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December 21, 1941 -August 31, 2017

Stoic, Courageous, Strong — three small words that seem to capture the spirit of such a large life. After a long and hard-fought battle, on August 31, 2017, Carroll Joseph Kraemer won the war — he found peace. Carroll, affectionately known to many as “the Singer Man” or “the Sewing Machine Man,” was born in Houma on December 21, 1941, and made a home for his family in Morgan City since 1967.

In an article written by Carroll, he states “My family (wife, daughter and son) are three of the greatest gifts ever given to me by God. Thank God they all understand me as being a person of service.” He believed that every person has received special graces and talents and, with these, it is our shared responsibility, our “right” and “duty” to minister to others. Carroll lived this belief daily. He was described as a rock, always willing to help, a great listener, friend and comforter but mostly, a spiritual leader. Carroll was a man of great integrity and put his beliefs into action as an active member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church since moving to Morgan City.

Carroll also believed in learning. For several years he commuted to attend weekly classes and in 2014 (at the age of 72) proudly received his Master Catechist certification from the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux. In addition to his own learning, for over 25 years he shared this gift of knowledge with countless Catholics as the instructor for the adult RCIA program and the CCD Confirmation program for the youth of the parish. He often chuckled and said that he thoroughly enjoyed being around the young people because they “helped to keep him young.”

Carroll was a member of several community and civic organizations including the initial Kiwanis Club in Morgan City. He was a longtime member of the Knights of Columbus, both 3rd and 4th Degree, and served his council as Grand Knight for a number of years. In 2015 Carroll was honored to be presented with a prestigious Rotary Foundation Paul Harris Fellow, “in appreciation of tangible and significant assistance given for the furtherance of better understanding and friendly relations among peoples of the world” — a beautifully fitting tribute.

As Carroll found peace in death, waiting to welcome him was his forever love, Zeder Mae LeBoeuf Kraemer; his mother and father, Edwin and Audrey Kreamer; his “little” brother, Daniel James Kraemer; and his dear friend, Fr. John Gallen.

Together, Carroll and Zeder gave love, life and legacy to their family. Carroll leaves in grief his children, Angela Kraemer, and Carl Kraemer and wife Sandy; four adored grandchildren, Dana Kraemer Veillon and her husband Jacob, Stuart Daniel Kraemer, Candace Marie Angeron and
Olivia Claire Kraemer; one great-grandchild – his precious Olive Rose; one brother, Merle Kraemer and his wife Patricia “Pat”; his nephew, Rick Kraemer, Judy Kraemer, Madelene Cunningham, Robin Rogeau, Priscilla Boudreaux and Phyllis Parsiola; numerous godchildren and countless extended family members and friends. Although today we grieve, we are also deeply comforted to know he earned the respect of his Creator and forever his heart is filled with joy.

Pallbearers include Carl Kraemer, Stuart Kraemer, Rick Kraemer, Jim Firmin, Randy Breaux and Bob Rougeau. Honorary pallbearers are Merle Kraemer, Dean Kreider, Lee LeBlanc and Jacob Veillon.

Time of love and support for Carroll’s family and friends will be Monday, Sept. 4, 2017, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. followed by a mass in his honor at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Morgan City. Carroll will be placed to rest with Zeder at St. Francis De Sales II Cemetery in Houma.

His physical presence will never be filled but the love with which Carroll touched all those who were blessed to know him will live in our hearts — always.

Idell O’Prien, 85, a native of Morgan City and resident of Gray, died Thursday, Aug. 31, 2017, at her residence.

Jones Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements, which are incomplete at this time.

There has been a consistent drumbeat of late dominating the airwaves sung by a chorus of politicians, interest groups and talking heads. They want fiscal reform and they want it now.

Of course, they do. Don’t we all? I mean, who in their right mind would oppose something called “fiscal reform?”

Just the very mention of it causes us to visualize a day when all Louisianans can finally live in the job-creating, budget-balanced society we have long pursued.

Yet, too many in the fiscal reform chorus have yet to specifically state how they define it. Time is running short and voters are starting to demand more details.

Which specific taxes do they want us all to pay? What specifically will they do with the money? And what specifically will they do to reduce the cost of government? These details matter and it’s time for the chorus to get specific.

Trust in government is at an all-time low and generic sound bites are not going to cut it this time.

With this reality in mind, here are a few suggestions for the chorus to ponder should they decide to get specific with taxpayers:

First, keep it simple. The goal is to design a simple, flat and fair tax code.

Remove exemptions and credits where sensible and lower corresponding tax rates accordingly. Fewer loopholes in the code will give more consistency.

Don’t remove them just to fund more government spending that we already can’t afford.

Second, don’t start a book burning. Not every spending program is bad.

Not every tax is harmful. Not every credit, exemption or exception should be repealed. Be strategic with the analysis and focus on what will make it easier for people to live, work and invest here.

Third, touch the Medicaid hot stove. Enough with the debate over Medicaid expansion. That decision is made.

Start talking about how to reform it, snuff out fraud, incentivize the responsible use of it and promote a pathway to get off it.

Putting people to work in stable, quality jobs so they can one day get off Medicaid is better than just casting the net wider and wider each year.

Fourth, touch the pension hot stove. Louisiana must reform our pension systems and start making them more affordable. We assume unrealistic rates of return that will threaten the program’s viability for future generations.

Also, there are simply too many recent examples of high-profile government workers stepping down for big pension paydays that seem unfair to lower paid workers in the private (and public) sector.

This erodes trust with the taxpayer. The world has changed, our pension systems must also change.

Fifth, reform the budget structure. Just as Buddy Roemer did in 1987, unlock many of the dedicated funds and make those dollars eligible for expenses like education and health care.

Eliminate unnecessary boards, commissions and other fiefdoms that add extra costs and regulatory hurdles.

Demand higher performance from higher education programs in terms of helping our kids get Louisiana jobs. Reward programs that do it well, eliminate those that don’t.

Sixth, embrace transparency. Put every contract and dollar spent in government online in an easy to understand manner. This includes local government and the judiciary.

You cannot rebuild taxpayer trust in government without this step. Look to www.ohiocheckbook.com to see how it can be done.

Seventh, start draining the swamp. You can only fix the house that Huey Long built by slowly draining its power. Taxation closest to the people is most accountable.

Slowly evolve to a system where people pay more of their taxes local and less to the state.

The Kingfish method of sending all our money to the Capitol and hoping it trickles back down in the form of good schools, roads and jobs clearly is long past busted. Copy Texas in this way by making parishes more accountable for helping solve problems and give them some tools to do it.

Eighth, attack corruption with everything you’ve got. There are too many headlines of local and state government dollars being misspent. Problems with the management of our major cities reflect poorly on all levels of government.

Ninth, collaborate more and pontificate less. Everyone is tired of elected officials who only know how to argue and fight. If everyone is going to sacrifice some to get compromise, then the good vs. evil narrative must end. Neither liberals nor conservatives are immune from criticism or blessed with all the right answers.

Tenth, fix the economy. New incentives aren’t needed, it is more about creating a culture of growth.

Start by stopping the bad stuff. Stop pushing government lawsuits as the way to fix everything.

Stop trying to tear down bipartisan school reforms. Stop changing the tax code every six months.

Stop the anti-business rhetoric that drives away investment. Stop ignoring infrastructure needs and propose a funding plan that taxpayers can trust.

Stop disincentivizing personal responsibility by throwing government at every problem.

Look, everyone supports fiscal reform. No shocker there.

But for true fiscal reform to happen, elected officials must be honest with the people and get specific with the details.

Lost trust can be rebuilt, but it starts with fewer sound bites and more sound policy.

Stephen Waguespack is president of the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry.

DEVILS TOWER, Wyo. (AP) — Just like in the science-fiction movie “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” UFO enthusiasts are being drawn to a strange geological formation in Wyoming.
Devils Tower played a key role in the well-known UFO film that came out 40 years ago this year. The first Devils Tower UFO Rendezvous will be held at the site from Sept. 14-16.
The formation is actually the solidified core of an ancient volcano.
Experts on UFOs will speak at the convention.
Organizer Brian Olson tells KOTA-TV that there’s a fun side, too, with plans for a parade, live music and barbecue cook-off.
Devils Tower stands more than 800 feet (243 meters) tall and can be seen for miles.