Louis R. Avallone

Category: American Values

  • A Few Considerations to Make

    A Few Considerations to Make

    By Louis R. Avallone

    –

    It is often said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” So, before 2015 begins picking up a full head of steam, let’s look at a few of the items worthy of noting from last year:

    On last fall’s elections: Only ten years ago, Democrats held all statewide elected offices and had majorities in both legislatures. Republicans now have majorities in both houses of the legislature, on the Public Service Commission, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, and the Louisiana Supreme Court. There are Republicans in every congressional seat (except one) and there is a Republican in every statewide elected office in Louisiana.

    The 2014 Louisiana elections provided a source of hope, or a beacon of light, in a country seemingly enveloped by the fog of Washington D.C., and liberals whose agenda differs greatly from the principles upon which our country was founded. But for those who are pleased with the election results from the fall, they cannot become complacent by these recent victories. Increasingly, the electorate is displeased with both Republicans and Democrats, and let’s discuss that subject next.

    On political party participation: While the number of Republican voters in Louisiana has increased 10-fold since 1979, Republicans still have a lot of work to do here in Caddo Parish, if they wish for Caddo Parish to mirror the political temperament of the entire state. Do you know that Mary Landrieu garnered 52% of the votes in Caddo Parish, from November’s election?

    And now in 2015, a new political party could be on the horizon for Louisiana because there is no longer a legal ban on the establishment of an independent party. There’s enough self-identified “independents” on Louisiana voter rolls to meet registration requirements for party status and all that’s left now is for someone to step forward and register an “independent” party. The fastest-growing segment of registered voters identify themselves with neither of the two major political parties — Democrat or Republican. State records show more than 750,000 of Louisiana’s 2.94 million voters in the “other party” category. Maybe this is because more and more folks distrust government, and that brings us to the next subject.

    Pay me now, or pay me later: Elliott Stonecipher recently pointed out that Caddo Commissioners have had their salaries raised 165% since 1993. It was $8,400 a year in 1993, and today that salary amount is $22,263. However, if Commissioners had used actual cost-of-living adjustments, as determined by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, their pay today should be $13,385 per year (instead of the $22,263 they are receiving). All non-term limited Commissioners are up for re-election in Fall 2015.

    Race: Goodness gracious. From Ferguson to New York City, race relations appear to be deteriorating, but the bottom line is that white people cannot possibly identify with being black. As the adage goes, walk a mile in my shoes and see what I see – hear what I hear – and feel what I feel. And until then, it’s really not fair to judge some in the black community for what they believe. But murdering police officers, or setting fire to businesses, or activists stirring the anger of millions across the country, endangering the lives of innocent people at the same time, regardless of the facts, are all wrong too. Far more powerful, it seems, is the advice given by Martin Luther King, Jr. in these situations, when he said: “Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon, which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it. It is a sword that heals.” I wonder if Dr. King, Jr. would be too peaceful, or too Christian, or too thoughtful for America today?

    I’ll Be Home for Christmas: Well, not if you work for this White House. I’ll explain. Of course, the President can go wherever he likes. He’s got Air Force One and doesn’t have to go through airport security. But just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should, right? For example: Do you know where the Reagans, the Bushes, and the Clintons spent their Christmases, while in the White House? Except for Clinton’s first year in office, the Reagans, the Bushes, and the Clintons spent them all at the White House so that their staff and the Secret Service could enjoy the holiday with their own families.

    Nothing really political here. Just a reminder of a kind gesture, from days gone by, in a nation that seems in a malaise of me, me, me.

    And finally, a prayer for the New Year: Although more than 7 out of 10 Americans believe the country is headed down the wrong track, we should all be reminded of the following: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened” (Matthew 7:7).

    This prayer calls on us to act, as well. Writing letters to the editor of your local newspaper, calling your elected officials, showing up at your local school board meetings, paying attention to the city council, talking to folks at your church about what you believe, encouraging young people to get involved in a political campaign, and inspiring others to serve our community with their talents, are just a few examples of how we can make a difference in 2015.

    And while it is true that none of us can control what happens to us, we can all control what happens in us. And may what happens within us this year bring us all great health, wealth, and happiness, all year long.

  • Good grief, Charlie Brown! It’s about Christ.

    Good grief, Charlie Brown! It’s about Christ.

    By Louis R. Avallone

    –

    In December 1965, nearly 15 million viewers, or one-half of the television viewing audience, tuned in to watch A Charlie Brown Christmas. It has become the longest-running cartoon special in history, but it almost was cancelled before it ever was aired. You see, the CBS network executives were less than impressed. Aside from the technical criticisms, resulting from a rushed production schedule, the executives did not want to have Linus reciting the story of the birth of Christ from the Gospel of Luke. It was thought that viewers would not want to be preached upon by an animated cartoon, especially from Biblical passages. Obviously, after almost fifty years of airing every Christmas, receiving an Emmy and a Peabody award, those CBS executives got it wrong.

    “There will always be an audience for innocence in this country”, said Charlie Brown’s creator, Charles Schulz. Nonetheless, the religious celebration of Christmas continues to face trivialization by an increasingly vocal and secular strain of society today.

    Retailers have tried calling Christmas trees, “holiday” or “family” trees. They’ve pressed-on with “Happy Holidays”, even though 67% of Americans prefer the greeting, “Merry Christmas”. Advertisers have pushed out “Christ” from Christmas and pushed on with “X-Mas.”

    Last year an activist group spent big bucks to purchase a billboard advertisement in New York City’s Times Square – a 40’ by 40’ image that asks, “Who needs Christ?” and answers that question with “Nobody”. In 2012, there was another Times Square billboard that urged viewers to, “Keep the Merry. Dump the Myth,” with an image of Christ beneath a photo of Santa Claus.

    Now, this year, there’s another anti-Christmas billboard campaign, but it’s moving from Times Square and is spreading into cities like Memphis, Milwaukee, St. Louis and Fort Smith. This year’s billboard uses an image of a child scribbling out a letter to Santa Claus saying, “All I want for Christmas is to skip church! I’m too old for fairy tales.”

    Goodness gracious. What is it about Christmas that is so offensive?

    Well, you see, it’s not Christmas at all – it’s Christ that’s the issue. While many might deny the existence of God, it’s much more difficult to deny Jesus, for whom we have historical evidence of his existence, even from secular sources that are outside of the Bible. Still, the life of Jesus is so powerful, and his words so meaningful, that even atheists cannot seem to get Him out of their minds. They must find it helpful to mock the religious beliefs of Christians everywhere with their billboards, even as they encourage non-Christians to do the same.

    So, what effect is this having in our country, or even around the world? Well, last year, reported cases of Christians killed for their faith around the world doubled from 2012. The number of people in America who believe in God has dropped almost 10% since 2009. In our public schools, there is increasingly no room for recognition of any faith whatsoever, Christianity or otherwise. And there’s even a case right now before the New Jersey Supreme Court to decide if the words “under God” should be removed from the Pledge of Allegiance because it discriminates against atheists.

    Even while it is true that 96% of Americans celebrate Christmas, only 51% consider it a “religious” holiday – and that number is declining. That means that the odds are pretty good, that when you are out Christmas shopping, the person ahead of you in line, or the person behind you, probably doesn’t consider Christ’s birth as the significant “reason for the season”.

    They may not realize either that buying more and more expensive gifts or all that “stuff” we buy at Christmas doesn’t mean we “care” more about our family or friends, especially when the teachings of Christ can show that love so much more than buying another gizmo, or gadget. In fact, the person in line with you may not know the life of Christ very well at all, or his teachings of tolerance, and respect for one another and the goodness of life. Or of gratitude, and humility.

    So, while Charlie Brown first asked the question in 1965 on national television, “Isn’t there anyone, who knows what Christmas is all about?!”, the answer has been the same for over 2000 years – it’s Christ. And we ought to put that up on a billboard too.

     

    Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

     

     

  • Democrats and Denial – Not Just a River in Egypt

    Democrats and Denial – Not Just a River in Egypt

    Psychologists call it “confirmation bias”, which is the tendency to search for, or otherwise interpret information in a way that confirms what you already believe, regardless of the facts. You may call it “rationalizing”. Others may call it “missing the forest for the trees”. I call it “denial”, and as the old saying goes, denial is not just a river in Egypt.

    You see, almost 50% of Americans say the mid-term election results were a vote against the President’s policies. And almost every poll shows it too. At least 3 out of 4 of Americans believe the country is headed in the wrong direction, not to mention that the President’s approval rating with the American people – and within the black community, as well – is at the lowest level of his presidency. In fact, black voter participation this year increased from the last midterm election, and yet Democrats now hold less elected offices, at both the federal and state level, than at any time since the 1920s.

    Considering that the Obama administration has lost control of both the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, Democrats are turning to a familiar, but worn out explanation: It’s not the President’s policies being rejected by the voters. It’s that white people don’t like having a black man in the White House.

    Really? Yes, really. And be prepared to hear a lot of that in the next couple of years whenever Republicans stand in the way of the President’s agenda or oppose his executive orders, from immigration to gun control.

    Nevermind that it was white voters, in a largely white nation, who elected a black man to its highest office in the land. In fact, it was Iowa – which is 95% white – that made him into a contender for 2008. Still, he stirs the pot by telling reporters earlier this year that, “There’s no doubt that there’s some folks who just really dislike me because they don’t like the idea of a black president.”

    Seriously? Nevermind that folks might not really like the idea that their President told them, “If you like your health care plan, you can keep your healthcare plan,” while, almost 100,000 Louisianans have had their health insurance policies cancelled this year. Nevermind that you deliberately allowed American guns to make their way illegally into Mexico, where they were used by drug cartels to kill dozens – including a U.S. Border Patrol Agent. Nevermind that you promised Americans an administration filled with “transparency and the rule of law”, even though you issue executive order after executive order, thereby escaping the glare of the legislative process, the need to debate the issues, or to humbly ask for support from the 319 million Americans in this country.

    Race is just about the only song that the Democrats have left to sing now, but it will be completely out of key, though. You only need to look across the country to understand why. In Utah, they just elected young Republican Mia Love to the U.S. House of Representatives (she also happens to be black), and in South Carolina, Republican Tim Scott was elected as the first black U.S. Senator since reconstruction, and is the only black have also been elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.

    Then here at home, there’s State Senator Elbert Guillory from Opelousas. He also happens to be black, and he switched to the Republican Party, after years of seeing the continued plight of blacks in America, who traditionally vote Democrat every time, without any measurable improvement to their communities. Or how about Rev. C.L. Bryant, former NAACP leader and host of America on the Edge radio show here in Shreveport, who says that there is no reason for blacks or Latinos to support this president, when you look at the economic numbers.

    And he’s right. Since 2008, black poverty is up, and unemployment is down. 40% of black males are incarcerated, and 72% of black children are still being born to unmarried mothers. There are fewer blacks participating in the labor force and the unemployment rate among blacks is more than double than it is in among whites.

    This is, in part, why black Republicans are being elected to so many statehouses, city halls, and to Congress. People are voting for these black Republican candidates because of what they believe, not because of the color of their skin. Go ahead Democrats, sing the race song, but the rest of America is humming a different tune these days.

    Mary Landrieu, and Democrats everywhere, can rationalize both hers and the President’s diminishing popularity with the voters by saying that “(t)he South has not always been the friendliest place for African-Americans,” but the truth of the matter is that the South is no longer the friendliest place for empty suit politicians that leave any communities – black, white, or otherwise – with little more than empty hands.

    Democrats have paddled minority communities up this river of denial one too many times. And the problem now for Democrats, more than ever before, is that an increasing number of folks in these communities are simply tired of being taken for a ride.

  • There’s No Wizard In Oz

    There’s No Wizard In Oz

    By Louis R. Avallone
    –
    The Shreveport Mayor’s race has been wrought with lots of hand wringing, anxiety, and foretelling of the doom and gloom that awaits this great city, if only the voters happen to choose this candidate over another. Many express great concern about the continuation of the backroom deals that have plagued our community – and the wealthy benefactors and power brokers who have made that possible. And while most voters want to elect a leader this time that actually knows the way, shows the way – and then gets out of our way – we must also realize this: There is no “wizard” in Oz to save us.

    There is no “magical” leader that will solve all of the daunting challenges of our fair city. Much like the Tin Man needed a heart, or the Lion needed courage, we also have some seemingly, insurmountable dilemmas: We are facing a diminishing tax base, while at the same time needing to finance $200 million in underfunded pension plans, $342 million in water and sewer improvement projects, plus an estimated $400 million of road repair projects that are needed to be done right now.

    If the people of Shreveport wish to pick themselves back up this election season, dust themselves off, and take the reins of a proud Shreveport which future generations will build upon, and that we can preserve for our children, it won’t be because we relied upon any one “magical” leader or “wizard” in City Hall as mayor.

    No, we will pick ourselves up because more and more concerned citizens stepped-up, and contributed their time and talent towards shaping our community. By becoming more informed about the issues. By recruiting, and supporting, more candidates for the city council and parish commission who are more interested in solving our problems, instead of theirs. By changing our political culture and saying, “enough already” with how it’s been done before.

    Is the Mayor’s office an important one? Absolutely. But to invest too much dependence on a single individual is half-baked to start with, because it oversimplifies the tasks at hand, and provides too many voters with an easy way to stop paying attention after the election, when the real governing begins.

    You see, voting is not a kitchen countertop rotisserie, where you can just “set it and forget it” on election day. This is because, as Ronald Reagan once remarked, “Governments have a tendency not to solve problems, only to rearrange them”.

    So to solve problems, we need the most talented, competent, and skillful people working in City Hall, not more laws or ordinances, or throwing money at issues, more backroom dealings, or appointing another committee or hiring another consultant to study our problems. This time around, for real change, we must change, because our leaders have only that power which we are willing to give up.

    Don’t get me wrong, there are some other valuable lessons from the movie, The Wizard of Oz. For example, don’t stand next to windows during tornados. When something knocks the “stuffings” out of you, just stuff it back in and move on. The grass isn’t always greener over the rainbow. When you think you are the most helpless, you still have an amazing ability to help yourself. And, of course, the biggest lesson, there is no place like home.

    Well, Shreveport is my home and there’s no other place like it for me. And like Dorothy with her ruby red shoes, we’ve always had the power to help ourselves and get off the proverbial “yellow brick” road, and get back home to the basics of honesty and accountability in government.

    The question this time around, since we know there’s no “wizard”, nor the next great city of the south at the end of the “yellow brick” road we’re on now, how long before the so-called “powers that be” in our city realize it’s been a dead end road for them too?

  • Tell Me Lies, Tell Me Sweet Little Lies

    Tell Me Lies, Tell Me Sweet Little Lies

    By Louis R. Avallone
    –
    You probably have heard the song, “Little Lies” by Fleetwood Mac. You know the one. It goes, “Tell me lies, tell me sweet little lies…” Well, there’s nothing sweet about this, and frankly, there’s almost nothing that makes me more angry.

    You see, in a recent radio interview with MSNBC host Al Sharpton, President Obama said it did not matter that Senate Democrats didn’t want him campaigning for them in their home states. He explained that those incumbent Senators, many whom are fighting for their political lives, “are all folks who vote with me” and “have supported my agenda in Congress”. We get it. You’re the President and folks need to go along to get along with you.

    But what he said next reveals such an utter disrespect for the truth that it represent one of the greatest threats to democracy everywhere, and an affront to every man and woman who has fought and died to preserve our liberty: He said he told these Senate Democrats running for re-election, “…you do what you need to do to win. I will be responsible for making sure our voters turn out.”

    That’s right, just say whatever you need to say to the voters to win, and I’ll be waiting here at home in Washington, where we can resume my agenda when you get back.

    In other words, it doesn’t matter that the latest polls consistently reflect that almost 3 out of every 4 of us believe that the country is headed in the wrong direction, or that Obama’s approval index is in negative territory.

    It doesn’t matter to Obama how much the American people disapprove of his agenda for America. He only needs the Senate Democrats to further that agenda along – and not you, or me, or the sanctity of truthfulness in democracy.

    But there was a time in our nation when elected officials subordinated their own partisan interests for the greater good of our national interests. There was also a time when there was shame for not following through on your promises, or respecting the will of your constituents. And when you didn’t, there was honor in accepting the consequences.

    These principles were, in large measure, what brought about President Nixon’s resignation in 1974, when both Republicans and Democrats agreed that he had crossed the line. In fact, it was the most prominent of conservative Republicans – not Democrats – who eventually convinced Nixon to resign. And this was after Nixon had been reelected by the largest margin in U.S. history.

    Today, however, doing “whatever you need to do to win” seems to be the moral compass of our politics, and it pays homage to the belief that the ends really do justify the means, even though this is the antithesis of what our founding fathers believed.

    Not sure? Remember Obama promised that, “If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor. If you like your health care plan, you can keep your health care plan.” Meanwhile, almost 100,000 Louisianans have had their health insurance policies cancelled this year.

    He told us that the “Fast and Furious” program was started under the preceding Bush administration, but it wasn’t. In fact, the Obama administration, in October 2009, deliberately allowed American guns to make their way illegally into Mexico, where they were used by drug cartels to kill dozens – including a U.S. Border Patrol Agent.

    Obama said there was, “Not even a smidgen of corruption,” when questioned about the IRS targeting political groups, such as the Tea Party. But now we know that wasn’t true, and that the IRS “did not follow the law”.

    We were told by Obama that the attack on our embassy in Benghazi was because of a “shadowy character” in our country who made an extremely offensive video directed at Mohammed and Islam that sparked a “spontaneous riot”, but we now know that wasn’t true either. In fact, the original CIA talking points were revised at least 12 different times by the White House, just to fit their narrative – instead of the truth.

    On Obama’s first day in office, he proclaimed to his staff and the press, “Transparency and the rule of law will be the touchstones of this presidency.” Well, you can see from these few examples, nothing could be farther from the truth.

    So while Mary Landrieu feigns disapproval of Obama, considering the 6-7 score she gave Obama during the Senate debate in Shreveport recently, she still votes 97% of the time with him, and his agenda for America – despite how 3 out of 4 of us feel about that.

    You see, widespread lying simply makes it hard for citizens to make the best choices in the voting machines. And if our culture embraces a “do whatever you need to do to win” philosophy, then voting becomes a sham, and our democracy only an illusion.

    But if the future of our nation is a choice between citizens voting on lies and those who care more about the “ends” than they do the “means”, then you’ll have to forgive me for getting up and leaving when the President starts singing, “Tell me lies, tell me sweet little lies…” just to get Senate Democrats elected. That’s a performance – and so out of tune with what we believe as Americans – I just can’t listen to it anymore.

  • Legislature Says NO to Raising Taxes in New Orleans

    Legislature Says NO to Raising Taxes in New Orleans

    By Louis R. Avallone
    –
    Should Caddo/Bossier Follow Suit?

    It’s a popular business adage that you have to spend money to make money. The question for taxpayers on November 4 is how much money, and whose money are you spending?

    You see, there’s an initiative on the ballot in November that will increase the sales tax on hotel guests in Caddo/Bossier by 2%, making the total occupancy tax 6.5% (and among the highest in the state). If passed, this means for every $100 in hotel bills, paid by guests to our area, $6.50 will be collected from them in taxes.

    The added 2% will generate an estimated $3 million in dedicated revenue for the Independence Bowl Foundation, as well as the Shreveport-Bossier Sports Commission and the Ark-La-Tex Regional Air Service Alliance. These organizations are composed of hundreds of volunteers and supporters who give their time, and considerable talent, to promote our communities, and improve our quality of life, not only for today, but as a legacy for the next generation.

    They are a big reason that the Independence Bowl is the largest sporting event in the state of Louisiana outside of New Orleans and LSU home football games. And that it’s the 11th oldest bowl in our country, and that it is being televised for the 23rd year in a row on ESPN. So, with their share of the almost $1 million in recurring annual revenue expected from the proposed tax, the Independence Bowl Foundation says that it can attract even better teams to the bowl, and preserve the bowl for years and years to come.

    Indeed, the Independence Bowl has pioneered sports tourism for our region, opening the doors to events like the Bassmaster Classic last year – which generated an estimated $7 million for the local economy. The Shreveport-Bossier Sports Commission says it can attract even more of these quality sporting events with its $750,000 share in taxes that it is expected to receive each year, if voters say “yes” next month.

    And, of course, if you are going to invite folks from all over the country for such events, you surely have to make an easy path for them to get here. But with our region’s current air service, that’s not always convenient, or affordable. Maybe that is why over 50% of all travelers flying from the Ark-La-Tex do so from anywhere else but Shreveport Regional. This is why the non-profit organization, Ark-La-Tex Regional Air Service Alliance, says it needs their expected $1 million share of the annual revenue provided by the proposed tax. They say that if they could get just one (1) new route, with a 50-seat regional airliner, it could make as much as a $4 million impact each year.

    Yes, objectives of these organizations are honorable, no doubt, and deserve our support and attention. We have to be careful, though, when folks start saying that such support, through an additional 2% hotel tax, will be at “no cost to the citizens of Caddo and Bossier parishes” or that it will be paid entirely by “out-of-town visitors”.

    That’s just not necessarily true – it affects our entire economy. In fact, for this very reason, Louisiana legislators just recently voted down Mayor Mitch Landrieu’s efforts to raise the New Orleans’ hotel-motel occupancy tax by another 1.75%. If they had raised the tax, New Orleans would have been on the same level as New York City, which has the highest hotel-motel taxes in the country. And according to Lieutenant Governor Jay Dardenne, he says doing that would have made it difficult to position ourselves as a “destination”, or even to attract events like the Superbowl, back to Louisiana.

    The proposed tax in Caddo/Bossier could mean that folks will stay fewer nights in our community, or hoteliers will offer less services, in an effort to compete with hotels in surrounding parishes, where the taxes are lower. After all, taxes can literally “move” people.

    Consider the meteoric population growth of Bossier Parish, and the stagnating population growth in Caddo Parish, over the past 20 years. Is it just a coincidence that Caddo Parish also has the highest property taxes in the state? Probably not. Or look at the number folks migrating from Louisiana to states with no state income taxes whatsoever. Again, coincidence? Probably not.

    You see, supporting this tax increase in November may be worthy of voter support, but it should never be because we can persuade enough people that “somebody else will pay the bill”.

    After all, we cannot tax ourselves into prosperity. If we could, we would have reduced the nation’s unemployment rate, paid down the federal debt, decreased the poverty rate, lowered healthcare costs, and increased national security at our borders years and years (and billions of wasted tax dollars) ago.

    No, we have to be careful here, on this slippery slope of increasing taxes in our community, whether it’s an occupancy tax or any other, for that matter.

    As we go to the polls in November, we need to remember, as Ronald Reagan said, that we have some people around here “who have never met a tax they didn’t hike”.

    And to those folks, I’d just say, remember whose money you’re spending – and that folks vote with their feet too.

  • Mary, why don you ak right?

    Mary, why don you ak right?

    By Louis Avallone
    –
    Senator Mary Landrieu is reimbursing taxpayers several thousands of dollars that she took and spent for a charter flight to attend campaign events, including a fundraiser in Dallas. She has an estimated net worth between $894,018 and $2.6 million, with assets totaling $1.9 million to $3.1 million, according to her own disclosure forms, yet she doesn’t maintain as much as an apartment in this great state of Louisiana.

    She represents the Louisiana people in Congress, but no longer finds it necessary to live here herself – even her voter registration card lists her primary residence as Washington, D.C. Maybe it’s because, as she said in a recent interview, “I really can appreciate the life that we live on the Hill.”

    And she’s done a lot living on the Hill, indeed, with the citizens of Washington, D.C. She sponsored a bill allocating $2 million for District of Columbia schools, which are ranked 26th in the nation, while schools in Louisiana still remain ranked near the bottom – 49th in the nation. She’s an advocate for the District of Columbia, as she said in a speech recently, and she wants “to speak on their behalf”. No doubt this is why the mayor of Washington, D.C. has proudly called Landrieu “the Senator representing the District of Columbia until we become the 51st state of the United States.”

    Goodness gracious, Mary. What’s wrong with you? Or as our south Louisiana family might say, “Mary, why don you ak right?”

    The truth is that these Mary shenanigans represent the last vestiges of Louisiana populist politics that asks the question first (and last), “What’s in for me?”

    There’s lots of examples of this in our state’s history. Governor Huey P. Long, even while wildly protesting against the wealthy in the 1930s, and proposing to guarantee every family a basic annual income, was himself making plans to become that which he so publicly abhorred – being wealthy. As a result of Long’s allegedly questionable acquisition of mineral rights to state owned properties, concentrated in wetland areas along our coast, those mineral rights have generated nearly $1 billion in royalties for his family and associates – and continue to do so still today.

    Then there was Governor Edwin Edwards. He was a populist, and was elected 4 times as governor because of it. In the end, though, he was found guilty of racketeering charges and sentenced to ten years in prison. In that case, Edwards had asked the question, “What’s in it for me?” and received $845,000 from a contractor who wanted to do business with the state, while at the same time raising taxes on the people of Louisiana by almost $1 billion.

    Then there was populist U.S. Representative Bill Jefferson from New Orleans, who rose from poverty to then serve in Congress. He accepted $500,000 in bribes while in office, in exchange for his influence in Congress. He hid some of that money in his freezer, as you may recall, but was sentenced to 13 years in prison after everything had thawed out.

    Then there was New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin who recently was convicted on 20 of 21 counts of bribery, and is now serving 10 years in prison. Prosecutors explained that Nagin sold the mayor’s office, for personal gain, which included lavish trips and cash, even after Katrina, where he had ignored federal and state offers of help, and their recommendations to evacuate the city before the storm.

    All of these examples share a common denominator: These politicians all claimed to be champions of the people, and defender of the “little guy”. Instead, the people lived under one set of rules, while their elected leaders lived by another. They said one thing, and then did another.

    They may have had good intentions, but one only needs to look around to see what decades of politicians’ good intentions have done to our nation, and our communities. Intentions are powerful beginnings. They provide a spark to ignite a purpose, launch a plan, and to direct the mind, but they tell you nothing about the actual outcome.

    Huey Long made famous the slogan, “Every man a king, but no one wears a crown.” Sounds good, but history has shown it’s often the politicians who end up wearing the crowns. All politicians, to some degree, sound alike – and it’s becoming harder and harder to tell the difference.

    But at least they ought to live in the state that they are representing, so we can keep an eye on them, and figure it out for ourselves.

    Robert Frost wrote famously in a poem about how two roads diverged in the woods, and how he chose the one less traveled, and how “that has made all the difference”. For our state’s elected officials in Washington, shouldn’t they choose the road back home, as well?

     

  • Space Invaders

    Space Invaders

    By Louis Avallone
    –
    Do you remember the game Space Invaders? Released in 1978, it revolutionized video games by allowing the players to “stay alive”, or to play the game longer on a single quarter or token – just as long as their high scores kept rising. In other words, the better you played the game, the more “bonus” time you were rewarded and you could continue playing the game, all on the same quarter.

    Most modern arcade games, however, no longer even keep track of the scores. There’s often not even an option to save the high score by entering your initials, and thus not much incentive to earn “bonus” time by playing the game exceptionally well.

    Unfortunately, and in this important election year, the same can be said for our modern day elected officials – there seems to be no incentive for them to perform exceptionally well to earn re-election. One reason may be that voters already, and overwhelmingly, re-elect incumbents, regardless of their “high scores”, or lack thereof.

    That’s a pattern, all the way from the White House to Congress and to any mayor’s office, in any town, and everywhere in between. You see, we continue re-electing folks, or rewarding them with “bonus” time, even when their “high scores” simply are not rising.

    And whether it was the criminal malfeasance of former Mayor Ray Nagin in New Orleans (who was re-elected to a second term), or the low public approval scores for the U.S. Congress (which are at historically low levels), we can’t help ourselves when it comes to incumbents, it seems.

    Incumbent candidates, seeking re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives, have won 80% of the time, over the past 40 years.

    This means that an incumbent candidate is almost guaranteed re-election, even while the public approval rating of Congress is in the basement at 15%.

    Consider also that three out of the last five mayors of Shreveport were re-elected to a second term in office, even while our population growth remained stagnant, our property taxes remained the highest in the state, our city’s public works infrastructure was crumbling, and now, just last week, we learned that the City of Shreveport’s Pension Plan Fund is $120 million short from being able to meet all of its obligations to city workers. Goodness. Gracious.

    Now consider also incumbent Mary Landrieu, who is seeking her third term in the U.S. Senate this year. She votes 97% of the time with President Obama, even though Obama lost Louisiana in the 2012 election. She told Louisianans in 2009 that if they liked their health insurance plan they could keep their plan, and of course, that turned out to be untrue (92,739 Louisianans actually received health insurance cancellation notices).

    And even still, with all of that dirty laundry, election polling indicates she, as the incumbent, is in a statistical dead heat with her leading challenger, Bill Cassidy.

    So what gives? Why do we keep re-electing incumbents, if their results are so poor and our approval of the job they are doing is so low? Maybe it’s because it’s easier for us to heap anger and disappointment upon an institution, such as Congress, rather than the guy or gal running for re-election who is also a member of your church and whom you see at the grocery store or at Little League. Maybe it’s also because the incumbent has more name recognition, or has easier access to campaign finances, or government resources.

    Whatever the reasons, we are electing more and more incumbents every year, and largely without justification. Since 1972, incumbents have enjoyed a 3-2 advantage over their opponents. Today, it’s grown to a 4-1 advantage.

    It’s time to keep score. And during this important election year, we would all be wise to only elect incumbents, or award those candidates “bonus time” only so long as their results, or their high score, is rising.

    And for most voters, that means re-electing candidates that are good listeners, intelligent, approachable, and are willing to work hard – candidates who are more interested in doing what’s best for their constituents, rather than in how they will get re-elected again.

    To elect any other candidate this election year calls to mind the old adage, “If you keep doing what you’re doing, you’ll keep getting what you’re getting.” In some instances, it may be time for another candidate to take a turn at “play”. And for those other candidates, it should just be “game over”.

  • Just Doesn’t Feel Right

    Just Doesn’t Feel Right

    By Louis Avallone
    –
    Do you ever have a hunch or gut feeling…where you are convinced, almost instantly, by feelings that you cannot always explain? Some folks call this intuition, which comes from the latin word “intuir,” meaning “knowledge from within”. These are the times when we just “know”in our hearts and souls, irrespective of our five senses, that something feels right, or feels wrong.

    This happened recently, as I watched Robert Bergdahl, father of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, speak in the Rose Garden at the White House. This is where President Obama made the ceremonial announcement that Sgt. Bergdahl had been released from the Taliban in Afghanistan, where he had been held in captivity for the last 5 years.

    Subject to an Executive Order, and without any Congressional involvement, President Obama released five (5) Taliban detainees from Guantanamo Bay in return for Sgt. Bergdahl’s release, and the deal was done.

    Even though the U.S. traditionally does not negotiate with terrorists, and even though each and every one of the Taliban men released from Guantanamo Bay is a hardened terrorist, and will likely participate in efforts to kill more Americans, the deal was done.

    And even though Sgt. Bergdahl reportedly left his command post in 2009 voluntarily, just before sending his parents an email explaining, “The horror that is America is disgusting,” even while hundreds searched, and as many as six (6) fellow soldiers lost their lives searching for him after he disappeared, the deal was done.

    And even though Sgt. Bergdahl is believed to have deserted the Army, proclaiming that he was “ashamed to be an American. And the title of U.S. soldier is just the lie of fools,” the deal was still done.

    And even while Taliban members have killed thousands of U.S. and NATO service men and women since their regime toppled in Afghanistan in 2001, following 9/11, the President still negotiated with them, and the deal was done.

    And even though negotiating with these very terrorists is demoralizing to the men and women in our military, who serve with honor and distinction, and to the memories of those soldiers whom have made the ultimate sacrifice, the deal was nevertheless done.

    SO…when Robert Bergdahl is standing in the Rose Garden of the White House, and he says the phrase, “bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim” (translated from Arabic, “In the name of God, the merciful, the compassionate”), and when he posts online that, “Democracy is a cult in the West”, and that “I am still working to free all Guantanamo prisoners” and that “God will repay for the death of every Afghan child, amen!”, something’s out of wack.

    Whether you call it intuition or whatever, many Americans probably just can’t find the words to explain it either, because it just doesn’t feel right, as Americans.

    Arguably, “bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim”, is a common Arabic phrase. That’s not the issue. But when you place it against the backdrop of Robert Bergdahl’s online postings, and his son’s emails explaining “(t)he horror that is America is disgusting,” there’s not a good feeling to this. Not at all.

    The White House Rose Garden ought to be used, instead, to praise the truly honorable service of our U.S. military men and women, particularly those killed while searching for Sgt. Bergdahl in the first place, not to honor anyone, military or otherwise, who is “ashamed of being American”.

    From the Rose Garden press conference, to negotiating with the Taliban, to releasing prisoners from Guantonamo Bay, the Obama administration has undermined our national security. History clearly shows that terrorism decreases only with overwhelming military force. An an example, in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, pirates regularly attacked American ships, then kidnapped our sailors, and held them for ransom. We were spending 20% of the federal budget to ransom our sailors in the year 1800.

    It was not until Thomas Jefferson took office that we aggressively went after the pirates and refused to pay any ransom money to them. Not surprisingly, the kidnapping of our soldiers by pirates soon ended, and proving again the wisdom of peace through strength.

    Mr. Bergdahl, you and your family have the freedom to live wherever you wish, but know this: democracy is not a “cult”, as you put it. It’s not at all.

    It’s a shining city on a hill, blessed by God, and more than 1.3 million free men and women have fought and died to protect the principles upon which it was founded, including to search for your son. It is a rare treasure, and as Ronald Reagan put it, “If we lose freedom here, there is no place to escape to. This is the last stand on earth.”

    Yes, there’s something very right about that. And it’s more than just a “gut” feeling.

  • It’s Not My Party, It’s Some “Other Party”

    It’s Not My Party, It’s Some “Other Party”

    By Louis Avallone
    –
    People of all ages are becoming less engaged with the political process. Unlike Thomas Edison’s adage that “genius is 99% perspiration, and 1% inspiration”, it seems nowadays that voter participation in the political process is wholly dependent on the reverse of that adage: it’s 1% perspiration and 99% inspiration. Here’s what I mean:

    There are ample reasons why folks don’t feel “inspired” by our politicians. In fact, 1 in 5 Americans don’t trust either the Democrats or Republicans. There is such broad dissatisfaction with both parties in Congress, in fact, that nearly 7 out of 10 Americans say they are inclined to look around for someone new this fall to send to Washington.

    That’s not a big surprise, though. For example, most Americans don’t want Democrats handling their healthcare, and fully 40% of Americans feel that neither the Democrats or the Republican parties are accountable enough to the people…or that either party has done enough to fix our immigration system…or reduce the national debt…or provide meaningful campaign finance reform…or decrease the partisanship in Washington, which they feel is now the biggest problem facing America.

    And here in Louisiana, we’re seeing the same. The number of voters registering as “other party” is increasing – now 1 out of every 4 registered voters. And even though Republicans are winning major state elections here at home, The Advocate also reported recently that voters “registered as ‘other party’ or not registered with any political party, are climbing too, as voters distance themselves from either of the mainstream political parties”.

    The problem here is that the data shows that “other party” voter turnout is historically lower, compared to those who are registered as Democrat or Republican. If this trend continues, both parties will likely continue to see their numbers decline, and we’ll have an electorate that will be even more detached from the political process than we do now.

    So what is really going on here? Voter participation in the political process has decreased, but the number of folks registering as “other party” has increased, and yet Louisiana voters have still elected Republicans to every statewide office. What gives?

    We could sit here and make a well-reasoned and analytical explanation, just to make sense of it all, of course. However, I think the migration trend of some voters to “other party” can be explained very simply: voters are not inspired.

    Voters increasingly are less and less inspired to follow any political party, it seems. In his book, Start with Why, author Simon Sinek explains that people don’t buy “what” you do, but they buy “why” you do it. For example, how many voters know “why” the Democrat and Republican parties exist? Or “why” these parties should matter to anyone?

    The answer may be fuzzy at first, but that’s the rub in all of this. You see, once a political party, or any organization for that matter, clearly communicates their “why” (their purpose, their cause, their belief), then (and only then) can they inspire others to follow.

    Contrary to conventional wisdom, though, the increasing number of “other party” voters is not because these voters are seeking some agnostic middle ground, where there is neither right nor wrong. Instead, these “other party” voters seem to be growing because they don’t feel like either party “gets” them, or understands their purpose, their cause, or their belief. These voters abandoned party labels because they saw their party as moving too far from its core values and couldn’t trust the direction it was headed.

    And that makes sense. It’s about trust for these “other party” voters. As in business, for example, when we choose one product, service or company over another, it’s because we feel we can trust them more. And when choosing a political party, the decision making process is exactly the same. But we must start with “why” if we are going to inspire others to action.

    Our state is served well by individuals who get involved in party politics, and don’t merely check off a box on their voter registration card. These are the volunteers that are the lifeblood to our democratic process. They are the ones walking the neighborhoods, calling supporters, and who spend countless hours organizing party events, speakers, luncheons, and rallies.

    They are the ones whose efforts are the least recognized, or appreciated, but perhaps are the most important. They do it because they believe the political process is meaningful and that their work makes a difference…they do it because they are inspired.

    Although it was the ethos of hard work and sweat that built this nation, perhaps right now we need less perspiration, and a great deal more of inspiration, to get voters involved in the very democratic process that has nourished our republic now for almost 238 years – before we lose an entire generation to some “other party”.