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Once again, LA comes in dead last in comparison to the other states. This time is it is in places to do business. See Forbes report here.

The good news is that unless Puerto Rico or D.C. are made states, we can’t go any lower.

It’ll be interesting to hear the Blanco Administration’s response to this latest dead last ranking. It’ll be particularly interesting to hear from the head of LA Economic Development efforts, Mike Olivier. Since he was “lured” away from Mississippi, it seems that Mississippi is managing to stay one or two notches again of Louisiana in all the rankings.

LA’s spending has increased from $10 Billion in 1995 to over $26 Billion in the current fiscal year. Much of the extra money is spend in the name of “economic development.” Where’s the beef?

One response from a seasoned observer of LA government and politics went this way:

It can’t be true. I just don’t believe it. You know how I know? Because after the hurricanes, all officials said we would rebuild and make out state better than ever.*

* “Better than ever” is intellectually confounding because it implies that our condition used to be good, and now it will be even better. It’s like claiming certain actions will tarnish our reputation.

Nuff said.

C.B.

Uncategorized CB 8:00 am

It’s obvious that the destruction of thousands of our homes, our possessions and the loss of over a thousand lives has failed to even faze the misguided actions of the Orleans Levee Board. Instead of focusing on its primary responsibility of flood protection it continues to spend its efforts on gambling casinos. See the story here.

The board seems to have learned nothing from its previous failures, including the failure of a gambling boat at Southshore Harbor on Lake Pontchartrain. Even Organized Gambling has recognized the folly of placing another casino in a venue that was losing money pre-Katrina. The boat managed to stay afloat, unlike our homes and property, thanks to a continuing list of sweetheart deals cut by the Levee Board. The board does all this in the name of “economic development.” Here’s a clue to the Levee Board: Unless the citizens are safe from further flooding, there is no economic development!

This one stupid decision that cannot be blamed on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Orleans Levee Board’s complicity in the destruction of New Orleans in the aftermath of Katrina (Let us not forget.) will forever be immortalized by the $14 Million overpass to a gambling casinos instead of being used to monitor the leaking flood walls of the 17th Street Canal.

I don’t know if we can wait until September 30 to vote on the constitutional amendment (Amendment No. 3) to put flood control and the safety of hundreds of thousands of citizens in the hands of competent professionals. Governor Blanco should immediately remove the members for which she is responsible and replace them with professionals who will focus on keeping our fellow citizens safe.

C.B.

Uncategorized CB 8:00 am

The story in Saturday’s Baton Rouge newspaper is one example of, despite a Regular Session and two Special Sessions of the Lege since last year’s man-made, nature-aided, disasters, the real problems in LA being left un-addressed. While the Blanco Administration is focused on expanding the size of government, increasing the minimum wage and finding new ways to tax the public, the leges focus on pork barrel projects to enhance their re-election efforts, all seem oblivious to basic needs of the citizens.

Over a hundred thousand homes were destroyed by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita with the assistance of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Hundreds of thousands of our citizens remain homeless. Trailers sit unused in places where there is no demand, without utilities in places where they are needed, locked in places where citizens live in their gutted homes next to them. Money has not begun to trickle down to the assist with the re-building of houses. Those that are finding the money to begin the rebuilding find that insurance is either unavailable or un-affordable. People that are trying to borrow money find it impossible because of the lack of insurance. Those that already had homeowners insurance are finding a massive tax increase on their policies to assist (via Citizens Plan) those who cannot find traditional insurance.

Utility rates are rising yet utilities in the urban areas are not yet available to all the citizens who are trying to rebuild their lives. Crime is escalating. Businesses are closing, re-locating or building back-up facilities in other states because of fear of future catastrophic events. Out-migration started in the 90s continues unabated. We are not in a recovery mode, we are in a survival mode.

We are in the midst of hurricane season, but specific plans for future disasters are at best half-baked and at worst non-existent. Flood protection remains not only elusive, but suspect.

These issues are all either the responsibility of or regulated by government. If government cannot provide services basic to life in a civilized society, then it serves no purpose at all.

We continue to expand state government exponentially, while the basic needs of the citizens go un-addressed. Today, we learn that a “summit” may be called to find solutions to the insurance crisis. What a joke! The closing of the surgery unit at Earl K. Long Hospital is an example of what summits in LA produce.

Government’s best efforts to-date consist of taking more money from its citizens while delivering less and poorer services. We don’t need summits, we don’t need more taxes or taxes disguised as fees, add-ons, tolls or what-have-you and we damn sure don’t need any more government. We need action to address the issues that are basic to human survival in a civilized country. If we don’t start demanding action instead of rhetoric, then we have no one to blame but ourselves.

Have a nice day.

C.B.

Uncategorized CB 8:00 am