Balking at Blueprint Blueprint Louisiana made a big splash in its stumping for a reform political agenda in the state. After revelation of which fall election candidates have signed on to support it, it appears that the group itself didn’t have the credible impact for which it may have hoped. The organization attracted some funding and got together reform-minded individuals with public opinion data to formulate an agenda for change in the state. Amid much publicity, they produced a comprehensive action plan and, for the most part, one on the mark – with a single exception, it does make for a true reform platform that will bring positive change to the state. That one slip, however, may have cost the endorsement of the effort by gubernatorial candidate Republican Rep. Bobby Jindal. As part of its education reforms, the group touts expanding the “voluntary, high-quality pre-kindergarten [program limited to certain parishes] to provide access to all four-year-olds in the state. In close partnership with Head Start and the child care sector ….” (emphasis mine). Unfortunately, that is a guarantee for a waste of money the group otherwise seems to oppose. Research shows the only beneficial present effects pre-K education has is when it is treated as if it were another grade of school, with bachelor-degreed teachers specializing in that area. By contrast, Head Start and other forms of pre-K end up having little in the way of lasting results or even in the present. (Oddly, in using information from a laudatory report of high-quality pre-K programs, the Blueprint LA people seemed to miss this distinction.) Therefore the Blueprint LA estimate to implement such a program, about $90 million, seems low, if that’s what they mean at all. The Jindal campaign only states that Jindal wanted to focus on his own plans and not anybody else’s, but reviewing the plan and Jindal’s ideas (as they are expressed in some detail on his campaign web site, even if all have not been unveiled yet) show extremely compatible ideas, so one might wonder if Blueprint LA hadn’t whiffed on this one whether Jindal might have gone with them. Of course, being such a prohibitive favorite Jindal sees no need to tie himself to a group which will increase his room to maneuver if he wins. Regrettably for the group, this means somewhat of a slide to irrelevancy since Jindal will attract at least half the voters on Oct. 20 – and it also struck out with two other major contenders, but for the simple reason that neither are genuine reformers. Democrat state Sen. Walter Boasso does have some reform credentials, but in his refusal to put health care quality and taxpayer resources ahead of special interests in regards to his continued support of the state’s underperforming hospital-centric indigent care system negates other more salutary issue preferences of his. And Democrat Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell is not a reformer, period, …
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For many years, I have kept a daily dairy about special events. On this week, commemorating the 6th anniversary of the attack on America, I want to share with you my diary entry of the tragic day. Tuesday, September 11, 2001 Baton Rouge, Louisiana I have watched through a window a world that has fallen. W. H. Auden Six years ago, on, 9/11, this date turned into the frantic dialing of 911. A surreal feeling of shock and helplessness enveloped me as I watched the day’s events unfold. A family friend called at home a little after 8:00 A.M. central time to tell me about the first plane’s crashing into the World Trade Center. Like millions of Americans, I turned on my television just in time to see the second plane hit the second tower. I was home alone, so I immediately felt the need to call the people closest to me. I was able to reach my mother, my brother Jack, and my daughters Gentry and Meredith; I told them all to turn on their TV sets. I reached my son James on his portable phone as he was entering the LSU Lab School. But, what about my oldest daughter Campbell? I knew she had flown back to Washington late last night from California, where she was doing a story for NBC news on the retirement of the president’s plane, a former Air Force One. Perhaps she was still home. I called her apartment but got no answer. Then the third plane hit the Pentagon in Washington. Thoughts raced through my head. Was there a fourth plane—or more? Wasn’t the White House a likely target? Was my oldest daughter sitting in her NBC office in the White House? Her portable phone didn’t answer. I called the White House switchboard, which is noted for being efficient. There was a brief recording saying to hold on for an operator; then the line went dead. For a moment I feared the worst: a plane crashing into the White House, my daughter inside. Then I heard Matt Lauer on the “Today Show” say, “Now let’s go to Campbell Brown for an update across the street from the White House.” Campbell told a national audience that the White House had been evacuated and she was broadcasting from a nearby hotel. She gave hourly reports throughout the day and late into the evening. After staying glued to the TV all day, Gladys and I kept a long-standing dinner date with friends at Chris’s steakhouse. Halfway through dinner, around 9:00 o’clock, my portable phone rang. It was James. “Dad, I’m still watching everything on television,” he said. “I just need to do something. Do we have an American flag here at home?” I told him we had one stored in our “flag box,” where we keep banners for the various seasons, as well as holiday flags for Christmas, Halloween, and Easter. When Gladys and I drove into our driveway that night, a large American flag was …
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Our views: Jindal does disservice Interestingly, that it is miffed at Republican Rep. Bobby Jindal’s unambitious debate plans tells us much more about the politics of the Baton Rouge Advocate than it does about Jindal. The Advocate’s editorialists complain how Jindal has committed to appear at only two statewide debate forums, spewing forth with, as it turns out, a whole lot of bogus reasons why Jindal should attend more. (And it’s selective outrage as well – other candidates could have participated in them but some chose not to as well when they heard Jindal was not committing, so why reserve opprobrium to just Jindal?) For one thing, how many debates is enough, if apparently two isn’t? In the last presidential cycle, there were scarcely any more among the major party candidates, and if there is a general election runoff to this governor’s race, there probably will be just as many. How many were there in 2003? Honestly, I don’t remember exactly, but I think just four. The Advocate also pouts about how having so few debates fails to “test himself and his ideas in the arena of public debate and discussion,” that these events are “of far greater value to the voters than canned sound bites and slick, carefully packaged political commercials,” and that the two scheduled “would be very late in the game.” These arguments show both ignorance and muddled thinking. As any political scientist who studies campaigns and elections will tell you, the “debate” (which isn’t a true debate of candidates taking an issue and interrogatively arguing back and forth) is an artificial construct that tells us next to nothing about the issues and nothing at all about how well they can govern. Getting questions, sometimes spurious, with little time to answer them in a full and complete way produces the very “sound bites” devoid of complexity and context. And, news flash to you, Advocate: us who study campaigns generally agree that the sum total of “slick, carefully packaged political commercials” tell voters more about the candidates and their preferences than do debates. And who cares about the “late in the game” timing? Studies also show a good portion of voters, roughly a quarter, don’t make up their minds until the last week of the campaign – regardless of how many “debates” there have been. And it’s not as if there aren’t other alternative (and better) sources of information about candidates and their issue preferences – The Advocate admits it has heard of television and radio spots, and surely by now it has heard of candidate web sites where all sorts of information about candidates and their preferences may be found (in fact, Jindal’s appears to provide more of this than any other candidate). Surely the editorialists at The Advocate know these facts. Which is why the opinion piece in question demonstrates a combination of their pique at and fear of a Gov. Jindal. That is, Jindal sees these media-driven …
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Among the votes cast this past week in Congress was a vote to lower College Student Loans and their allowable interest rates. This bill was called the “College Cost Reduction Act of 2007. How did they vote? Both Congressman Boustany AND Senator Vitter voted AGAINST this bill – Voting in favor were Senator Landrieu and Congressman Melancon. ABSENT FROM THE VOTE – Congressman Jindal as he is trying to bring THE HIGHEST ETHICAL STANDAR TO LOUISIANA by apparently taking tax payer’s money to NOT VOTE in congress. There - Now you know!
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Qualifying is now closed and most of the races have turned out as we thought. We have a surprise in C/P District 1 – a heads up race between Charles Primeaux and City Councilman in Scott – Purvis Morrision. Councilman Morrison has done a GREAT job as part of the team in Scott helping Mayor Hazel Meyers really grow Scott and the wind is definitely at his back. Susannah Malbreaux was considering running and would have been an amazing councilwoman, however realizing what was at stake in this race she decided to throw her support behind Morrison. Morrison will have some big shoes to fill. District 1 has some very serious issues that is going to take some hard work and dedication to find his way through. Primeaux doesn’t seem as if he cares that much about it. Several folks have met with him, including me, and I have to tell you I am more than a bit concerned about his motivations for running in this district. Another interesting development is of course Bruce Conque has some competition. Same Dore is working incredibly hard in District 6 and it appears that Conque could suffer from “incumbent fatigue” – where many people just see him as part of the problem. Dore is offering a new face and that alone may be the tipping point in this race. A surprise to many – Charlie Buckels after much ado about running again in District 39 has now decided that he is going to run for the BESE Board… because when you think of Charlie Buckels, one things Higher Learning, of course. WHAT? Honestly what does Charlie have to do with Education or experience in Education of our Children? Perhaps he was worried about his commissions he is getting off the RED LIGHT ATM Machines he is installing for Joey Durel. Sadly – we did not come up with anyone to run against Joey Durel. While I take issue with more than a few of his administrations decisions and well inactions… We could have done a LOT WORSE. But second terms often turn into problems especially when the incumbent doesn’t have to work for re-election. Joey – don’t rest – you have a LOT of work to do, my friend. Congratulations to Sheriff Mike Neustrom on running unopposed for Sheriff! I got to speak with the Sheriff at last week’s Donkey Jam and congratulated him on his win. He has done a great job and we thank him for his service. However, I would be remised if I didn’t mention the latest developments in the Pat LeBlanc case. Kevin Blanchard of The Baton Rouge Advocate reported on this developing story on the 8th – Link here - This Bribery and Laundering scheme involving the LeBlanc Brothers and Convicted Sheriff of Bexar County near San Antonio Texas just won’t go away and I am concerned that so few here locally are reporting on this. Pat LeBlanc is claiming no wrong-doing …
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Boardwalk sales taxes lag projections This summer we’ve seen more uncomfortable examples highlighting the poor choices Bossier City elected officials have made in recent years – and perhaps a rare second chance at redemption in the offing. The city’s elected officials must have been the only ones surprised when the sales tax take from the Louisiana Boardwalk has run below expectations because, for over a decade, its mayoral administrations and city councils have clung to the absurd notion that pumping citizens’ dollars into venture capital opportunities is how to bring about economic growth. “Build it and they will come” has been the “Field of Dreams” motto that, in its two high profile instances, cost the city in past dollars $77.5 million. Much of that went into what today is known as the CenturyTel Center. It was supposed to set off an economic development boon in southern Bossier City (where it was widely protested by those residents). A decade on exactly two businesses (one since closed) and no residential developments have popped up near it and it regularly loses the city money (but its parking lots provide a great place for public safety personnel to practice their driving skills). The rest was poured, literally, into a parking garage at the Boardwalk for a private developer who easily could have built this with its own resources (and $15 million more was spent on other infrastructure elements for the Boardwalk, but I’ve been giving the city the benefit of the doubt on the necessity of its paying for this on that). Doing the math, making very generous assumptions that the Boardwalk because of the garage is the only Bossier City retailer adding new business and not cannibalizing others (evidence of which rings very hollow) and comparing changes in sales tax take citywide over the past several years, the Boardwalk is hardly increasing city sales tax revenues past the rate of inflation. In other words, it might take a century to “pay off” the garage “investment.” These follies really hit home considering the city just set out to borrow $100 million for various projects, $66 million of which have been on the drawing board in the city’s long-term capital budgeting plans. Assuming a generously-low 5 percent interest rate and 30 year life, the total cost of that $66 million – which the citizens’ money blown by the city on the arena and garage would more than have covered – would be about $127.5 million. Just think of the possibilities frittered away by Bossier City politicians. These projects could have been finished quicker, maybe even by now, paid in cash, saving $61.5 million – plus having available the excess and years of interest accumulated as it all grew waiting for the right moment, and freeing future revenues from where all the money came from originally blown on these baubles, gaming. Just imagine the tax-cutting and fee reduction that the city could have accomplished, making Bossier City a progressive, …
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27 legislators reelected Republicans should be cautiously optimistic about their state elective office chances in this fall’s elections given the list of qualifiers for those positions that was completed of Thursday. Things are really looking up for the GOP at the statewide executive level. (Recent) Republican Treasurer John Kennedy was reelected unopposed and only token opposition surfaced against Secretary of State Jay Dardenne and Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon. With Rep. Bobby Jindal running away with the governor’s race, the GOP looks almost certain to lock up a majority of the executive offices for the first time since Reconstruction. Worse for Democrats, the chances of Agriculture Commissioner Bob Odom and Attorney General Charles Foti are even at best, given the controversial terms and ethics and legal charges against the former and the latter’s penchant for whipping up publicity about cases that his office cannot guide to convictions. Only Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu among Democrats can be considered a favorite going into his contest, but his chances of losing are not trivial given the quality of his Republican opponents. At this point, chances are the Republicans can take five of the seven slots. In the Senate, by the end of qualifying, Democrats had 17 secure seats and Republicans 8 (this includes contests where the only competition to one or more of a major party’s candidates is not from the other major party). This already represents a pickup of a seat for the Democrats (know because the term-limited incumbent will be replaced by someone from the other party running unopposed). In the House, Democrats secured 38 seats, the Republicans 29 and the lone present (GOP-leaning) independent reelected without opposition, a net change of zero (one seat flipped for each party). These numbers point out the greater difficulty the GOP will have in trying to win the Senate for the first time since Reconstruction. Already down a seat, they’ll likely get it back in the 1st and have their best chances of picking up seats in the 31st and 32nd, but may lose the 25th so they may come out only up one behind their current situation, 25-14. Their chances in the House are much brighter. Seats they have a good chance to take are the 15th, 39th, 98th, and 103rd which would move them to within 7 of a working majority; no GOP seats look as ripe to change as these do potentially but there are several other competitive seats from both parties that, if the Republicans manage to take about three-quarters of those in addition to these, will bring them the majority. This disparity at the statewide vs. legislative level points out that the Republicans still are a little short of bench strength. It may seem hard to believe now, but just two decades ago few Republicans were elected to any state or local offices and so while with just seven statewide offices there’s a sufficient pool of quality candidates, when …
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As is usually the case, the media were full of stories this Labor Day about the status of the labor force in America. On balance, the news for workers was good. The unemployment rate was holding steady at around 4.5 percent, and workers’ real wages (salaries adjusted for inflation) are on the rise. According to the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), 82 percent of American workers received real wage gains last year—the highest amount in the last seven years. The productivity of the American workforce continues to out-pace the rest of the world. According to NAM, a recent United Nations report shows that the average U.S. worker is producing over $63,000 of wealth per year, and our manufacturing employees are generating almost $105,000 per employee per year. Ireland comes in a distant second at approximately $56,000 of wealth produced per employee. The bad news is that fewer employees—especially in the manufacturing sector—are maintaining those high levels of productivity. NAM’s “Manufacturing Economy Daily” report for September 4 quotes The Washington Post as reporting that manufacturing employment has plummeted to a current total of 14 million workers, the lowest since 1950. While productivity increases are resulting in higher pay for workers with the skill levels to compete in the global marketplace, too many workers lack those skills. What technology won’t be able to overcome is the sheer deficit in the number of available workers as the Baby Boom turns into the Baby Bust. Manufacturing isn’t the only industry facing this problem. The American Petroleum Institute estimates that the oil and gas industry will need 5,000 additional engineers by 2010. In Louisiana alone, thousands of highly paid chemical plant operators will be needed over the next few years as senior workers continue to retire in large numbers. What is becoming increasingly apparent is that our young workers on the cusp of entering the workforce today are in a worker-friendly market. Finding a job—a good-paying job—will be easier to do in the future than it has been in the recent past—with one caveat: an increasingly higher skill level will be needed to cash in on those opportunities. There appear to be three options available to meet the huge demand for skilled workers that is now challenging our economy in America. First, our education and training institutions must do a much better job of recruiting and training individuals for the skill sets needed to land one of the high-paying jobs that will be in abundance in this country. The jury is still out on this option. There is a tremendous amount of inertia and attachment to the status quo in postsecondary education in America. If that continues into the future, more highly skilled jobs will find their way overseas and, eventually, more American companies will follow them. A second approach will center upon keeping older workers in the workforce longer or luring them back from retirement. This avenue is already being pursued in many industries, but it has its limits. At some point, workers want …
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In so many areas, Louisiana lags way behind other states: education, healthcare, economic development, to name a few. However, in one category, Louisiana stands head and shoulders above any other state, colorful and strange politics. With the end of qualifying, we now know the field in the upcoming political races. In possibly the strangest political development seen in recent years, two metropolitan New Orleans politicians will have to face their own sons in the October 20th election In St. Bernard, Parish President Henry “Junior” Rodriguez faces several opponents, including his son, Henry Joseph Rodriguez, III. The younger Rodriguez admitted that his entry into the race caught his father by surprise and spurred a heated discussion. According to Rodriguez, III, “Politics is in our blood.” True, just ask Jefferson Parish Councilman-at-large John Young, Jr., who must face his son, John Young, III in his re-election bid. Young, III is 22 years old and has never run for office before. He said, “I’m simply embracing political action.” The elder Young expressed his love for his son stated, “I’m sure this confusion will be resolved soon.” We’ll see. Undoubtedly, these campaigns will be interesting, although they will not hold a candle to the State Senate District 6 race. In that campaign, incumbent State Senator Julie Quinn (R-Metairie) will have plenty of company on the campaign trail. Quinn faces a large field of candidates including two state representatives and a former congressional candidate. However, the most unusual candidate she will confront is former television anchor Mary Lou McCall, the ex-wife of her boyfriend Jefferson Parish Councilman-at-large John Young. McCall will be making her first foray into politics. She is the mother of John Young, III, who will be running against her ex-husband. She also kicked off her campaign yesterday by filing a lawsuit against her former television partner, retired New Orleans Archbishop Philip Hannan, maybe the most beloved figure in the community. It was a very unusual way to start a campaign, yes indeed. In the Governor’s race, businessman John Georges made his switch official by changing to Independent. He has a long history of giving contributions to the GOP, but has been on the receiving end of vicious attacks by party officials, so it was no surprise that he left the party. He joined State Senator Walter Boasso (D-Arabi) in leaving the GOP for greener pastures. Boasso became a Democrat and hopes that his gubernatorial chances will improve now that he has left the GOP. Governor Blanco toyed with the media and the frontrunner U.S. Congressman Bobby Jindal (R-Kenner). After announcing that she would not run for re-election, rumors persisted that she would change her mind and run. On the final day of qualifying, there were reports floating around political circles that Blanco would change her mind and eventually qualify. In fact, her security team made a sweep of the Secretary of State’s office, leading people to believe she would qualify. Well, it was all a ruse to toy with the media and …
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Superintendent: Latest school scores show need for more change Interestingly, the same day the interim state superintendent of schools said state schools needed change was the last day of qualifying for the fall Board of Elementary and Secondary Education elections. All eight spots are up for the board, which hired the blunt-talking and on-target Paul Pastorek. He essentially said that major initiatives would have to take place to prevent the lack of progress of improvement in education from taking root. Fortunately, in four districts candidates stepped up that would challenge the teacher-union-centric orthodoxy that has held Louisiana schools back for so long. These candidates, Republicans in Districts 4, 5, 7, and 8, appear ready to offer innovative ideas such as increased school choice to pull the state school out of their quagmire of underachievement. Ideas such as these that stress competition to increase the performance level of school personnel, as well as that of students, and which stress trying to bring students up to a certain standard rather than settle for a mediocre achievement level for all are what is needed to create this positive change. Hopefully, voters will realize the same and put a majority with these ideas on BESE for the next term. (If you'd like to have Prof. Sadow's column mailed to you, go to http://www.between-lines.com and click on "Join the mailing list!" on the left-hand side.)
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