Is Donald Trump Finally Past the Point of No Return?

When Donald Trump was running for President he once made the statement, "I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn't lose any voters, OK?  It's, like, incredible."

Before his stint as President of the U.S. Trump was accused of sexual assault and still today faces an accusation of rape in newly-filed charges by E. Jean Carroll.  He paid hush money to a porn star, childishly disparaged anyone who disagreed with him, and publicly mocked individuals with disabilities.  Additionally, Trump’s presidential aberrant behavior included humiliation of world leaders, and a coziness and admiration for worldwide dictators and white supremacy groups.

He scammed individuals with his fake Trump University, resulting in an out of court settlement of over $25 million, and the Donald J. Trump Foundation, a non-profit, which he utilized as his personal bank account, and which also involved a $2 million court settlement.

And let’s not forget his two most recent scams.  In 2020, Trump whipped his supporters into frenzy with pledges to overturn the election and promises to support Republican candidates in the midterms. However, he did not spend any of this campaign money on supporting mid-election candidates, nor pay for any election audits.  Actually, he did use the donated funds to pay the salaries for aides and political advisers, as well as events, travel expenses and fundraising outreach to supporters. He also spent more than $8 million of these donated funds in legal fees paid to various firms for frivolous lawsuits, and attorneys to defend himself in a second impeachment trial.

The other recent scam occurred in September 2021, which involved individuals who thought they were making a one-time donation to his 2024 re-election campaign.  These folks discovered later that by default reoccurring WEEKLY donations had been set up until the election date for each contributor using electronic deposit.  Many ended up with over drawn bank accounts.

Then there's the recent fiasco of Trump taking home classified documents belonging to the U.S. government and lying to his own attorneys when ask if he had returned them all.

However, none of this rattled his supporters or the Republican politicians throughout the country.  His Republican and Evangelical support remained solid and silent about all of this ethically and morally questionable behavior.

However, as weird as this may sound, a recent Mar-a-Largo dinner party may in fact have opened a crack in the blind support of Donald Trump.  It is hard to believe that with all Trump’s past behavior, a simple dinner with two anti-Semites, one of whom who is also a white nationalist, would cause such a ruckus.

But I guess now, as usual, we are talking about votes and not moral or ethical values, and sadly that is what our politicians are all about.   Will Donald Trump get dumped over a dinner, with what some consider deviant guests?  And if this is the only reason, based upon his past behavior, how pathetic is that?

Louisiana Rep Steve Scalise has Finally Decided to Work Again

I was glad to see in a recent Advocate interview with Rep Steve Scalise that he has finally decided to 'get off his butt' and once again productively contribute to Congress and Louisiana.  During the last two years his major accomplishments included being a minion for ex-president Trump's sorted delusions, and serving as an obstructionist in the House to veto ANY legislation proposed by the present Biden administration including his infrastructure bill which brought billions of dollars to Louisiana. Ironically, Scalise, and his fellow Louisiana Republican minions used this influx of monies in their re-election ads to tout how THEY brought money to Louisiana to fix its infrastructure, despite all but one voting against the bill.  

It has been a pathetic waste of two years for Rep Steve Scalise, but that's politics, and I'm glad he has decided to start earning his salary once again.

Where does Advocate columnist draw the line?

 In light of all the recent information about Mayor Cantrell's behavior, and the possibility that she is now part of an ongoing federal probe, I can't help but have flashbacks to the editorial Mr. Will Sutton penned on September 9th,  entitled, "Cantrell recall will peter out -- unless we want to see another Black woman mayor fail,"  In that editorial, he basically put forth the notion that N.O. residents needed to cut Mayor Cantrell some 'slack' regarding her behavior because she was one of the few African American females serving as the mayor of a large city.  I would be interested to know just how much additional 'slack' Mr. Sutton feels should be afforded to Mayor Cantrell to allow her to continue to govern? 

New Orleans Temporary Fix

Although the New Orleans mayor’s newly proposed 2023 budget on the surface appears to address some of the major problems presently impacting the city negatively, it has one major flaw.  It is only a temporary fix.  Almost all of these remediation projects are funded with one-time federal monies.  But, like so many of the past projects in New Orleans there are no proposed plans to sustain all this remedial action once these federal funds are spent.   The streetlights will go out again, the blight will continue to occur along with the illegal dumping of trash and tires, graffiti will return, streets will continue to decay, drain basins will clog again, etc.

So, while everyone will feel good about the city finally addressing these problems, the long-range permanent plans to address these evils still eludes the city.  The city and its residents need to break the cycle of reliance on federal funds as the major funding source to fix its problems, for these are not self-sustaining, and are dependent upon which political party occupies the White House.

The permanent solution to the city's problems is really quite simple; all residents of New Orleans need to start paying their fair share to live in the city.   Coupled with this is reigning in the city corruption that presently exists in the collection of  all types of permit fees, sanitation and water usage fees, the collection of city property tax and sales tax, the enforcement and fining of illegal dumping and blight, and the honest letting of infrastructure contracts with penalty fees if completion dates are missed.

Until New Orleans can establish a budget which can fund these projects with its own capital by effectively managing the monies it generates from its citizenry, its problems will continue to exist.  So enjoy the fixes which are proposed, while they last.  Hopefully these remediation projects will break the city’s historical trend of corruption and be effectively accomplished to give the city a temporary break.

Who is really helping Louisiana?

It always amazes me how politicians just blatantly lie when it comes to re-election time, and don't even 'blink an eye' while doing it.  Steve Scalise, John Kennedy, and Garret Graves in their most recent TV ads are bragging about all the money they brought to Louisiana for infrastructure repairs.  In reality, all but one of the Louisiana Republican congressional legislators voted against the Biden administration's Infrastructure and Jobs Act which provided these funds.   

It was in fact Louisiana Rep Bill Cassidy that helped broker the bill, which has provided over $7.2 billion in Louisiana infrastructure funding, but he has been officially censured by the local Louisiana Republican Party for voting to impeach Donald Trump. And Scalise, Kennedy, and Graves went along with that proclamation. 

And as far as their legislative records are concerned, over the last two years Scalise's, Kennedy's and Grave's legislative agenda has been one of obstructionist by vetoing every piece of legislation proposed by the present administration whether beneficial to our country or Louisiana.

So, who is really helping Louisiana?  None of these guys, because all "Voted No and Took the Dough."   Pathetic.

A Will Sutton Apology is Due

Will Sutton's recent editorial in The Advocate was an insult to all female African Americans and he should formally apologize for writing it. In his diatribe he admits that Mayor Cantrell, and the other two examples he cites, aren't doing a particularly good job as mayors. However, he infers that it is important to keep them in their present jobs because they are Black females.  What an insult to the competent, strong female African  Americans who perform competently in their jobs.  In reality, Sutton is reinforcing the racist, stereotypical belief that female African Americans cannot be competent and that people should just tolerate that short coming.  Just how much more demeaning can an African American male be regarding his view of the women in his culture?  Maybe it's time for Sutton to self-evaluate how he inwardly really views female African Americans in our society.  We don't need to cut them any slack, for they can meet any standard set on their own.

Republicans Love to be Bullied

Well I finally got to hear what I’ve wanted to hear from day one regarding Republican politicians’ views concerning some of Donald Trump’s abhorrent behaviors.  I knew it all along, but I wanted someone to finally say it out loud.  And that someone was Ted Cruz, one of the top spineless members of Congress, who after Trump called his wife ugly and accused his father of participating in a plot to kill J.F.K., has still consistently supported him.  Most individuals would have never done that after such insults and insinuations, but then again it’s all about politics; to hell with your loved ones.

In a recent interview, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas was asked, “Why are your Republican peers hesitant to criticize former President Donald Trump about anything?” Cruz’s response was, “If they do, Trump turns around and punches them in the face."

He went on again to say, “It's a number of things, (because) unlike many people in politics, if someone criticizes him, he turns around and punches them in the face."

Cruz said he witnessed meetings in which "different Republican senators would criticize Trump, who would then spend the whole meeting just slamming them with a stick.”  However, “I like what we accomplished under Trump. I think there's an incredible record of policy victories.”

And finally Cruz added, “I disagree with a lot of the things Donald Trump says. And I made a decision that I wasn't going to be giving color commentary on MSNBC for every tweet or every statement that was obviously indefensible." In other words, he would remain silent about the indefensible ones.

So there we have it, Cruz’s admission, along with I suspect the mantra of many other Republican politicians, to embrace being bullied, and reinforce it.  

Sadly, one has to wonder if these individuals even know they have accepted Donald Trump as their bully. According to the Merriam-Webster on line dictionary a bully is “a blustering, browbeating person; especially one who is habitually cruel, insulting, or threatening to others who are weaker, smaller, or in some way vulnerable.”

So I guess now we can assume that the key to Donald Trump’s success in avoiding any fellow Republicans’ criticisms is his perception that they are, in fact,  ‘weaker, smaller, or in some way vulnerable.’  Quite pathetic,  but then again it’s mostly likely insignificant in importance to them in the world of politics. I just laugh at it all.

Maybe it’s time for some members of both parties to grow a spine and gain some self-respect, because it is definitely a scarce commodity now among many of them. I don’t have much in life, but it least I have self-respect.

Fascists vs Semi-Fascists

I must admit just when I thought that the political scene in the our country couldn’t go any lower, President Biden’s referral to MAGA Republicans as ‘semi-Fascists’  appeared to take it even lower.  MAGA Republicans, Republicans, and even some Democrats were up in arms about the disrespect these individuals were shown by the President.  Sadly, their memories conveniently failed them because this horrible event was, in fact, the second occurrence of the ‘Fascist’ term being slung around.  A perusal of the web turned up a 2020 video clip of Donald Trump exclaiming that Democrats want to, "replace American freedom with left-wing fascism. Fascists, they are fascists."

So there it is, we have one President declaring that all  Democrats are ‘Fascists’, and we have another President who claims some Republicans, known as MAGA Republicans, are ‘semi Fascists’.  One has to wonder, do either of these supposedly enlightened individuals even know what a ‘Fascist’ is?

According to Merriam/Webster on line dictionary a ‘Fascist’ is “someone that supports or promotes a political system headed by a dictator who typically rules by forcefully and often violently suppressing opposition and criticism.”  To further clarify the last point, these rulers often ‘arrange’ for those in opposition to ‘just disappear.’

I leave the judgement to each of you to consider if either U.S leader was correct in their assessment.

However, one thing is certain surrounding all of this, namely, that our politicians need to grow up and stop acting like entitled babies.  In particular, Donald Trump needs to stop using someone’s past behavior as justification for his present behavior.  And we as citizens also need to stop enabling Trump's present aberrant behaviors by justifying them based on finding examples of similar consequence-free behaviors by others which occurred in the past.

Just how can we progress as a society of the free world if we continue to make excuses for present behaviors that are clearly unacceptable, or worse, illegal?  Such behaviors SHOULD have been intolerable resulting in consequences when they occurred back then, and certainly shouldn’t be tolerable now without consequences.

Maybe we all just need to grow up and stop living in the past, and strive to make things better for the future.

I, for one, don’t care who did something unethical or illegal in the past and wasn’t held responsible for his/her actions.  That doesn’t justify ignoring it in the present and allowing the individuals to suffer no consequences for their latest actions.  I always thought the goal of a society was to improve on the past.

Pathetically, Republicans waste most of their societal time by attempting to defend the present indefensible actions of Trump by offering up examples of similar past actions that, for whatever reasons, eluded consequences or punishment.  No accountability then, so same rules should apply now?  Remember the old saying “Two wrongs don’t make a right?”  Grow up, and take it to heart.

So to all the self-indulgent politicians, engaging in unethical or illegal behaviors, man up and accept the consequences for your present actions; and we, as Americans, should demand they receive those consequences.

It was unjustifiable and unacceptable for Trump to make his statement in 2020 and the same is true regarding Biden’s current statement.  One does not logically justify the other.

It is important that we as a nation act more mature and rise above the childish behavior of each of these individuals.  Hopefully, we as a nation can also move on from the childishness of both in 2024.

Who's the Crook Now?

In July, 2016, Trump tweeted, “Crooked Hillary Clinton and her team were extremely careless in their handling of very sensitive, highly classified information.  Not fit!”

In September, 2016, Trump said that, “We also need the best protection of classified information. That is the worst situation. Hillary’s private email scandal, which put our classified information in the reach of our enemies, disqualifies her from the presidency. Totally.”

One wonders if it is simply an irony of history that in 2018 Trump signed a law that increased the criminal penalties for taking classified materials and changed it from a misdemeanor to a felony.

Last week’s headlines:  “After three previous formal requests were ignored, the FBI seized multiple sets of documents marked top secret from former President Donald Trump’s Florida resort home, Mar-a-Lago, when agents raided it Monday, according to a search warrant unsealed Friday.”

Maybe it’s time for those in the Republican Party, ironically dubbed as the party of 'law and order' to acknowledge the reality of Trump's actions and tweet using his own words, “Crooked Donald Trump and his team were extremely careless in their handling of very sensitive, highly classified information. Not fit!”  "We also need the best protection of classified information. That is the worst situation. Trump's Mar-a-Lago scandal which put our classified information in the reach of our enemies, disqualifies him from the presidency. Totally.”  Are you listening Scalise, Kennedy and Cassidy?

Reminds me of the old saying,” People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.”

So sad that any folks would even want Donald Trump for president again. Such a buffoon!

Cart Before the Horse

With full disclosure, I presently own a plug-in hybrid and think EV automobiles are the way of the future.  With that said, I fear that many will be turned off by the technology due to rushed implementation coupled with ingrained American driving expectations.

The United States encompasses a vast expanse of land, and Americans often like to be able to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible.  By in large we are an impatient group of individuals as evidenced by our love of fast food restaurants, speedy oil changing shops, on line companies that offer overnight or two day shipping, etc.

All of us grew up with gasoline powered vehicles, but a new era is upon us, the electric vehicle revolution.  However, if you purchase an EV now, and don’t attempt to understand the technology, and don’t relearn some of your vehicle expectations, you will regret your purchase.  Additionally, you will need to better understand what the real world performance facts are, as they relate to EV ownership, verses manufacturers’ claims.

One of the biggest advantages of owning an EV is the ability to fill it up (charge) at your home. However, don’t expect to do this by simply plugging it into an ordinary house 110/120 volt electrical plug, for it would take approximately 3 ½ days to charge from empty.  You will need to purchase and install, minimally, what is known as a Level 2 charger, which can cut the charge time down to 2 1/2 hours, if you purchase a top of the line charger and your EV has that capability.  Four to six hours is probably more realistic.

Additionally, according to CleanTechnica, there are approximately 150,000 gas stations in the U.S., each with an average of 8 pumps available, for a total of 1.2 million refueling devices.  Biden has set a goal of 500,000 electric refueling stations by the end of this decade.  However, this is all dependent upon Congressional approval of over $5 billion to help states implement this, and each state must submit a plan on how they intent to do this.  No plan, no money, and Republican controlled oil rich states have already opposed this plan.

Another change Americans must accept is the elimination of what I term ‘the quick in, quick out’ refueling expectation.  For now, if a charging station is equipped with what is termed “quick chargers”, and you own a Tesla EV, it will take on the average 10 minutes of charging to go an additional 150 miles at 70 MPH.  However, most other EVs can take as long as 20 to 30 minutes. But there is a catch; the outside temperature must be optimally around 70 degrees to get that range even from a 10 minute Tesla Quick Charger. Hotter or colder temperatures will impact that 10 minute charge.  Can Americans stand that 10, 20 or 30 minute wait if there is no line at a charging station?  A recent Twitter posting by a reporter for the Wall Street Journal claimed, “I spent more time charging the vehicle than sleeping,” when she drove an EV rental car from New Orleans to Chicago and back.

The last major adjustment EV purchasers must make is the acceptance of what the EV manufacturers’ claim is a vehicle’s driving range vs the real world, which, to be fair, is also a concern of gasoline powered vehicles; the EPA gas mileage ratings vs actual.

Let use the highly anticipated Ford electric truck as an example.  Ford advertises a 320 mile range on a full battery charge for its most expensive truck.  The less expensive one has a range of 300 miles. That figure is calculated with no load in the bed, one passenger, no air or heat on, no towing of any trailer, and a ‘moderate’ outside temperature.

InsideEVs tested several EV models and found that the range difference from what the manufacturers listed for their vehicles and what they got at 70 MPH was on the average 10% lower and that, “as little as 10 degrees change in outside temperature can have a meaningful impact on an electric vehicle’s range.”

Applying this fact to the Ford electric truck, purchasers should expect about 288 maximum real world miles from a charge, but less depending on the weight of the passengers, bed load, and outside temperature.  And while these same factors would affect a gasoline powered Ford truck, the lack of a ‘quick in, quick out’ refueling ability, and a limited availability of charging stations might irritate owners unless up front they understood the technology limitations.

However, once you start using the F150 electric for what it is designed for, as a truck, things go south quite rapidly.  Motor Trend magazine recently tested the new Ford 150 electric with real world tasks and shockingly found that when saddled with pulling a 8500 pound trailer driving range dropped to a dismal 90 miles on a full charge.  A similarly equipped 2022 F150 gas powered vehicle can cover over 250 miles under the same testing conditions on a tank of gas.

As I stated earlier, EVs are the way of the future, but a great deal more education of the public about the realities of owning an EV needs to take place or many are going to be turned off by EVs, and hate them. However, so far there appears to be no unified plan to address these issues, and the disinformation propaganda has already begun by the oil companies regarding this technology.

Sadly, we could see a strong push back against the EV technology because we as Americans don’t readily accept swift, radical change.  We just need to slow this adaptation down a bit, because presently there is no meaningful charging stations infrastructure in place once you leave the West and East coasts, and battery technology delivering more real world driving range has yet to emerge.  

EVs are not yet fully ready for full ‘prime time adoption’ as your sole means of transportation, but are fun to own as a second vehicle.  Performance wise they leave the combustible engine vehicle in the dust, and are the way of the future.  But if you buy one now, please understand the present limitations of the technology.

Totally Clueless to Deal with Abortion Legislation

I found Louisiana Republican State Representative Julie Emerson’s  recent newspaper Guest Opinion in which she appears to be bragging about how well written the abortion ban, which she co-authored, is "to protect the unborn,” absurd.  If one carefully reads her letter you can detect the fatal flaw of this legislation, namely, “We wrote Act 545 after thoughtful deliberation to protect the unborn life, mothers and good-faith physicians.” 

In reality, this act was not well written because it was penned by a group having no medical training or understanding of the procedures involved in this health care issue. Their focus was myopically focused on one single issue, the outcome of an abortion.  It is obvious from the text of Act 545, that the complexities of the health issues that might lead to the termination of birth, completely eluded them.

Doctors, not politicians should have written the legislative act, with only cursory guidance from our esteemed politicians.  They could have found many physicians with similar views on abortion to formulate this legislation. However, with all the ambiguity in Act 545, which Rep. Emerson, and our astute A.G., Jeff Landry, claim doesn’t exist, but which the majority in the Louisiana medical  profession claim does exist, it is obvious that they didn’t know what they were doing, and have nothing to brag about. 

Sadly, Louisiana is not alone in this fatal flaw approach as more and more politicians attempt to deal with the abortion issue, which is a health care issue as opposed to a political one.

The Supreme Court returned the issue of abortion rights to the states, but unfortunately what we have now is a bunch of clueless politicians writing and passing legislation about a complex medical scenario which impacts the health of women.

Trump Shows His True Colors

Without wading into a discussion regarding the pros and cons of the policies that President Trump instituted during his presidency, one characteristic that I always attributed to Trump, and which Trump supporters  never accepted, was that when it came to a decision which could benefit the U.S. or his enterprises, it was always about the latter.  The proof of this behavior is now never more clearly evident than his recent hosting and support of the Saudi Arabia golf tournament held at his Bedminster Golf Course, just 50 miles from the 9/11 catastrophe.  He will make a bundle from this event and another such Saudi golf event later this year.

When Trump was confronted about this blatant disrespect for those who died and survived 9/11, he stated, “Well, nobody’s gotten to the bottom of 9/11, unfortunately, and they should have,”

The fact is fifteen of the 19 hijackers on Sept. 11, 2001, were Saudi nationals. And documents declassified by the FBI last year detailed contacts the hijackers had with Saudi associates in the U.S.

Obviously, Trump also thought Saudi Arabia was responsible, because on February 17, 2016, on national TV, Trump asked his pals at Fox and Friends “Who blew up the World Trade Center?”  “It wasn’t the Iraqis; it was Saudi — take a look at Saudi Arabia, open the documents.” Later that same day while campaigning in South Carolina he claimed there were “secret papers” that could prove it was “the Saudis” who were in fact responsible for the attacks on 9/11. “It wasn’t the Iraqis that knocked down the World Trade Center … because they have papers in there that are very secret, you may find it’s the Saudis, OK?”

Additionally, in his third presidential debate with Hilary Clinton he lambasted the Saudi government for executing homosexuals and treating women “horribly,” and verbally attacked Hillary Clinton for taking $25 million from the Saudis; from “people that push gays off … buildings."  "These are people that kill women and treat women horribly, and yet you take their money.”

Why now the change of heart by Trump?  Simple, as I stated, Trump was, and still is, always concerned about what’s best for Trump, above all else.  Even regarding the respect for others; and that will never change. It’s called ‘hypocrisy greed,’ something that the 9/11 folks are tragically now the object of.

Mayor Cantell Loves Her Trips on the Public's Dime

I must admit I found the statement by Gregory Joseph, Mayor Cantrell's spokesperson, justifying the mayor's planned trip to Singapore next week humorous beyond belief.  He stated, "This is an opportunity for us not just to lift up what we are doing in New Orleans, but also to hear what other successful cities across the globe are doing."  Maybe the mayor can highlight the city's unreliable garbage pick up services,  the 2 1/2 hour average wait for 911 police responses, if you're lucky enough to get a response at all, the lack of a plan to deal with the spiraling homeless population, the broken sanitation/sewerage system, and the out of control shootings and carjackings that plague its residents daily. 

Personally, I'd be embarrassed to attend, but then again Cantrell wants to travel as much as she can world-wide on the taxpayers' dime before she can no longer afford such luxuries.

Louisiana Residents Duped Once Again!

Don’t know if you missed it, but our local news outlets just covered a story about the increase in automobile insurance rates.  Our illustrious State Insurance Commissioner, Jim Donelon, was on the news giving all kind of excuses as to why this occurred.  An increase also occurred last year. However, when I wrote a commentary in the local newspaper several months ago questioning why this had occurred given the fact that our legislators had passed a bill they claimed would lower rates, I was castigated in several Letters to the Editor, insisting I was too impatient and that lower rates would occur.

In my initial commentary about this issue I wrote:  “In 2020, Louisiana politicians passed a bill which they touted as a major win for automobile drivers in our state, a promise of lower insurance rates.  Our Republican legislators duped the public into believing that our high auto insurance rates were due to the ridiculously high number of lawsuits filed against insurance companies by the overabundance of accident attorneys in our state.  In response, our esteemed legislators passed a bill that would limit damage suits by people injured in car wrecks. They claimed the bill would make the state’s auto insurance market more competitive and induce auto insurers to pass their cost savings from the bill to consumers.”

One of our more astute legislators wanted a ‘hold accountable’ clause included in the bill stipulating that the insurance companies would decrease rates 20%.  The majority of our reps refused to include that clause.  Maybe they were just more concerned about their campaign contributions from these insurance companies, rather than actually benefiting their constituents.

The reality of this entire situation is, we are still waiting for rates to drop and are apparently relying on the benevolence of the “Like a Good Neighbor” and “You’re in Good Hands” companies.  If their handling of home owners’ claims for Ida is any indication of their desire to provide relief to their paying customers, I doubt if we will ever see automobile insurance rates decrease, or stop increasing.

I'll repeat it once again, we have been duped by State Insurance Commissioner, Jim Donelon, the State Insurance Commissioners, and our representatives.  Let’s remember this at the next election.

Check the Pump

Finally, my prayers have been answered because the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality is going to get off its duff and address the contamination of Louisiana rivers and soil by fecal matter.  And yes, you heard it correctly, ‘poop’ as kids refer to it.  However, it’s really the Environmental Protection Agency that’s forcing Louisiana to do it, it’s not of Louisiana’s own volition.

Louisiana is going to get over $490,000 to investigate why the Natalbany River and Yellow River are choking with this contamination.  Both are no longer safe to swim in or fish.  Sadly, the expected culprit is humans and their use of aerated sewerage waste systems outside city limits.  These systems drain into ditches in front of homes, and eventually find their way into river ways and soil throughout our state.

I am told that LSU came up with this design as a cheaper and more readily adaptable way to handle rural homeowners’ sewerage as opposed to a septic tank with a leaching field.   The system usually consists of two debris settling tanks buried underground and an air pump connected to a pipe which runs to the bottom of one of the tanks and passes air into it.  Maybe it was a good idea, but its realistic implementation was horrible, because it requires a crucial maintenance element which if ignored makes the system worthless, and most ignore the maintenance part.

The aerator pump is the key element in the system because it stimulates bacteria growth essential in decomposing the fecal matter and purifying the water before it drains into the open ditches in front of one’s home.

I usually take a three mile walk once or twice a week and I can tell you that I would guess about 99.9% of the systems installed in the homes I pass are non-functioning.   I either see disconnected pumps, black water pouring out of the drainage pipe, notice a pungent smell, or sewerage debris in the ditches.

I once had a conversation with a neighbor about how I had to rebuild my aerator pump every two to three years, to which he replied, “Really, I’ve had mine for ten years and never had to anything, it just keeps humming along.”  Sadly, his pump was indeed running, but the rubber diaphragms inside the pump responsible for moving the air were broken.  The pump was doing nothing but “humming.”

In the climate we live in if you can go more than three years without replacing the pump’s rubber diaphragms, you’re lucky.  Rebuild kits are available on line, and it’s an easy job.   If you’re not mechanically adept to rebuild the pump, buy a new one.   They are not cheap, but just remember you are not paying a monthly sewerage processing charge like you do in the city.  So even with that possible three year expense, you’re saving money.  If a part failed on your car and made it inoperable, you would find the money to fix it, but when it comes to preventing pollution of our lakes and streams, most choose to ignore it.

Hopefully, you do not pass all this discussion off as just some ‘bleeding heart environmentalist’ trying to save the planet.  Our inaction regarding this is the poisoning of the soil and waterways which we depend upon for food.  By the way, you can be fined for a malfunctioning system if caught, or turned in by a concerned neighbor.  Here is what the Louisiana statue states, "A person shall not directly or indirectly discharge, or allow to be discharged, the contents or effluent from any plumbing fixtures, vault, privy, portable toilet, or septic tank, into any road, street, gutter, ditch, water course, body of water, or onto the surface of the ground." 

If we continue to ignore this problem very soon we will have to change our state’s slogan from ‘A Sportsman’s Paradise’ to ‘A Sportsman’s Pollution Hell;’ so please, check the pump and your overall system.

Pro-Life? Practice what you preach!

Well the Pro-Lifers were finally successful in their 49 year campaign to overturn a woman’s right to abortion in the U.S.   And in the United States, thirteen states, Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming, enacted trigger laws that will immediately automatically ban abortion.  However, it’s interesting to note that while these states were interested in protecting the life of the unborn, they apparently have no problem with failure to provide sufficient care during pre-birth and after the birth of the child, for all these states rank the lowest in prenatal care, and child rearing assistance for the unwed.

Notable, with little surprise, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama are in the top three with the highest percentage of babies born with low birth weights rates due to inadequate prenatal care, which can lead to death. This is clearly supported in 2020 data which indicated that Mississippi was first and Louisiana was second in infant mortality rates.  Also noteworthy is that Texas, and Mississippi have the highest percentage of women receiving no prenatal care during their first trimester.

In addition, all these states, including Louisiana, have some of the highest rates of childhood poverty, premature birth rates, and limited access to health insurance for child bearing age low income mothers.

However, the trigger laws for Louisiana are even more devastating since no exceptions are made for rape or incest. Can you imagine the mental impact that will have on a woman forced to raise a child conceived in that manner?  Maybe our esteemed Republican legislators just assume the philosophy of the Republican candidate running for Virginia's Seventh Congressional District who recently stated that “you can’t get pregnant from rape.”

It is truly sad that the Pro-Life movement legislators’ agenda didn’t actually energetically address during its 49 year quest what its name implied.  They continually resisted attempts to pass legislative funding to provide a support system for better quality care for mothers during pre-birth and for the child after its birth.  This is particularly evident in the states with the most stringent abortion restriction laws.

Hopefully, the Pro-Life movement won’t just fold up shop and ride off into the sunset now that’s its myopic focus has been accomplished.

But I seriously doubt much will change in the Republican controlled abortion restriction states regarding the quality of prenatal care and child rearing assistance as a result of this historic Supreme Court decision.  I suspect it will just worsen.

Let's Start Docking the Pay of Our Legislators

In today’s world, if you don’t show up for your job, for reasons other than illness or a personal emergency, your pay is docked.  And, if you fail to do your job, you’re fired. However, apparently that reality scenario seems non-existent for our esteemed state legislators.

Last week, a bill that could have had a major impact on finally moving Louisiana out of the bottom two positions on most national educational performance polls, ground to a halt in the Louisiana Senate.  The bill, which already had received the stamp of approval from House representatives, would have held back third graders who could not pass a reading assessment after three tries.  Such students would undergo extensive remedial work during the school day, including at least 90 minutes per day instruction emphasizing phonics, fluency, comprehension and other reading strategies.

This was obviously an extremely important bill for the Louisiana senate to consider, but it failed by just 2 votes to advance further.  However, what was even more upsetting than its failure to pass was the fact that 6 senators didn’t even vote on the bill. These included senators, Cathey, Cloud, Fields, Foil, Harris and Tarver. 

I don’t know who was actually physically present or absent in the senate building when the voting occurred, but the bottom line was they all failed to do their job.  They were not doing what Louisiana voters hired them to do; vote.

This behavior happens all too frequently in both legislative branches in the hallowed halls of Baton Rouge, and it needs to stop.  

Obviously, we can’t fire them for this delinquent behavioral, but I suggest we do implement a procedure that might alter their behavior.  Therefore, I challenge our legislators to implement the same procedure that applies to the everyday working residents in our state, docking their pay.  I think a good starting figure should be $100.00 per each non-voting incident.  If you’re physically absent from the legislative building due to illness and produce a doctor’s excuse, or absent due to a documented emergency, I’ll let you slide.

Our legislators are paid to basically do two things, propose legislation, and vote on it.  And yes, it takes a spine to go on record for all to see regarding one’s stance on proposed legislation. Obviously some seem to be missing this vital part of their body, and choose instead to ‘not show up for work.’ 

We need to stop treating our legislators as prima-donnas, and hold them accountable to the same standards that exist in the real world for not doing one’s job, dock their pay.

'Pro Life' Hypocrisy

 After the horrific slaughter of innocent children and adults in Texas last week,  the responses of most Republican congressional leaders in Washington, along with the NRA, centered around the ideology of getting more guns into the hands of ‘good people’ to help protect us from the ‘bad people’ with guns.  

Ironically, these are the same individuals that champion the cause of ‘Pro Life.’  They are fanatical about protecting the life of the unborn, but apparently couldn’t care less about life after birth for children and adults. The stark reality being, as Senator Ted Cruz of Texas was recently asked by a British journalist, “Why does this (mass shootings) only happen in your country? .... Why only in America? Why is this American exceptionalism so awful?”   Cruz responded with “You know, I’m sorry you think American exceptionalism is awful. You’ve got your political agenda. God love you,” and stormed off.

Sadly, Cruz’s reaction probably summed up what will occur regarding the possibility of implementing any meaningful minimalistic regulation of gun sales in this country; not one single thing.

As has happened so many times before, when something like the Texas’ slaughter occurs, the old phrase ‘Guns don’t kill people, people kill people’ will arise once again as the battle cry for prohibiting gun sale regulation. However, please note, the biggest selling point of a gun is that it can kill people.

The latest poll indicates that the majority of the people in the U.S. want tighter gun control legislation, but Republican legislators, like Cruz, who receives more money from gun lobbyist groups than any other member in the U.S. Senate, will have none of that. And, apparently our state Republican legislators will have none of that either, as they are set to pass less restrictions on gun ownership.

One of my biggest personal pet peeves is ‘hypocrisy,’ defined by the Webster Dictionary as, “the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one's own behavior does not conform.”

So please don’t tell me your ‘Pro Life’ if you, do in fact, oppose gun regulation in our country.  Protect the unborn, sacrifice all others?

Questionable Backgrounds of Little Importance to New Orleans for Its Officials

Residents of New Orleans perceive crime as out of control in their fair city.   They are repulsed by the shootings and car jackings that now plague the city almost daily.  However, strangely, their abhorrence of crime seems to take a back seat regarding ‘white collar’ crime as it relates to elected city officials. 

They overwhelmingly elected a D.A. that allegedly committed tax fraud.  And now his law partner is accused of Medicaid fraud.   N.O. ‘s mayor not only had ethical questions raised about her use of a city credit card while serving on the city council , but also had federal tax obligations resulting in liens being placed on her home and other properties. More recently, questions have been raised regarding the mayor about possible improprieties regarding awarding a contract to expand internet services within the city.

And let’s not forget the recently elected city council member who served time for taking bribes and kickbacks while previously serving on the council.  He was also arrested for driving with a suspended driver’s license and having an outstanding warrant for failure to appear in court regarding a traffic incident.

Granted, with the exception of the recently elected councilman’s brush with the law, the other city officials were not, or have yet to be, formally convicted of a crime.  However, their behaviors all raise ‘red flags’ about their ethical beliefs regarding obeying the law.

And, contrary to popular belief in New Orleans, there are individuals in the city that have no suspicious behaviors associated with their pasts.   Why not take a ‘bite out of crime,’ and elect these individuals to guide the city?   Too progressive an idea for ‘the city that care forgot’?

Reckless Justification of Second Amendment Rights

Sadly, after the horrific event in Uvalde, Texas, the random slaughter of 19 elementary students and two teachers, we continue to hear even stronger support among our most vocal pro guns Congressional legislators, and citizenry, for upholding one's rights for gun ownership with very minimal restrictions.

In fact, our esteemed Louisiana state legislators are, at this very moment, pushing legislation relaxing even more restrictions for carrying a weapon. 

However, it is important to note that the justification for all this ideology is the Second Amendment, amendment  to the Constitution of the United States.  It was adopted in 1791 as part of the Bill of Rights.

These are the firearms available at the time of that adoption:

These are just some of the firearms available now:

Need I say more? Seems like a recklessly flawed ideological justification.

How Much More Pathetic Can Louisiana House Rep. Steve Scalise Get?

It doesn't take a Rhodes Scholar to figure out that the only agenda that U.S. House Minority Whip Steve Scalise has for the next 4 years is to impede every legislation proposed by the Biden administration whether it is beneficial to the country or not.

He wants to make sure that the present administration fails. However, I never thought that his obstructionist role would be so pervasive and demented that he would risk the lives of newborns just to prove a point. 

Last week, Scalise sent a memo to all House GOP offices recommending that members vote against the legislation that was proposed to address the baby formula shortage. He argued that Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) brought up the bill “in hopes of covering up the administration’s ineptitude by throwing additional money at the FDA with no plan to actually fix the problem, all while failing to hold the FDA accountable.”

Whether that point was valid or not, the crisis needed to be addressed immediately because newborns and babies would die without a solution.  He proposed no solution himself.

 Apparently, his obsession as an obstructionist is so pervasive now that he is willing to let babies die just to prove a point and embarrass the present administration. Thankfully, the legislation passed and does seem to address the problem. What a pathetic individual Rep. Scalise has become.

Hypocrisy, Alive and Well in Supreme Court Selection

The hypocrisy and grandstanding at the recent confirmation hearing for the potential Supreme Court Justice, Ketanji Brown Jackson, was truly amazing. Senators Lindsey Graham and Ted Cruz led the charge bashing Judge Jackson on everything from her decisions as a trial lawyer and judge, her definition of a woman, and her school board seat at her children’s school.

It would seem to me that one of the most important qualifications for a Supreme Court justice should be ‘on hand’ experience with the law.  Judge Jackson’s qualifications include serving as a supreme court clerk, a public defender trial lawyer, and presently a federal judge; items sorely missing from the most recent person appointed to the Supreme Court, Amy Coney Barrett.  Hypocritically, both Senator Cruz and Senator Graham found no problem with her law inexperience and quickly approved her nomination with no objections.  They must both feel proud that they nominated Justice Barrett, who has the distinction of being the least experienced Supreme Court nominee in 30 years.  She had spent almost all her professional life in academia until Trump nominated her to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in 2017.  She had never worked as a prosecutor, defense lawyer, solicitor general, attorney general, or even served as counsel to any legislative body.  By almost any objective measure, Judge Barrett is the most inexperienced person nominated to the Supreme Court since 1991, when President George H.W. Bush nominated Clarence Thomas.

Jackson, on the other hand, served in several of these positions which to her misfortune, served as ‘raw meat’ for the predatory appetites of Cruz, Graham and other Republican committee members to bash her on her clients she was assigned to defend as a public defender, and the sentences she handed down as a judge.  They may not have liked her decisions, or felt they weren’t severe enough, but at least she practiced law in a court room setting.  And, contrary to what Cruz, Graham and some other Republicans would have you believe, according to national court sentencing averages, Ms. Jackson’s  sentencings were not ‘out of line’ with those averages.

Next up for display was Senator Ted Cruz’s taking up the charge for Republicans against anti-racism efforts at a private school in Washington where Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson serves as a school board member. He produced a book available for reading in the district and listed the school’s policy regarding race relations as both problematic.  However, what Senator Cruz failed to note was leaders at the private school in Houston where he sends his two daughters have articulated a similar race commitment, and the exact same book is available for reading. Apparently, he has no problem with his own daughters’ immersion in that school’s philosophies, only when it somewhat remotely applies to Ms. Jackson as being one of several school board members.

Space does not permit the other hypocrisies which arose in the selection committee meeting. However, I would like to address one other Republican hypocrisy.  President Biden had been accused of engaging in ‘selective bias’ by several Republicans because he pledged up front that he would choose a Black female for the next Supreme Court justice.  They clamored that that would systematically eliminate all the qualified males and white females from the selection process.  Need I remind these folks that former President Trump pledged up front that he would nominate a female for his Supreme Court person?  No Cruz, Graham, and other Republican complaints regarding that ‘selective bias’ edict.

Hypocrisy: the false profession of desirable or publicly approved qualities, beliefs, or feelings, esp. a pretense of having virtues, moral principles, or religious beliefs that one does not really possess. (The Online Free Dictionary)  Or as I like to define it in the present day, ‘POLITICS.’

Voted 'No' But Took the 'Dough'

Thirteen House Republicans and 19 Senate Republicans voted to support and helped pass President Joe Biden’s Infrastructure Bill.  Included in those who opposed the legislation were our congressional legislators John Kennedy, Clay Higgins, and Steve Scalise. Kennedy, who is known more for his witty, jovial quips rather than any noteworthy legislation actually benefiting Louisiana, quipped “The bill is 2,700 pages—twice as long as the Bible,” and “If you look up stupid stuff in the dictionary, there's a picture of this bill," in addressing  his reasons for voting against the bill.  Scalise, whose main objective in Congress now is serving as an obstructionist to all legislation proposed by President Biden, irrespective of whether or not it might benefit our state, was also quite vocal in his opposition to the legislation.  Now days it's difficult to tell if each truly had major concerns about this legislation, or if they simply sheepishly followed Donald Trump’s request to veto the bill.   It's problematic to differentiate between the two.

However, now that the money is flowing to states as promised, the Republicans who bashed the law are now taking credit for its initiatives.  And to no surprise, Scalise, Higgins and Kennedy are also now on board, touting the provided funding for our state.  Just recently, Scalise, in a news release, highlighted the $400 million in initiatives (made possible by the law) that will help mitigate flooding.  Higgins also applauded the more than $190 million in funding for waterway projects in his district. Both are now bragging as if they were instrumental in obtaining these funds.   And our state folks are buying it.

Additionally, Louisiana will now get over $6 billion for roads, bridges, broadband expansion, and coastal restoration during the first five years of the roll out. Sadly, I am sure it’s only a matter of time before one of these projects serves a backdrop for a photo op for Senator Kennedy.

But ironically, the one Louisiana representative that actually voted for this legislation, Bill Cassidy, has been labeled as a RINO, lambasted, and criticized by these same congressional colleagues because he defied former President Donald Trump’s edict to kill the bill.  Because Cassidy could see beyond petty political agendas, and has truly shown a desire to serve the people of Louisiana who elected him, he is being punished by his own party.

The hypocrisy of our political representatives at both the federal and state level never ceases to amaze me.  I often wonder what we could accomplish as a nation and state if our esteemed representatives didn’t “sell their souls” to political agendas, and, instead, really tried to benefit those that elected them.

But, then again, we keep electing these same folks over and over.