Today, Governor Bobby Jindal made a very persuasive case in front of the media why Louisiana should not be penalized and be forced to reimburse the federal government 1.8 billion dollars for levee improvements over three years instead of over 30 years, or perhaps even a lesser period of time..
Jindal said that he has spoken to leaders of the House and Senate and to the Administration and said nobody has given him a sufficient reason why Louisiana should not be allowed to reimburse the feds under a payment structure that existed prior to Katrina.He also pointed to the unfairness of the policy and the impact upon Louisiana’s ability to rebuild.
Jindal made his remarks at the Jackson Barracks in New Orleans after touring the coast with the new Gulf Coast Rebuilding Federal Coordinator, retired Major General Doug O’Dell. Present at the news conference were US Army Corps of Engineers’ Gulf Region Division Commanding General, Brigadier General Michael Walsh, Governor’s Office of Coastal Activities Director Garret Graves, and Louisiana National Guard Adjutant General, Major General Bennett C. Landreneau.
Jindal made his comments prior to this weekend when a congressional delegation which includes House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Congressional leaders are expected to visit the GulfCoast.
The Governor did state that every federal government agency has been sympathetic, but, he was non-specific about their reasons for not working out a better deal for Louisiana.
Jindal displayed the passion of his argument that the issue was a national one and that the Louisiana coast produces more revenue to the US treasury second only to the IRS.
The Governor also gave credit to the entire delegation for working together and speaking with a single voice.
While Nancy Pelosi is in Louisiana, let us hope that she and the other Congressional leaders speak as forcefully as Governor Jindal about the national benefits that Louisiana provides to the country and be very specific about her reasons that Congress has been insistent upon imposing such a hardship upon the state.Jindal also indicated that the President could play a role in changing the policy.Let us also hope that the President uses his authority to change an oppressive policy and that the new Gulf Coast Czar can be persuasive in convincing President Bush.
The Governor hit a homerun today with the power of his arguments and his passion for the rebuilding of Louisiana.Now, it is time for Washington to start cheering, not with the words, but with their actions.
Toyota beats GM in worldwide sales in first half............ 2 hours, 23 minutes ago................ DETROIT - Toyota beat General Motors in worldwide sales in the first half of the year..... Toyota Motor Corp. said Wednesday it sold 4.8 million vehicles between January and June, up 2 percent from the same period a year ago. General Motors Corp. says it sold 4.5 million vehicles in the same period, or about 300,000 less than Toyota......... GM says its total sales fell 3 percent in the first half of the year due to economic pressures and labor disruptions in the U.S. market. But the automaker says it posted record-breaking sales in other regions, including Latin America, Asia and Europe...........GM narrowly beat Toyota in total sales last year to retain the title of the world's largest automaker by sales. *Note...... "I'll bet that makes all the laid off workers in Detroit happy".........
Written by
on 7/23/2008
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CORRECTION........................, I was supposed to put down in my last post that it would reduce total time cost by 900 minutes - for a total federal reduction in time needed for the F.M/F.M. thing to 8 days, 1 hour and 20 minutes…… (Hmmm F.M. 8120?? I wonder if that is code talk or something?) but the 5 hour thing was correct… One time a year, for THREE years (Still isn’t even an 8 hour day, nor is it even 24 hours at a stretch)………………………….. Oh well, those big number3’ are just so mind b0OgLing when considering cost and time??????? My baaaadddddddd............. Written by .....................STRONGCONCRETE...............
on 7/23/2008
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So our politicians should beg monies for our levee protection to protect a population that is largely on the government dole? In essence, "effective leadership" in our state thus is similar to being a successful panhandler. Is this really the best this state can do? Begging will not get us out of the mess this state has become. Perhaps Bobby Jindal is a phony opportunist (if so he has plenty of company at all levels of government in BOTH parties) but I still like much of what he is doing. Stay tuned. Written by kpf
on 7/23/2008
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Perhaps because much like a child throwing a stone at a bird in a tree, it was because he could... Written by
on 7/22/2008
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Jindal says he will have to make catastrophic cuts in education, health care and transportation if forced to pay the state's share of levee construction costs in 3 years. Then why did he sign a repeal of the Stelly Plan before getting an extension from the Federal Government? Written by david Quidd
on 7/22/2008
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According to tongue in cheek estimates where time and money is concerned I saw on another post, 25 billion will be spent, according to the Congressional time schedule of doing things, it takes approximately 8 hours and 20 minutes to spend 1 billion dollars……. So, it takes approximately 8 days, 16 hours, and 20 minutes out of the upcoming 365 days for the United States Congress i.e. the American Taxpayer to pay for the Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae things……. And conversely, when calculating a 3 year time frame for payback the United States Congress is only asking Louisiana to reduce that time by 300 minutes or,…….. around 5 hours……. Not even a full working day………… This leaves the combined taxpayer base with a workload of around 8 days, 11 hours and 20 minutes just to pay for that mess….. Even after the attention of the taxpayers around the country have been focused on Louisiana for the past almost 3 year’s straight………. And of course not to forget the approximate 30 billion? we had in the state treasury on January 1, 2008………………. For some strange reason I see a deficiency in equitable trade offs here…… I can’t put my finger on it, but I know that if I was someone that had to work 8 days, (24 hour days straight per day) 16 hours, and 20 minutes and someone I helped out doesn’t want to contribute a measly 5 hours to help out in return, guess what????? The next time I see your bum ass with your thumb out hitchhiking down the road??? I would pass you by like a warm summer’s breeze……… Written by Numberz
on 7/22/2008
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Stephen, why don't you go down to the nearest Starbucks and get yourself a quick cup of Community Coffee??? - - - - - - WASHINGTON - By JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS, Associated Press Writer - - 1 hour, 17 minutes ago........... A federal rescue of troubled mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could cost taxpayers as much as $25 billion, Congress' top budget analyst said Tuesday.
Written by
on 7/22/2008
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UPDATE: After contacting the Bush administration for information on Nancy Pelosi's comments and after being directed by their press corps to contact the Gulf Czar and after my giving them deadlines for a response, Bayoubuzz has only received a thank you for being patient. Louisiana deserves a response from the Bush administration, not patience. We have spent our patience. We discovered yesterday that Louisiana does not know if it will be ready for the 100 year storm by 2011 as expected. As Governor Jindal has stated, he does not understand why he is not getting an answer from the Bush administration on the repayment of the loan for the levee repairs. I believes President Bush has no desire to help Louisiana determine a payment plan although Governor Jindal has proposed one and although the Congressional Democrats have put the ball back in Bush's court to order a repayment plan by authority of the WRDR legislation so Louisiana can repay construction on the levees over 30 years, no three years. I saw a lot of stone yesterday. Yesterday and today, I think I am seeing stonewalls from the Bush administration on a simple question about repayment of the levees repairs and why President Bush won't authorize payment over more than three years. I believe that Presidentt Bush has no plans for the future of Louisiana's security and any idea of a Category 5 protection? Forget it under President Bush. So, figure out for yourself why this area has a slow recovery. It is beginning to make sense why the new Federal coordinator was not at the press conference on Friday to meet the media. Louisiana deserves more than just ducking and hiding from the Bush administration. Written by Stephen Sabludowsky, Publisher of Bayoubuzz.com
on 7/22/2008
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Yes, Jacob,,,,,,, It was parody I was speaking of... and the fact of the matter is this.....OFFSHORE FEDERAL WATERS....... Louisiana gets the royalties, not Rhode Island, not Utah, not Idaho,....... You know, how about the other states that make up the Union????? FEDERAL means BELONGING TO ALL THE CITIZENS OF THE UNITED STATES......... In other words, does Louisiana have the legal authority to enforce this? NO......... Could Louisiana enforce this? NO (We have no Navy).... It is up to the Feds……. Just as prohibition was repealed, so too can H.R. 6111………………….. Just like slavery was legal one day, illegal the next, it can again, without care, become legal yet again…………………….. Now when we have a problem, we can suck off the Federal Teat as if ‘entitled’……………. And to a certain extent, and enjoying the protection from being a member of a Federal Union, we are…… However, fair play, or taking just a little more roast beef than we should when a potato will do…… We expect Lagniappe, yet we have nothing within our 43 or 45 thousand + square miles of land area that means squat where oil and gas reserves are concerned….. Federal waters, Federal mineral resources….. Even the ‘State Waters’ are tapped out……… (You know, the area that the Sheriff Departments have jurisdiction in)……. So in other words, and I wrote about this long before it became a reality, that the trick to it is…. Is to make the royalties from something that doesn’t belong to us, become our exclusive property………. Keep trying to screw the ticket taker at the show and see how much longer the show goes on…….. I can state, self assuredly, and unequivocally, that should San Francisco, or Los Angeles, or San Diego get hit by a major earthquake, we can kiss H.R. 6111 good bye…….. Should famine set in due to crop failures…… Again, kiss it good bye……… Should New Orleans get hit again, and drowned again, again,,,,, Kiss it good bye…….. We went for the brass ring, we got it…. Now pray that Social Security keeps going, that Medicare, Medicaid straightens out…… Because H.R. 6111 is nothing more than a ‘treaty’…. Ask any Indian (I mean the true blue American type of Injun) how many times the white man broke promises and treaties…. You figure as if things are carved in stone….. No……. printed on fragile paper, or entered upon degradable floppy discs……… I only speak broadly, not going to bother researching Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act, and am assuming it is the result of Bobby Jindal’s H.R. 6111 passed in December of 2007? It is about as stable a bill as CWPPRA is….. That too, in the blink of an eye…. POOF!!!!!!! If things deteriorate worse…… I am assuming that Louisiana probably going to pull a con move like they did with the Tobacco Settlement and draw off it from a private firm……… Something like that….. I suppose I am simply cynical when it comes to our law makers, and deal breakers we have in office…….. Go figure….. Written by ..................STRONGCONCRETE..................
on 7/21/2008
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StrongConcrete, under the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act (GOMESA) the State of Louisiana does get revenues from Thunder Horse and all other Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) drilling operations on the basis of the proportional distance of the wells from our shore. You can read the U.S. Dept. of the Interior Memo on the rules. ( http://cryptome.org/mms052708.htm ) I quote from "Summary" section, paragraph 1: ". . . For each of the fiscal years from 2007 through 2016, GOMESA directs the Secretary of the Treasury to deposit 50 percent of qualified OCS revenues--bonuses, rents, and royalties--from OCS oil and gas leases in areas designated as the 181 Area in the Eastern Planning Area and the 181 South Area into a special account in the United States Treasury. The GOMESA directs the Secretary of the Interior, for each of these fiscal years, to disburse 25 percent of the revenues in the special account to the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and the remaining 75 percent to the States of Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas (collectively identified as the ``Gulf producing States'') and their eligible coastal political subdivisions. The revenues are to be allocated among the Gulf producing States based on their inverse proportional distance from the leases in the 181 Area in the Eastern Planning Area and the 181 South Area and in accordance with regulations established by the Secretary of the Interior. . . ." I think -- and I'm just going from memory here so don't hang me if I get it wrong -- that Louisiana is expecting to see an average annual increase in its total offshore oil royalties of about $20 million per year starting this year that will peak at about $500 million per year around the year 2016. I don't have enough time right now to search for that info, but I do remember that I read something approximating that figure somewhere recently when I was either searching for info in a response I posted on one of the other article threads or possibly in an article elsewhere, maybe even here. Written by Jacob Sulzbach, Lafayette, La.
on 7/21/2008
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As for me, I have to ask; "Whatever happened to Randolph Scott"? Written by
on 7/21/2008
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Congress has the lowest approval ratings in the history of keeping score. Since Pelosi & her liberal pals have had control this conuntry is going down the toilet. She is only interested in playing politics to hell with the common folks. Where the hell is Charlie Melancon, the so called blue dog democrat? He should be raising hell, but he is not. He votes the way Pelosi says to votes. Written by Sid
on 7/21/2008
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-----------------Jindal displayed the passion of his argument that the issue was a national one and that the Louisiana coast produces more revenue to the US treasury second only to the IRS.----------------------- Thank you for clarifying that Jacob.... And Louisiana is only second to the IRS in revenue generation for the Federal Treasury, I will agree with Bobby's statement, and that puts us at #25 in the list of all States..................... So again, big deal, that is supposed to give us some kind of special status for Congressional funding consideration? What about #1 - #24? And in the quest of fairness, what about #25 and up? Not too interested in all the stats, because they really only have any meaning in relationship to the spin or relevance’s as they may relate to a personal argument when trying to leverage an advantage in reasoning why a handout would be more justifiable to one party in stead of another..... As far as oil and gas goes,, I don't even know how Thunder Horse made it on the list.... That is if a person really wants to play Marquis rules or take into account the pip-pip and all that balderdash relating to a subject and boundaries’...... But being as it is 150 miles S.E. of New Orleans, I am going to assume that it is in FEDERAL waters......................... And if I were to follow your train of thought, then deposits approx. 2700 miles S.E. of New Orleans (that is the coast of Venezuela) are also among 'Louisiana's' bountiful contributions to the Treasury .......... In fact, Arkansas contributes more money to the Treasury, seconded only by the IRS in pig and chicken production than Louisiana does… The point? There is none unless you want to talk about chicken (sh^t ) droppings and PORK……….. Which was the focus of my rant or rave……………….. YAYYYYYYYYY LOUISIANA!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You see Jacob, I am all for Louisiana, and I want Louisiana to prosper to the fullest extent of its capabilities…….. I want to see the citizens safe, secure, productive, and satisfied, with a certain amount of joy in their lives and family situations………. As well as family values………. Fairy tales are good as a bed time story, but real life situations require real time/near term, practical, prudent and effective planning and actions to cause the proper circumstances to become manifested into fruition…….. For the good of all……….. Forget oil reserves, Louisiana for all practical purposes has hit its Zenith and those golden ages are waning quickly into the twilight…. East Coast, West Coast, Alaska and perhaps even the North Pole…… That is where the majority of the oil and gas deposits within the realms of control where the United States would be concerned exist…… There are oil sands in Alberta which are major contributors to the oil scheme of things…… Not diminishing Louisiana’s status or anything, but pounding on its dominance, or status on the National or Global scale where oil and gas is concerned is pretty much like ranting and raving that Kitty hawk is the capital of aviation, or that Detroit is the world’s capitol and leader in automobile production……….. Evolve or go extinct………… H.R. 6111,,,,,,,, Offshore oil and gas royalty revenues in FEDERAL waters will be destined for Louisiana……………………… Not the Treasury……. So in other words, holes in the Social Security funding system, Medicare/Medicaid system will receive revenues from where???? H.R. 6111 is not ironclad, and can be repealed, just as prohibition was………. If things become very tight in the U.S. short of our going into foreclosure to China……….. Solutions? Wind Energy is one………… It is a subject of interest to me, I have many interests in life…. Aquaculture….. Speaking of which, Louisiana is the largest supplier of seafood in the United States….. In relationship to what? A dead bay called Chesapeake? Guess what, tremendous ‘dead zones’ in the Gulf……… What is our oyster production today in comparison to 30 years ago??? Want a guess????............................................ Bobby says Pelosi should give us special consideration for MORE FEDERAL FUNDS BECAUSE?????????????? I see no merit in his reasoning….. And no return in his plan, at least from a Federal perspective which is lobbied as the contributor, and being courted as the beneficiary……. His reasoning’s are full of holes….. 100 + billion for Louisiana? Why? What is Louisiana doing to cut costs/losses and expenses that have to be covered on the Federal part of things??? It is called a fair playing field, and Louisiana is not riding on it………. It is riding under the pretense of a slight of hand maneuver, or a double dipping accounting practice……. The entire nation sees this, and their Congressional Reps understand it…. We are but one in a Union of many………. Union, Justice, Confidence?????? Time to start living up to that motto………. Nuff said…………………………. I just wonder where bright examples of probable prudence in application can be found………………………………. Written by .................STRONGCONCRETE...................
on 7/21/2008
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It doesn't take a genius, dears, to know that we are ripe for the newest game in politics, the election of a president 2008. Nancy and her crew will all be made up and looking ever so genteel when they appear and hover over those still suffering from the devestation of Katrina. She and others should have gotten off of their big backsides and done a damn lot more before now. You won't buy our votes, Petty Pelosi, but you should get a new cosmotoglogist or is it another shot of botox you need? Written by RhettsWife
on 7/21/2008
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No problem Tony. You're obviously a gentleman to clarify the point. Written by Jacob Sulzbach, Lafayette, La.
on 7/20/2008
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Jindal presses Bush over levee costs
by Mark Schleifstein, The Times-Picayune
Friday July 18, 2008, 9:10 PM
Gov. Bobby Jindal on Friday continued to pressure the Bush administration to give the state 30 years to pay off its $1.8 billion share of the cost of building levees in the New Orleans area to 100-year protection levels and to reduce that bill by $200 million.
“We think it’s wrong that the state of Louisiana should be required to pay $200 million more in matching dollars than we would have paid (under rules in effect) before Katrina, “ Jindal said.
President Bush also could issue an executive order to trigger a provision included in the 1986 Water Resources Development Act, which would allow the state to pay back its share of construction costs over 30 years instead of three years, which presents a financial crisis for Louisiana.
Jindal said California and Nevada have been provided such 30-year payment provisions to repay the costs of similar projects.
Without the additional time, Jindal said, the state would be required to pay as much as $1.2 billion in 2010, which would result in a reduction of as much of 40 percent for other discretionary spending that year. That would mean draconian cuts in education, health care and transportation.
http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2008/07/jindal_presses_bush_over_levee.html
I stated a wrong fact. My bad. Written by tony g
on 7/20/2008
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Well Jacob, Jindal was a US Congressman last year. It may not have looked like it but he did receive the Congressional salary all year while he was galavanting across Louisiana. Campaigning instead of fighting through the issues he was paid to do. ie more money for coastal restoration and levee repair. He had ample opportunity last year ecspecially early on when the house was controlled by the Republicans. He didn't do it. Written by Tony G
on 7/20/2008
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Well Tony, how can you say Jindal is "grandstanding when this should have been accomplished last year" whenever Jindal did not take office until this year? And I should add that the decision to withdraw the 30 year repayment arrangement also did not come until this year; in fact, it did not actually surface until the House withdrew the payment schedule from the version of the appropriations bill the Senate passed, which was a very recent development. I can agree that resolving the issue of all levee reconstruction arrangements is long overdue, but that is not any failure on the part of Bobby Jindal. And as for the $2 billion being 40% of the state's budget; I don't see that in the article and I'm wondering what you refer to when you raise it. Written by Jacob Sulzbach, Lafayette, La.
on 7/20/2008
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Regardless of the numbers and stats he's now grandstanding trying to be the hero when this should have been accomplished last year. He's fibbing about the numbers and percentages it will cost the state and it's budget. Albeit a lot of money he had no concern about this last year knowing he was heavily favored to win. Since when does 2 billion dollars equal 40% of the State's budget. Like I have always said of him, listen to what he says then go look for yourself, you'll always find the two do not match up. Written by Tony G
on 7/20/2008
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StrongConcrete, your presentation left out some very important Louisiana facts, and I'm not certain about where you got your information, but I have other statistics which I can demonstrate with links. First of all; Thunder Horse refers to a Louisiana offshore platform which British Petroleum is operating in Mississippi Canyon Block 778/822, which is about 150 mi. southeast of New Orleans. ( See http://www.bp.com/genericarticle.do?categoryId=9004519&contentId=7009088 ) If for any reason you doubt it's included within Louisiana's oil contributions, check out the Mardi Gras Pipeline that brings it ashore ( See http://www.bp.com/genericarticle.do?categoryId=9004519&contentId=7008073 ) And where in your posting of reserves did you include the estimates for the Walker Ridge field, which could be as high as 15 billion barrels? ( See http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14678206/ ) And that is only one field of many that are expected to be developed in the Lower Tertiary Rock Formation in Louisiana's offshore. Do you know there are other Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) fields offshore Louisiana that are big players? And that's just OIL reserves that are just being proved. Now you doubt the facts Jindal cited? I do not. See: http://dnr.louisiana.gov/sec/execdiv/techasmt/newsletters/2007/2007-07_topic_2.pdf which gives the 2006 statistics, we are still waiting for the 2007 stats. Here are the highlights of Louisiana's state rankings: 1st in crude oil production, 1st in OCS crude oil production, 1st in OCS natural gas production, 1st in OCS revenue generated for federal government, 1st in mineral revenues from any source to the federal government, 1st in liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal capacity, 2nd in industrial energy production, 2nd in natural gas production (overall), 2nd in total energy produced from all sources, 2nd in dry natural gas proved reserves, 2nd in crude oil proved reserves. And you did not even have us listed as a major player in your stats StrongConcrete. What's up? Show your sources. Written by Jacob Sulzbach, Lafayette, La.
on 7/19/2008
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Uhhhhhh, Bobby, uhhhh…. #1 contributor to the treasury via the Internal Revenue Service.. is…………… California,,,,,, 2005 contributions…. $265,783,657,000,,,,, Revenue per capita?............... $7,271.14…………………. Louisiana, 2005?......... #25…….. $25,647,323,000….. Revenue per capita…………………….. $5,973.94……………. Pelosi is from WHERE????? Only 18 other states paid less revenue per capita than Louisiana did in 2005…………………. And HOW MUCH MONEY HAVE WE ASKED FOR AND ARE ALSO EXPECTING FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SINCE 2005??????????? Shame on you Bobby Jindal………. Here are some quick known ‘anticipated’ reservefacts…. #1. Prudhoe Bay, Alaska 13+ billion barrels, #2 East Texas 5.1 – 6.0 billion barrels #3 Wilmington, California 2.8 to 3 billion barrels. #4. Midway-Sunset, California 2.8 – 3.5 billion barrels. #5 Kuparuk River, Alaska… 2.6 billion barrels….. # 6. THUNDER HORSE, GULF OF MEXICO (wherever in the hell that is) 1.5 – 2.0 billion barrels. #7 Kern River, California, 1.95 to 2.5 billion barrels (Actually this could make this #6 and GoM #7). #8 - # 11 are split between Texas and California…. Offshore estimated reserves? California coast (virtually untapped), East Coast, (Baltimore Canyon) etc., etc. In other words, Louisiana is next to a rapidly maturing field in the Gulf of Mexico…… Bobby, H.R. 6111?????? Treasury doesn’t get those royalty funds, if and when they finally do appear, they go to Louisiana instead of the Treasury for disbursement to things like Medi care, Medi cade……. 1.8 billion? 100 year protection? What about 500 year protection? What about the 100+ BILLION CURRENTLY BEING ASKED FOR?????? WHO IS BULLSHITTING WHO???? And what does the future look like????? Time to put away the smoke and mirror illusions, and quit pouting.... Better get some resilliency folks... Written by ................STRONGCONCRETE....................
on 7/19/2008
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Just think if he would have been so passionate about this in his last year of Congress instead of neglecting his duties and galavanting all around Louisiana. Written by Tony G
on 7/18/2008
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Today, Governor Bobby Jindal made a very persuasive case in front of the media why 
