De legislative session ain’t even begunt yet, an’ already me an’ a whole buncha udder folks is sick uf hearin’ folks po mouth about how dis state can’t possibly survive on a budget uf more than $24 billion.
Steven Waguespack with da Louisiana Assoc. of Bidness and Industry wuz in town recently, speaking about how bidness couldn’t possibly take any mo taxes. He wuz basically whippin’ de local bidnesses into shape before de legislative session starts in mid-April.
He did bring out de fact dat in de last 10 years, de state budget haz gone from $15 to $24 billion … an’ agencies keep comin’ back for more.
Waguespack also pointed out dat lots of de state retirement systems are waaaaay underfunded.
What does all dis mean? It means de state gubment is doin’ what you an’ I do every day, an’ dat iz … do wit’ what you got. Are some programs bein’ cut? Yes. Are some uf dem tax breaks really payin’ off for de state? De answer is no.
An dat’s where our legislators stand az we get close to anudder session. Dis one iz gonna be fun to watch, folks. First, you got a governor who’s gonna be out in eight months an’ a Legislature dat’s loaded wit’ members who will be in dar last session, so day could care less about all de goodies dat come wit’ playin’ along wit’ da gov: goodies like committee assignments, football tickets an’ udder political patronage gifts. So day gonna speak dar minds an’ let de chips fall whar day may. Ain’t Louisiana politics wonderful?
Ronnie Sez He’s In
Me an’ my buddy Max went to a fundraiser/announcement party for state Sen. Ronnie Johns recently. Dar wuz a very impressive group uf area an’ state officials on hand at de West Cal Event Center for de announcement dat he will be runnin’ again in de fall.
Ronnie represents Senate District 27, which iz basically West Calcasieu, an’ some uf South Lake Charles. He’s on some powerful committees in de Senate an’ haz done a great job for hiz district. We’ve heard uf no one runnin’ against him yet, and tink he’ll probably have a free ride like he did four years ago.
Sulphur Intersection Is Time Bomb
You’ve no doubt heard about de traffic lights being out at de corner uf Hazel and Maplewood drive in Sulphur. Da lights at dat busy intersection wuz knocked out by an electrical storm a few weeks ago. So de city haz put up four-way stop signs an’ some well hidden “no left turn” signs an’ have a Sulphur policeman sitttin’ nearby to make shore no one violates the no turn policy.
Mayor Chris Duncan haz been on TV sayin’ it would cost 30 grand to fix de light, an’ dat a new system will be comin’ in soon dat will replace de current system. In udder words, de city’s thought iz de wait iz worth the risk.
Now folks, dis is a very busy intersection, an’ iz about to get busier wit’ ball games at McMurry Park at de end uf South Hazel. An’ you got de LHSAA tournaments comin’ up in May.
Takin’ de risk iz de wrong move on de part uf de City uf Sulphur. Let one city employee vehicle hit someone at dat intersection an’ lawyers will be all over it. Do the math, Sulphur officials, an’ fix de intersection.
Sasol Ground-Breaking Impressive
De official groundbreakin’ ceremonies at Sasol attracted people from trewout de world. An’ dat wuz great for SWLA. It’s not every day you see a project dat will cost $8 billion land in our area.
It’s one dat will change de face uf Southwest Louisiana, wit’ 5,000 construction jobs and 500 permanent jobs once construction is completed in 2018.
At de event, House Speaker Chuck Kleckley pledged to get de infrastructure in place for de project. Needless to say, we need to work on dat infrastructure now. We wish Chuck only de best in gettin’ dollars from de Legislature for dat infrastructure.
Big Time High School Baseball
Las’ year, Barbe’s baseball team wuz named national champions after winnin’ State an’ beatin’ almos’ everyone day played. Many baseball experts sed it would be a long time befo we would see dat in our area again.
Well, jus’ a year later, we are seein’ a Sulphur team dat could very well end up bein’ national champions. De Golden Tors are No. 1 in da state an’ No. 7 in de nation, an’ have beaten dar two toughest opponents (Barbe and Acadiana) on de road.
Now, we all know it’s very hard to go trew a season undefeated, but we hope de Golden Tors can do it.
By de way, Sam Houston ain’t exactly chopped liver either. Day are also in de Top 5 in our state.
If you have a chance to catch any high school baseball in our area, do so. We can assure you you will enjoy it.
Tony Tax Wins Big
In England an’ a coupla udder countries, day have what day call a vote uf confidence regardin’ dar political officials. If de vote iz good, den de official stays on. If it ain’t, den an opposition party starts makin’ de move to unseat him or her.
We could call de recent law enforcement tax renewal a vote uf confidence for Sheriff Tony Mancuso and de Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s office. Uf dem what voted, 83 percent said yes to renewin’ a 10-year, one-half percent sales tax dat brings in $16 million a year.
Now folks, we all know dat crime continues to increase in our area jus’ like in de res’ uf de country. An’ de need for well trained officers an’ better equipment iz very great. Voters in our area again showed dat day will vote for a tax if it’s for a good reason.
Veterans Tribute A Good Thing
Veterans an’ public an’ military officials gathered recently at de Vietnam Memorial Park on de lake in Lake Charles. It wuz good to see so many veterans and dar family turn out for dis event.
District Attorney John DeRosier, himself a Vietnam veteran, wuz de keynote speaker. His remarks hit home for many of dose in de audience.
John wuz also one of de organizers uf de Doug Fournet statue dat’s displayed at de Memorial site. Fournet wuz awarded a Medal uf Honor posthumously for hiz action durin’ de war.
Stelly Tellin’ It Like It Is
Vic Stelly pulled no punches recently when he wuz speakin’ to a local Kiwanis Club about de state budget. Plain and simple iz de fact dat Jindal and de legislators have used one-time money to patch up de budget every year.
Stelly pointed out dat dis year, we’re looking at a $1.6 billion shortfall in de budget. He says higher education will once again be hit hard. In de case uf McNeese, Stelly says McNeese got $43 million in 2008-09. Last year, dat wuz down to $17 million. And for dis year, de school is looking at somewhere between $3 and $13 million.
State schools have offset some uf dis with higher fees for students. But students are gettin’ tired uf payin’ more for less.
Folks, if dis continues, you’ll soon see professors leavin’ an’ courses cut. An’ dat ain’t good for McNeese or Southwest Louisiana.
Now, three car dealers have shown dar Blue and Gold pride by donatin’ cars for a huge raffle. Lake Charles Toyota, All Star Buick-GMC and Billy Navarre have each donated a brand new 2015 vehicle to be raffled off next month. All de money will go to McNeese. You can do your part and show your support for the Blue and Gold by buyin’ a $20 raffle ticket … or two or three or five. Thank you, Jack Hebert, Phillip Tarver and Billy Navarre for your support of McNeese State University.
Deep Thoughts While Enjoyin’ Boiled Crawfish
10) Will Ziggy come trew wit’ some LSU baseball tickets like he promised?
9) Will de Astros be worth a trip to Houston dis year?
8) How come all de networks had shrinks on after dat plane crash in Germany?
7) Can Allen Parish go through a week without a boil order for water?
6) Ain’t it great dat the Banners program brings in all dat great entertainment?
5) Does dat $1.54 a pack cigarette tax have a chance uf passin’ in de legislature?
4) How come I gotta tell de nurse everyting I’m gonna tell de doctor when he comes in de exam room?
3) Why do dem doctors complain about makin’ less when day all drive fancy cars and live in big houses?
2) How will de Saints do wit’ all dem new players?
1) Why do all dem ol’ men at KD’s tell de same story every day?
Final Shot
Lefty, him, he went to see dat bluegrass show at Banners. Soon afta de music started, he decided to get up and dance. Banners folks told him dancin’ wuzn’t allowed an’ he was distractin’ de audience. He sat down, an’ five minutes later, he wuz up an’ dancin’ again. Lefty now holds de Banners record for bein’ de only person ever to be hauled off by campus security.
‘Til next time, lache pas la patate.
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