Cajun Conservatism
Sen John Kennedy of Louisiana recently discussed prescription drug prices in America:
I’m working to lower the cost of prescription drugs. It’s an embarrassment when the average American pays twice what someone in Canada or Great Britain or Switzerland pays for the same identical drug by the same identical manufacturer.
BATON ROUGE, LA (March 29, 2019) — The Louisiana Oil and Gas Association (LOGA) and the Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association (LMOGA) issued the following statements in response to the City of New Orleans filling a Coastal Management Zone lawsuit against a multitude of oil and gas companies.
“It is unfortunate to see the City of New Orleans bow to the administration’s pressure for more self-serving lawsuits,” said Gifford Briggs, President of the Louisiana Oil & Gas Association. “These lawsuits are nothing more than a trial lawyer’s version of Hadacol; they promise snake oil to heal all your ailments, but do nothing other than line the peddlers’ pockets. Ever since the first parish lawsuit was filed, the lawyers have promised a pot of gold to every local government across coastal Louisiana. Seven years later nothing has happened to protect Louisiana’s coast. There is no reason why Louisiana should be outsourcing the protection of its coast to a few lawyers whose only interest is in padding their bank accounts. It is long past time for the administration and local leaders to abandon this sue-first app road and start working with the oil and natural gas industry toward real solutions that will actually help our environment and our economy.”
“With the filing of this lawsuit, the City of New Orleans sends a message to oil and gas they’re closed for business. Tyler Gray, President of the Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association. Unnecessary legal tactics threaten the community investment and cultural support the industry has provided for over a century, which they can now potentially lose, as they wait for several years, as other parishes in the state have, for this to work its way through the judicial process. LMOGA vehemently disagrees with the decision to outsource responsibility for enforcing state and local permitting laws to private lawyers. With this decision, New Orleans disregards our environmental stewardship, relying on profit motivated lawsuits to make a quick buck.”
Photo source: The Advocate
In what is an opening salvo in the war for the Governor’s Seat in Louisiana, both Republican candidates sounded off on “Honor Code” John Bel Edwards’ relationship to the business community in the State of Louisiana.
Louisiana’s Republican candidates for governor talked Thursday of creating tighter and friendlier state government relationships with business, suggesting Democratic incumbent Gov. John Bel Edwards’ spending and tax policies have stifled job creation.
U.S. Rep. Ralph Abraham and businessman Eddie Rispone spoke at an event hosted by the Pelican Institute for Public Policy, a conservative think tank, a luncheon that gave some attendees their first viewing of the men in campaign mode.
Abraham described Louisiana’s tax climate as “toxic” to business and pledged to lower taxes if elected. Rispone touted his background as founder of a Baton Rouge industrial contracting company, saying Louisiana needs a leader with a “business background.”
Read more: GOP candidates for governor pledge tight ties with business
You can look no further than the shakedown of the oil and gas industry as proof of what kind of leadership we have in Louisiana. This opinion piece from the Washington Examiner highlights the governor’s intentions on destroying the main industry in this state:
“The governor has unilaterally and, according to some critics, unlawfully sought to hire some of the state’s wealthiest plaintiffs’ lawyers to run the energy industry-targeting litigation,” the American Tort Reform Foundation’s “Judicial Hellholes” report noted.
Read more: Louisiana's new trial lawyer shakedown
Hopefully the sheep that were led to believe the “moderate Democrat” crap that was spewed by “Honor Code” in 2015 will come to their senses and support a conservative candidate for Governor. We cannot survive another 4 years of this kind of leadership.
(Baton Rouge, LA): The Republican Party of Louisiana is calling on Governor John Bel Edwards to answer for the delay in releasing public records regarding his scandal-plagued “business summit” in February. The business summit appeared to be little more than a taxpayer-funded campaign event stacked with Edwards contributors and supporters.
The LAGOPsubmitteda public records request on February 18, 2019 for any and all correspondence related to Democrat Governor John Bel Edwards’ Louisiana Statewide Business Summit to discern whether the governor was in fact holding a taxpayer-funded campaign event to bolster his re-election efforts. The request was made following media coverageindicatingthat numerous speakers at the event were campaign contributors or employees of Edwards. A copy of the request can be foundhere.
The records were due to be delivered on March 18, 2019, but the LAGOP received email correspondence from Governor Edwards’ office on the due date stating “It is now estimated that all non-exempt records will be made available to you on or before April 22, 2019” – a delay of more than 30 additional days, and more than 60 days beyond the original request date. A query regarding the reason for the delay went unanswered as of 9:00am this morning.
“When Governor Edwards was under fire for using taxpayer funds to hold a re-election event, his office repeatedly claimed that his so-called business summit was aboveboard,” said Chairman Louis Gurvich. “Now, once the glare of the spotlight has faded, the governor’s office is stonewalling the release of public records. What do they have to hide? The Governor needs to release these public records so the people of Louisiana get the transparency they deserve.”
The LAGOPsubmitted an additional public records request on February 25, 2019, for any and all correspondence related to closed-door meetings reportedly hosted by Governor Edwards with business leaders. Under scrutiny from the media for the business summit, Edwards’ spokesperson Christina Stephens told The Associated Press that the governor has been hosting “closed-door meetings with business leaders since 2017.” The Governor’s office has not yet responded to this request, a copy of which can be foundhere.
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Recent developments in Terrebonne Parish should be alarming to all Louisiana citizens – especially those along the bayou whose local rights are being overstepped by overzealous trial attorneys and state government overreach. A dangerous precedent is being set with the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources’ recent appointment of the parish district attorney to conduct damage assessments alleged from oil and gas development in the parish. This is clearly an effort to bypass local elected leadership in outsourcing enforcement responsibility of state and local permits to private lawyers – the same lawyers who stand to benefit financially from their findings. Motivated by self-interest, these hired guns have no regard for the potential impact of lawsuits on thousands of area residents who depend on industry for their livelihoods.
Louisiana Lawsuit Abuse Watch opposes coastal lawsuits because they attempt to stretch the law beyond its intent while ignoring critical facts and involving private lawyers in a space meant for democratically elected decision makers. Targeting the deep pockets of the energy industry does not guarantee that any resulting monetary awards will actually be used for restoration activities.
In this instance, LDNR is putting the cart before the horse by charging the district attorney to develop these models before the department has even identified permit violations – much less investigated any alleged abuses. With such complex issues, a mere comparison of aerial photographs as the basis to determine damages will not provide a complete or accurate picture. Instead of signing on to pursue lawsuits, Terrebonne has already begun to review coastal use permits in the parish.
Parish President Gordon Dove and Lafourche Parish President Jimmy Cantrelle have made it abundantly clear they are not interested in pursuing litigation that singles out an industry that is a major job and revenue creator.
There is a proper role for good regulations that protect the public and for lawsuits that enforce them. But our system of checks and balances breaks down when lawsuits are substituted for policy. It is past time to work together toward constructive solutions - and leave the trial lawyers out of it.
Lana Venable, Executive Director
Louisiana Lawsuit Abuse Watch
Photo source: NOLA.com
It’s so refreshing to have a grownup in the room when it comes to leadership in the State of Louisiana. The latest is AG Jeff Landry’s opinion issued regarding Gov. John Bel Edwards’ proposed budget.
Landry’s office said the constitution requires the governor to recommend a budget in line with the forecast.
“The constitution requires that the governor submit a budget containing revenues ‘which shall not exceed the official forecast of the Revenue Estimating Conference.’ The governor clearly violated this provision,” the opinion released by the attorney general says.
Read more: Louisiana attorney general: Edwards’ budget proposal illegal
Earlier this week a plant in Yancheng China exploded, killing a dozen, injuring even more. This most recent explosion at a Chinese plant has been a growing trend in recent years for plants in Red China. The CNN report notes "the lack of safety standards" that has resulted in numerous explosions over the years. In 2016, a Wanhua plant exploded, killing 4 people and injuring even more. These plants have a history of weak safety standards, failed reports, and "management failures."
If this name, Wanhua, sounds familiar, that's because it is. Remember when we here at Cajun Conservatism reported on the bailout money at taxpayer expense being sent to the Chinese government by Gov. John Bel Edwards and warned about this? Well, this is the company we were talking about.
Again, why are we financing, at taxpayer expense, foreign corporation with a blatant disregard for the safety of their employees and the surrounding area?
The video on the explosion can be seen here: Dozens killed in explosion at Chinese chemical plant
Link to Lens story: St. James residents slam Wanhua chemical plant plans in Convent
Photo source: YouTube
In what looks like a return to offshore drilling, the latest lease sale drew a near record.
An offshore lease sale held in New Orleans Wednesday drew $244.3 million in winning bids, almost double what a similar lease sale in March 2018 drew.
"Today's lease sale shows strong bidding by established companies, which indicates that the Gulf of Mexico will continue to be a leading energy source for our nation long into the future," Interior Assistant Secretary Joe Balash said in a statement.
Read more: Interior reports offshore lease sale doubled from 2018
Photo source: Millennial Money Man
If having you taxed for everything from personal income to private property to gasoline for your vehicle wasn’t enough, Uncle Sam has found another way to crawl into your wallet:
WHEN YOU EXCHANGE a $20 bill for two $10 bills, you don’t pay sales tax on the transaction, even though, theoretically, you are “buying” the tens. The notion is utterly preposterous. Yet if you purchase a gold coin that was created by the U.S. Mint and is legally usable for commercial transactions, in some states you have to pay sales tax on that coin. Uncle Sam also says people who buy and sell such coins are liable for capital gains taxes. Of course, you would never buy a silver dollar from the mint for, say, $35 and then use it to pay for a $1 candy bar, but the point is that such coins are legal tender.
Read more: Sales Of Gold And Silver Should Not Be Taxed
I read with interest the article by Elizabeth Crisp published in the March 20 edition of The Advocate to the effect that Republican gubernatorial candidates had begun “sniping” at each other. Her article was based on statements contained in an out-of-state conservative blog calling out one of our candidates for remarks he made in 2016.
Now I am not implying that I agree with the thesis of Ms. Crisp’s article, nor do I take a position on the underlying allegations contained in the blog. However, I do think it is an appropriate time to remind our candidates that the one essential imperative of this campaign season is to defeat John Bel Edwards. The 2015 campaign is not very distant in our collective rearview mirror, and the three year, ten legislative session nightmare under the Edwards administration is an ever constant reminder of the danger of Republican infighting.
Let us not forget that taxes have been raised by $7,000,000,000; the promised government reform has not even been attempted. The state is going broke because of a botched Medicaid expansion. Our citizens are leaving Louisiana at an accelerating pace, and all the while we rank dead last or approach ever nearer the bottom in every state ranking due to high unemployment and low economic growth. Yet John Bel Edwards has the temerity to call the last three years a success. This amounts to an unintended but frank admission that he has no vision for a second term other than still higher taxes and fees, which we would soon enough be called upon to deliver if he were to be re-elected.
Our state is slowly dying, and the Governor has no remedy which will not accelerate the decline. Our Republican candidates must wage this campaign in the knowledge that Republican infighting only assures a second victory for John Bel Edwards, and we must not let that happen! Issues and policy disputes are legitimate matters for the political arena; irrelevant or misleading articles and personal attacks have no place in this contest.
Let us hope that our Republican candidates will confine themselves to the crucial issues which will define our future. The Republican Party of Louisiana wishes them well and appreciates their sacrifices, but the party will not permit a reprise of 2015.
Louis Gurvich, Chairman
Republican Party of Louisiana
Photo source: Baton Rouge Business Report
Eddie Rispone’s campaign has come out with an attack on Ralph Abraham in the first shot in the 2019 campaign to unseat John Bel Edwards in Louisiana. In what is reminiscent of the last race where Jay Dardenne and Brian Angelle incessantly sniped on Sen. David Vitter, which allowed “Honor Code” to walk into the Governor’s office, this is not what a smart campaign looks like.
The focus is the Governor!!!
“Louisiana needs a conservative outsider to help create jobs and improve our state's economy,” Baton Rouge businessman Eddie Rispone’s campaign tweeted Wednesday around the same time that a post went up on a conservative blog attacking Abraham’s conservative credentials.
The post on the Conservative Intelligence Briefing website describes Rispone flatteringly as an “outsider” in the race and takes aim at comments Abraham made amid reports on then-candidate Donald Trump’s lewd Access Hollywood tape remarks. The Conservative Intelligence blog says Abraham “crossed a line” by calling for Trump to remove himself from the GOP ticket and calls him a "top #NeverTrump target."
Read more: Republican sniping begins in Louisiana governor's race amid mysterious anti-Ralph Abraham blog post
Photo source: Military.com
Congressman Clay Higgins, along with the Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry’s office, is hosting a workshop on Monday, March 25th, to assist vets with benefits.
As a veteran, you are entitled to multiple benefits.
Workers from the Louisiana Attorney General's Office, the Louisiana Workforce Commission and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs along with staff from Congressman Higgins' office will be there to help.
Read more: VETERANS WORKSHOP NEXT WEEK
Photo source: The Advocate
The following opinion was penned by Liz Murrill, Solicitor General for the State of Louisiana
As a mother of four, a former special counsel for Indian Affairs in the Governor’s Office, and now Louisiana’s solicitor general — I was surprised to see Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services Secretary Marketa Walters mischaracterizing a lawsuit Louisiana joined to protect Louisiana children.
Read more: Guest column: AG Landry protecting Louisiana children, including Native American kids
Photo source: Port of Iberia
The following was penned by Port of Iberia Director Craig Romero. Romero has also been a former Iberia Parish President and state senator from the Iberia Parish area.
Everyone needs to read this. South Louisiana is trying to make an economic recovery from a very depressed oil and gas industry. These trial lawyers are trying very hard to force feed coastal parishes into filing lawsuits against our entire customer base-every oil and gas company that ever did business in south Louisiana. Our way of life in terms of providing jobs for our children and grandchildren will go away forever. This convoluted cause of action being concocted by greedy trial lawyers against oil and gas companies for wells drilled 30 to 40 years ago claiming they violated permits they obtained way back then. Former Attorney General Richard Ieyoub attempted to do the exact same thing when he was in office by signing contingency fee contracts with trial lawyers to clean up old oilfield sites. In his contingency fee contracts Ieyoub allowed for trial lawyers to estimate the costs of the cleanup rather than environmental scientists. The next state election cycle Attorney General Ieyoub became ex-Attorney General Ieyoub and the people of Louisiana sent him to his house! Legal fees that trial lawyers are aiming at today with these coastal lawsuits are in the tens of millions of dollars-while the rest of us go home with no job to provide for our families. End of story.
Read more: Terrebonne enters oilfield fray: DA commencing environment damage probe
Photo source: Wikipedia
Luxembourg shouldn’t reap huge profits at the expense of Louisianans," Kennedy wrote. "A multi-billion dollar, closed-door spectrum deal would mostly benefit foreign-owned satellite companies. The C-band needs to be put up for public auction. Our rural families stand to lose the most when only one or two giant corporations control all of the spectrum access. Competition is what makes America the great nation that it is today.
Read more: Sen. Kennedy Urges FCC to Reject C-Band Alliance Proposal
Photo source: Twitter
The liberal bias is shining brightly at The Gambit, a New Orleans newspaper befitting fish wrap rather than news.
Attorney General Jeff Landry has repeatedly called for the rule of law to be followed in the State of Louisiana. Yet, when a hearing on the death penalty was recently conducted in Baton Rouge and family members of victims were allowed to testify, The Gambit called it a stunt on Landry's part and contrasted it to the "bold statement" from Gov. Gavin Newsom in California, who ordered a moratorium on executions in that state. What fair-minded reporting.
The truth of the matter is that "Honor Code" John Bel Edwards has repeatedly decided to bypass both the legislative branch of government and the will of the people of Louisiana. The Gambit would have you believe that these executions are not being done because the drugs used in the procedure are not available. Hogwash. There are a plethora of drugs available for the state's use in carrying out justice for victims and their families. The truth of the matter is that the governor refuses to use these drugs and is pandering to the left. And he's doing this at the expense of the people of the state that desire to see justice finally carried out.
But, don't blame me. I voted for David Vitter.
Photo source: Wikipedia
By way of response to the LSU Manship School News Service article “Why does state GOP recruit so few women to run for office?”, the Republican Party of Louisiana takes strong issue with the underlying premise stated in the title as well as the misleading facts mentioned in said article. It should also be pointed out that the author of said article did not bother to contact an official spokesperson from the Republican Party of Louisiana (the LAGOP) for an interview or a statement.
The fact is that of the twenty-two women currently serving in the Louisiana Legislature; twelve are Republicans. One more is in the March 30th runoff against a male Democrat largely funded by out-of-state left-wing political organizations, so our party has the potential to soon add another female Republican to our legislative ranks. Of further note is the fact that the number of Democrat females in the legislative delegation has actually decreased since 2015, while the number of Republican females continues to increase.
As regards statewide elected officials, in addition to electing a Republican female as Commissioner of Elections, the fact is that the LAGOP has nominated or endorsed Republican females for U. S. Senator, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, and Insurance Commissioner, several of whom were defeated in vicious campaigns conducted by “good ole boy” DEMOCRAT political machines. In Louisiana’s most recent statewide race just this last November, two of the four female candidates for Secretary of State were Republican women.
And what about the Republican Party of Louisiana itself? Here again, the facts speak for themselves: Females have served as Chairwoman, Vice Chairwoman (including the current Vice Chairwoman), and Secretary. Most of the LAGOP Deputy Chairs are female, as is most of the party staff, and many of the chairs and members of our Republican Parish Executive Committees are also female, with more arriving every day.
The LAGOP strongly agrees that Louisiana needs to elect more females to public office, a point apparently missed by the Louisiana Democratic Party as the number of its female state legislators has declined. Meanwhile, our party is doing everything it can to recruit, train, organize and assist our candidates, both male and female, as never before. Our growing female legislative delegation and the many Republican females being elected at the parish and local levels of government, solidly attest to this fact.
Our objection to this article is that it politicizes and thereby demeans a very real issue of fundamental importance to all Americans. This offensive LSU Manship School News Service article does not help the cause of women in pursuing political office, rather the reverse.
Louis Gurvich, Chairman
Republican Party of Louisiana
Photo source: USA Today
Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry helped pen the below column regarding President Trump’s emergency declaration regarding the border:
In declaring a state of emergency pursuant to the NEA, President Trump is using pre-existing statutory authority to address a legitimate crisis created by lawless conduct at and beyond our southern border. This emergency declaration is not a case of the president relieving himself of restrictions under the law. To the contrary, our president is protecting our country’s borders through means contemplated by Congress and used many times by past presidents for matters less directly threatening than those present on the southern border.
Photo source: Google
Abortions here dropped by almost 8 percent in 2018 from 8,706 in to 8,048, the fewest since 2009 when there were 8,167 and the fourth consecutive annual decrease.
Read more: BREAKING: Louisiana abortions fall to 10-year low
Photo source: Pennside Partners Ltd
Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., recently introduced a bill that would permit Americans to import pharmaceuticals from Canada. The two lawmakers believe their bill will reduce drug costs. But at what cost?
The bill would instead expose patients to potentially dangerous counterfeit drugs. Lawmakers would be wise to vote against it.
Read more: GUEST COMMENTARY: Imported medication might be fake
