The Daily Review/Zachary Fitzgerald
Carol Ross, host of The Ross Report on KPEL radio in Lafayette, was guest speaker during Monday’s St. Mary Industrial Group meeting at the Petroleum Club of Morgan City. From left are SMIG Treasurer Greg Roussel, Ross, and SMIG President Bob Miller.
How much substance and detail do you really want to hear? It’s a question Louisiana voters will be asking themselves in 2019.
This quandary reminds me of the memorable line from the slapstick movie “Tommy Boy” where Chris Farley, after struggling throughout the movie to say it just right, finally articulates correctly, “I can get a good look at a T-bone by sticking my head up a bull’s (edit), but I’d rather take the butcher’s word for it.”
The point he was making was clear: spare me the messy details; I’ll just trust the experts.
For decades, that is what we have largely done with our Louisiana politicians. We have time and time again chosen our leaders based mostly on sound bites, jokes and personality and left most of the messy details and substance of governing to those so-called experts. I would argue the evidence is clear this strategy has not worked.
A few weeks back I was quoted as calling for next year’s elections to be more about “substance over sound bites.”
The good news is that thanks to an upcoming wave of Legislative term limits and a competitive governor’s race, 2019 is the perfect year for us all to finally break the habit.
Based on my interactions with folks around the state, I think the hunger for courageous leadership and outside the box proposals that work is at an all-time high. Most folks now realize Louisiana’s history of placing all our hopes on just pumping more money each year into a big powerful state government hasn’t yet led us to the promised land and likely never will.
It’s time to start having some messy and substantive policy fights and demand a new path. The realist in me understands how hard it will be to fight and win many of those policy battles for limited government and market-based solutions in the same Louisiana Capitol originally built as a monument to the premise of a “chicken in every pot” and “every man a king.” The optimist in me says we can get it done with bold leadership, a clear substantive vision and increased civic engagement across the state.
Next year’s election cycle should be more focused than ever before on policy details rather than personality traits. For example:
--Let’s talk about the details of pension reform, specifically how we can lower costs, protect retirees and make these plans more relatable to today’s workers.
--Let’s talk about the details of lawsuit reform and how there are a few simple steps we can take to reduce the tort taxes paid by every family in this state and reduce the cost of auto insurance.
--Let’s talk about the details of true tax reform and specifically how we could get to a more flat, fair system by updating our collection systems and reducing exemptions and credits to lower income tax rates rather than just pump up spending.
--Let’s talk about the details of budget reform and the number of dedicated funds that should be reduced similarly to what Buddy Roemer did back in 1987.
--Let’s talk about the details of reducing the size, power, patronage and political reach of that State Capitol once and for all and start turning that power over to the people around the state.
--Let’s talk about the details of how we create more good jobs and develop a qualified workforce to fill them.
--Let’s talk about the details behind a Constitutional Convention, education reform that will finally spend the billions of dollars we allocate each year in a way that puts parents firmly in control and an infrastructure plan that will actually build the stuff we know we need like improvements to rural bridges, 49 South and a new bridge in Baton Rouge and Lake Charles, among others.
I, like many, have a bunch of ideas on all of those topics. I bet you do as well. I know the many candidates for various offices next year will also have their own plans on these issues. As a voter, I can’t wait to hear them all.
Louisiana’s history of sound bites is entertaining and will remain a part of our political fabric, but an over-reliance on them throughout the years has dulled our senses to the reality of what we have become and lowered our expectations of what we are capable of becoming. Shame on us all if we let that continue.
2019 will be a huge election year for Louisiana and there are plenty of sound bites to prove it. It’s time to kick the tires and light the fires. It’s time for the rubber to meet the road, to start talking turkey, to get down to brass tacks. No more promises of every man a king or a chicken in every pot. I think voters are finally hungry for a big serving of substance, and they no longer seem willing to just take the butcher’s word for it.
Stephen Waguespack is president of the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry.
Congressman Mike Johnson of Shreveport might not be a name that’s in heavy circulation in local coffee houses and barrooms.
But the Republican is certainly a topic of conversation in Washington, D.C., these days thanks to his election as the new chairman of the Republican Study Committee — a notable feat for a first-term legislator.
The RSC is Congress’ largest gathering of conservatives that strives to craft policy and shape debates. It was formerly chaired by U.S. House Majority Whip Steve Scalise of Jefferson Parish, so the position is known as a stepping stone to bigger things on the Hill.
Johnson recently agreed to an interview with LaPolitics about his new position and happenings in Washington.
LaPolitics: You’re someone who has a keen interest in the nuts and bolts of policy, going back to your days in the Legislature and even earlier than that. How does this interest in policy fit into your new role as chairman of the Republican Study Committee?
Johnson: Well, let me just tell you what I have said to all my colleagues over the last few months as I campaigned for this position. I said that I really feel like in the 116th Congress, which starts in January, I think RSC will arguably have the most important moments in its history to provide a steady voice and what’s always been known as the intellectual firepower to defend and advance our core conservative principles. I think the American people need and deserve our clarity and our conviction and our consistency now more than ever. So my background in policy and law, in writing law and defending it in courts, advancing messaging for the conservative cause, I think all of that comes into play and will really come in handy in this position. ...
LaPolitics: Some of your predecessors in this new position have included Vice President Mike Pence, Majority Whip Steve Scalise, Congressman Jim Jordan and former DHS Secretary Tom Price. Have you heard from some of your predecessors and, if so, what kind of advice and insight have they been offering?
Johnson: I sought that out, of course. Many of those former chairmen are close friends and confidants of mine already. Jim Jordan is a very close friend of mine in Congress and, of course, Steve Scalise and I go back a quarter century. It’s good to have close friendships and advisors like that. I have already spent time with several of those guys, sort of grilling them on their thoughts and ideas. We’re entering unchartered waters in so many ways. It’s just a very unusual time in our national politics. You know, the culture is divided, our politics are divided and increasingly divisive. Of course, we’re moving into the minority position, so it changes the role of what we do, and in some ways the strategy about what we do as Republicans in the Congress. So it’s good to bounce ideas and thoughts by people like that. We’re all working on the same goals and it’s good to have close allies who have done it before, so that I don’t have to re-invent the wheel on everything.
LaPolitics: Two big-ticket items for Louisiana, the flood insurance extension and the Farm Bill, are on the table before the 115th Congress wraps up business. Are you confident that both of these measures will get resolved before the term ends?
Johnson: I certainly am. Obviously, it’s critically important to Louisiana that we get both of those items accomplished. You know, with the Farm Bill, the conferees from the House and Senate are currently debating discrepancies between the House and Senate bills still. I think it’s held up, on a couple of big provisions, primarily in the House bill. We added work requirements for SNAP benefits for able bodied adults. We’re trying to repeal the Waters of the U.S. legislation from the Obama Administration era. One of the hangups right now is the forestry regulation and wildfire prevention, which is a big issue. I think that the conferees will be able to work through those things and they’ll put together a final bill that meets all the criteria that all of us have demanded and fought for. With the flood insurance program ... we’ve been working on a long-term reauthorization and that’s desperately needed, because we have got to provide certainty for individuals who want to buy or sell or build a home or business. We filed in a bill in 2017, the SAFE Reauthorization Act, which would have given a long-term reauthorization of six years and protect policyholders from excessive rate hikes and the rest. So this is some important provisions, there is a lot of dialog, there is a lot of negotiations still going about the long-term fix, but I’m very confident that we will get a temporary reauthorization before Nov. 30 so nobody is left hanging on it.
They Said It: Twitter Edition
“I don’t think we should panic at all.”
—Economist Greg Albrecht, on falling oil prices, during the Revenue Estimating Conference meeting last week
“Hey, you were not supposed to leak the new state motto yet.”
—Fictional Twitter personality Gov. John Jel Jedwards, responding to Albrecht’s comment, via Twitter
“Twitter is run by Socialists.”
—3rd District Congressman Clay Higgins, R-Port Barre, on social media censorship, via Twitter
For more Louisiana political news, visit www.LaPolitics.com or follow Jeremy Alford on Twitter @LaPoliticsNow.
A 16-year-old suspect was caught in Morgan City and charged in connection with the theft of a vehicle and two vehicle burglaries, Assumption Parish Sheriff Leland Falcon said in a news release.
On Saturday, Assumption Parish sheriff’s deputies responded to a call of an auto theft in the vicinity of Bankers Court in Pierre Part. Upon investigating, deputies determined that a vehicle which had been stolen in St. Mary Parish was left at the Pierre Part crime scene, and a vehicle there had been stolen, Falcon said.
Investigating detectives identified two automobile burglaries that had occurred in which numerous items had been stolen including firearms from one of the vehicles.
Morgan City police stopped the vehicle which had been stolen from Bankers Court shortly after a bulletin had been issued by Assumption Parish, Falcon said.
The vehicle was occupied by three subjects. The investigation determined that the 16-year-old juvenile was responsible for the auto theft as well as the two auto burglaries, Falcon said. The stolen firearms were recovered. The juvenile was taken into custody through the process of a verified complaint and was in continued custody.
The American Advocacy Program will provide assistance to veterans and their families in understanding their rights. This is an opportunity to learn more about promised benefits and to receive proper education on PTSD and similar illnesses associated with Agent Orange. Other topics connected to the main subject will be open for discussion as well. St. Mary Parish welcomes you to attend this public program. For more information, please contact the Franklin Branch Library at 337-828-5364.
Hilda Mae Jones Colbert, 80, a resident of Four Corners, La. and native of Weeks Island, La., passed away peacefully at Iberia Medical Center at 7:50 pm on Friday, November 30, 2018.
Visitation will be from 8 A.M. until 11 a.m., on Saturday December 8, 2018 at St. Peter The Apostle Catholic Church (Four Corners) 1325 Big Four Corners Rd. Franklin, La., with a rosary being recited at 10 a.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will follow at 11 a.m. with Fr. Francis Domoah, serving as the Celebrant. Burial will follow in the Sorrell Community Cemetery in Sorrell.
She leaves to celebrate her life, one daughter, Claudia Brent of Four Corners, La.; three sisters, Boretha J. Pouncy of Houston, TX, Ella Mae Stacy of Sorrell, and Mrs. Robert (Shirley Jones)-Purvey of Four Corners, La.; two grandchildren, five great grandchildren, and a host of nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.
Hilda was preceded in death by her parents, her husband; a daughter, three sisters, and a great granddaughter.
Jones funeral Home of Morgan City-Franklin-Jeanerette-Houma in charge of arrangements.
Visit www.jones-funeral-home.com to send condolences to family.
Dana Charles “Smokey” Butler, 50, a resident and native of Patterson, La., passed away on Monday November 26, 2018 at 3:15 A.M. at his residence.
Visitation will be observed on Monday, December 10, 2018 at New Salem Baptist Church in Patterson, La. from 11 a.m. until funeral service at 1 p.m. Burial will follow funeral services in the Willing Workers Cemetery in Patterson, La. Reverend Samuel Calhoun will officiate services.
Memories of “Smokey,” as he was known to many, will forever remain in the hearts of his son, Dantavius Butler and his daughter, Ayana Butler; his mother, Barbara Perry of Patterson, La.; three brothers, Erwin (Ethel) Butler, Jr. and Jonathan Perry both of Patterson, La. and Daniel (Rhonda) Declouet of Gray, Louisiana; six sisters, Betty Jo Butler, Hope D. M. Perry, Shawanna Jones, and Sandra Denise Merritt all of Patterson, La., Shawn Renee (Nolan) Smith of Clanton, AL, and Leathel L. Gray of Norfolk, VA; and a host of nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.
Dana was preceded in death by his father, two sisters, a niece, three uncles, and two aunts.
Jones Funeral Home of Morgan City-Franklin-Jeanerette-Houma in charge of arrangements.
Visit www.jones-funeral-home.com to send condolences to family.
The Tri-City area has a slew of Christmas-related events happening during the next couple of weeks.
Residents of Bernice Street in Morgan City will host the 30th Bernice Street Christmas celebration 5:30-9 p.m. Saturday. Entertainment includes Santa, a puppet show, choir singing Christmas carols and a train. A refreshment table will be on site.
Walkers are welcome. Vehicles driving through enter at Cottonwood Street and exit onto Redwood Street. No parking on Bernice Street. Visitors urged to donate canned goods at Cottonwood entrance for donation to St. Mary Outreach. No bicycles and skateboards are allowed for safety reasons.
Also Saturday, Morgan City Project Graduation will host the Chillin’ Christmas Hangout from 10 a.m .- 2 p.m. at the Morgan City Petting Zoo that includes games and entertainment.
The city of Patterson will also host its Annual Christmas Parade at 2 p.m. Sunday down La. 182 in Patterson with the 4-Legged Friends Christmas Parade at noon.
The Wedell-Williams Aviation & Cypress Sawmill 19th Annual Christmas Tree Festival Exhibit Open House will be held 5:30-7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Louisiana State Museum in Patterson. Christmas trees decorated by children in the area will be on exhibit. Visitors will be able to view the Christmas trees and hear children from local schools singing holiday carols. Admission is free.
The American Cancer Society, along with M C Bank & Trust Co., will host the 20th Annual “Love Lights a Tree” Christmas tree lighting ceremony 6-7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 13, on the corner of Victor II Boulevard and Brashear Avenue in Morgan City to remember and honor those who have been touched by cancer.
Christmas in Morey Park presented by city of Patterson will be Saturday, Dec. 15. The lighted boat parade will begin at 6 p.m. The following prizes will be offered: first, $300; second, $200; third, $100. Boat entry fee is $25. The movie in the park, “Elf,” follows at 7 p.m. Concessions will be sold.
Mr. Joseph “Da Da” Lightfoot, Sr., age 68, a resident and native of Patterson, La., passed away on Sunday, November 25, 2018, in Patterson.
Visitation will be observed on Saturday, December 8, 2018 at St. Luke Baptist Church (1709 Harry D. Street, Patterson, La.) from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and funeral service also St. Luke Baptist Church, Saturday, at starting at 11 a.m. The Interment will take place in the Home Industrial Cemetery in Patterson.
Mr. Lightfoot is survived by (2) sons: Joseph Lightfoot Jr. of Franklin, La. and Earl Lynn Perro of Patterson, La.; he also reared Antonio Kinard of New Iberia, La.; 7 daughters: Pamela Lightfoot, Arabia Lightfoot and Ti’Yana Bell all of Franklin, La., Kathy Lightfoot of Sorrell, La., Laura Johnson of Houston, Texas, Chasity Payton and Starletta Lewis. He also reared Ariana Kinard of New Iberia, La.; 5 brothers: Clarence Lightfoot, Jr. of Patterson, La., Anthony Butler and Joseph Pierre both of Franklin, La., Earl Butler of Lake Charles, La., Edward Lightfoot of Plaquemine, La., and Leroy Lightfoot of Morgan City, La.; 5 sisters: Pearly Lightfoot of Patterson, La., Johnnie Williams of New Iberia, La., Debra Landry of St. Martinville, La., Cecile McWilliams of Houston, TX. and Barbara Knight of Lafayette, La.; 21 grandchildren, 31 great grandchildren.
Officiating Minister: Rev. Keith Verrette The OTIS MORTUARY, Inc. of Franklin, La. is in charge of arrangements.
Shareva Shaniece Prince, 33, a resident of New Iberia, La. and native of Patterson, La., passed away on Thursday November 22, 2018 at 4:02 p.m. at Lafayette General Hospital in Lafayette, La.
Visitation will be observed on Saturday, December 8, 2018 at the Good Hope Baptist Church in Patterson, La., from 8 a.m. until funeral services beginning at 11 a.m., with Rev. Dr. Larry J. Lloyd, Ph.D., Officiating. Burial will follow funeral services in the Home Industrial Cemetery in Patterson, La.
Shareva leaves to cherish her memories: her mother, Clementina Prince of New Iberia, La.; her father, Joseph (Cora) Allen of Patterson, La.; a sister, Shayla Prince of New Iberia, La.; a nephew she helped to rear, Daye-Sean Prince, a niece, Kens’ley Prince; nine aunts, eight uncles, and a host of cousins, other relatives and friends.
Shareva was preceded in death by her son, her maternal grandparents, her paternal grandparents, her brother, her aunts.
Jones Funeral Home of Morgan City-Franklin-Jeanerette-Houma in charge of arrangements.
Visit www.jones-funeral-home.com to send condolences to family.
Franklin Banner-Tribune
P.O. Box 566, Franklin, LA 70538
Phone: 337-828-3706
Fax: 337-828-2874
Morgan City Review
1014 Front Street, Morgan City, LA 70380
Phone: 985-384-8370
Fax: 985-384-4255