Medicaid expansion as an economic development driver for the State of Louisiana?
Last week, Governor John Bel Edwards and others promoted a study from LSU that argued that the Obamacare program not only served the lower-income workers but also helped the Louisiana economy. I asked Jan Moller about this study pushed by the governor when Jim Brown and i interviewed him last week.
In response to the Republican-controlled House Appropriations committee's decision to fully fund TOPS and not providing funding to other areas of state government, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards released the following statement on the House Appropriations Committee’s decision "to make drastic cuts to higher education, health care, including partner hospitals and medical schools, and public safety"
Call it a Friday the 13th warning, message or omen. Louisiana legislators, who don't respect the second amendment, will face the "curse" of Louisiana gun advocates. And, it won't be pretty, politically.
Maness, former US Senate candidate and former candidate for the Louisiana legislature has that message. Those lawmakers up at the Baton Rouge capitol need to know that Louisiana gun owners are looking down legislators back and will made their voices heard on behalf of the rights of law-abiding citizens who want to preserve their rights to bear arms.
Several quick financial fixes are being discussed in the current session of the Legislature involving the expansion of gambling. Here’s an interesting thought. Why is it that Louisiana and neighboring state Mississippi are always on the bottom of every national ranking involving virtually every aspect of a state’s quality of life? Yet casino gambling is widespread throughout both states at a level not found any place else in America outside of Las Vegas.
How dee is the real hole in the Louisiana budget are we? Does the state really willing to cut governmental services without raising revenues, which is what the Speaker of the House Taylor Barras seemed to indicate yesterday, when questioned, which could prevent another revenue-raising special session?
Louisiana has good news, kinda.
The state’s Revenue Estimating Conference met today and recognized $346 million in revenues, most primarily due to the Republican-Trump tax cut leaving a difference in the budget shortfall of $647M which is obviously much better than the $997 million hole we were looking at prior to the regular session. That’s the good news.
Even as they complain about the possibility, environmentalist wacko protesters prove the point of the necessity of a Louisiana law that could limit their tantrums.
HB 727 by state Rep. Major Thibaut would add pipelines to the category of critical infrastructure. The state already protects from trespassing at these various sites such as power plants, oil refineries, chemical plants, water treatment facilities, and natural gas terminals. Violators could draw as many as 15 years in prison with a $10,000 fine, going up to 20 years and $25,000 if the action could threaten human life or disrupt site operations. And, conspiracy to do so carries the same penalty.
As we know, Louisiana is, has been, and probably will be in a fiscal mess, year after year, until and unless we identify and then fix the problem.
For the past ten years, and at times prior to the start of the Bobby Jindal administraton, the budget has been unbalanced until the magic, smoke and mirrors took over to create a false balanced budget, financed often with one-time money.
Did Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards blow a great opportunity to make lemonade out of lemon, at least, as it relates to the Karen Carter Peterson "repeal the second amendment" tweet that has become a controversy locally and nationally?
Jim Brown, commentator and former Statewide elected official and state Senator says yes, he did.
One of the major issues going through the legislators of various states in America, including the Louisiana legislature now in session, is the issue of gun control. Ever since the Parkland school shooting, the debate has become heightened on many levels.
Today, as part of our regular Friday morning Facebook and Twitter Live discussion, Colonel Rob Maness discussed the current developments in the Louisiana legislature. Below is the transcript of our conversation on this point. Also below is the video of the live discussion.
We have teachers leaving their classes, protesting low pay and inadequate financial support for schools; Kids are taking off from class in droves, making sure their once muted voices are being heard on matters such as gun-control and weapons in schools. Once again, the state budget is a total mess and the voters are up in arms.
Does Louisiana Senator Karen Carter Peterson really want to repeal the second amendment and take away our guns? Or, how about, does she just to repeal the second amendment but allow us to keep our weapons? Or, does she not want to do either?
Whoa!!
Does Karen Carter Peterson, the Chairperson of the Louisiana Democratic Party support repealing the second amendment?
Rob Maness seems to think so and points to the evidence. A tweet by Peterson, that states "Repeal the Second Amendment" which includes the very controversial op-ed in the New York Times, earlier this week by no less, than former Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, who advocated that it should be repealed.