Wednesday, February 10, 2010

YOUTUBE HAS REOVED MY VIDEOS

Yesterday Youtube removed my several hundred videos for alleged violation of the terms of service. They gave me no information on that removal at all.

I suspect the removal was due to their considering my many KALB TV videos to have been a violation of copyright laws.

However, Youtube should have had the common courtesy of inquiring about the videos before their removal and the banning on my account.

Had Youtube checked first, they would have learned that I had the permission of KALB's General Manager, Michele Godard, to upload those news reports.

Michele is supposed to contact Youtube this morning an inform them of this fact.

Posted by Greg Aymond at 5:03:00 AM Links to this post

JACQUES ROY ATTACKS STEVE COCO

Yesterday, I became convinced that Alexandria Louisiana Mayor Jacques Roy is slap assed nuts.

Here this attack upon Rapides Parish Police Juror Steve Coco which took place on October 24, 2008 on the KSYL Talk Back Pre-Show.

Listen HERE

Then yesterday, Steve Coco and Bob Madison, of the Talk-Back Pre-Show, were fielding calls of people complaining about their late arriving and too many days computed on their City of Alexandria Utility bills.
Listen to that Portion of the Show HERE

Then, near the end of the next hour, after Steve was already off of the air, Jacques went down to the station and attacked Steve behind Steve's back and where he couldn't respond.

Jacques' Attack on Steve Yesterday HERE

Listen to Jacques' entire diatribe here.

Of course Mayor Roy is openly paranoid over rumors that Steve is going to run against him for mayor.

As you can here for yourself, Steve's main complaint was not the amount of his bill but rather because it had over 30 days in the billing period. And Steve was not alone in his opinion, as is evidenced by the multitude of callers in to the radio show.

Complaints of the bills being late were also echoed yesterday at the Alexandria City Council meeting by Rhonda Reap-Curiel. You can also see the problems that Alexandria City Councilman Ed Larvadain, III told us of yesterday:



Watch Larvadain on Utility Bills.mpg in News  |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Councilman Larvadain even got into a huff over Councilman Harry Silver's joke about utility bill customers. And that is the problem. The City Council and the mayor's administration seem to pay little heed to the numerous complaints of the citizens about the New Orleans' requirement for the payment of our utility bills. I myself have had that same problem on occasion.

Also, Mr. Crutchfield explained yesterday, at the City Council meeting, that for the City to handle its own the billing of utilities it would cost the City $200,00 for a mailing machine. Then Crutchfield turned right around and told us that the City is in the hole $50,000 per month to operate the Alexander Fulton Hotel. A loss of $50,000 per month since last July is more than enough to have paid for the mailing machine.

Mayor Roy has let Steve Coco get under his skin. Jacques Roy does not answer Steve's allegations or even say what they area. Could it be that Jacques doesn't like the fact that Steve is critical of his SPARK expenditures, his shady underhanded secretive Cleco deal, or the City's expenditure of our tax dollars for food under Councilman Lawson's watch, or the costly City paying for with our taxes of the downtown hotels deal and telling us how Mayor Roy wasn't truthful with us on what a sure fire deal it would be. The truth hurts doesn't it Jacques?

Stop taking any criticism of you in a paranoid negative fashion Jacques. Many of us are issue specific in that we agree with you on some and disagree with you on others. Apparently we didn't get your memo that we were supposed to be cheerleader for Jacques Roy.

Posted by Greg Aymond at 3:21:00 AM Links to this post

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FOR MARDI GRAS? GIVE ME A BREAK

This morning on the KSYL Talk Back Pre-Show, Zina Ford, who is the wife of my lawyer friend William Ford, and local attorney Mark Watson, both of whom I like, talked about the economic development that Alexandria gets from Mardi Gras.

We hear about economic impact for the L.M.A. convention, Que'in on the Red, movies being filmed in Alexandria, and Mardi Gras, just to name of few,. But I ask you. How many of you actually made a dime off of this economic impact money? I bet there are far more people who don't make anything from these events than those that do.

So I wish that the head-honchos of these events and the City of Alexandria would just admit that the events or fun are done for a status show than keep feeding us the bullshit economic development crap. Of course it is a windfall for the City's sales taxes, which are presently in dire need for help.

So unless you own a convenience store, a Mardi Gras bead shop, a formal clothes place, a hotel, or a restaurant you don't make doodly-squat from these events. There are way many more of us who do not get a dime from these events.

So go to them and have a good time, but don't wait for your economic development money.

See Also:

Posted by Greg Aymond at 8:01:00 AM Links to this post

JINDAL TO PICK AN INTERIM LT. GOVERNOR

Before anyone can run for the vacancy created by Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu's election this past weekend as the new mayor of New Orleans, Louisiana's Gov. Bobby Jindal will make a temporary appointment to the post and lawmakers will decide whether they want to abolish the job entirely, as Jindal is proposing. (See: "Jindal to pick interim lt. gov.").

"The governor's chief of staff, Timmy Teepell, said Monday that Jindal was talking with people hoping to become the interim replacement for Landrieu until either a new lieutenant governor is chosen in fall elections or until the office is scrapped." id.

Besides being first in the succession line if something happens to the governor, Louisiana's lieutenant governor oversees the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism which manages the parks, museums, state library and tourism efforts. id.

Gov. Jindal is looking for a man or a woman who will not run for the lt. governor's spot if it does remain. id. Gov. Jindal is presently looking at Hunt Downer, a Republican former state House speaker and major general in the Louisiana National Guard, and Scott Angelle, a Democrat who works as the governor's legislative liaison and natural resources secretary. id.

On the list for those who say that they will run for the office are Secretary of State Jay Dardenne, Senate President Joel Chaisson, Treasurer John Kennedy, Sen. Sharon Weston Broome, Sen. Mike Michot, Sen. A.G. Crowe and Rep. Rick Gallot. id. Just what Louisiana needs is that unethical Rep. Gallot as our Lt. Governor. I think that the election will boil down to Dardenne and Kennedy.

Landrieu will not leave the office until May. id.

See Also:

Posted by Greg Aymond at 6:03:00 AM Links to this post

JINDAL'S ABOUT FACE ON LANDRIEU IS CRITICISED

Way back on Nov. 20, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said what he thought without regard to the political consequences with this rare event which occurred on CNN, when he was interviewed about criticism of U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., for pushing a fix of Louisiana’s Medicaid funding problem via an amendment to the giant Senate health-care bill. (See: "Inside Report for Feb. 9, 2010; Partisan Jindal makes an issue by his silence").

Gov. Jindal, who is a Republican, said of Sen. Landrieu, who is a Democrat, on that same TV appearance, that "The bill is awful, but it’s unfair to criticize Sen. Landrieu or the rest of our delegation for fighting to correct this injustice to Louisiana. Our entire delegation is working together across party lines to correct this flawed formula.” id.

But Jindal has kept quiet during the last few months that Rush Limbaugh and several of his right-wing cronies have been calling Sen. Landrieu a whore for voting for the senate's Health Care Bill in return for her getting several millions of dollars in Medicaid payments for Louisiana from the federal government.

I am glad that Senator Landrieu voted the way she did on the senate's health care bill. As to getting the federal funds for Louisiana through an amendment, I agree with what Gov. Jindal said last November. Wasn't she only doing her job for Louisiana?

The Advocate concludes the article by writing that:

"His willingness to toe the national party line makes him appear little more than a marionette to the Limbaughs of the world.

There is something deeply phony about the way such an intelligent man contorts himself into a caricature, when he could lance the boil of the controversy just by doing what he was on Nov. 20 — being honest." id.

See Also:

Posted by Greg Aymond at 5:30:00 AM Links to this post

ENOUGH ALREADY

The news media, throughout the state, has been inundated with stories and reports on the New Orleans Saints victory in the Super Bowl Sunday.

The coverage of that night and even the next day was understandable, but enough is enough. It was only a football game that will not put any money in our pockets and doesn't affect our daily lives one iota.

I watched the Super Bowl and was pulling for the Saints to win. I was even happy that they did win. But I think that it is time that we got back to some real news.

Posted by Greg Aymond at 5:11:00 AM Links to this post

IS THIS THE ROBERT MORGAN WHO GOT THE D.W.I.?

A Robert Carter Morgan, who was born on April 27, 1949 and who lives in Pineville, Louisiana, appeared at his arraignment for D.W.I. on February 5, 2010. That same Robert Morgan had his administrative appeal last week to try to get his driver's license back.

I wonder if this is the same Robert Morgan as the Robert C. Morgan who is a Town Talk reporter?

If so, he would join other members of our news media, such as Mike Magnoli of KALB TV News who also got a D.W.I. a while back.

Isn't it funny how the local news media reports on everyone else's D.W.I.'s but their own?

See Also:
TRADITIONAL NEWS MEDIA WINS and the links on this blog listed thereunder

Posted by Greg Aymond at 4:48:00 AM Links to this post

RAPIDES PARISH POLICE JURY HEARS OF FINANCIAL WOES

At yesterday's meeting of the Rapides Parish Police Jury, the Jury got some bad news from Treasurer Tim Ware. (See: "Political Lagniappe: Treasurer presents bleak financial picture to Police Jury").

Ware told the Jury that the parish-wide 1-cent sales tax was off by $210,988.72, a drop of 8.35 percent, with the 1/2-cent sales tax was down $280,137.68 or 14.52 percent; Occupational license tax revenue was off $64,109.70 or 45.09 percent; the loss of $8,607 in rents at Cotile Lake Recreation Area, a 61.15 percent drop, was likely because of the recent cold weather; and court fines and cable TV revenues are down, he said. id.

On a better note, the costs for courthouse utilities and feeding and maintaining prisoners were also down, but Ware pointed out that December was unusually mild in terms of weather. id.

The Police Jury rescinded its earlier approval of an intergovernmental agreement between the parish and the city of Alexandria allowing closure of two crossovers on Coliseum Boulevard, construction of a service road connecting the Coliseum and the National Guard Armory and improvements to the parking lot to the City's Versailles Road extension project with the decision was reversed after the city withdrew its previous approval. id. A new approval of an agreement that took out the word "may" and replaced it with the word "shall" and placed no time limit upon the City was passed. id.

Assistant District Attorney Tom Wells, legal counsel to the jury, told the jury that the Texada/Matthews Road could not be maintained by the Jury because it had been abandoned for its 10 years of none maintenance by the Jury. (See: "Residents decry lack of road maintenance").

District B Juror Joe Bishop questioned how the Coliseum will handle parking when two crossovers on La. 28 are closed as the Versailles Boulevard project is completed, but Jimbo Thiels, speaking for the Rapides Parish Coliseum Authority, said that the Coliseum has 22-23 acres of land behind the National Guard Armory that can provide additional parking. id.

See Also:

Posted by Greg Aymond at 3:55:00 AM Links to this post

Monday, February 8, 2010

WHAT WOULD JESUS SAY ABOUT HEALTH COVERAGE FOR ALL

As the United States debates on whether it wants to join the rest of the industrialized World in offering medical care to all of its citizens, see the video below which is one of the best on the topic that I have seen:

See HERE.

Whether you are a Jew, Muslim or a Christian, this video should mean something to you.

See Also:

Posted by Greg Aymond at 6:39:00 PM Links to this post

SARAH PALIN CHEATS AT TEA PARTY


Former vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin addresses attendees at the National Tea Party Convention in Nashville, Feb. 6, 2010 (See: "Five Lessons from the Tea-Party Convention" when she mocked President Obama for his use of a teleprompter. (See: "EXCLUSIVE: Palin's Tea Party Crib Notes").

But at the same time Palin had cheat notes scribbled on her hand.

See this MNBC news report here:



A teleprompter or notes scribbled on the hand, what's the difference. It would seem that Sarah Palin was a tad bit hypocritical with her criticism of Pres. Obama on this issue.

Posted by Greg Aymond at 6:17:00 PM Links to this post

CONGRESS SETS OUT TO DO AWAY WITH THE 'DON'T ASK, DON'T TELL' LAW

At his January 27, 2010 State of the Union address, Pres. Barack Obama said that he was calling for an end to the over a decade old "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy and law, and allow homosexuals to serve openly in the U.S. military.

The U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee began holding hearings, on February 2, 2010, to change that law, and it would seem that, despite heavy Republican opposition to the repeal, it is supported by the mealy mouthed top military brass. (See: "Top brass advocate repealing 'don't ask'").

"President Bill Clinton sought to end the ban in 1993, but, faced with opposition from top military officers and Congress, instead issued the "don't ask, don't tell" executive order that guides current enforcement." id. Then in 1994, Congress enacted 10 U.S.C. Sec. 654 which provided in subsection (b) that:

"A member of the armed forces shall be separated from the armed forces under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense if one or more of the following findings is made and approved in accordance with procedures set forth in such regulations: (1) That the member has engaged in, attempted to engage in, or solicited another to engage in a homosexual act or acts unless there are further findings . . .[or] (2) That the member has stated that he or she is a homosexual or bisexual, or words to that effect . . ." (See: "More On ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ And Executive Orders").
Therefore it would take an act of Congress to change the law.
Candidate Obama supported gay rights in the military, but as president he took the position that "Applying the strong deference traditionally afforded to the Legislative and Executive Branches in the area of military affairs, the court of appeals properly upheld the statute". (See: "Dismay Over Obama's 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Turnabout"). I guess that Pres. Obama wanted to repay the queers and carpet munchers for their support in getting him elected president.

I was opposed to even the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy for the military. I personally support no homosexuals in the military. Most major religions are opposed to homosexuality and it goes against nature.

See Also:

GAY RIGHTS TRIAL BEGINS IN CALIFORNIA and the posts linked thereunder

Posted by Greg Aymond at 1:04:00 PM Links to this post

LOUISIANA LOOKING FORWARD TO A SLOW ECONOMIC RECOVERY

When it comes to good news about the Louisiana economy, there basically isn't any if one is among the 46,900 residents who lost their jobs in 2009, and how soon they will be able to find employment is a huge question mark after the first month of 2010. (See: "Louisiana still facing a very slow recovery").

Consider these facts.

Last week, the Obama administration forecast a 9.8 percent jobless rate at the end of the year, just a bit below the current rate of 10 percent, and the White House forecasts 8.9 percent unemployment at the end of 2011 and 7.9 percent at the close of 2012 — indicating that good job times are still quite far off. id. But Louisiana closed the year only with a December unemployment rate of 7.5 percent, though that was quite a jump from 6.7 percent in November. id.

Still, the term "modest recovery" is beginning to surface, and one train of thought is that the recession is over because of a 5.7 percent boost in the nation's gross domestic product in the fourth quarter, but LSU economist Loren Scott said "If you're a small business right now, you have almost got to be in a holding pattern. You don't know what's going to happen with taxes. You don't know what's going to happen with health care". id.

President Barack Obama proposed last year the elimination of tax incentives for oil and natural gas companies, and, although the measure is merely a next-fiscal-year budget proposal, it's already had a chilling effect on parts of Louisiana where the heart of the energy industry shed 2,200 jobs in 2009, Scott said. id.

Finally, the article concludes with writing that "The administration of Gov. Bobby Jindal says 2009 will go down as the year where the groundwork was laid for up to 8,000 new jobs in the coming years" and "for many of those 46,900 who joined the unemployed in 2009, the hiring notices can't go out fast enough". id.

See Also:
SALES TAXES FALLING and the posts linked thereunder

Posted by Greg Aymond at 5:19:00 AM Links to this post

THE CURRENT STATE OF ETHICS IN LOUISIANA

Elliot Stonecipher, the Shreveport, Louisiana pollster and demographic analyst, sent me another e-mail in which he wrote:

"When Bobby Jindal chose Jim Tucker to be Speaker of the House (after saying he wouldn't interfere), he stepped even deeper into bad governance ca-ca with his choices of key committee chairs, notably including Rick Gallot to chair House & Governmental Affairs.

Of course, we now know that one of the first brainstorms brought to Jindal by Tucker, Gallot and a few others was the gutting of ethics enforcement by moving adjudication control to a gubernatorial appointee who serves completely at Jindal's pleasure. (Here's how that's working out for the good people of Louisiana: http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/83739952.html).

One would think that this group's handiwork in setting Louisiana back a few decades by politicizing-into-virtual-non-existence ethics enforcement would be enough, but, no, not for this bunch. Now, they move straight to an issue where fundamental fairness and integrity is least likely to surface even under the very best of circumstances: political district reapportionment and redistricting based on the 2010 Census. In the House of Representatives, Rick Gallot is again in charge."


In that e-mail, Stonecipher brought up the article by James Gill of the New Orleans Times-Picayune.

In "Ethics in the Louisiana Legislature? That's a laugh: James Gill", Mr. Gill wrote that "Louisiana legislators are seldom funny, on purpose anyway, but there is something about ethics that brings out their impish sense of humor".

Mr. Gill went on to write that "Bobby Jindal is in on the joke too, as he showed on becoming governor in 2008 when he emasculated the ethics code and called it the "gold standard". id.

Mr. Gill also wrote that:

"The choice of Gallot was a hoot, since he was already under investigation by the ethics board for accepting legal fees from a company doing business with Grambling State University and the state Board of Supervisors. The conflict between his official and private roles was all the more exquisite because his mother is a member of the board.

That conflict could hardly have been more glaring, but Gallot got the last laugh. The court of appeal confirmed last week that, under the new system of ethics enforcement approved by his committee, Gallot is untouchable.

The court ruling came just a few days after the Public Affairs Research Council called for ethics laws to be reworked again and opined that "in some regards" the current system "took a step backward."

Certainly, before Jindal's advent, the ethics board was itself conflicted, since it combined the roles of investigator, prosecutor, adjudicator and enforcer. Jindal's solution was to reduce the board's role to that of prosecutor and bring in administrative law judges, in panels of three, to issue rulings.

When Gallot's case came before a panel, the seven charges against him were thrown out because two of the judges ruled that the board had blown the filing deadline. The third judge opined the charges should stand.

The board asked the court of appeal to reverse, which was pretty stupid. The new law does not allow the board to appeal decisions handed down by administrative panels, as the court tersely observed last week.

Gallot, noting he was not surprised the board's "frivolous" appeal had failed, had to be tickled pink. PAR, however, is not amused by much of the new ethics code. Its principal beef is that there is no point revamping ethics laws without a "solid enforcement system," which administrative law judges cannot provide because they are "dependent on the state for their income and benefits." The current system is "fundamentally flawed" because it "places inordinate power in the hands of the governor" and could "unfairly favor certain public officials." Thus, "public confidence in ethics reform will decline," according to PAR.

The proposed solution is to give the adjudicatory power back to the ethics board and establish a separate commission to investigate and prosecute. That would give us a much better chance of stern but impartial justice.

It must be so, for Gallot immediately came out against that idea, pronouncing current arrangements eminently satisfactory.

Do you think other legislators will figure we need more ethics around here? Don't make me laugh." id.

Never have words more true been written.

See Also:

Posted by Greg Aymond at 4:39:00 AM Links to this post

CLECO GETS SOME P.R. ON OUR MONEY

For several days now, I have been seeing a public relations story published by the Alexandria, Louisiana Town Talk in an obvious attempt to garner Cleco some public relations brownie points.

That article said "A new program offered by Cleco for low-income customers provides for a 25 percent discount on the fuel portion of those customers’ July, August and September utility bills". (See: "Cleco's new CARE program offers discount for low-income customers").

Cleco is clearly buying itself some good will immediately after having sold us ratepayers out to the City of Alexandria by attempting to settle its fraud against us lawsuit.

But this public relations isn't costing Cleco anything. It is paying for it with the $60 million to $100 million that they stole from us.

See Also:

Posted by Greg Aymond at 4:06:00 AM Links to this post

SAINTS WIN SUPER BOWL


The New Orleans Saints defeated the Indianapolis Colts, 31-17, to win Super Bowl XLIV in Miami on Sunday, February 7, 2010.

In the Saints first trip to the Super Bowl, the Saints won.



Posted by Greg Aymond at 3:35:00 AM Links to this post

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