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
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 Jindal had not vetoed the raise as he did, a number of new recall petitions would have joined some 10 already underway. So what made the difference? Did common sense prevail, or did the dam of public opinion just overwhelm the new guy in charge? Read more
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 in the past five months?” protested Governor Bobby Jindal. Maybe a little more wisdom comes with age. It’s perception, not substance Governor. And the overwhelming public perception is that when all was said and done, the legislature opted to look out for themselves rather than the people who elected them. Read more
Is Governor Bobby Jindal “missing in action” from the daily 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 governors when it comes to dealing with state legislators. No public arm twisting going on. This seems to be the new Governor’s style. But is it in the public interest for any governor to have a direct “give and take” with the legislative branch? Here’s a good idea Jindal might want to seize. Read more
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
