*** Hey, dis is Pierre’s brudder-in-law Alfonse. I’m fillin in for Pierre while he’s recuperatin like a boss from a recent surgery. He tole me to open up wit a joke about amnesia but den sed he forgot how de joke goes. Enjoy your rest and relaxation, Pierre!
People don’t seem to know much about de race for Louisiana senator. But most know dar’s 24 people runnin for de job.
I’m sure every candidate an all dar relatives are conductin polls. But I still haven’t seen a poll dat gives me a clear idea uf how folks iz gonna vote. I know Kennedy haz some pretty good name recognition. But I also know he had some awkward moments in de debates.
One ting we do know — wit dis many runnin, dar’s bound to be a run-off. De field is so crowded, some people have even talked about a Democratic run-off. Imagine dat. Just a few years ago, we were sayin de Democrats wuz dead in Louisiana. In a couple more years, we might be sayin day made a comeback. (But me, I gotta gut feelin it ain’t likely.)
Whar’s All De Signs?
I have seen a few — an I mean just a few — Trump an Pence yard signs around town. I ain’t seen one Hillary sign. I tink it’s possible dar are a few people around here who support Hillary. But it don’t look like day gonna have de courage to put up a Hillary yard sign. An I don’t blame em. Around here, a Hillary sign would get trashed so fast I tink it might get torn down before it got put up.
One major point is dat SWLA is way down in de number of yard signs it usually haz — especially in a presidential year. Maybe folks have heard so much media coverage about Trump an Hillary dat day’ve gotten a little tired uf de whole ting.
Some folks is completely tuned out. In early votin’ time, I heard an old woman in KD’s ask her fran, “Where do I go to vote?” Now dat’s somebody who’s not real involved in de political process.
An Dar’s Amendments
If you are real involved in de political process, you don’t have to put a sign in your yard. But you are certainly aware dat dar will be amendments on your ballot. In Louisiana, we vote on constitutional amendments so often dat de only time we aren’t votin for em is when we’re takin a break an catchin our breath so we’ll have de strength to get up an go vote for em again.
Every year, de gubment puts out simple two- or three-sentence summaries of de amendments written in language everybody understands. Watch local media for dose summaries or visit de sites of de gubner’s office or de Legislature or de votin commission.
Now Dar’s A Budget Gap For Dis Year
Why would any sensible person be interested in politics? Well, I can give you at least one good reason. De Louisiana budget is short more dan $300 million … for dis year.
Now keep in mind I’m not doin what we usually do an talkin’ about de budget gap for de comin’ year. Dat gap will be more dan a billion dollars, which is what we’re used to expectin.
No, dis $300-million-plus budget gap is right here, right now. And dar ain’t gonna to be no way to raise money for it cause de Legislation definitely ain’t gonna meet again dis year.
How could we get a gap like dis all of a sudden? Well, all dose rosy predictions of higher-dan-expected state revenues we heard when de Legislature was in session turned out to be way off. Revenue in Louisiana is now at a low rate. And dat’s bad, cause de spendin rate ain’t goin’ down even a penny.
So what does all dis mean for you an me? Well, it’s gonna mean a 7-percent across-de-board cut in what day call de “general fund.” An what DAT means is all de universities, colleges an health care institutions will have to take a 7 percent cut in de fundin day get from de state.
Will dis cut be paid for by Louisiana students? Too soon to know dat. But I would bet de farm dat health care patients will see dar bills go up 7 percent.
Will de Legislature have as much trouble as day usually do wit dat billion-dollar-plus gap next year? Let’s hope not. For years now, we’ve had fellers goin to Baton Rouge and talkin’ demselves blue in de face about how we need to cut spendin and den day haven’t cut it. Most uf em has increased it. So dat approach ain’t worked. Talkin is one ting; doin is another.
Dar must be at least one person in Baton Rouge who’s smart enough to figure out a way for us to quit havin dese budget disasters every year.
Fayard Playin’ Hardball?
You may know dat New Awlins lawyer Caroline Fayard an Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell are two of de Dems runnin for senator. Well, Fayard just put out a TV commercial dat tries to link Campbell to David Duke, another candidate for senator, and one who used to be de Grand Wizard uf de KKK.
What’s so unusual about dat? Well, Fayard put de logo of de Alliance for Good Government in de ad. De ad also had a recording of a brief statement by Campbell: “I may be like Mr. Duke.” Dat was a recordin of a statement Foster made at de Alliance’s candidates’ forum in August. De Alliance said day made it clear before the forum dat absolutely no recordings wuz to be made at de forum. Well, it sure looks like somebody made one.
De Alliance sed day complained to Fayard several times about de recordin and de negative message about Campbell. Sounds like day just about begged her to pull de ad. De Alliance told de Times-Picayune, “We don’t go in for negative advertising. We just don’t go for dat.”
Now here’s de kicker. Right after de August forum, de Alliance voted to support Fayard for senator. But day told her day’d withdraw de support if she didn’t kill de ad. She kept de ad, and said she “rejected” de Alliance’s support.
How bout dat? She must really like dat ad! She must like it so much she’s not afraid de Alliance might support Campbell …
Dis seems like old-fashioned hardball politics to me. Of course, I’m not really in a position to know. Fayard has made some weak political moves before. (Remember when she was overheard saying, “Republicans eat their young”?) But dis latest decision by Fayard seems like what a tough guy would call a “bold move.” We’ll have to wait until Nov. 8 to see if it worked.
Anudder Facebook Problem
A few days ago, a good fran told me she wuz a shoe-in for a job at a very popular local restaurant. She said de folks dat do de hirin dar told her she wuz custom-made for de job.
De next time I saw her, she sed she didn’t get de job. I axed her how come. She said de hirin boss said day looked on her Facebook account and didn’t like some uf de tings she posted a couple uf years back.
She sed she axed de hirin boss, “Are you serious?” Dat was de same question I had.
Dis story points out one more big problem wit Facebook. If you want to go dar, don’t post anyting dat might offend a future employer — or dat might offend anybody, for dat matter.
Me, I don’t go on Facebook for any reason. I’ve had frans tell me too many horror stories about it … stuff about people gettin in arguments an defriendin each other an never talkin to each other again. None uf dat iz anyting I need.
Deep Taughts While Eatin’ Sweet Potatoes
10. When is Suddenlink gonna come out an fix my internet?
9. Why do people drive down de little street in front of my house doin’ 50?
8. Iz LSU gonna beat all dese ranked teams dar set to play?
7. What iz McNeese gonna do to make next season better?
6. How can it be dat on Halloween, I still don’t know who’s gonna win de World Series?
5. When iz Hillary gonna keep her promise to visit de victims of de Baton Rouge flood?
4. Is T-Claude being serious when he says he wants me to teach him how to go jiggin’?
3. Will Pierre share any of de ceegars he’s gonna get for Christmas?
2. Will McNeese enrollment drop when TOPS loses fundin’?
1. Iz anybody gonna make a film in Louisiana next year?
Final Shot
Last time I saw Pierre, he axed me, “Hey, you know who I saw today?” Me, I said, “Naw. Who dat?” Pierre sez, “Everybody I looked at.” Den he laughed an laughed. I guess he taught he made a real funny. I tink alcohol may have been a factor.
‘Til next time, lache pas la patate.
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