PIERRE SEZ

We Bet Money Will Be ‘Found’

Az you’ve seen in da newspapers and on TV in de las’ few weeks, da  Calcasieu Parish School Boad iz rasslin’ wit’ a budget shortage uf $3 million.

Now de boad haz already taken some steps to cut expenses to make de numbers jibe. For one ting, de cost for insurance for children playin’ sports will no longer be payed by de boad. We’ve seen two or three articles on dis … nuttin’ final yet.

But jus’ like in de case uf de Civic Center gettin’ $4 million uf “found” money, we would be willing to bet right now dat de boad will “find” de money. It might be in de form uf grants, fund subsidies or increases in de projection uf sales tax.

It always gets me when public bodies “find” money. Meanwhile, de res’ uf workin’ folks usually don’t have dat “found money” (unless we hit a lick on de boat), so we have to cut our expenses or get anudder job. Public bodies usually jus’ pass mo taxes, causin’ us to cut our expenses to pay dem additional taxes.

Also, az we have mentioned regardin’ de school board, az many az nine new members may be sittin’ on dat boad next year. An dat’s wit’ all de incumbents who run again bein’ reelected. So what we are sayin’ iz dat new board will have to deal wit’ what iz bein’ decided by de current boad.

Mo Money … Mo Taxes

Az we’ve sed befo, gubment iz like a shreddin’ machine. It jus’ eats all de money you put in it. Well, we’re seein’ yet anudder rumblin’ uf de cookie man “feed me” attitude, which is like de shreddin’ machine. Dis time it comes from de City uf Lake Charles tryin’ to work out details on callin’ for a quarter cent sales tax.

Now we do applaud Mayor Roach an’ de City Council for addressin’ de issue uf underfunded benefits an’ retirement for city employees. Dat’s sometin’ mos’ cities an’ public bodies have jus’ kicked down de road like an empty can. Still, we see lots uf news about  increases in de amount uf sales tax bein’ collected an’ all de money dem industries are gonna bring in an’ public bodies are still yellin’ more, more, more … jus’ like de cookie man an’ de shreddin’ machine.

Who Hired, Trained, An Supervised ‘Em?

Me, I got a buddy who haz a company wit’ 500 employees. An’ whenever a supervisor comes runnin’ to him wit’ a complaint about an employee, my fran always axes, “Who hired him or her? Who trained him? And who haz supervised him?”

Well, after listenin’ to all de yackin’ about de retirin’ Cameron Parish School Superintendent Stephanie Rodrigue, me, I decided to ax de questions my buddy ends up axin’.

Who hired Rodrigue? De Cameron Parish School Boad. Some in Cameron say even dat wasn’t above board, claimin’ she wuz hired behind closed doors by de boad. If dat’s true, maybe de La. State Police should be axed to investigate de whole board radder dan just Rodrigue.

Movin’ on to who trained her, Rodrigue haz 36 years of trainin’ in education an’ got lots of trainin’ on buildin’ demolition, debris removal and construction when she took over in June, 2005 and Hurricane Rita hit in September. Talk about bein’ thrown into a hornets’ nest. But she handled it.

Az far az who supervised her, dat would be dat same Cameron Parish School Boad who approves de money to be spent by de boad.

Now, de State Attorney General’s office reviewed a state police investigation uf claims made regardin’ Rodrigue an’ sed dar wuz never any intent to do wrong. Case closed. Now de citizens uf Cameron Parish, school boad members, former members an’ folks who don’t like outsiders can all accept dat fact an’ move on.

Boad memberz are faced now wit’ de challenge uf havin’ a new superintendent in place by September. Dat’s when Rodrigue walks out. De challenge to de current boad is to do dar homework an’ get a good, qualified person dedicated to improvin’ education in Cameron Parish. Ain’t small town politics in education wonderful?

Deductible Madness

If you checked your State Farm homeowner’s bill, you’ll see it jumped about nine percent for dis year. On top uf dat, de insurance giant announced a hurricane deductible increase to 5 percent. In udder words, if you have a $200,000 house wiped out by a hurricane, and you’re insured by State Farm, you gonna have to come up wit’ $10,000 to cover de deductible. Yeah, like everyone will be walkin’ around wit’ 10 grand in dar pocket after a major hurricane.

Nagin Pays For Hiz Crooked Deals

One ting about de feds, if you’re offered a deal before goin’ to trial, you better take it, ‘cause if you go to trial an’ get convicted, dem federal judges are gonna trow de book at ya. Jus’ ax Ray Nagin or Edwin Edwards.

Nagin wuz sentenced to 10 years recently in federal court in New Orleans afta bein’ found guilty on 20 uf 21 counts uf bribery, mail fraud an’ tax evasion. It’s de ole game uf contractors who do bidness wit’ de city bein’ squeezed for money, trips, expensive meals or udder forms uf consideration, az de feds call it.

Nagin is expected to report to federal prison in Oakdale in a few weeks. Now, some say Obama will pardon him. If you study de las’ four or five presidents, you’ll see none uf dem dished out pardons right an’ left. In fact, when EWE wuz sent away, all sorts uf political heavyweights from both parties, includin’ John Breaux, Bennett Johnson an’ Republican Dave Treen tried to get him a pardon, but couldn’t do it. So de chances uf Obama actin’ on dis one ain’t too promisin’ for Nagin.

One udder ting: If you’re sentenced by a federal judge, you have to serve 90 percent uf de sentence (again, see EWE). So, to dem folks who say he’ll be out in 18 months, we say dis ain’t no state prison. It’s de big boys.

It’s sad to see yet another scar on de city uf New Awlins. Papers in dat area showed pictures uf 15 elected or appointed gubment officials who’ve been convicted or pled guilty to federal charges since 2005. Still, de city will bounce back az it haz so many times.

Read dis quote written by a New Awlins architect: “Times are not good here. The city is crumbling into ashes. It has been buried under taxes and frauds and mal-administrations so that it has become a study for archeologists … but it is better to live here in sackcloth and ashes than to own the whole state of Ohio.” Folks, dis wuz written by Lafcadio Hearn in 1879.

We Gotta Pay For Dis?

Az you know, dar’s a battle between Superintendent uf Education John White wit’ de backin’ uf de BESE Boad against Gov. Bobby Jindal  over Common Core. Now, what really gives a lot uf folks de choo rouge iz dat BESE wants to file suit against Jindal,  an’ BESE boad members want to hire an outside lawyer to handle de case, which BESE will have to pay for wit’ our tax dollars.

On de udder side uf de fence iz Jindal sayin’, Come on baby, I got my lawyer … also paid for you and moi.  Me, I tink Jindal and White should each put up 200 grand, payable to de citizens uf Louisiana.

Sulphur Ain’t Thrilled With Progressive

Recently, de City uf Sulphur switched solid waste companies. Citizens were told dis company would mean a drop in garbage rates for citizens.

Well, a buncha folks are findin’ out price ain’t everyting. Garbage bein’ left on streets, cans being trown all over de place, pick-up schedules not bein’ followed are just some uf de complaints. We hope for de citizens uf Sulphur dat dis is taken care uf an’ soon.

A Real Gentleman Leaves Us

All uf us in de media are saddened by de recent passing uf Bobby Dower, longtime American Press managing editor. I tink John Bridges sed it best — when someone passes, we always say, “He wuz a good man or a she wuz a good woman.” Well folks, I can tell you witout a doubt dat Dower was a good man. De entire staff at Lagniappe expresses its sympathy to his family.

Deep Thoughts  While Fishin’

10) When will we quit hearin’ about Labron James’ move to Cleveland?

9) Why money for dredgin’ at de Port but none for roads an’ bridges to get ready for da boom?

8) Astros ahead uf de Texans … how can dat be?

7) Don’t de new McNeese Radio Station on 88.7 (KBYS) sound good?

6) Ain’t dem “Tidbits uf History” programs on CGOV great?

5) Will Suddenlink carry de SEC Channel, an’ how much day gonna booray us for it?

4) How come all my franz can’t be like Shorty, who brought me a big chunk uf fresh tuna?

3) Ain’t it great to see Pearl Cole from Abraham’s Tent get a special award?

2) Who will jump in de race for Lake Charles mayor next year?

1) Haven’t we all seen enough soccer on TV for a while?

Final Shot

I axed Lefty why he had so much liquor on da table in hiz man cave. He sed he wuz celebratin’ Bastille Day all de way trew Labor Day.

‘Til next time, lache pas la patate.