Befo de holidaze, Mark McMurry, former Police Jury secretary, went befo de jury axin\u2019 dem to place a tax on an April ballot to fund $15 million for de proposed hurricane museum on de lakefront.<\/p>\n
Now, when it comes to matters like dis, Mark iz de man to make de pitch. He spoke uf how de tax would be used to not only fund what\u2019s needed for de museum to be built, but also how every museum in de parish would also get a piece uf de pie: a good way to get\u00a0 folks from surroundin\u2019 areas to vote for de proposal.<\/p>\n
But herein lies part uf de problem. Folks dat have no museum (like Moss Bluff) have no interest in votin\u2019 for dis proposal. An\u2019 in udder areas uf de parish, we\u2019ve already heard dat dis museum tax iz a dog dat ain\u2019t gonna hunt.<\/p>\n
Folks are sayin\u2019 day ain\u2019t opposed to progress (if dat\u2019s what dis tax iz) but dar are much mo needy issues for us to consider. Take for example drainage an\u2019 roads an\u2019 bridges. Tell dem folks what flood every time it rains dat a museum iz priority one an\u2019 day gonna kick you off dar flooded property.<\/p>\n
Now az uf dis writin\u2019, de Police Jury hasn\u2019t yet voted on whedder to put de tax on de April ballot. But if day do, you can bet passin\u2019 de tax will be an uphill battle.<\/p>\n
An So De Crusade Begins<\/strong><\/p>\n De GO Group and Calcasieu Parish police jurors and staff are goin\u2019 around de parish tellin\u2019 folks what de drainage problems uf our parish are an\u2019 what iz bein\u2019 done to fix dem. De parish administrator points out in a press release sent by de GO Group director dat wit\u2019 de growth in our area, we\u2019ve seen an increase in de number uf bidnesses an\u2019 residences an\u2019 dat creates mo floodin\u2019 issues.<\/p>\n Jurors, police jury staff an\u2019 GO Group members will be at dem meetins to show what\u2019s been done in certain areas an\u2019 what\u2019s planned. Folks dat attend will be axed for dar feedback \u2026 an\u2019 you can bet dars gonna be plenty uf dat.<\/p>\n Go Group director Karen Clapp points out dat growth in our area must be considered if we are to \u201cproactively shape it.\u201d Me, I say dat developers who build dem bidnesses an\u2019 houses an\u2019 apartment complexes should be accountable for poor drainage dat comes az a result uf dar building.<\/p>\n All uf dis road show iz to set up a tax for us to pay. Me, I say let\u2019s have a developer tax an\u2019 in dat way de folks responsible for de damage due to floodin\u2019 will be responsible for fixin\u2019 de problem. We can take you to subdivisions right now where az you enter from a public road you can hardly see de roofs uf houses on de backside. Unless dar are big pumps gettin\u2019 water outta dat back area, you can bet dem folks are goin\u2019 to flood every time it rains and every time day will get on TV complainin\u2019 about de floodin\u2019 an\u2019 den day will go to police jury meetins to do de same ting.<\/p>\n Although we tink de Go Group\/Police Jury meetins iz a good idea, we tink it will take a lot mo dan a few PowerPoint presentations to take care uf our drainage problems. An\u2019 we might add, de Go Group isn\u2019t even addressin\u2019 de road problems in our area already caused by de growth uf de las\u2019 two years.<\/p>\n You Can Fly For Now<\/strong><\/p>\n In 2005, Congress passed de READ ID Act, which sez you gotta have a passport to fly within de United States. Now folks who fly a lot complained to dar congressmen about it being hard an\u2019 expensive to get a passport to fly in our great country. So de congressmen, always anxious to show dar constituents how they work for dem, got de Dept. uf Homeland Security to grant an extension to states to comply.<\/p>\n So for now your Louisiana driver\u2019s license iz still good to get on a plane to go visit your relatives in Dallas or Phoenix. But be aware dat de day will come when Big Brother will DEMAND dat you present a passport to fly. Me, I vowed de las\u2019 time I flew an\u2019 day made me take off my shoes and charged me for my luggage to never fly again.<\/p>\n Appointments Kept Quiet<\/strong><\/p>\n In our state, it\u2019s always been customary dat appointees uf de governor to different positions iz directly related to who supported him or her in dar race. Now our area iz full uf Jindal appointees who are no doubt waitin\u2019 for a letter or phone call from Gov. John Bel Edwards tellin\u2019 dem dat dar services will no longer be needed, while at de same time big Edwards supporters are gettin\u2019 good news. Call it what you want, but it\u2019s downright political patronage, as Huey Long used to call it.<\/p>\n LSU boad members, Wildlife and Fisheries boad members and many udders go to big donors. Sometimes relatives uf de big donors get de best piece uf de pie. But dis time around, it\u2019s a lot mo dan jus\u2019 de governor who gets to hand out de goodies. Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser an\u2019 Attorney General Jeff Landry will also get to hand out political patronage jobs to dar supporters.<\/p>\n All dis, uf course, happens az members uf our Legislature battle wit\u2019 mo money problems dan you can shake a stick at. T-Claude, him wuz hopin\u2019 to get appointed to de state watermelon boad. After all, he did trow a watermelon party for Edwards durin\u2019 de campaign. He wuz disappointed when I told him dem appointments wuz handed out to folks who gave a different kinda green.<\/p>\n Could He Be A One Termer???<\/strong><\/p>\n Even befo he wuz swon in, John Bel Edwards wuz talkin\u2019 uf taxes. Now he didn\u2019t say \u201ctaxes\u201d himself, but instead sent hiz Commissioner uf Administration Jay Dardenne to talk to de media about taxes.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s the numbers, folks: a $1 billion shortfall before June 30 and a $1.9 billion shortfall for de fiscal year beginning July 1.<\/p>\n Dardemne, who himself will knock down $243,000 dis year, iz quick to point out dat revenue in de form uf oil an\u2019 gas taxes an\u2019 bidness taxes is down. He sez only so much can be cut, but taxes are gonna be necessary.<\/p>\n Now here\u2019s a Democratic administration facin\u2019 a whole buncha Republican legislators who are none too happy about some appointments Edwards haz already made; plus teachers unions who keep remindin\u2019 him day supported him; an\u2019 a whole buncha udder folks who are at de public trough.<\/p>\n Edwin Edwards complained when Big John McKeithen left him a $300,000 debt. John Bel haz a whole buncha mo money problems facin\u2019 him.\u00a0 If he expands Medicaid az he promised he would do, you gonna see an even bigger hole in de state\u2019s wallet. Can you say \u201cone-termer\u201d?<\/p>\n Amazin\u2019 Grace Will Be Missed<\/strong><\/p>\n We were saddened to learn uf de recent passin\u2019 uf long-time community leader Grace Savoie. She was involved in so many organizations dat helped de senior citizens uf our area. She wuz active in her church, Our Lady of Prompt Succor.<\/p>\n She an\u2019 her husband Garfield had seven children, includin\u2019 Appeals Court Judge Kent Savoie an\u2019 Dr. Joe Savoie, president of de University of Louisiana at Lafayette.<\/p>\n Grace wuz 96. She will be remembered by many she knew and served.<\/p>\n Jeff Davis Crime Alarmin\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n We continue to read an\u2019 hear about crime in Jeff Davis Parish. Just recently, we learned uf an arrest in a murder-for-hire case. Regularly we hear uf\u00a0 drug arrests for hard drugs like heroin.<\/p>\n Now folks, Jeff Davis Parish iz not a big parish, an\u2019 we have to admit a lot uf de crime is bein\u2019 committed by folks from outside de parish. We hope a new jail will help put a stop to some uf de crime.<\/p>\n Deep Taughts While Watchin\u2019 Mo Football Dan Should Be Allowed By Law<\/strong><\/p>\n 10) Ain\u2019t it great we have such a big Mardi Gras right here in Southwest Louisiana?<\/p>\n 9) Does Kinder plan to continue winnin\u2019 state championships in football and baseball?<\/p>\n 8) Can de Carolina Panthers win it all?<\/p>\n 7) When will crawfish get big enough for me to trow a boil for my franz?<\/p>\n 6) Will our area legislators vote for mo taxes?<\/p>\n 5) Why all dem weight loss commercials on TV?<\/p>\n 4) Will de Saints make some coachin\u2019 and player changes?<\/p>\n 3) Will de Astros make de playoffs again dis year?<\/p>\n 2) Can de LSU Tigers basketball team keep on winnin\u2019?<\/p>\n 1) How come we couldn\u2019t ring cowbells for de McNeese playoff game but Miss. State could in de Sugar Bowl?<\/p>\n Final Shot<\/strong><\/p>\n My fran Lefty sez his New Year\u2019s resolution iz to learn to shoot straight so he don\u2019t miss big bucks like he did twice dis year.\u00a0 I reminded him dat he\u2019s had de same resolution for de last 10 years. He told me I really knew how to hurt a guy. I told him I only spoke de truth \u2026 an\u2019 he wuz quick to ax if tellin\u2019 de truth wuz my resolution. Boy, does he know how to hurt a guy.<\/p>\n \u2018Til next time, lache pas la patate<\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Befo de holidaze, Mark McMurry, former Police Jury secretary, went befo de jury axin\u2019 dem to place a tax on an April ballot to fund $15 million for de proposed hurricane museum on de lakefront. Now, when it comes to matters like dis, Mark iz de man to make de pitch. He spoke uf how [&hellip<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":275,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[31],"yoast_head":"\n