Bananas Foster: Talks straight, can't spell!!!!
This wants to be your next Senator from Louisiana.
Photo source : Twitter
Posts filed under Louisiana
LAGOP Statement on Baton Rouge Law Enforcement Shooting
(CLEVELAND, OHIO) -- Following the Baton Rouge, Louisiana shooting of multiple members of law enforcement by currently unknown suspects, Louisiana GOP Chairman Roger F. Villere, Jr. released the following statement:
Moments ago, the Louisiana Republican delegation here in Cleveland was notified that our home was attacked. Our delegation, elected by our neighbors, is mournfully awaiting details on this reported attack on our police force by multiple assailants.
This tragic shooting affects black and white, rich and poor, civilians and public servants alike.
This cowardly crime is an attack on the values of law and order that members of the Baton Rouge community so desperately tried to maintain in the 12 days since the eyes of the world focused on our state.
We send this message to those who would threaten to divide us: We are Louisiana and we will stand united and prayerful against evil.
We are reminded in Matthew 5:9, “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.”
Boustany Announces $1.1 Million Raised in Second Quarter
(Lafayette, LA) – The Boustany for Senate campaign announced it raised $1.1 million in the second quarter of 2016. This is the biggest fundraising quarter in the 2016 cycle for Boustany, who leads all U.S. Senate candidates with nearly $4.3 million raised in 2015-2016.
Boustany Communications Director Jack Pandol said: “Louisianians from Abbeville to Zwolle are coming together to support Dr. Boustany because they want a conservative leader they can trust to get things done. Dr. Boustany is humbled by the incredible support across Louisiana and energized by the growing momentum for his campaign.
“This quarter’s fundraising number is a strong statement that Dr. Boustany is building support in every corner of Louisiana. The Boustany campaign will have the necessary resources to run a first-rate campaign and bring Dr. Boustany’s conservative, results-oriented leadership to the United States Senate.”
Here's the Video of the Baton Rouge Police Shooting of Alton Sterling
Photo source: YouTube
Warning, this is graphic.
This video was obtained from the Facebook page belonging to East Stackz.
You be the judge on this.
STONECIPHER: Governor Edwards: Honor Louisiana's Taxpayers
Photo source: KPEL 96.5
June 19, 2016
No matter anything else, many Louisianans believed John Bel Edwards would shoot much straighter with us than did ex-Governor Bobby Jindal. It gives me no pleasure to say that he is busily proving us wrong.
Our governor's already infamous tax-and-spend war against Louisiana's bedraggled taxpayers is anything but straight-up, regardless that his campaign portrayed him as honor-bound by his military code to so act.
Many a fact and truth clearly debunk the governor's most basic assertions about Louisiana's financial condition. Although it is tempting to accuse him of taking advantage of a "crisis," such assumes there even is a crisis.
Our here in the real world where Louisiana's tax payers live, labor and, well, pay taxes, basic facts - truth - instead expose tax-and-spend dogma, not a crisis.
A key such fact is this: with "only" the $2 billion in new taxes Governor Edwards has already authored and the state legislature raised, core state spending, after adjustment for inflation, is already set to be +23.8% higher than only 11 years ago.
The Numbers
Louisiana's budget and spending for fiscal year 2004-2005 is the perfect baseline for such analysis. As that spending ended, Hurricane Katrina hit, followed during the period since by Hurricanes Rita, Gustav and Isaac, the Great Recession's "Obama Stimulus" windfall, and the BP disaster.
... Louisiana's core, general fund budget for fiscal 2004-2005 was $6.8 billion (here). Adjusted for inflation, that is equivalent to $8.4 billion today (calculator here).
... Our comparable general fund budget for the current, now ending, 2015-2016 fiscal year is just over $9.0 billion (here).
(The exact amounts are $8,360,420,415 in 2004-2005, inflation-adjusted, and $9,042,826,000 in fiscal year 2015-2016.)
... That is a real increase of $682,405,585, or +8.2% in core state spending since 2004-2005, before any new taxes.
... A bedrock fact in all of this should be population growth rather than partisan political whim. Between July 1, 2005 and July 1, 2015, our population grew a very weak +3.3% ... from 4,523,628 to 4,670,724 (data here and here). Now, it may well be dropping.
... An on-going drop in Louisiana government employees should greatly impact any need for more spending. A go-to Associated Press article from 2014 (here) - still applicable I am told - explains this simply:
"Today, thatworkforce (of 93,500) hovers at 62,000 employees - fewer than it's been in more than two decades. Spending on payroll has decreased by about $1 billion annually."
With $2 Billion in New Taxes Already Raised, Edwards Threatens Doomsday
Using ages-old tax-and-spending doomsday hokum,our governor bangs the table saying he MUST have another $800 million in new taxes in the five final days of the special legislative session.
Bullfeathers. As explained, the $2.0 billion in new taxes already raised is +23.8% higher than in fiscal 2004-2005. Since then, Louisiana hauled in some $160 billion in extraordinary, never-budgeted revenue - over $140 billion from Hurricane Katrina alone. When that gusher of money ended, many programs - and much spending - remained in place.
That is our problem ... it is a spending problem, not a revenue problem. That gusher significantly grew state government, and Governor Edwards & Friends are hellbent on locking it in with fiscal madness.
An honorable state budget would match spending to available, existing revenue.
Nothing in Louisiana is more endangered than a tax payer. State government has called the dance as 558,000 of us - net - moved away since 1985. Those remaining pay Louisiana's bigger and bigger tax-and-spend band.
Governor Edwards does not care. If he did, he would honor tax payers.
Elliott Stonecipher
(Elliott Stonecipher does this work pro bono ... no compensation of any kind is solicited or accepted. He has no client or other relationships which in any way influence his selections of subjects or the content of any article. Appropriate credit to Mr. Stonecipher in the sharing - unedited only, of course - is expected. The use of his work without such credit to him is unethical and will not be quietly accepted.)
Louisiana Family Forum: Edwards' Tax Gets Second Shot!
Photo source: Louisiana Family Forum
From LFF 60-Second Brigade Alert System
June 2016
Last week, the The House Ways and Means Committee voted 11-10 to stop a key aspect of the Edwards' tax plan.
On Wednesday, the committee will again vote on an identical measure, HB38 by Rep. Malinda White (D) of Bogalusa.
The fiscal note on the bill indicates it would cost taxpayers $643 million over 5 years.
The Agenda indicates the measure is "Subject to Rules Suspension." This should indicate that a 2/3 majority of House members present must vote for suspending the rules in order to consider this new tax proposal.
It's no secret that the Governor has been individually lobbying members of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, trying to persuade them to flip favorable on their vote.
If you think $643 million in new taxes on the shoulders of middle Louisiana is too much, then now is the time to speak up. HB38 is a short bill, so read it carefully.
Here's what it does: HB38 empowers the state to eliminate a percentage of federal itemized deductions from individual state taxes. The deductions that would be dramatically reduced include:
- Federal Taxes Paid,
- Medical Expenses,
- Charitable Donations, and
- Mortage Interest.
Contact House members of the Ways and Means Committee here and express your concern!.
AG Jeff Landry is a Guest on CNN Newsroom
Photo source: YouTube
Louisiana's Attorney General, Jeff Landry, recently appeared on CNN regarding his office joining in a multi-state lawsuit over the Obama mandate regarding the use of bathrooms by transsexuals.
Rep. Blake Miguez Blasts Media Coverage of HB 105
Photo source: Louisiana House of Representatives
Rep. Blake Miguez (R-49) has issued a letter to Louisiana citizens that blasts the media coverage of HB 105, which would allow autonomy over department budgets within the State of Louisiana. Miguez further criticizes "Benedict Arnold" Jay Dardenne with the following:
The public should also know that Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne expressed the same belief in our committee hearings and cited his experience as a statewide elected official in advancing this concept. It is curious why he suddenly changed his position last week.
Kudos to Rep. Miguez for standing up for autonomy for departments within Lousiana regarding budgets and for calling out the traitor, Jay Dardenne, for being a tool of the Edwards' "Honor-Code" administration.
STONECIPHER: Shreveport Population Drops Below 1990 Census Count
May 19, 2016
The U. S. Census Bureau Population Estimates data for American cities shows Shreveport falling below its 1990 population total. Between July 1, 2014 and July 1, 2015, Shreveport lost another -1,114 residents, dropping its total population to 197,204. The third-largest city in Louisiana, Shreveport's population total in the 1990 decennial Census was +1,321 residents larger, at 198,525. (SEE data here.)
In this most recent year of official Estimates data from the Census Bureau, Louisiana's recession deepened in some areas, but had not yet done so in others. Lake Charles led in percentage population gain, up +1.76%, followed by New Orleans (+1.37), Bossier City (+1.35%), Lafayette (+0.96%), and Monroe (+0.11%). Population losses in that most recent annual count hit Baton Rouge (-0.18%), Alexandria (-0.54%) and Shreveport (-0.56%).
Since the 2010 decennial Census, Baton Rouge (-0.39%) and Shreveport (-1.06%) lost population. New Orleans, continuing to rebuild after Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, grew its population the most among top Louisiana cities, up +13.32%. Also showing gains were Bossier City (+11.06%), Lafayette (+5.83%), Lake Charles (+5.66%), Monroe (+1.60%), and Alexandria (+0.35%).
Louisiana's population increased by +3.0% between the 2010 Census and July 1, 2015, below the national gain of +4.1%. That gain of +137,425 Louisianans was the result of +107,922 from "natural increase," or births-minus-deaths, and +28,906 from net migration*. While Louisiana, during the period, lost -10,567 residents who moved away to other states, it gained +39,473 international in-migrants. That population subgroup is disproportionately traceable to undocumented workers, it is broadly accepted. Later U. S. Census Bureau results from its American Community Survey data will be studied for confirmation / refutation of that assertion.
July 1, 2015 Total Population
New Orleans 389,617
Baton Rouge 228,590
Shreveport 197,204
Lafayette 127,657
Lake Charles 76,070
Bossier City 68,094
Monroe 49,598
Alexandria 47,889
July 1, 2014 to July 1, 2015 Population Change
Lake Charles + 1,318 +1.76%
New Orleans + 5,257 +1.37%
Bossier City + 905 +1.35%
Lafayette + 1,212 +0.96%
Monroe + 53 +0.11%
Baton Rouge - 417 -0.18%
Alexandria - 258 -0.54%
Shreveport - 1,114 -0.56%
2010 Census to July 1, 2015 Population Change
New Orleans +45,788 +13.32%
Bossier City + 6,799 +11.06%
Lafayette + 7,034 + 5.83%
Lake Charles + 4,077 + 5.66%
Monroe + 783 + 1.60%
Alexandria + 166 + 0.35%
Baton Rouge - 903 - 0.39%
Shreveport - 2,107 - 1.06%
*Total population change as reported by the U. S. Census Bureau includes a residual that cannot be attributed to any specific demographic component.
Elliott Stonecipher
(Elliott Stonecipher does this work pro bono ... no compensation of any kind is solicited or accepted. He has no client or other relationships which in any way influence his selections of subjects or the content of any article. Appropriate credit to Mr. Stonecipher in the sharing - unedited only, of course - is expected. The use of his work without such credit to him is unethical and will not be quietly accepted.)
Photo source: USA Country Pics
Attorney General Jeff Landry Calls Transgender Mandate Unlawful
Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry has issued a letter from his office to several state officials that states that President Obama's mandate on bathroom privileges for transgenders is unlawful and advises these officials that his office will defend "the State and its citizens from unlawful action threatened" by the Obama administration.
Finally we have someone in the AG's office that is not afraid to stand up to the liberal agenda that is coming from DC and will put the State of Louisiana and its citizens before radical ideologies.
Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry Discusses Sanctuary Cities With Bill O'Reilly
Photo source: Fox News
On Tuesday evening's The O'Reilly Factor, Louisiana AG Jeff Landry discusses the state's fight against sanctuary cities for illegal immigrants and legislation being debated in the Louisiana Legislature.
Louisiana Family Forum Urges Citizens to Petition Governor and Attorney General Regarding Restroom Issue
Photo source: Protect Louisiana Children
As per the email sent out to their supporters this afternoon, the Louisiana Family Forum urges citizens to take part in a petition to Gov. Edwards and AG Landry over the Obama administration's decision to implement radical changes regarding gender issues within the state of Louisiana:
If you thought the Obama administration would gently ride off into the sunset, think again.
The Departments of Justice and Education are once again exceeding their lawful authority by sending a letter to every public school district in America threatening loss of federal aid if local districts do not adopt genderless bathroom policies, which would allow self-identified transgendered students to use facilities such as restrooms, showers, and locker rooms of the opposite biological sex. Under the farce of "protecting students from discrimination," these federal bullies have painted a bulls-eye on little girls and boys.
If Louisiana does not speak up now, there's no limit to what the President will do next. Please join LFF in signing the petition below urging Governor Edwards and Attorney General Jeff Landry to protect the safety of Louisiana children. 11,000 have signed the petition so far. Let your voice be heard today! SIGN NOW and forward to your friends!
Boustany, Fleming Tout Energy Credentials in Senate Race
Image source: The Hill
They’re all good guys,” said Don Briggs, president of the Louisiana Oil and Gas Association, adding, “excluding Foster Campbell.”
“I don’t have to tell you what our industry is going through,” Briggs said. “If we ever needed support in D.C. and in the state, we need it today.”
Read more: Boustany, Fleming Tout Energy Credentials in Senate Race
Fleming: Voters Frustrated by Both Parties' Leadership
Photo source: The Advocate
“The Democratic Party has moved so far to the left that it’s fully aligned with socialism,” Fleming, a Minden Republican who is running for the U.S. Senate, told the Press Club of Baton Rouge.
Coupled with that, he said, are Republicans, who in 2010 asked voters to give them a majority in the U.S. House so the party could fix problems. “But nothing changed.” In 2014, voters also gave Republicans a majority in the U.S. Senate. “And folks, nothing changed,” Fleming said.
Read more: Louisiana congressman John Fleming: Voters frustrated by both Republicans and Democrats' leadership
Boustany Announces Iberia Parish Healthcare Grant
(Lafayette, LA) – Dr. Charles Boustany (R-Lafayette) announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded a $3,546,420 Health Center Cluster Grant to the Iberia Comprehensive Community Health Center in New Iberia, Louisiana. The grant program provides funding for community health centers in rural and underserved areas.
Boustany said: “As a doctor, I know the health of Louisianans in rural communities depends on access to high-quality healthcare close to home. This grant supporting healthcare services in Iberia Parish will help improve outcomes for patients and improve public health in the surrounding areas.”
Families Affected By "Honor Code's" Lies on School Choice Speak Out
Photo source: YouTube
The below video was recently released by the American Federation for Children and is in response to Gov. Honor Code's cutting of funding for schools of choice.
Vitter Commemorates 6th Anniversary of Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill on Senate Floor
Source: YouTube
Below are excerpts from Vitter’s remarks:
“Today I rise to commemorate the sixth anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill that took the lives of 11 men and devastated many Gulf Coast communities. The men who lost their lives during this devastating incident will not be forgotten. Their names were:
Jason Anderson – 35, Midfield, Texas
Aaron Dale “Bubba” Burkeen – 37, Philadelphia, Mississippi
Donald Clark – 49, Newelton, Louisiana
Stephen Ray Curtis – 40, Georgetown, Louisiana
Gordon Jones – 28, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Roy Wyatt Kemp – 27, Jonesville, Louisiana
Karl Dale Kleppinger, Jr. – 38, Natchez, Mississippi
Keith Blair Manuel – 56, Gonzales, Louisiana
Dewey Revette – 48, State Line, Mississippi
Shane Roshto – 22, Liberty, Mississippi and
Adam Weise – 24, Yorktown, Texas
“In Louisiana, offshore oil and gas development is more than just our state’s largest economic drivers – it is a way of life, having supporting countless jobs and families across the region. That’s why our top priority must always be maintaining the highest level of safety standards, and in the last six years, we have been working to make sure this kind of human tragedy and subsequent economic losses never happen again. We must support policies that create a strong balance between having a strong regulatory scheme that promotes stringent safety standards while also allowing the energy industry to thrive. Fortunately, Louisiana’s resilience and recovery cannot be easily measured in terms of numbers and figures, but I can say with confidence that each and every Louisianian should be proud of how far we have come in recent years.
“In the six years since the tragic Deepwater Horizon oil spill, Louisiana has done what we do best – recover, rebuild, and progress. In order to build a brighter future for our families, businesses, and communities, we must also protect the symbiotic relationship between federal regulations and the oil and gas industry.”
Attorney General Jeff Landry Stands with LAGOP Against Sanctuary Cities
The following email was sent out by AG Jeff Landry concerning the issue of sanctuary cities, specifically New Orleans, and the need to end this practice. The text of the email is below:
My Fellow Republicans,
We must end sanctuary cities... now!
As your Attorney General, I am committed to ensuring the rule of law is followed by everyone. It is a matter of justice and public safety.
Reports of illegals breaking the law and getting away with it are becoming a regular occurrence. We ask that our elected officials stand with us to uphold the rule of law and protect our communities.
Tens of thousands of illegals live in Louisiana and cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.
What's worse is that liberals have enacted sanctuary policies that encourage illegal aliens.
According to the Immigration Task Force led by State Representative Valarie Hodges:
- 5,339 illegals receive SNAP benefits (also known as Food Stamps)
- Illegals are a $3.2 million burden on our state's prisons
- Louisiana foots $16 million for Medicaid welfare coverage of illegals - an amount surely to rise with Medicaid welfare expansion
In February, New Orleans issued policy guidance to its police officers requiring them not to inquire about the immigration status of suspects they encounter and to not cooperate with federal authorities - making New Orleans a sanctuary city.
Allowing illegals to commit crime then roam free in our communities is an immense threat to the safety of our people.
Where do you stand? Join me in saying NO to sanctuary cities.
Sanctuary policies and the elected officials who support them are actively undermining the rule of law.
Sign the petition today and say NO to sanctuary cities.
Vitter: Obama Blowout Preventer Rule Kicks Oil & Gas While It’s Down
Vitter has legislation to protect small businesses from new overreaching rule
(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator David Vitter (R-La.) issued the following statement upon the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) issuing its final well-control rule on offshore oil and gas drilling. As Chairman of the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, Vitter has introduced an amendment to the Energy Policy Modernization Act that would protect small businesses from the economic severity of DOI’s well control rule.
“As we approach the sixth anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill that took the lives of 11 men in the Gulf of Mexico and devastated our coasts, my top priority continues to be ensuring this kind of human tragedy and subsequent economic losses never happens again. Maintaining high safety standards always takes precedence, but that is not the question here,” said Vitter. “What the Obama Administration’s ongoing anti-energy and anti-jobs crusade fails to acknowledge is that Louisiana’s energy industry supports families, small businesses, and our ongoing coastal restoration efforts. The Department of Interior’s well-control rule is bad news for Louisiana, and certainly has the potential to kick our oil and gas industry while it’s down.”
In September 2015, Vitter testified before the House Natural Resources Committee on the impacts of federal policies on energy production and economic growth in the Gulf of Mexico. Click here to read more.
Following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010, President Obama imposed a drilling moratorium in the Gulf, which substantially damaged Louisiana’s energy industry and economy. During that time, Vitter successfully blocked the nomination of Interior Department nominee Dan Ashe until the Department issued fifteen deepwater exploration well permits and responded to his previous requests for answers on the permitting process. Vitter also successfully blocked a nearly $20,000 pay raise for Interior Secretary Ken Salazar until Interior resumed issuing new permits at the same rate as before the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
Vitter was an original co-sponsor of the RESTORE Act, which dedicates at least 80 percent of the Clean Water Act (CWA) penalties paid by BP and other responsible parties to the Gulf States to restore coastal ecosystems and economies damaged by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Vitter shepherded the legislation through the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, where it passed unanimously in November 2011 and through the Senate in March 2012. As a leading Republican conferee on the Highway Bill and the only member from the Louisiana delegation involved in the negotiations, Vitter continued to make the enactment of the RESTORE Act a top priority by insisting that the language be included in the final version of the bill.
Louisiana dedicates 100 percent of the revenue from offshore oil and gas development to coastal restoration, which is Louisiana’s highest environmental priority. In 2006 Vitter helped pass the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act (GOMESA), which established revenue sharing of 37.5 percent that Gulf States - Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Alabama - could collect from offshore oil and gas production. Vitter is continuing the fight to expand the number of states receiving OCS revenue sharing and, starting in 2027, raise the amount of money each state could get per year from $500 million to $1 billion
Congressman John Fleming Blows Whistle on Bailout of Puerto Rico
Congressman John Fleming of Louisiana has recently blown the whistle on an attempt to ram through a bailout for Puerto Rico.
The following piece highlights that attempt:
In a bizarre turn, members of the House Natural Resources Committee were read the Puerto Rico bailout bill and according to Rep. John Fleming were then instructed to allow it to pass committee by a voice vote with no amendments and no dissent. Fleming was told to walk away from the vote if he had any objections, an account verified by two other offices.
Louisiana should be proud of the representation of Fleming in DC.
