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. And when he did finally veto the proposal, his delay in doing so seemed to upend any realistic chance of a vice presidential slot on the McCain ticket. But like Lazarus being raised from the dead, low and behold, Jindal is still very much in the VP mix. Read more
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 misconception that this is a part-time job,” he told his colleagues. So the question is simply this. Should Louisiana, or for that matter any state, have a full-time state legislature? I say no.
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 bang declaring a home run after a successful special session on ethics reform. It was more like a double, but the public perception was that they were on the right track. But now the question is being asked, where they go from here? More specifically, are they resting on their laurels? 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 seemed like a pretty cut and dried wrongful death case and I was waiting for the insurance lawyer to send me a settlement offer. He called one morning and said quite bluntly: “We’re not paying nothing. The kid was a bastard.” Read more
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 opinion should be. Are Louisiana’s interests and priorities along the same track as those expressed by locals along the east coast? I decided to take a look. Read more
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 pet projects by legislators have even caused Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal to threaten line-item vetoes of special projects added in to the new state budget. So can any of these local requests be justified? Read more
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. One area where Florida leaves Louisiana in the dust is in insurance reform. Read more
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 defendant. But all that might change in the coming weeks as the US Supreme Court considers the ramifications of a prosecutor who goes too far. Read more
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. According to his opponents, Obama is both elitist and out of touch by saying that small-town voters “cling to religion and guns in bad economic times.” So is Obama all that much out of touch? Far from it. He’s right on the money. Read more
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 balance McCain both needs and is searching for, Jindal stands toe to toe with any other candidate being discussed. Read more
