New Orleans needs to stand on its own two feet

There have been several commentaries recently appearing in the local media concerning the out-of-control crime in the city of New Orleans, and they have suggested that the state send additional state troopers to assist police in making the French Quarter a safer haven because its appeal is so important in bringing in revenue for the state.

In New Orleans it’s always about the French Quarter.  Many residents of New Orleans are victims of crime in their neighborhoods every day, but it’s not until something happens to a tourist in the French Quarter that it makes front page news and a lively discussion once again takes place about the lack of police funding.

However, one of the major reasons for the lack of funds to fight crime in New Orleans rests within the subculture of its own citizenry.  These ‘scammers’ are the other criminals that reside in the city but whose crimes are seldom reported by the media.  They operate under a belief system that they don’t have to pay their fair share of city expenses because there are no consequences for their aberrant behavior.   For years the city of New Orleans has, and continues to, reinforce this code of misconduct by its own inaction and, in some cases, incompetence.

One only has to review past media investigative reporting to understand the real reasons why the city of New Orleans lacks adequate funding for police protection.  These include stories about the:

Failure to adequately collect water usage fees

Failure to adequately collect traffic camera violation fees

Failure to adequately collect sanitation fees

Failure to fairly and equally assess property values

Failure to deal with blighted properties and adequately collect blighted property penalty fees

Failure to adequately interpret and enforce tax exemptions in the city

Failure to adequately collect business property taxes

 

Each of these investigative reports found millions and millions of dollars the city of New Orleans let slip away because of its failures to deal with the ‘scammers.’   For example, a 2012 local TV investigative report found that the city was owed over $150 million in delinquent property taxes and over $50 million in delinquent business property taxes.  That $50 million included ONE local Dodge dealership alone owing over $1.5 million.  Some of the owed money dated as far back as 2006.

 If the citizens of New Orleans want to see an immediate increase in the funds available to fight crime, they need to stop relying on the state to bail them out, and, instead, deal with the ‘scammers’ that live there.   These individuals are proud to call New Orleans  home, and believe they’re entitled to city services, while shirking their ethical responsibility to support the city financially, and for that reason it’s time for the state to stop serving as an ‘enabler’ to the city of New Orleans.  The state should not send additional state troopers to help out.

The ship has sailed for the education community in this state

Louisiana was just given a D+  by Education Week for its public education academic achievement based upon a rank of 44^th in the nation and our kids performing 50^th in fourth grade math proficiency, and 48^th in reading.  Eight graders are 49^th in math proficiency and 48^th in reading.   Additionally, the state received a C- for chances for success, and a C for its education spending and practices. 

The report was made public just BEFORE our Rhodes Scholar governor proposed cutting public education in this state by another $370 million next year.   Louisiana is already the leader nationally in cuts to education over the past 5 years, so how much more blood does Jindal think he can bleed from this turnip?

I guess now we’ll have to lower that C in educational spending.

Of course some of the blame for this latest proposal of more draconian cuts to education rests with ALL the residents that voted in favor of Amendments #1 and #2 in our last election.  Thanks to these voters there simply aren’t any other entities left unprotected from cuts by constitutional amendments.

Not to worry though, because all those entities that have lobbied for budgetary constitutional protection over the years, and all the business incentive giveaways will soon have their day of reckoning,  for there simply isn’t enough money left to strip from education any more unless Jindal decides to closed down some colleges and universities. 

So it looks like all the legislators will finally have to man-up if they want to follow Jindal’s no new taxes mantra and cut some of the sacred cows which for years they have protected.

However,  sadly it’s already too late for the universities and colleges in this state, for once the money is taken away, the chances of it ever being restored are nil and none.

 

"New Wave" just recycling of old material

 

Disclaimer: I am 70 years old, more resistant to change, and a wee bit out of touch with some aspects of our modern society.

 The buzz phrase for today is ‘Senate Congressional Geriatrics.’

As we prepare ourselves to be governed by the new rulers recently elected to Congress, it may be somewhat shocking for some to learn that this “new wave” leadership in the Senate really is just a recycling of old material.

It appears that the baby boomers and others that just recently revolted at the polls to forge a new direction for our country did so because they felt that the President and Congress, which this year was one of the most dysfunctional in American history, acted in ways which were no longer in sync with the wishes of our modern society.

However, if we look closely at some of the changes this “new wave” produced in leadership in critical Senate Congressional Committees, we find that they mostly served as an opportunity for the Republican geriatric leadership to come out of the closet as exemplified by their ages that are listed below:

New Agriculture Committee Chairperson- 78 years old

New Appropriations Committee Chairperson-77 years old

New Armed Services Committee Chairperson-78 years old

New Bank, Housing and Urban Affairs Chairperson-80 years old

New Budget Committee Chairperson- 70 years old

New Environment and Public Works Chairpersons-79 years old

New Finance Committee Chairperson -80 years old

New Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chairperson-74 years old

New Veterans Affairs Committee Chairperson- 70 years old

New Judiciary Committee Chairperson-81 years old

Contrasting these statistics with the fact that 1/4 of the top 100 performing companies in the U.S. are run by CEOs 35 years old and younger, and the Harvard Business Review’s  2014 findings that the 100 best-performing CEOs in the world have a median age of 59, one has to wonder if it isn’t time for our U.S. Senate to follow suit and let the younger folks take over. 

Now that’s not to say that those of us 65 and older should be put out to pasture because we are no longer competent, but the major slogan of the recent election was as Mr. Bill Cassidy and others put it “a time for a change and new  leadership.”

When one thinks about the number of years a 70 plus year old has been a member of Congress, and the number of PACs and advocacy groups that he or she has made deals with to get political donations for continual re-election, one has to wonder about this “new direction” put in power in the Senate.

Just maybe the recent election was really more about resistance to change and holding on to the past, rather than a genuine desire for new, innovative leadership, for it appears the “new wave” has simply put in powerful positions a different version of old ideas.

However, we now live in a world of great turbulence and it’s important to remember that, as Peter Drucker once stated, “The greatest danger in times of turbulence is not the turbulence; it is to act with yesterday’s logic."