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Once again we have to wait on the Federal Government to investigate abuses of our hard-earned tax dollars in LA. The story in Wednesday’s Daily Monopoly is the latest in the saga of the failures of law enforcement in LA to do it sworn job.

It’s not as if abuses of the Lege Slush Funds weren’t legion. That’s why they were dubbed “slush funds” years ago. The funds were started by then-governor Edwin Edwards in 1986 to purchase the votes of the black leges to impose a 1 penny “temporary” State Sales Tax on food, drugs and utilities.

The first time I recall abuses being investigated was in the late 80s when studies done by the Lege Fiscal Office showed widespread abuse of the funds. While occasionally the abuses were discussed in various lege forums nothing really was done to end the abuses. In fact, the funds were later expanded.

Promises of proper oversight of the slush funds were made by governors Foster and Blanco. Nothing ever came of those promises. Governor Blanco allegedly abolished the funds in the last Lege Session. However, we quickly learned that they were not only reincarnated, but expanded and hidden in the state budget for the current year.

Once again, we leave it to the Feds to clean up our mess. It’s pretty bad timing considering the fact that Congress is expecting a proper accounting of the billions of dollars it has allocated to us in the form of disaster relief. It also comes at a time when our Lege Auditor who is supposed to exercise oversight over the Fed Funds and state funds appears to be guilty of unethical activity himself.

While it is comforting, but disappointing to once again see the Feds come in to clean up one of our messes, there is always the question of whether misspending the money rises to the level of a Federal Crime. If not, then there will be nothing more than an investigation without prosecution. As such the abuses will continue.

Further hindering the investigation is the fact that all records of the agency overseeing the slush funds prior to 2001 have been DESTROYED. Under what authority are public records destroyed? What other records from previous administrations have been destroyed?

Where’s the lege oversight? Where are the state investigations? Why is it that we always must wait for the Cavalry to ride in and display our dirty laundry before the entire country?

Finally, when will we finally have enough and start demanding that state agencies, including the leges, charged with the responsibilities of making sure our tax dollars are not misspent start doing the jobs for which they are paid?

C.B.

Uncategorized CB 8:00 am

Apparently, nobody seems to care about the fact that one of the two Fortune 500 companies headquartered in LA is leaving the state. Monday, we learned that Freeport Copper and Gold (”FCX”) is leaving for Phoenix.

I expected to see follow-up stories, columns and editorials about this tragic economic loss to our state. I expected to see the governor, the leges, the mayor of New Orleans and the New Orleans City Council holding press conferences to announce this as a wake-up call. I expected our economic guru Mike Olivier announcing emergency plans to keep this from happening again. I expected to see a serious call to action by Greater New Orleans, Inc. and the N.O. Chamber of Chamber.

I saw no such thing.

I saw plans to spend tax dollars on a possible, maybe, someday, steel mill in St. James Parish. I saw plans to speed up some already enacted tax reductions for some businesses.

The loss of FCX is another example of the result of the failure to focus on the existing businesses in LA. Could the FCX headquarters been kept in LA? We’ll never know because there was no effort to do so.

It’s not the job of existing businesses to build the economy, they must remain focused on staying in business. It’s not the job of businesses in other states to build LA’s economy. They go where they can provide a needed service, or product and where they can make a profit in doing so.

What business will we lose next? We won’t know until we read about it the New York Times or Wall Street Journal.

Who cares? Apparently, nobody who is responsible for the economy.

C.B.

Uncategorized CB 8:00 am

Niccolo Machiavelli

You have to hand it to Lafayette City-Parish President Joey Durel, he is a true disciple of Nicolo Machiavelli.

In a story in Monday’s Lafayette paper Durel shows not only his candor, his knowledge of the lege process, but also his willingness to do whatever it takes to get state funding. A classic Machiavellian effort where the ends justify the means.

One might have thought that a supposedly, reform-minded, Republican, public official would take the high ground. Not the pragmatic Durel. His mantra is obviously, if you can’t do things right do whatever it takes to achieve one’s goals. A lesser pragmatic reformer might have suggested that the system of financing capital projects by the state was in need of reform. No tilting at windmills for Durel.

Here’s the Durel approach:

“They’re [The Lafayette lege delegation.] not going to get money for Lafayette unless they vote for boondoggles elsewhere,” he said. “I’ve been telling some of our very conservative friends that they’re going to have to be prepared to defend our delegation when they vote for boondoggle.”

The citizens of Lafayette must be mighty proud. Durel is willing to say up-front what other politicians only whisper behind closed doors. Not only does Durel recognize boondoggles when he sees them, but supports boondoggles.

Durel gets an “A Plus” for candor and an “F” for integrity.

Now that we have it out in the open how the state’s capital outlay process works, let’s reform it!

C.B.

Uncategorized CB 8:00 am