

  Thursday, January 21, 2009 Baton Rouge, Louisiana A LOUISIANA GAL JUST MIGHT HAVE WON THE SENATE RACE IN MASSACHUSETTS! It was supposed to be a slam dunk senate seat for the Democrats.  Obama had carried this bluest of blue states by 26 points just a year ago.  And the Democrats had led this seat...Read More

  Thursday, January 13, 2009 Baton Rouge, Louisiana NEW ORLEANS MAYOR’S RACE MIGHT DECIDE NEXT LOUISIANA GOVERNOR! In less than a month, the election for the next mayor of New Orleans will be held.  Current Lt. Governor Mitch Landrieu is far and away the front runner, and some are predicting he might win in the...Read More

  Thursday, January 7, 2009 Baton Rouge, Louisiana GET THE DRUNKS OFF THE ROAD IN LOUSIANA Louisiana has always been a “free and easy” state when it comes to drinking and driving.  Visitors are dumbfounded  when they see drive through Daiquiri shops across the state.  Just as prevalent are the drive through liquor stores that...Read More

Wednesday, December 30, 2009 Baton Rouge, Louisiana SO THIS TERRORIST WALKS INTO A LOUISIANA BAR I was in the New Orleans airport this week waiting as a family member made her way through airport security with two small babies   Boy, were these guys with the Transportation Security Agency on the job and up to the...Read More

  Thursday, December 16, 2009 Baton Rouge, Louisiana WHY ALL THE INTEREST IN EDWIN EDWARDS? The new authorized biography of former Louisiana Gov. Edwin Edwards went on sale this week.  In three days, the first run of 10,000 books was completely sold out.  And there are pre orders for 10,000 more.  People in the Louisiana...Read More

  Thursday, December 10, 2009 Baton Rouge, Louisiana THE WORST OF TIMES FOR LOUISIANA INSURANCE Remember ole’ Calypso Joe doing the limbo and singing in that deep voice”¦”How low can you go?”Â  Few would be surprised if they learned he was singing about that state of insurance affairs in Louisiana.   To many observers, 2009 cannot...Read More

  Thursday, December 3, 2009 Baton Rouge, Louisiana SARAH PALIN WOULD FIT IN WELL IN LOUISIANA! Did you actually read Sarah Palin’s new book, Going Rogue?  Sure it’s a national best seller.  I had no plans to buy it.   Nothing against Sarah.  I really liked the Newsweek cover with Sarah in her jogging shorts. (She’s...Read More

Thursday, November 25, 2009 Baton Rouge, Louisiana JINDAL AND INDIA A RARE OPPORTUNITY FOR LOUISIANA Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal was the token Republican at the Obama first State Dinner this week.  It would be pretty crass for the President to exclude Jindal, the first and only Indian American Governor, from a state dinner honoring the...Read More

Thursday, November 19, 2009 New Orleans, Louisiana WILL BOGUS CHARGES GIVE BILL JEFFERSON A NEW TRIAL? Former New Orleans Congressman Bill Jefferson got a thirteen year sentence and will soon be heading to jail.  Ninety thousand dollars in his freezer?  Has to be a “slam dunk” for the prosecutors, although Jefferson says he will appeal. ...Read More

Thursday, November 12,, 2009 New Orleans, Louisiana WHY AREN’T WE THE GREATEST GENERATION? Ten years ago, Tom Brokaw wrote a book about what he called “the greatest generation.” Now, there is a new best seller out calling America today “the dumbest generation.” And since Louisiana is at the bottom of the barrel on most comparative...Read More

  Thursday, November 5, 2009 Baton Rouge, Louisiana THE ONLY TRUE CONSERVATIVE GOVERNOR? DAVE TREEN!   The accolades for former Louisiana Governor Dave Treen have been pouring in, and rightly so.  He has been called a lot of nice names and everyone quoted has pegged him as a “good guy.”Â  He was “an inspiration,” said Governor...Read More

Thursday, October 29, 2009 Baton Rouge, Louisiana COUNTERFEITIN’ BILLY CANNON- THE TOAST OF LSU Even though it’s just a second rate game for the LSU Tigers this Saturday night against Tulane, the crowd noise in Tiger Stadium will be deafening, but not because the ninth ranked Tigers should make mincemeat out of my old Alma...Read More

Thursday, October 22, 2009 Linville, North Carolina LOUISIANA’S STREAMLINING COMMISSION WHERE’S THE FOCUS? The much ballyhooed Louisiana Governmental Streamlining Commission is under fire for getting off to a slow start and not considering immediate options to reduce state spending.  The legislatively created commission was charged to review the structure of state government and adopt ways...Read More

  Thursday, October 15, 2009 Baton Rouge, Louisiana BLEAK LOUISIANA INSURANCE CLIMATE IN MONTHS TO COME! There should be plenty of good news on the property insurance front, both in Louisiana and throughout the gulf south.  Hurricane season is over, the third year in a row without the threat of a major storm. One would...Read More

    Thursday, October 8, 2009 New Orleans, Louisiana OH MY GOD-  THE TERRORISTS ARE COMING TO LOUISIANA! There are 241 remaining detainees imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay, and the president says he will shut it down in early 2010.  So where do you send these suspected terrorists?  Other countries don’t want them. So do you...Read More

    Thursday, October 1, 2009 Shreveport, Louisiana GET THE POLITICIANS OUT OF REAPPORTIONMENT It’s getting close to redistricting time for legislators, and already criticism is raining down on this politically sensitive process that decisions are being shaped behind closed doors.  Lawmakers have scheduled a two day “educational workshop” in Alexandria next month to learn...Read More

  Thursday, September 24, 2009 Perdido Key, Florida LOUISIANA AND FLORIDA- NIGHT AND DAY ON PROPERTY INSURANCE! All this week, Florida’s largest newspaper, the Miami Herald, has been writing both feature articles and editorials about the problems facing Florida property owners in finding affordable insurance.  Day after day, headlines conveyed the intensity of the struggle: ...Read More

  Thursday, September 17, 2009 Perdido Key, Florida IN LOUISIANA, JUST TELL EM’ I LIED! When South Carolina Congressman Joe Wilson hollered out “You lie” as the President was addressing congress last week, even Louisiana republicans were aghast.  Northeast Louisiana congressman Rodney Alexander summed up the delegation’s response.  “I was embarrassed,” Alexander said after speaking...Read More

Thursday, September 10, 1009 Baton Rouge, Louisiana HEY, LAY OFF BOBBY JINDAL AND THE PRESIDENT! Let the Prez teach and Jindal preach. Remember old Capt. D.C. Boycott?  Sure you do.  He was the notorious Irish landlord who cut the wages of his tenant farmers and got ostracized.  Since then, we regularly hear of someone proposing...Read More

  Thursday, September 3, 2009 Baton Rouge, Louisiana STATE SPENDING UP- SERVICES DOWN Louisiana taxpayers just can’t get a break.  It’s bad enough that the economy continues to languish, unemployment rates are on the rise in the Bayou State, and home foreclosures are increasing.  Even the movie business in the hottest month of the year...Read More

  Thursday, August 26, 2009 Baton Rouge, Louisiana WHAT DO WE DO IN LOUISIANA ABOUT THE COST OF HEALTHCARE?  Riots at town hall meetings, threats for an abrupt ending to congressional careers, patrician political posturing and some of the most vitriol rhetoric in recent memory.  All this and more has been churning up continuing controversy...Read More

Thursday, August 19, 2009 Baton Rouge, Louisiana STANFORD REGULATORY SCREW UPS MAY COST LOUISIANA TAXPAYERS HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS Hundreds of irate Stanford investors converged on Baton Rouge this week to protest their financial losses from what they charge was a giant Ponzi scheme by this international investment firm.  Their wrath is directed both at the...Read More

Thursday, August 13, 2009 Baton Rouge, Louisiana WHY CAN’T I GET A LOUISIANA BAILOUT? At first, it was the big financial guys who were “too big to fail” that were getting all that bailout money.  Billions to banks, insurance companies, and then to auto makers.  If you are old enough to remember back to the...Read More

  Thursday, August 6, 2009 Baton Rouge, Louisiana INSURANCE DYSFUNCTION CONTINUES IN LOUISIANA Press reports, both nationally and at home, have confirmed what financial analysts and investigators have known for months.  Louisiana continues to have the most dysfunctional insurance system and the worst insurance climate in the country.  In almost every category, insurance rates are...Read More

Thursday, July 230, 2009 Baton Rouge, Louisiana OBAMA AND JINDAL ON HEALTHCARE ONE TO MUCH, ONE TOO LITTLE The President is facing an uphill fight in his quest to change the face of health care delivery in the United States.  Each day, more and more Americans are concluding that the billions being spent to shore...Read More

  Thursday, July 23, 2009 Baton Rouge, Louisiana LOUISIANA GOVERNOR MAKES BIG SPLASH AT NATIONAL GOVERNORS’ CONFERENCE BUT WHO? It was like old home week at the National Governors’ Conference in Biloxi, Mississippi this past weekend.  The Louisiana Governor seemed to be the center of attention, with other state governors coming up to greet, give...Read More

  Thursday, July 16, 2009 Baton Rouge, Louisiana SOTOMAYOR DOES NOT PASS THE FAIRNESS TEST   “Elections have consequences.” These were the words of South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, as he questioned Judge Sonia Sotomayor on the first day of her Supreme Court confirmation hearings.  “Republicans lost the November election and President Obama won.  And that...Read More

  Thursday, July 9, 2009 Baton Rouge, Louisiana IS BOBBY JINDAL STILL VIABLE NATIONALLY? “Whatever happened to Bobby Jindal?”Â  That is the question posed in this month’s Economist Magazine.  “At one point he was the great hope of the GOP and now we hardly hear a word about him.”Â  So is it time to begin...Read More

  Thursday, July 2, 2009 Linville, North Carolina IS BOBBY JINDAL OUT OF THE NATIONAL POLITICAL PICTURE? That’s the question posed to me by a group of political consultants meeting in Charlotte this week as they tried to ferret out what Republican is a viable contender for the 2012 presidential nomination.  The group felt that...Read More

Thursday, June 18, 2009 Baton Rouge, Louisiana LOUISIANA A SECOND RATE STATE UNDER VOTING RIGHTS ACT! Are institutionalized acts of racism interwoven in the election procedures that regularly take place in Louisiana? Is there a concentrated effort on the part of Louisiana elections officials to put up barriers so that it is more difficult for...Read More

  Thursday June 11, 2009 New Orleans, Louisiana LOUISIANA HURRICANE SEASON DO YOU FEEL LUCKY?  WELL DO YA? A dangerous hurricane season this year?  Forecasters are predicting nine to 14 named tropical storms with four to seven of them expected to be hurricanes. And three could be major.  Or as Dirty Harry would say: 44...Read More

  Thursday, June 4, 2009 Baton Rouge, Louisiana THE RISE AND FALL OF LSU Huey Long was the best friend and supporter LSU ever had.  He was called the father of the modern LSU by the Virginia Quarterly Review in commenting that “Huey stroked LSU as if he had been coddling a newborn pet elephant. ...Read More

  Thursday, May 28, 2009 Baton Rouge, Louisiana A SUPREME COURT APPOINTEE FROM LOUISIANA? FAT CHANCE! Before the President made his choice this week for a new nominee to fill the coming vacancy on the United States Supreme Court, the White House undertook a nationwide search.  There were parameters.  The pick was certain to be...Read More

Thursday, May 21, 2009 Baton Rouge, Louisiana STANFORD AND MADOFF HAD ACCOMPLICES: THEIR VICTIMS! There are three things you should learn early in life. Don’t play poker with a guy named Slim. Don’t buy a Rolex form a guy on the street who’s out of breath. And don’t put your money in some exotic investment...Read More

  Thursday, May 14, 2009 Baton Rouge, Louisiana FREEDOM OF CHOICE IN MOTORCYCLE HELMET DEBATE One of the hottest issues in the current session of the Louisiana Legislature, meeting at the state capitol in Baton Rouge, is the repeal of a law that currently mandates the wearing of a safety helmet when riding a motorcycle. ...Read More

  Thursday, May 7, 2009 Baton Rouge, Louisiana A HIGH PRICE TO KEEP THE SAINTS! The plan seems to be “Keep the Saints at any price.”Â  Proposals at Louisiana’s state capitol to give millions of dollars a year for decades to come is steamrolling through the legislature.  Governor Bobby Jindal says the deal will “save...Read More

  Thursday April 30, 2009 Baton Rouge, Louisiana KEEP YOUR HEAD DOWN THE LOUISIANA LEGISLATURE’S IN SESSION Every observer of Louisiana politics is aware of Mark Twain’s adage:  “No man’s life, liberty or property is safe while the Legislature is in session.”Â  Actually, it was New York Judge Gideon Tucker who first made the perceptive...Read More

  Thursday, April 23rd, 2009 Shreveport, Louisiana BRING LOCAL AND STATE GOVERNMENT IN LOUISIANA INTO THE TWENTY FIRST CENTURY!  Just how many boards, commissions, water districts, sewer districts, parish auditors, law enforcement offices, and a whole list of other special districts are spread throughout Louisiana? No one really seems to know.  Some estimates are as high as...Read More

Thursday, April 16, 2009 New York City, New York IT’S TIME TO END LEGAL IMMUNITY FOR PROSECUTORS If you have followed the criminal case of former US Sen. Ted Stevens from Alaska, a title of a future book or video could well be titled “prosecutors gone wild.” Stevens was convicted of accepting gifts from campaign...Read More

  Thursday, April 9, 2009 Baton Rouge, Louisiana MARCH MADNESS ARE ATHLETES BEING SHORT CHANGED? Millions of rabid college basketball fans have been glued to their TVs over the past month as March Madness reached its crescendo this past Monday night.  My North Carolina Tar Heels rose to the occasion to win its second national...Read More

  Thursday, April 2nd, 2009 Paris, France FRANCE, APRIL FOOL’S AND LOUISIANA After a week in Paris, four things are quite apparent.  The French despise George Bush, really like Barack Obama, love Louisiana, and delight in playing April fool’s jokes.  Seriousness was put aside yesterday as the French continued the traditional they believe they started...Read More

  Thursday, March 12th, 2009 Baton Rouge, Louisiana HEY BOBBY JINDAL IT’S INDIA NOT IOWA! Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal’s recent “speech to the nation” was panned by both Democrats and Republicans alike. It would not be fair to say that his national career has crashed and burned, but it certainly makes sense for him to...Read More

  Thursday, March 5, 2009 Tampa, Florida ARE BASEBALL AND POLITICS INTERTWINED? Just what is America’s favorite pastime? Is it baseball or politics? This past few weeks offers interesting contrasts. On the one hand, we went from a full-blown presidential campaign right into a major political controversy of how to “stimulate” the economy. Certainly in...Read More

Thursday, February 26th, 2009 Baton Rouge, Louisiana JINDAL A TOUGH SELL ON A NATIONAL STAGE Bobby Jindal had an uphill fight to begin with this past Tuesday evening when he was the Republican pick to give a response to the President’s State of the Union speech. He was thrown into the lion’s den to give...Read More

Thursday, February 19th, 2009 Baton Rouge, Louisiana JINDAL PUTS LEGISLATORS IN SPOT OVER STIMULUS FUNDING in state after state across the country, cash-starved governors from both parties are anxiously awaiting federal dollars from the stimulus package that Congress passed just last Friday. One governor though who seems less than enthusiastic over receiving such a windfall...Read More

    Thursday, February 12th, 2009 New Orleans, Louisiana SEN. DAVID VITTER AND THE STIMULUS PACKAGE Louisiana’s US Sen. David Vitter seems to be leading the charge of Republican opposition to the proposed stimulus package.  Let’s get things straight. We are talking here about the federal government stimulus package, not the stimulus being offered by...Read More

Thursday, February 5th, 2009 Baton Rouge, Louisiana TIME FOR SUPREME COURT TO GET TO WORK Thirty Seven words.  A pretty simple job to read a short paragraph from the U. S. Constitution.  In Article 11, Section 1, the oath given to the President says: “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute...Read More

Thursday, January 29th, 2009 Washington, DC    COULD INDEPENDENT VOTERS BRING DOWN SENATOR  DAVID VITTER?  An ongoing battle within the ranks of the Louisiana Republican Party may well determine whether Louisiana US Sen. David Vitter receives his party’s nomination for the coming 2010 senatorial election. The question for the party faithful is whether or not...Read More

  Thursday, January 22nd, 2009 Baton Rouge, Louisiana WHY DIDN’T PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH PARDON EDWIN EDWARDS?  For months, political insiders in both Louisiana and Washington had been predicting that former Louisiana Gov. Edwin Edwards would be pardoned by President George Bush in the final weeks of his term in office. There were a number of...Read More

Thursday, January 15th, 2008 New Orleans, Louisiana TAKING A YOUNG LIFE IN NEW ORLEANS  WHERE EVEN GOD CAN BE WRONG. Little Ja’Shawn Powell was two years old, and lived in New Orleans with his mother.  His father, a guy named Danny Platt, came to pick up Ja’Shawn for a visit last week.  The boy, according...Read More

Thursday, January 8th, 2008   Baton Rouge, Louisiana    LOUISIANA TAXPAYERS ARE  THE LOSERS IN PROPERTY INSURANCE SCHEME   In days of old, Robin Hood took from the rich and gave to the poor. When it comes to insurance, the Louisiana Legislature and the Insurance Department do just the reverse. They apparently think it is...Read More

Wednesday, December 31, 2008 Baton Rouge, Louisiana PERCEPTION AND REALITY IN LOUISIANA POLITICS In 2008, Louisiana rode the bubble.  A new Governor and a cadre of other new public officials were ready to put the Katrina mentality behind, and begin the process of bringing Louisiana fully into the 21st century.  There was a perception, stirred...Read More

Thursday, December 18th, 2008 Baton Rouge, Louisiana FEW SAINTS IN POLITICS NOT EVEN LINCOLN When the Governor of Illinois was arrested recently and charged with selling political favors to the highest bidder, the federal prosecutor in the case was incredulous. He stated that Abraham Lincoln” would rollover in his grave” if he were to know...Read More

Thursday, December 11th, 21008 Baton Rouge, Louisiana    LOUISIANA CITIZENS INSURANCE SCANDALS CONTINUE TO GROW A year ago, it would have been hard to imagine that conditions at Citizens Property Insurance Company could get any worse. The state created and state run company was in debt by over $1 billion.  The Rouge Business Report called...Read More

Thursday, December 3rd, 2008 Baton Rouge, Louisiana BOTTOM OF THE BARREL HEALTHWISE IN LOUISIANA  Louisiana has the dubious honor of being named this week as the least healthiest state in the nation.  The negative recognition was announced in the 2008 health rankings just released by United Health Foundation. It really wasn’t any surprise.  That’s because...Read More

Thursday, November 20th, 2008 Baton Rouge, Louisiana BIG THREE AUTO PROBLEMS HIT HOME IN LOUISIANA To bail out or not to bail out? That is the question being debated in Washington this week as the Big Three Auto Makers plead for a $25 billion bailout. Members of the Louisiana congressional delegation are either strongly opposed...Read More

Thursday, November 13, 2008 Baton Rouge, Louisiana NICK SABAN, THE HANGMAN’S NOOSE, AND LOUISIANA LAW Whoever thought that Alabama football Coach Nick Saban would be in the eye of a Louisiana political storm involving a new state public intimidation law? Last Friday night on a parking lot beside the LSU campus, the coach of the...Read More

Baton Rouge, Louisiana Thursday, November 6th, 2008 LOUISIANA WINNERS, LOSERS, AND SPOILERS After a day of letting Louisiana electoral results sink in, it’s time to assess the winners and losers.  As is often the case, Louisiana went “against the grain” and was far out of sync with national trends. The new president received less than...Read More

Thursday, October 30th, 2008 Baton Rouge, Louisiana LOUISIANA VOTERS ARE IRRELEVANT IN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION Louisiana voters are gearing up for election day in record numbers.  Spurred on by the presidential election,   more than one quarter of a million people cast absentee ballots which is an all-time record.  And for good reason.  This is certainly one...Read More

Thursday, October 23rd, 2008 Baton Rouge, Louisiana   MORE BAD NEWS ABOUT INSURANCE IN LOUISIANA   The financial crisis on Wall Street has filtered down through the insurance industry, with a number of major insurance companies facing a rocky road in the coming weeks.  The New York Times concluded this week that “insurance companies are...Read More

Thursday, October 15th, 2008 Baton Rouge, Louisiana LOUISIANA IS HOLLYWOOD EAST BUT PAYING ONE HECK OF A PRICE   How much is it worth for Louisiana taxpayers to have movies made throughout the state?   Apparently, quite a lot.  Recent studies have shown that for every new dollar created in jobs, equipment, catering and all the...Read More

    Thursday, October 9th, 2008     Baton Rouge, Louisiana A VISIT WITH BOBBY JINDAL For 25 GRAND So you are going to the LSU ““ Florida game this Saturday night in Gainesville”¦ right?  And while you are there, why not stop off at a local residence in nearby Alachua, Florida.  Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal will...Read More

Thursday, October 2nd, 2008 Baton Rouge, Louisiana SHOULD LOUISIANA SECEDE FROM THE UNION? We all know that all good things have to come to an end.  We in Louisiana have tried the statehood thing for 205 years, but “maybe it’s just not working out.”Â  Hey, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin has flirted with the same idea...Read More

Thursday, September 25rd, 2008 Baton Rouge, Louisiana GREED IS GOOD IN LOUISIANA The national financial crisis finds Wall Street and financial regulators scurrying for cover, and trying to find a quick fix to financial problems that have festered for years. It’s puzzling that there is been nary a peep out of Louisiana officials, particularly in...Read More

Thursday, September 18th, 2008 Baton Rouge, Louisiana WHILE NATIONAL STAR SHINES, JINDAL COULD FACE BIG FINANCIAL PROBLEMS IN LOUISIANA To say that Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal’s political stock continues to rise would be an understatement. He has been regularly profiled as a future presidential candidate in a number of national publications. And on the speaking...Read More

Thursday, September 11th, 2008 Baton Rouge, Louisiana BOBBY JINDAL VS SARAH PALIN IN 2012? For most of us living along the Gulf Coast, national politics has not been of major concern in the past week. Our focus has been post-Gustav and pre- Ike. Many homes did not have electricity in the waning days after Gestalt’s...Read More

Thursday, August 28th, 2008 Baton Rouge, Louisiana   FORTY FOUR YEARS OF NATIONAL POLITICAL CONVENTIONS Some 4000 delegates are converging in Denver this week, and Minneapolis next week. Millions of voters are expected to view the televised events, which are meant to convey an image of party unity. For political groupies like most of us...Read More

Thursday, August 21, 2008   Baton Rouge, Louisiana     THE MOST DYSFUNCTIONAL AGENCY IN LOUISIANA It looked like it was going to be a real horse race.  Who would win the title of being the most dysfunctional political body in Louisiana?  The final choices were whittled down to three. The mayors of both New...Read More

ARE WE ALL FEDERAL CRIMINALS LIVING IN  LOUISIANA? Louisiana State Senator Derrick Shepherd gets in a tussle with his girlfriend over the weekend and he’s hauled off to federal court.  Is there any violation of the law that is not considered a federal offense?  If anyone actually takes the time to read the U.S. Constitution,...Read More

Thursday, July 24th, 2008 Baton Rouge, Louisiana   LOUISIANA LEGISLATURE IGNORES RISING INSURANCE RATES  Two years ago, Louisiana legislators were demanding rate relief for thousands of homeowners and drivers who were witnessing skyrocketing insurance rates.  Cries were heard from the steps of the state Capitol urging the Governor to support subsidies in order to lower...Read More

Thursday, July 10th, 2008 Baton Rouge, Louisiana JINDAL POLITICALLY RAISED FROM THE DEAD? Just two weeks ago, the legislative pay raise issue in Louisiana had all but consumed Governor Bobby Jindal. As he continued to tell voters he would not veto the increase that had rallied major statewide opposition, his poll numbers continued to drop....Read More

Tuesday, July 1st, 2008 Baton Rouge, Louisiana   DID BOBBY SEE THE LIGHT, OR FEEL THE HEAT?  You have to wonder who has been advising Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal on the pay raise albatross around his neck these past few weeks.  The controversy against any raise took off like wildfire, and never slowed down.  If...Read More

Thursday, June 25th, 2008 Baton Rouge, Louisiana JINDAL’S ALBATROSS HE NEEDS TO PICK A FIGHT! You can talk about everything else the Louisiana Legislature did in its just completed session. But when all is said and done, it comes down to the pay raise. “But what about all the other good things we have accomplished...Read More

Thursday, June 19th, 2008 Baton Rouge, Louisiana   DOES LOUISIANA REALLY NEED A FULL TIME LEGISLATURE?  When the Speaker of the House of Representatives took the microphone last week in support of a 300% pay raise for legislators in Louisiana, one of his arguments was that the job had become full time.  “It is a...Read More

Thursday, June 12th, 2008 Baton Rouge, Louisiana   IT’S NOT THE PRIME MINISTER IT’S THE LOUISIANA GOVERNOR  Is Governor Bobby Jindal “missing in action” when it comes to the give and take in  the current session of the Louisiana legislature?  Observers around the state capital express what they see as a sharp contrast from former...Read More

Thursday, June 5th, 2008 Ferriday, Louisiana THE BEST LITTLE WHOREHOUSE IN NORTH LOUISIANA AND THE KU KLUX KLAN Forty-four years ago this month, the FBI opened a widespread murder investigation in my old hometown of Ferriday, as well as across the river in Natchez, Mississippi. As many as 20 local black citizens were reportedly killed...Read More

Thursday, May 29, 2008 Baton Rouge, Louisiana INDIANA JONES CHOSE WISELY SO SHOULD THE LOUISIANA LEGISLATURE  Robert Redford posed the question at the end of the movie, The Candidate, which should have been asked by the newly elected Louisiana Legislature: “What do we do now?”  The new guys and gals in town started off with a...Read More

In the year 1967, I was a newly minted Louisiana lawyer, still wet behind the ears, but scrapping out a law practice in my newly adopted hometown of Ferriday.  One of my first cases was representing a young mother whose child was killed when a truck ran off the road and into the family driveway.  It...Read More

LOUISIANA AND THE EAST COAST- A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE   Has America become so homogenized that we are thinking more alike regardless of what part of the country we come from?  We all get the same evening news, the same TV shows, and the same radio talking heads telling us what, in their opinion, our...Read More

Thursday, May 8th, 2008 Baton Rouge, Louisiana IT’S ALL ABOUT WHOSE OX IS BEING GORED. So what’s all this controversy about earmarks?  “Pork-Barrel Spending” shout editorial writers all over Louisiana. On the national level, Republican presidential nominee John McCain has “vowed to veto all earmarks as president, and to make the authors famous.”  All these so-called...Read More

Thursday, May 1st, 2008 Baton Rouge, Louisiana FLORIDA OUTSHINES LOUISIANA IN INSURANCE REFORM  In the short list for vice president, two names that regularly appear are Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal and Florida Governor Charlie Crist.  And as part of the discussion, there are naturally comparisons as to the economic progress being made in both states. ...Read More

Thursday, April 23rd, 2008 New Orleans, Louisiana PROSECUTOR IMMUNITY IN LOUISIANA?  Under both federal and Louisiana state law, prosecutors are given wide ranging immunity for their actions.  Louisiana in particular has been a domicile for some of the most troubling examples of blatant prosecutor misconduct.  Up until now, there was little recourse for an aggrieved...Read More

Thursday, April 17th, 2008 Baton Rouge, Louisiana OBAMA’S BITTERNESS COMMENT AND YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT, POLITICALLY  OBAMA CONTROVERSY Presidential Democratic frontrunner Barack Obama found himself in hot water last week over what he perceives to be “bitterness” in small-town America.  The criticism came from Republicans, as well as his Democratic opponent, Senator Hillary Clinton. ...Read More

Thursday, April 10th, 2008 Baton Rouge, Louisiana GOV. BOBBY JINDAL FOR VICE PRESIDENT ARE YOU KIDDING? Well, no.  The new Louisiana Governor is very much in the mix, as more focus took place this week on who Sen. John McCain will pick as his republican running mate. And when you consider the alternatives, and the...Read More

Thursday, April 3rd, 2008 Baton Rouge, Louisiana STAND UNDER THE ARCH TO EARN THE BIG BUCKS IN STATE GOVERNMENT How do you put a dollar value on the worth of a public official? That’s the issue being debated in the Baton Rouge State Capitol this week. The new Economic Development Secretary is asking approval for...Read More

March 26, 2008 Baton Route, Louisiana PRIVATE OWNERSHIP OF ROADS AND BRIDGES? HEAVEN FORBID! In Louisiana, a number of Jefferson and St. Tammany Parish officials were aghast last week over supposedly “secret negotiations” to sell the Causeway Bridge that goes to the North Shore across Lake Pontchartrain. When the state’s largest paper, the Times Picayune,...Read More

Thursday, March 20, 2008 Charlotte, North Carolina MAYBE YOU START WITH THE HOTDOGS One of the biggest challenges facing Louisiana’s newly elected Governor Bobby Jindal is the challenge of re-instilling pride in the attitudes of many Louisianians. Government can only do so much. But a governor can be a catalyst in raising the public’s expectations....Read More

YOU BETTER CHECK WITH SIXTY As in most states, political figures come and go.  Some are talked about for a few years, and others are even memorialized with plaques and statues surrounding some public building. Few leave any lasting impression. But there are exceptions.  One such is former Louisiana State Senator BB “Sixty” Rayburn.  They...Read More

February 28, 2008 Baton Rouge, Louisiana PERCEPTION AND SUBSTANCE ETHICS AND INDIA The Louisiana legislature just completed its first special session under newly elected Governor Bobby Jindal. “We batted a thousand and set the gold standard when it comes to ethics,” ballyhooed Bobby Jindal. It was more like a double rather a homerun, but there...Read More

Thursday, February 19th, 2008 Salt Lake City, Utah TAKING A BREAK OUT WEST? With spring approaching, I have been looking for a good week to head out west, visit several relatives including one of my daughters, and ski some Utah mountains. This is the week. Let me share a Louisiana perspective. A 6:30 a.m. flight...Read More

  BUDDY ROEMER AND PRESIDENTIAL POLITICS Buddy Roemer has been out of the limelight for the past seventeen years, once he stepped down as Louisiana’s Governor in 1991. But with Senator John McCain wrapping up the Republican presidential nomination, Roemer finds himself back in the catbird’s seat as a major player on the national scene....Read More

Thursday, February 7th, 2008 Baton Rouge, Louisiana WHERE ARE THE PRIORITIES IN LOUISIANA? When national companies search for new locations around the country and look at Louisiana, how important is ethics reform? A timely question to ask, since newly elected Governor Bobby Jindal is staking a major part of his reputation on bringing ethics in government...Read More

Thursday, February 1st, 2008 Baton Rouge, Louisiana THE THREE HUNDRED POUND GORILLA IN LOUISIANA’S U.S. SENATE RACE Some 4,000 participants, the largest Mardi Gras crowd in history, jammed the Washington Hilton grand ballroom to celebrate the annual gathering of Louisiana’s political establishment this past weekend. There was plenty of talk of the coming presidential election,...Read More