"A Lafayette attorney is considering filing a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission over the lyrics to a song by the popular local band Jamie Bergeron & the Kickin' Cajuns." (See: "Song sparks controversy, possible FCC charge").
"The song in question is "RCA (Registered Coonass)." id.
"Cajuns are considered a protected class under the Civil Rights Act." id.
I can tell you that as a French surnamed individual, I have no objections to the word "coonass". As long as it is not meant in a derogatory fashion, I have no problem with it.
I think that we are taking this matter too far when political correctness dictates that you cannot use the words Coonass, Nigger, Spic, WOP or Kraut any longer. They are just words. Get over it.
By the way, here is Bergeron doing "Cajun Rap Song", which I think that the original version by Cypress City out of Marksville is much better:
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
AN EXAMPLE OF COUNCILMAN FOWLER'S TRANSPARENCY
The purpose of a City Council meeting, especially one that is televised like Alexandria's, is so that we citizens can know what is going on. After all, regardless of what some of these Councilmen might think, the City's business is OUR business. Private meetings with the City Attorney smack of a lack of transparency.
If City Council President Harry Silver and Councilman Fowler don't have the time to spend at Council meetings, let them resign and find something else to do.
ALEXANDRIA CITY COUNCIL MEETING OF MARCH 6, 2012
FINANCE AND LEGAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
In a strange move, the Alexandria City Council approved the hiring of two lawyers, Misty Antoon and Mr. Tim Hardy, without their rates being specified and leaving it up to Alexandria City Attorney Chuck Johnson to decide what amount they will be paid. Only Councilman Ed Larvadain, III voted against Mrs. Antoon.
When Ed asked Chuck if Mrs. Antoon was the mayor's cousin, he answered "absolutely not". He then went on to say that Mrs. Antoon was the wife of the mayors' cousin.
Mrs. Antoon, formerly with the Gold, Weems law firm, as you will recall, was the attorney for Alexandria Utilities Director Mike Marcotte in his lawsuit against the Alexandria Civil Service Commission and appeared at last December's investigation into the City expenditures on the Alexander Fulton Hotel along with the mayor's brother and another cousin. It is unknown if Mrs. Antoon's contract with the City was awarded for a job well done for the mayor in the past.
The dumbest White man on the City Council, Councilman Jim Villard, said that hiring these two lawyers would actually save the City money. But I don't see how, especially since we have two under utilized assistants in the City Attorney's office already. Another good question is why are we paying Trey Gist to be at the Council meetings and paying him by the hour to do most of the legal work for the City when we already have Chuck Johnson?
See Also:
MAJOR BUDGET AMENDMENT: LEGAL and the posts linked thereunder
PUBLIC SAFETY, WORKS and TRANSPORTATION
Kay Michiels, the city's chief operating officer, told council members that the $2 million-plus Bolton Avenue streetscape project, one of the centerpieces of Alexandria Mayor Jacques Roy's Special Planned Activity Redevelopment Corridors initiative, involving the overlay of the street, which will begin in May, as well as a streetscape project that is expected to start in July. (See: "Councilman Larvadain thanks Alexandria administration for Bolton Avenue project").
"The street overlay project will include road repair and the addition of bike lanes on Bolton Avenue, she said, while the streetscape project will feature landscaping and sidewalk improvements, as well as traffic-calming measures." id. The project is expected to be completed in six to eight months and during construction, there will be closures of Bolton Avenue, but she assured council members that city officials will make the public aware of those before they happen. id.
"The street overlay project will include road repair and the addition of bike lanes on Bolton Avenue, she said, while the streetscape project will feature landscaping and sidewalk improvements, as well as traffic-calming measures." id. The project is expected to be completed in six to eight months and during construction, there will be closures of Bolton Avenue, but she assured council members that city officials will make the public aware of those before they happen. id.
ALEXANDRIA CITY COUNCIL (FULL)
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
RUMORS FROM THE HALL: JANNEASE SEASTRUNK
As you will recall, Ms. Seastrunk left her position as the Executive Director of the Shepherd Center to work for Jacques in 2008 where she served as his Director of Community Service for four (4) months.
You can add Jannease to the list of Black women that are no longer in Jacques' employ.
USE OF CITY OF ALEXANDRIA FACILITIES: WHO IS LYING?
At the last Alexandria City Council meeting of the Community Affairs, Services and Events committee, Mrs. Sandra Bright gave a PowerPoint presentation of the City's contract for the use of its community centers that her Lower 3rd Neighborhood Watch\Concerned Citizens Organization and Dr. Velva Boles, MD gave a talk on groups that were denied voter registration activities at the Riverfront Center's Martin Luther King, Jr. Day celebration.
See this video of that meeting below:
Some things, however, that Alexandria Mayor Jacques Maurice Roy and Alexandria City Attorney Chuck Johnson said didn't make much sense.
Jacques said that he didn't have anything to do with the contract for facilities rental because members of his staff handled that. Well Jacques is their boss and is supposed to know what they are doing. Just as he takes credit for their successes, he must also fess up to their screw ups.
Jacques also said, in response to Mrs. Bright's issue about the City's contract stating that the lessee "... shall operate to the discredit of the City of Alexandria...",that it was simply form language put into most city contracts. With his assistant Kay Michiels, Chuck Johnson, and Jacques himself all being attorneys, I don't see why they didn't delete that language from the City's contract.
Lastly, while there may have been some confusion over that holding the King Day voter drives at the Riverfront, the City does own that facility and it could pass an ordinance to clarify what types of activities will be allowed.
You will also see Chuck Johnson's PowerPoint and hear him tell the Council that nobody in the administration nor he himself was ever contacted about the voters rights efforts (See video at about 29:30).
But Rev. Larry (Love) Turner, preacher at Christian Love Baptist Church and the head of the ministerial alliance that put on the King celebration, specifically later said at that same meeting that he had called Chuck Johnson to ask about the voter registration (at 48:41 on the video).
By the way, Rev. Larry "Love" Turner is the first Baptist preacher that recall seeing wearing a priests collar.
See this video of that meeting below:
Some things, however, that Alexandria Mayor Jacques Maurice Roy and Alexandria City Attorney Chuck Johnson said didn't make much sense.
Jacques said that he didn't have anything to do with the contract for facilities rental because members of his staff handled that. Well Jacques is their boss and is supposed to know what they are doing. Just as he takes credit for their successes, he must also fess up to their screw ups.
Jacques also said, in response to Mrs. Bright's issue about the City's contract stating that the lessee "... shall operate to the discredit of the City of Alexandria...",that it was simply form language put into most city contracts. With his assistant Kay Michiels, Chuck Johnson, and Jacques himself all being attorneys, I don't see why they didn't delete that language from the City's contract.
Lastly, while there may have been some confusion over that holding the King Day voter drives at the Riverfront, the City does own that facility and it could pass an ordinance to clarify what types of activities will be allowed.
You will also see Chuck Johnson's PowerPoint and hear him tell the Council that nobody in the administration nor he himself was ever contacted about the voters rights efforts (See video at about 29:30).
By the way, Rev. Larry "Love" Turner is the first Baptist preacher that recall seeing wearing a priests collar.
See Also:
and
LABI OUT TO GET THE INJURED WORKERS
Louisiana Association of Business and Industry (LABI) President and Alexandria native Dan Juneau and Jim Patterson, LABI vice president of government relations, brought their tour of the state with word of its legislative push for the upcoming Session of the Louisiana Legislature. (See: "LABI officials say they're eager to work with 'business-friendly' La. Legislature"). LABI is currently touring the state with its message.
LABI's newest plot is working with a "business-friendly" Republican Legislature in a proposed overhaul to workers' compensation statutes. id.
"Among the initiatives in two bills LABI is supporting are allowing the creation of medical provider networks for workers' compensation cases, much like those in standard health-care coverage; allowing vocational counselors to determine when injured workers are healthy enough to resume work, rather than having to wait for physician approval; changing some of the ways claims are disputed and beneficiaries are disqualified because of fraud; and creating a Workers Compensation Review Board for appeals." id. (See also "LABI 2012 Business Issues").
Back in the mid 80's, LABI got passed its first major overhaul of workers compensation. It has been chiseling away at injured workers every since. It now appears that LABI wants to do away with an injured worker's right to chose his or her own treating physician and supplant it with a system whereby insurance companies can decide what doctor they will see in order to save businessmen and their insurers money.
It is true that like any other insurance program there is some degree of fraud. But the vast majority of workers receiving compensation are legitimately injured as a result of an on the job accident. Instead of cracking down on the few workers committing fraud or the doctors treating them and running up unnecessary medical bills, many of whom are themselves Republicans, they are attacking the rights under the law of injured workers.
Let there be no mistake about it. LABI is just a tool of their insurance companies and big business using the small businesses as mere cannon fodder to support its goals.
LABI has a major problem, however. Workers make up the vast majority of voters in this state. While business people do have some good ideas on government, they are primarily in it for profit.
LABI's newest plot is working with a "business-friendly" Republican Legislature in a proposed overhaul to workers' compensation statutes. id.
"Among the initiatives in two bills LABI is supporting are allowing the creation of medical provider networks for workers' compensation cases, much like those in standard health-care coverage; allowing vocational counselors to determine when injured workers are healthy enough to resume work, rather than having to wait for physician approval; changing some of the ways claims are disputed and beneficiaries are disqualified because of fraud; and creating a Workers Compensation Review Board for appeals." id. (See also "LABI 2012 Business Issues").
Back in the mid 80's, LABI got passed its first major overhaul of workers compensation. It has been chiseling away at injured workers every since. It now appears that LABI wants to do away with an injured worker's right to chose his or her own treating physician and supplant it with a system whereby insurance companies can decide what doctor they will see in order to save businessmen and their insurers money.
It is true that like any other insurance program there is some degree of fraud. But the vast majority of workers receiving compensation are legitimately injured as a result of an on the job accident. Instead of cracking down on the few workers committing fraud or the doctors treating them and running up unnecessary medical bills, many of whom are themselves Republicans, they are attacking the rights under the law of injured workers.
Let there be no mistake about it. LABI is just a tool of their insurance companies and big business using the small businesses as mere cannon fodder to support its goals.
LABI has a major problem, however. Workers make up the vast majority of voters in this state. While business people do have some good ideas on government, they are primarily in it for profit.
See Also:
LABI on this blog
Tort Reform on this blog
and
BROUSSARD MAYOR QUITS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND DEMANDS MONEY BACK and the posts linked thereunder
Monday, March 5, 2012
KSYL ON TRAFFIC CAMERAS AND KUDOS TO MAYOR ROY
This morning on KSYL radio's Talk Back Pre-Show, a caller called in concerning red-light cameras being installed in Alexandria. Of course, that misconception was dispelled.
Listen to that discussion at:
Listen to that discussion at:
I was the last caller and gave kudos to us having no traffic cameras to Alexandria Mayor Jacques Maurice Roy. ("ALEXANDRIA CITY COUNCIL MEETING OF NOVEMBER 20, 2007!", and "THE CITY OF ALEXANDRIA AND REDFLEX AND CABRINI HOSPITAL!").
Fred Rosenfeld, the show's co-host, tried to poke some fun at me by jokingly saying that he has tuned me into a kinder and gentler person. Of course, Fred only has kind words to say about me when he agrees with me or I have, on a very few occasions, agreed to something done right by Mayor Roy.
Fred Rosenfeld, the show's co-host, tried to poke some fun at me by jokingly saying that he has tuned me into a kinder and gentler person. Of course, Fred only has kind words to say about me when he agrees with me or I have, on a very few occasions, agreed to something done right by Mayor Roy.
MORE CLECO PROPAGANDA FROM THE TOWN TALK
Williamson, now 52, left Dynegy almost a year ago and in April 2011, Cleco announced he would succeed Chief Executive Officer Michael Madison. id.
"The city of Alexandria entered into a five-year contract -- which could be extended to seven years -- with Cleco in February 2010 that settled a long-standing lawsuit between the two parties in which city officials claimed Cleco defrauded the city and its ratepayers for years." id. "That contract will last until at least 2015, at which point the city will receive a $6.5 million payment from Cleco as part of the settlement." id.
That was part of the Cleco deal that Alexandria Mayor Jacques Roy pushed to settle our $60 million fraud lawsuit against Cleco for the chump change we will get in rebates in 2015, the $3 million in expert and attorney fees, which have already cost us well and above that, and future savings on our electricity bills, which we have not seen for the past two years.
See Also:
CLECO'S REBATES AND ALEXANDRIA'S SURPLUS and the posts linked therein and thereunder
Sunday, March 4, 2012
BRET'S CITY NOTEBOOK FOR MARCH 4, 2012
QUE'IN ON THE RED
Bret continues with his job of painting Alexandria Mayor Jacques M. Roy and his administration in a false but positive light today in his article entitled "City Notebook: Recession's timing rubbed Alexandria's barbecue festival the wrong").
Bret wrote that as "Que'in was trying to take root, the recession and consequent reductions in local tax revenue made it impossible for the city to keep funding the event at the same level". id.
But the recession had little to do with the utter failure of Que'in. The recession began in 2008, but Que'in was successful in 2009.
The true causes for the failures of Que'in fall upon the feet of Alexandria Mayor Jacques Roy and his administration.
The primary reason for Que'in's failure was due to the egotistical actions of City Hall in thinking that it could out on a music festival without any help from experts in that field.
Bret wrote that as "Que'in was trying to take root, the recession and consequent reductions in local tax revenue made it impossible for the city to keep funding the event at the same level". id.
But the recession had little to do with the utter failure of Que'in. The recession began in 2008, but Que'in was successful in 2009.
The true causes for the failures of Que'in fall upon the feet of Alexandria Mayor Jacques Roy and his administration.
The primary reason for Que'in's failure was due to the egotistical actions of City Hall in thinking that it could out on a music festival without any help from experts in that field.
Next, they turned it into a Black entertainment event, leaving out the White citizens. The selection of Maze in 2010 as the headline act didn't carry the crossover appeal that the earlier appearance of the Commodores did.
Thirdly, the City itself handled the promotion of the event, once again refusing to rely upon experts in that field.
Lastly, Maze was originally rained out, with the City choosing an outdoor venue and obtained no rain insurance.
These are the real reasons that Que'in was a past failure, not the recession.
See Also:
and
THE MULTIPLIER FOR FESTIVALS AND THE COLISEUM and the posts linked thereunder
THE CITY'S WEBSITE
The City of Alexandria finally got around to taking former City Councilman Jonathan Goins' photo gown and putting up the photo of his replacement Jerry Jones, Jr. id.
Despite that change, Councilman Roosevelt Johnson is still listed as the president and Harry Silver is not. id.
Also, I do not see a group photo of the Council like there has been in past years.
Despite that change, Councilman Roosevelt Johnson is still listed as the president and Harry Silver is not. id.
Also, I do not see a group photo of the Council like there has been in past years.
Saturday, March 3, 2012
BILLS PRE-FILED IN THE LOUISIANA LEGISLATURE IN 2012
"By Friday night’s deadline, Louisiana legislators had “pre-filed” nearly 1,600 bills to consider during the annual legislative session that begins March 12." (See: "Legislators pre-file almost 1,600 bills").
"Included are 49 proposed changes to the Louisiana Constitution." id.
Legislators could file as many bills as they wanted prior to Friday’s deadline and they can still file up to another five bills each once the session starts up until April 2. id.
"State representatives offered 976 bills while state senators added another 613." id.
Louisiana's constitution, the eleventh in the state's history, was adopted by Constitutional Convention in 1974, ratified by the voters of the state on April 20, 1974 and became effective on January 1, 1975. (See: "Louisiana Constitution").
Since 1978, the state's Constitution has been amended well over 70 times. (See: "Amendments by Year"). The U.S. Constitution, adopted on September 17, 1787, has only twenty-seven amendments. (See: "United States Constitution"). The first ten, collectively known as the Bill of Rights, were ratified simultaneously by 1791 and the next seventeen were ratified separately over the next two centuries. id.
"As recently as 1940, only four states had legislatures that met every year, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, a research group." (See: "Defying National Trend, Texas Clings to Biennial Legislature"). The four states that do not have their legislatures meeting each year are Texas, Montana, North Dakota and Nevada. id.
"On average each year, state legislatures across the country introduce roughly 110,000 pieces of legislation and pass 29,000 laws." (See: "Several Hundred New Laws in California Mean Business as Usual"). The American government is near a transformational point due to frivolous manufactured law abuse and policy abuse and passing too many laws too often. (See: "Upright U.S.A. Law. The endangered human psyche and stop frivilous policy act.").
"Included are 49 proposed changes to the Louisiana Constitution." id.
Legislators could file as many bills as they wanted prior to Friday’s deadline and they can still file up to another five bills each once the session starts up until April 2. id.
"State representatives offered 976 bills while state senators added another 613." id.
Louisiana's constitution, the eleventh in the state's history, was adopted by Constitutional Convention in 1974, ratified by the voters of the state on April 20, 1974 and became effective on January 1, 1975. (See: "Louisiana Constitution").
Since 1978, the state's Constitution has been amended well over 70 times. (See: "Amendments by Year"). The U.S. Constitution, adopted on September 17, 1787, has only twenty-seven amendments. (See: "United States Constitution"). The first ten, collectively known as the Bill of Rights, were ratified simultaneously by 1791 and the next seventeen were ratified separately over the next two centuries. id.
"As recently as 1940, only four states had legislatures that met every year, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, a research group." (See: "Defying National Trend, Texas Clings to Biennial Legislature"). The four states that do not have their legislatures meeting each year are Texas, Montana, North Dakota and Nevada. id.
"On average each year, state legislatures across the country introduce roughly 110,000 pieces of legislation and pass 29,000 laws." (See: "Several Hundred New Laws in California Mean Business as Usual"). The American government is near a transformational point due to frivolous manufactured law abuse and policy abuse and passing too many laws too often. (See: "Upright U.S.A. Law. The endangered human psyche and stop frivilous policy act.").
The bills introduced in state legislatures, including here in Louisiana, are more often than not produced by special interest groups. Interest groups can be divided into three major categories: (1) Nonmembership organizations, such as El Chico Corporation or H. Ross Perot, represent individual businesses, corporations, law firms, and freelance lobbies, (2) Government organizations, such as the Texas Municipal League and the Texas School Board Association, are a third type, representing federal, state, and local governmental agencies, and (3) Membership groups such as the National Rifle Association. (See: "Unit 5--Interest Groups").
Interest group techniques can be categorized into three major types: (1) Lobbying, (2) Electioneering and (3) Grassroots efforts. id.
The number of bills introduced for the 2012 Session of the Louisiana Legislature is nothing new. Each year we have about the same number of bills filed. During these rough budgetary times, many of these bills carry with them additional state spending.
Do we really need so may laws and Constitutional amendments? Each legislator feels that he or she must file new bills in order to be reelected and doing their jobs. Should Louisiana also move to our Legislature only meeting every other year?
Interest group techniques can be categorized into three major types: (1) Lobbying, (2) Electioneering and (3) Grassroots efforts. id.
The number of bills introduced for the 2012 Session of the Louisiana Legislature is nothing new. Each year we have about the same number of bills filed. During these rough budgetary times, many of these bills carry with them additional state spending.
Do we really need so may laws and Constitutional amendments? Each legislator feels that he or she must file new bills in order to be reelected and doing their jobs. Should Louisiana also move to our Legislature only meeting every other year?
See Also:
GOVERNMENT HAS A SPENDING PROBLEM, NOT A REVENUE PROBLEM and the posts linked thereunder
REPUBLICANS AGREE TO A ONE YEAR EARMARK BAN and the posts linked thereunder
847 BILLS SIGNED INTO LAW IN LOUISIANA and the posts linked thereunder
and
WILL JACQUES RIDE A BICYCLE DOWN BOLTON AVE.?
This has been a long held plan of Jacques' to turn Alexandria into a pedestrian and bicycle hub of Louisiana. Only in Jacques' screwy dream World would the people of Alexandria ride bicycles and walk everywhere.
There are not enough side walks that connect Bolton Ave. to even ride one's bicycle to that area. There will have to be a lot of bicycles built for two on Bolton Ave. so that Johns can pick up their favorite crack-ho. One would have to be nuts to ride a bicycle along the crime ridden Bolton Ave.
Will we soon see Mayor Roy riding his bicycle down to the Hall each morning instead of driving to work in his Mercedes?
PRES. OBAMA'S WEEKLY ADDRESS FOR MARCH 3, 2012
President Obama talks about how the American auto industry is back and creating cars that are better than ever -- and says we need to fight for a clean energy future that is within our reach.
See Also:
Obama's Weekly Address on this blog
JACQUES' PRESS CONFERENCE ON QUE'IN ON THE RED
We moved from the festival's future being doubtful to the festival being back on now. id.
"Roy addressed Que'in in a press briefing Friday" and said that the "annual barbecue festival will not be held in March, as it normally is, but could still be staged later this year". id. "I don't want to see us give up on Que'in at all," Roy said. "I think there is a good brand in it, and I want to see that brand built up." id.
But Jacques seems to be learning some lessons from the past failure of Que'in. "Some aspects of the festival that should be rethought, Roy said, include what time of year it should be held and how much should be spent on entertainment." id. Learning these valuable lessons would be a tremendous advance in making sure that the festival worked in the future.
"In addition to current stakeholders such as the city, the Greater Alexandria Economic Development Alliance and the Alexandria/Pineville Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, Roy said, he would welcome more private-sector involvement." id.
Praise the Lord that Jacques will look to the private sector. Anyone besides these lackeys of Jacques' and the City of Alexandria would be preferable for organizing the festival and to once again make it a success rather that the utter failure that it has become.
And to what is one of Jacques' favorite words "stakeholders", I think that Jacques would do well to remember that the prime stakeholder with Que'in on the Red is the taxpayers of Alexandria.
See Also:
THE MULTIPLIER FOR FESTIVALS AND THE COLISEUM and the posts linked thereunder
Friday, March 2, 2012
THE MULTIPLIER FOR FESTIVALS AND THE COLISEUM
This morning on KSYL radio's Talk Back Pre-Show, a discussion was had on the multiplier applicable to festivals and the Rapides Parish Coliseum.
At the outset, I was the first caller and I think that festivals such as Mardi Gras, Que'in on the Red and the Dragon Boat races do serve as an important for of entertainment of us citizens. But I totally disagree with the bullshit argument that the supporters can apply a multiplier to the actual cost to make a loser appear to be a winner.
Take Mardi Gras for example. Other than restaurants, gas stations, Mardi Gras beads sellers, food caterers, ballroom gown sellers, king cake bakers, and a few hotel and motel the very vast majority of our businesses and people make no money from Mardi Gras no matter what economic multiplier you apply to it. While the majority of us citizens do not make one thin dime off of these festivals, we all have to pay the taxes that support our fire, police, and sanitation workers.
The big winners economically is the state, parish and City government with what it takes in as sales taxes. So I wish that the City would just fess up and be honest with us as to whether or not these festivals operate at a loss. Once we have that information, we can make up our own minds whether the cost justifies the entertainment value that we receive.
To the caller that insinuated that I have a agenda, I do. I have an agenda that is for good and honest government. It is not hidden. Nor is it personal, which I do not see how that caller could claim that since he knows nothing about my personal relationships.
To the caller that said that we don't have music concerts in the Rapides Parish Coliseum because the acoustics are so bad. I attended many music concerts during the 70's at the Coliseum and the sound was just fine.
If things haven't changed since the early 80's, the real reason for the lack of concerts at the Coliseum is that it is priced too high.
See Also:
ARE YOU ONE OF THE PRIVILEGED FEW WHO MADE MONEY OFF OF MARDI GRAS? and the posts linked thereunder
ETHICS IN LOUISIANA
Many wrongfully think that many actions are unethical when they really aren't.
There are specific laws on ethics that apply to elected officials and public servants. Unless some action violates one of those laws, there is no violation.
Lawyers have to follow the Rules of Professional Conduct. Just like the ethics laws, unless one of those Rules has been broken, there is no violation.
Therefore, a lot of things that you might feel are unethical really aren't unless one of these specific laws or Rules are violated.
Also, any person can file a complaint.
Being a dumb ass and a liar is not necessarily a violation of ethics.
There are specific laws on ethics that apply to elected officials and public servants. Unless some action violates one of those laws, there is no violation.
Lawyers have to follow the Rules of Professional Conduct. Just like the ethics laws, unless one of those Rules has been broken, there is no violation.
Therefore, a lot of things that you might feel are unethical really aren't unless one of these specific laws or Rules are violated.
Also, any person can file a complaint.
Being a dumb ass and a liar is not necessarily a violation of ethics.
See Also:
Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board
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