Cajun Conservatism
Photo source: Rigzone
The storm’s forecast track means it will have more time over warm Gulf waters that will fuel its strength, said Jim Rouiller, chief meteorologist at the Energy Weather Group in Philadelphia.
In addition to wind, the system is expected to swamp coastal areas of Louisiana with a life-threatening storm surge. Cotton, orange juice and sugar all rose on fears that the storm will disrupt supply.
Read more: Oil Workers Evacuate GOM Rigs as Storm Strengthens
On a recent visit to Fox News, Congressman Clay Higgins from Louisiana’s 3rd Congressional District shared his personal experiences with the train wreck called Obamacare. Higgins described the decisions that that he and his family had to make regarding groceries or insurance during his time as a law enforcement official..
Continues Plan for Conservative Senate and Solidifying Conservative House
BATON ROUGE, LA - The Louisiana Committee for a Conservative Majority announces new endorsements for legislatives races to be decided in the 2019 fall elections. Those endorsements are:
Heather Cloud, Senate District 28
Robert Mills, Senate District 36
Stewart Cathey Jr., Senate District 33
Senator Beth Mizell, Senate District 12
Mike Reese, Senate District 30
Reggie Bagala, House District 54
Daryl Deshotel, House District 28
Rick Edmonds, House District 66
Michael Echols, House District 14
The Louisiana Coalition for a Conservative Majority (LCCM) previously LCRM, the Louisiana Committee for a Republican Majority, has had a powerful impact on the Louisiana Legislature, helping turn what was once Democrat-held chambers into strong Republican majorities in both the House and the Senate. LCCM raised $3.7 million over the previous two cycles and has raised over $1.25 million this cycle.
Last year LCCM made early endorsements in the following State Senate races:
State Representative Cameron Henry, Senate District 9
State Representative Kirk Talbot, Senate District 10
State Representative Reid Falconer, Senate District 11
Businessman Michael Fesi, Senate District 20
Now is the time that LCCM plans to hold conservatives accountable. With its most recent round of endorsements, LCCM will build on previous wins of LCCM supported candidates this cycle, now Representatives John Stefanski, Raymond Crews, Mike Johnson, and Chris Turner. Additionally, LCCM submarined a surging Democrat turned Independent in St. Tammany, assisting in electing now Representative Mark Wright.
In what is turning out to be a lesson in not taking what doesn’t belong to you, Louisiana Treasurer, John Schroder, has denied “Honor Code” the ability to raid yet another “piggy bank” in the state, the unclaimed property account. Schroder is the guardian of unclaimed monies for the citizens of Louisiana, which is in this account. However, it seems like the hogs in Baton Rouge have, for years, raided this account to plug holes in the general budget.
Treasurer John Schroder said he won’t let Louisiana spend $25 million from the state’s unclaimed property account for general operating expenses this year, calling the regularly used financing mechanism illegal.
The decision threatens to create a hole in the state budget only a month after lawmakers finished crafting it.
Louisiana collects unclaimed dollars from old savings accounts, payroll checks, stocks and dividends, insurance proceeds, oil royalty payments and utility deposits on behalf of residents who are owed the cash. The treasurer’s office, designated as the custodian of the unclaimed property, tries to locate people and return the money.
Though governors and lawmakers for decades have spent money from the unclaimed property escrow account on programs and services, Schroder said he and his office’s lawyers don’t believe Louisiana law permits the transfers.
Read more: Louisiana treasurer withholding $25M planned for budget
The Republican Governors Association’s PAC, Right Direction, has issued the latest video in the campaign to defeat “Honor Code” John Bel Edwards.
Edwards signed criminal justice reform legislation in June of 2017. The state’s prison population currently sits at approximately 32,000. We are in a virtual tie with Oklahoma as the incarceration capital of the United States. The state’s prison population reached an all-time high of 40,170 in 2012.
At the end of 2017, Louisiana had a violent crime rate of 566 such crimes per 100,000, according to the FBI. In 2018, the first full year of criminal justice reform, the state’s violent crime rate dropped slightly to 557 per 100,000. That makes Louisiana the 47th most violent state in the nation.
Unfortunately, our 30-continuous years of holding the title of the state with the highest murder rate per capita went unchallenged in 2018.
Read more: Dan Fagan: Thanks to so-called Louisiana justice reform, bad criminals get our early
Amite, LA – Last weekend, John Bel Edwards kicked off his campaign for reelection in his childhood hometown of Amite, Louisiana. The event was hosted by Amite Mayor Buddy Bel and emceed by Amite businessman Tom Brumfield.
Yes, this is the same Buddy Bel accused by the Amite Police Chief of cutting the power to the local evidence room and allowing it to be robbed.
Yes, this is the same Buddy Bel that was subpoenaed by FBI investigators regarding his connection with a vote buying scheme in Tangipahoa Parish.
Yes, this is the same Tom Brumfield that was ALSO subpoenaed by federal agents regarding his involvement with the same vote buying investigation.
According to an exclusive report by The Advocate: The FBI has cast a wide net, examining parish races going back to 2011, two sources stated. Yet agents have taken a special interest in certain political operatives, including Louis Ruffino, a former mayor of Roseland who for years has offered "get out the vote" services to local candidates.
Long-time Tangipahoa Sheriff Daniel Edwards, John Bel Edwards’ brother, said he never hired Ruffino, the north shore operative who is under federal investigation. But John Bel Edwards acknowledged paying Ruffino $8,750 ahead of his 2011 re-election to the Louisiana House of Representatives to put up signs and perform other “routine campaign work”. The Governor’s spokesman and current campaign manager, Richard Carbo, noted that the payment was properly recorded in campaign finance reports.
“If you believe that John Bel Edwards paid an elderly mayor $8,750 to put-up a few campaign signs… I’ve got some Mardi Gras tickets to sell you,” commented LAGOP Communications Director Jason Harbison.
Of course, federal investigations connected to the Edwards family have been ongoing in Tangipahoa Parish for generations. While Sheriff, Daniel Edwards has been involved in multiple federal investigations; federal agents even confiscated his computer as evidence in one of their investigations.
Their father, long-time Sheriff Frank Edwards Jr., was also investigated by federal authorities during his campaign for reelection. In fact, former Sheriff Edwards was so frustrated by one federal investigation that he tried to sue a Special Agent from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms.
It seems the apples didn’t fall far from the tree.
Photo source: www.law.com
BATON ROUGE – Jeff Albright, CEO of Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of Louisiana, believes auto insurance premiums in Louisiana are among the highest in the country because there are double the amount of claims in Louisiana than any other state.
"The reason for our high insurance premiums in Louisiana is very clear," Albright said. "We claim that we are injured in car accidents twice as often as the national average. If we make twice as many claims we will pay more for insurance."
Read more: State's tort laws encourage litigation, Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of Louisiana says
AG Jeff Landry is once again being the voice of reason in the midst of the debacle that is the Edwards Administration's Criminal Justice Reform. This so called reform has once again failed the victims of violent crime. The latest example of this travesty comes to the people of Louisiana at the expense of a 6 year old child murdered by former police officers in Marksville, Louisiana. This child was an innocent bystander in his father's car when Officers Norris Greenhouse and Derrick Stafford fired shots at the vehicle, killing Jeremy Mardis.
Officer Greenhouse was convicted of negligent homicide and sentenced to over seven years in prison but was released after serving less than 2 years. Louisiana Department of Corrections and Parole say that his original conviction is not a violent offense, making him eligible for release.
AG Landry said, "Unfortunately, (Greenhouse's) early release is yet another example of the lack of transparency in our criminal justice system, as it relates to victims and their families." Thank you AG Landry for continuing to stand up for the rights of victims and their families and calling out the lack of accountability within the Edwards Administration's Department of Corrections.
Read more: Ex-officer released after serving time for killing boy
Our own Senator from Louisiana, John Kennedy, had the following to say recently regarding the buffoon and clown from New York, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and her claims regarding illegal immigrants:
“Let me be frank. Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez...someone needs to tell her that the voices in her head are not real. She says that the men and women of our border patrol and our authorities are intentionally running concentration camps on the southern border. She needs to go to the Holocaust Museum and see what a concentration camp is. The problem we’re having at the border, a problem that Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez has helped create is that we have 5,000 people a day, not a week, not a month, a day coming into this country. And we don’t have a place to put them. The Department of Homeland Security is out of money and the congresswoman knows that. She says the conditions are inhumane. But yet, when we send a bill over to her to vote to improve those conditions, she voted no. Her hypocrisy is breathtaking. This is the bottom line. Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez believes that illegal immigration is a moral good. And she believes that the border is just a nuisance and it should be open; and, I don’t think that’s what America believes.”
Sen. John Kennedy, R-Louisiana
Read more: Sen. John Kennedy calls out Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: “Her hypocrisy is breathtaking”
Photo source: WAFB
If you do, then this should enrage you. After serving less than two years of a seven year sentence, this killer was freed from prison.
"I want to remind everyone that this case dealt with the tragic death of a child," Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry said in a statement Monday. "Mr. Greenhouse's early release is a disappointment."
"Unfortunately, (Greenhouse's) early release is yet another example of the lack of transparency in our criminal justice system, as it relates to victims and their families," Landry said.
Read more: Ex-officer released after serving time for killing boy
Dear Senator Grassley,
On behalf of the more than 1 million members and supporters of Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW), I am writing to thank you for opposing the Trump administration’s proposed International Pricing Index (IPI) model, an ill-advised regulatory effort that would base Medicare Part B pricing on foreign price-controlled drugs. CCAGW agrees with your statement, “I don’t think that this administration's approach on international pricing is going to be to the benefit of the adoption of and research for modern drugs.”
Read more: CCAGW Thanks Chairman Grassley for Opposing Foreign Price-Controlled Drugs
Photo source: Twitter
“A Democratic campaign arm attempting to give John Bel Edwards credit for my Legislation, developed with Republican leaders, to protect pre-existing healthcare conditions without Obamacare,” Landry charged Tuesday. “A bill he attacked. THAT’S RICH. Thank you for recognizing the bipartisan support.”
Read more: Democrats Falsely Take Credit for Republican AG Jeff Landry’s Sweeping Louisiana Healthcare Bill
Trying their best to cover the backside of the liberal governor they love so much, Louisiana media has reported that “Honor Code” Edwards, who once called the healthcare bill recently passed by the legislature a “fig leaf” for Attorney General Landry, has signed that same bill into law.
After calling the bill a “fig leaf” aimed at saving Louisiana’s attorney general from embarrassment, Gov. John Bel Edwards quietly signed into a law a measure pushed by one of his political rivals that aims to eventually offer some protections to patients if the Affordable Care Act is overturned.
The bill was backed by Attorney General Jeff Landry, and authorizes the state’s insurance commissioner to study other state’s health care models to come up with a potential replacement for the ACA’s individual health exchange. It would only be necessary if the ACA is overturned--which is the goal of a lawsuit that Landry has joined.
Read more: After criticizing health insurance bill, Gov. Edwards signs measure pushed by Jeff Landry
By: Gifford Briggs, President of the Louisiana Oil & Gas Association
The 2019 legislative session has finally come to a close. For those that thought this would be a quick and uncontentious two-month session for lawmakers, boy were they wrong. This session, even without another budget crisis, did not run short on its list of roses or thorns.
There were a handful of bills that passed this session that enhanced the environment for the oil and gas sector. The oil and gas industry will be able to participate in carbon dioxide sequestration, thanks to Rep. Raymond Crews filing House Bill (HB) 163. This bill allows the Office of Conservation and the Commissioner to promulgate rules to permit carbon sequestration. This bill, now law, was a collaboration between industry, regulators, and lawmakers to provide another environmentally friendly way to deal with excess carbon while producing energy.
Additionally, LOGA worked hand in hand with Rep. Blake Miguez to provide some clarification to the tax code. Due to a “unique” interpretation of Louisiana tax codes, oil companies in three parishes have recently been assessed a property tax on goods that was previously not taxed. Thankfully, this measure passed and on the October ballot will be a constitutional amendment to provide for a property tax exemption for goods bound for the Outer Continental Shelf, providing needed clarity for Louisiana’s offshore operators.
Louisiana will also experience one of the largest infrastructure investments in decades. Thanks to the teamwork of Rep. Tanner Magee, Sen. Rick Ward, and a coalition of pro-industry and business groups, Louisiana is set to receive nearly a $700 million investment for transportation projects. The best part about this investment is we, the taxpayers, are not on the hook for the tab. Instead of using taxpayer dollars, HB 572 directs BP Deepwater settlement dollars to these infrastructure projects, like the LA1 Improvement Project that connects to Port Fourchon.
However, it was not all cheers this session. There were two bills that received approval from the House but failed to receive approval from the Senate Finance Committee. These bills, HB 188 and HB 256, looked to provide a severance tax exemption for stripper and incapable wells when the price of oil was under $75. We thank Rep. Jim Morris for his help with these bills and for his support of the oil and gas industry as he now completes his tenure as a Louisiana state representative.
Louisiana missed a huge opportunity to begin the process of cleaning up our legal system and to lower our auto insurance rates. The missed opportunity came in the defeat of HB 372, the Omnibus Premium Reduction Act of 2019 by Rep. Kirk Talbot. This piece of legislation looked to tackle our outrageous auto insurance rates by instituting common sense legal reforms. The legislation received overwhelming support in the House but would make it no further than the Senate Judiciary A committee, the “King’s Landing” of the Senate… where all tort reform measures are scorched.
Now that session has ended, we can take the time to reflect on what’s next. Louisiana ranks 50th in best states to do business and 50th in best states in the nation; those numbers are dismal. We have some of the highest auto insurance, sales tax and severance tax rates and unfortunately the oil and gas industry is all too familiar with the impact that unnecessary Legacy and Coastal lawsuits have had on our industry. It is clear that Louisiana is in need of a change in direction and in our great democracy there is no better way to make that change than by having your voice heard in the voting booth. Elections are right around the corner, now is the time to engage.
Prosecutors say Funes stole gift cards intended for cancer patients
(Baton Rouge, LA) – A member of the Governor’s Healthcare Transition Committee pled guilty in a Baton Rouge Federal Court today to charges of wire fraud and money laundering.
Federal Investigators caught John Paul Funes chartering private flights for his friends and family while forcing the Our Lake of the Lake Foundation to cover the expenses by creating fraudulent bills for “outbound patient transports”. Investigators also discovered Funes repeatedly stole gift cards intended for cancer patients and spent them for his personal benefit.
After being elected Governor, John Bel Edwards named John Paul Funes to his Healthcare Transition Committee and tasked the committee with developing a plan to expand Medicaid in Louisiana.
The Governor’s expansion of Medicaid was a disaster. Hundreds of millions of dollars have been wasted, tens of thousands of people have been kicked out of the program, and thousands have died on waiting lists.
Conservatives in Louisiana have been shocked at the amount of fraud and waste and have been wondering for years why an Administration would make so many mistakes with so much taxpayer money at risk.
Today we found out why.
(Baton Rouge, LA) – Today the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor released the latest information on State Employment and Unemployment. While it is clear the policies of President Trump have caused a national economic boom, these statistics clearly show that Louisiana is being left behind.
Unemployment Rate – May 2019
United States 3.6
Louisiana 4.4
Texas 3.5
Alabama 3.7
Arkansas 3.6
Florida 3.4
Georgia 3.8
Tennessee 3.3
Mississippi 5.0
Unfortunately for the people of Louisiana, this report contains even MORE troubling statistics. Not only is Louisiana growing at the SLOWEST RATE IN THE COUNTRY, but we are LOSING people! From May 2018 to May 2019 Louisiana saw only a 0.1% change in nonfarm employment, the lowest in the ENITRE COUNTRY.
Even more troubling is the fact that our civilian labor force is shrinking under Governor John Bel Edwards. Our unemployment rate is going down because people are LEAVING Louisiana, not because they are finding jobs. In May of 2018 the civilian labor force of Louisiana was 2,106,604. By April 2019 the labor force in Louisiana had shrunk to 2,098,308.
In just the last 11 months 8,296 people have left the Louisiana workforce, that is 25 people every single day!
It is obvious Louisiana is being left behind but the only job John Bel Edwards is fighting to save is his own.
If a top-down, command and control approach sounds like a good idea, ask yourself why we don’t convene such “arbitration” panels to set the price for cars, houses or groceries? A price set by a government-established panel is not the way our free market system normally operates, where buyers and sellers are free to participate, or not, at willingly agreed to rates.
Read more: Drug Price Arbitration Is Not a Solution for Patients
Despite window-dressing language that talks up the need for negotiation in setting drug prices, the “international pricing index” would replace the current market-based system and set the stage for government-dictated, artificially low prices. As learned from painful experiences in the US and elsewhere, price controls only “succeed” in causing shortages, which prompts rationing. If it isn't Soviet breadlines, it's cars lined up for blocks waiting to buy gasoline in the Nixon-era 70s. Zimbabweans starved in 2007 and continue to starve today as a result of persistent, painful rationing policy.
Read more: Price Controls Aren't the Answer on Pharmaceuticals
New Iberia, Iberia Parish: New Iberia native, local business owner, family man, and current Iberia Parish Clerk of Court, David Ditch (Republican), has announced that he is a candidate for Iberia Parish Clerk of Court.
David is married to Jessica Dill Ditch. They are the proud parents of Kate Avery, Walker and Sawyer. David and Jessica have served on numerous committees, boards and volunteered for many local charities. Giving back is rooted in the Ditch family. “I believe you must know how to serve before you can lead”, David said. “Jessica and I, along with our children, have been involved with many great organizations within Iberia Parish. We’ve served alongside many great people and have made life-long friends, friends who have made me a better person. It is with this same desire to serve that I proudly and humbly announce my candidacy for Iberia Parish Clerk of Court.”
David was sworn in as Iberia Parish Clerk of Court on Friday, May 31, 2019. Immediately, David called in independent auditors, accountants and attorneys to evaluate the state of the records and finances of the Clerk’s office. These efforts were to restore public trust in the Clerk’s office and to ensure a clean slate in moving the office forward with positive leadership and fiscal responsibility.
Having served as Chief Deputy from 2016 until being sworn in as Clerk of Court, David led efforts in updating to more technology driven and efficient processes and while managing revenue generation like a true business. Financial responsibility is and will continue to be driving force for David. “The Clerk’s office is entrusted with managing not only processes and filings for all legal aspects of Iberia Parish, but we are also our own revenue generating business. I will not only manage the finances accordingly, but I will also return money to the general fund, as it is intended to be handled” said David. Driven by David’s business experience and leadership, the self-generated revenue at the Iberia Parish Clerk’s office increased by 26% in three short years. By managing employee retention and allocation of responsibilities, payroll and insurance cost decreased by 10% from 2016 to 2018. During this period, with David’s leadership, the Clerk’s office became the only agency in Parish Government to voluntarily reduce funds received by Parish Government, increasing the Parish’s General fund. “By doing the right thing and being financially responsible, we are able to set a tone for how we do business in the Clerk’s office” said David.
In addition to financial improvements and a more conscience focus on service, David also led the efforts of bringing technology to the Clerk’s office. David initiated electronic filings of mortgage and conveyance documents, including the ability to access records and make payments online. Additionally, the Iberia Parish Clerk of Court has joined the Louisiana Clerk of Court Associations online portal which allows for statewide access to public records including land records, mortgage records, conveyance records and marriage records. Technology was also extended to the courtroom, allowing minute clerks and judges real time access to records. With forward-thinking leadership and applying for and the receiving of grants, technology is now a vital part of the Iberia Parish Clerk of Courts offices, a much needed and welcome improvement.
David is a 1995 graduate of Catholic High School (New Iberia) and a 2000 graduate of LSU where he received a degree in Business Administration / Entrepreneurship. David continued his education at LSU where he received a Masters in Business Administration and Finance in 2002. David is the owner of Home Instead Senior Care where he and Jessica provide a positive work environment for care givers who care for those in need during critical and challenging times in their lives.
David’s civic commitments include: Catholic High School Advisory Committee, Epiphany Day School Board member, past Iberia Parish council member for District 7, board member for the Iberia Republican Executive Committee, past board member for Kiwanis Club, and graduate of the Leadership Iberia class XII. David also was a recipient of the Daily Iberian’s 20 under 40. Additionally, David serves or has served in various coaching roles throughout Iberia Parish, including head coaching for Iberia Soccer Association, Evangeline Little League, Iberia Biddy Basketball and Iberia Youth Baseball Association. David is a member of St. Peter’s Catholic Church in New Iberia.
“I look forward to continuing to work with the hard-working staff at the Clerk’s office. We are like family and they are important to me. The positive changes we have made in a short time and their willingness to improve the Clerk’s office inspires me to stay at the Clerk’s office and win this election” David said.
David and Jessica invite all who wish to get involved and show their support to join them and their family as they host a campaign kick-off party on Thursday, June 27, 2019 from 5PM – 7PM at Antique Roseville, 2007 Freyou Rd, New Iberia, LA 70560. “Families are welcomed, drop in at your convenience. We hope to see everyone there where you will have the opportunity to hear about our campaign and sign up to volunteer” David said.
The Iberia Parish Clerk of Court position serves all of Iberia Parish. Election Day is Saturday, October 12, 2019 with early voting being from September 28, 2019 – October 5, 2019
