“Show me the money” wuz a phrase from a very popular movie a few years ago. In it, a pro athlete wuz tryin’ to get his agent to get him az much money az possible from de team he wuz playin’ for. Such iz de case in our area now, wit’ de state an’ feds promisin’ to trow money at us ‘cause we got all dem big gaz industries comin’ to our area.
Well, we better enjoy dem handouts, an’ we better start seein’ some progress toward infrastructure improvements ‘cause dat flow uf money ain’t gonna las’ forever.
Jus’ de udder mornin’, I took Highway 90 east from Sulphur. It wuz packed wit’ folks headin’ to work at de plants. At de stoplight whare de Chateau Charles usta be, dar wuz a backup az folks wuz turnin’ left onto PPG Drive to go to work at Axiall an’ PPG. An’ eastbound folks wuz waitin’ to head toward Conoco an Sasol. Meantime traffic wuz shootin’ off uf I-10 an’ Pete Manena road to get to dem same plants.
Now, imagine what it will be like when de Sasol construction starts, an’ later when de plant iz in operation. Don’t you tink it would make sense to widen roads in de areas jus’ mentioned an’ to look at buildin’ new roads to help traffic flow in dat area?
Now de gubment folks are gonna tell you day iz workin’ on it. Dat may be, but az taxpayers we want mo dan lip service. We want DOTD an’ de Police Jury to show us what’s happenin’ to our money.
Heated Debate At School Boad Meetin’
At a recent Calcasieu Parish School Boad meetin’, de issue uf givin’ a 10-year sales tax exemption to AAR came up. Dis is de same deal Aeroframe had. Now, de discussion about dis lasted for mo dan an’ hour, wit’ some boad members sayin’ de boad wuzn’t in a position to grant tax abatements since de boad wuz in a deficit.
But de Chennault boys had dar numbers in order and pointed out dat dat money would be spent on gear an’ trainin to generate jobs dat would mo dan offset de 600 grand a year de boad would have to give up.
When all wuz sed and done, de boad voted 9-4 to grant de exemption to AAR.
Now it seems only fair dat AAR be granted de same break de previous company had — especially since dis company is much bigger an’ can get planes from trewout de U.S. to work on. It may have been a tough decision for de school boad, but it wuz de right one.
White All Over Calcasieu Parish
Louisiana state Superintendent uf Education John White haz been spendin’ a lot uf time in Calcasieu Parish. He wuz at Sowela recently, talkin’ about de need to change de kind uf diplomas dat are given to high school grads.
Now we have discussed dis before, but for review, basically, now we have three kinds uf diplomas given out to students at spring graduation. One iz de college prep diploma, which 77 percent uf de grads get. Meanwhile, 12 percent get de basic diploma, which doesn’t get dem into TOPS, an de career diploma goes to 1 percent.
Now, White wants to do away wit’ dis complex system, an’ have only one diploma. He sez dis will encourage kids to learn skills at schools like Sowela — skills dat will prepare dem for good-payin’ jobs.
We agree wit dat. Az we have sed, before diz “trade school” concept wuz started by longtime Lafayette political figure Louis Michot many years ago. But it’s jus’ now getting’ de enrollment an’ fundin’ needed.
It’s gettin’ de enrollment ‘cause college costs have skyrocketed. De fundin’ iz comin’ ‘cause de state Dept. uf Education an’ Legislature iz finally realizing dat 77 percent can’t possibly make it trew 4 years uf college.
A feller who wuz in de know at McNeese pointed out to me one time dat dars never a parkin’ problem in de spring semester. Dat’s because dem what enrolled in de fall have flunked out. One might say dat’s a formula for failure. Hopefully, White’s plans will change dat.
White also recently appeared to praise de early childhood education in our parish as one of the top systems in de state. Way to go, gang.
Numbers, Numbers And Mo Numbers
A suit has been filed in federal court regardin’ voter registration uf minorities and women in our state. De NAACP an’ a voter advocacy group called Project Vote sed our state wuzn’t doing enough to register voters.
But Secretary uf State Tom Schedler points out dat 84 percent uf eligible voters in our state are registered, and dat makes it kinda hard to find unregistered.
He also points out dat in our parish, 98.6 percent uf black women and 89.9 percent uf white women are registered. Dat’s some impressive numbers. Nonedeless, Schedler haz to go to court an’ defend our great state in what can only be described az a frivolous law suit.
Heroin Problem Spreading
You may have sawed de recent article in papers about de increase in de use uf heroin in our state. In fact, state police say dar lab haz tested nearly 300 heroin samples for 2012 compared to less dan 100 in 2011.
Now folks, dis is heroin — sometin you hear about in big cities like New York an Chicago. We often talk about de spread uf drug arrests in our area for everything from meth to cocaine to marijuana. But heroin iz bigtime serious stuff, an’ law enforcement needs to do all it can now to stop it.
Anudder new drug haz hit de streets. It’s called krokodil. Pictures on de internet uf users’ fingers and toes drying up an’ fallin’ off are most frightenin’.
Carter Hangs It Up
District Judge Wilfred Carter announced recently dat he would step down at de end uf dis month. Now, to say he haz been controversial would be an understatement.
But lawyers who go before him have nuttin’ but good tings to say about him. Day say you always got a fair shake wit’ him an dat’s all mos’ uf us want.
Prior to bein’ elected to de judgeship, Carter served as a state representative and city council member. We’re shore dat sometimes pretty soon he’ll be recognized for hiz service to de area.
By law, de Louisiana Supreme Court will appoint a replacement for Carter until an election can be held. Az uf now, it looks like dat election will be in de spring.
Sharon Wilson, who haz run for judge before, already haz signs out. But you can bet dar will be udders jumpin’ into dat race.
McNeese … Like De Old Days
If you’re like me an you haven’t been to a McNeese football game for a while, it’s time to go back. Dem uf you dat’s old enough to remember de days uf Buford Jordan, Rusty Guilbeau an’ Stephen Starring will be right at home watchin’ de 2013 edition uf de Cowboys. Speed, strength an’ smart play — you gonna love it.
We say, let’s fill de stadium for de remainin’ home games. An’ let’s show our pride by wearin’ de McNeese colors every Friday. Wear your gold and blue an’ support de Cowboys.
Here Come De Judges
We sawed in media reports dat de new City Court buildin’ was open an’ dat everyone haz moved into de new facility. We know Judge Hood an’ Judge Quirk, along wit’ Ward 3 Marshal Joey Alcede, have been workin’ on dis for a long time. An’ for dems what got bidness to conduct, tings will be a lot mo convenient.
De judges helt court on Friday a few weeks ago, an’ wuz open for court on de following Monday. Now, Judges Hood and Quirk may have had sore backs at dem Monday hearins but day wuz dar takin’ care uf bidness. Lake Charles and Southwest Louisiana should be proud uf dis new facility.
Deep Taughts While Watchin’ De Outdoor Channel
10) Will de Texans end up bein’ az bad az de Astros?
9) Who else will jump in dat race for judge to replace Carter?
8) Why do Max an’ Slim argue so much when we go to lunch?
7) Everybody’s deer huntin’ in North Louisiana. Where’s my backstrap?
6) Can anybody stop Johnny Football?
5) How can Bubba say dat a three cheeseburger lunch is heart healthy?
4) Iz de U.S. really broke?
3) Why does my neighbor have to cut hiz grass at 6 in de mornin’?
2) Why iz it when I go somewhere in my truck, folks always point at my tires?
1) Wuz de Saints-New England game a preview uf de Super Bowl?
Final Shot
My fran Lefty went to de gran openin’ uf dat new Dick’s Sportin’ Goods store in de Mall. An’ boy, did he go crazy. He baught golf clubs, fishin’ stuff, runnin’ shoes, walkin’ shoes, shirts, pants, exercise equipment an’ a whole bunch mo. In fact, he filled up his travel trailer wit’ stuff. I axed him how much he spent, an’ he said American Express had called him an’ told him he could leave home without it.
‘Til next time, lache pas la patate.
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