forgotston.com

Below is an email that I sent to each member of the House and Governmental Committee of the LA Lege.

Rep. Steve Pugh, R-Ponchatoula, is the author of the legislation to which I referred. Pugh is also my state representative. On several occasions I asked Pugh what problem for the public was he trying correct.  No response.

Then, I suggested to Pugh that if there was a problem that needed to be corrected, his legislation needed an amendment to define “junk emails.”  No response.

Junk screeners

As I’m sure you are aware, an individual can set their individual “junk screener” programs to filter out any mail they choose.

A few weeks ago, I learned that my emails to anyone using the email server for the LA House of Representatives was being sent to the recipient’s “junk box” by default.

If you agree

If you use email to contact your lege or others who work for state and local government and don’t want them to have an excuse for ignoring your communications considering emailing the members of this committee.

Here’s the link to the committee: http://house.louisiana.gov/H_Cmtes/H_CMTE_HG.asp By clicking on the member’s name you will find a link to email them.

If they can’t take the heat from us citizens, they should resign.

C.B.

Dear ______,

You are scheduled to hear House Bill 1074 in the House and Governmental Affairs Committee on Wednesday, April 28.

The bill creates an exception to the Public Records Law. It would allow “junk emails” sent to public officials to be destroyed.

There is no definition of “junk” in the legislation. Therefore, presumably, each individual public official will be allowed to decide what is “junk.”

In our representative form of democracy it is imperative that the public be able to freely communicate with members of the legislature as well as other state and local public officials.

Allowing the unfettered destruction of the records of our communications is unconscionable.

Please support transparent and open government by defeating House Bill 1074.

Sincerely,

C.B.

C.B. Forgotston, Jr.
Hammond, LA

1 CB 8:00 am

New Wildlife and Fisheries logo

The leges have done such a good job with our state that now they want to take on more responsibilities.  They want to control hunting and fishing in Louisiana.

These are the same leges who claim they are overworked and unpaid.

On Thursday, the Senate Natural Resources Committee passed out of committee a proposed constitutional amendment by Sen. Rob Marionneaux, D-Livonia. ( See story here.)

The amendment would replace the current appointed Wildlife and Fisheries Commission with leges.

Committee discussion

Below is a transcript of some of the committee discussion. Only the names were changed to protect the guilty.

Sen. A: I’d like to have one of the fancy dove hunt fundraisers like Francis Thompson has every year.

Sen. B: Yeah, but if you don’t have it the first day of the season like Francis, nobody will want to come.

Sen. A: No problem. I’ll just get my colleagues on the lege committee that sets the seasons to set a special season for some property I own. The season will be set for when hunting is not normally allowed.  That way, if folks want to hunt doves, their only option will be to pay to come to my fundraiser hunt.

Sen. B: I’ve got a hundred acres of hardwoods.  I’ll have a special deer season for my fundraiser.

Sen. C: You boys think too small.  I’m going to get our buddies on the season setting committee to let each Senator set all hunting and fishing seasons for our individual senate districts.

Sens. A&B: Now you talking!

Sen. D: We’ll get old Stephen Moret to call it “economic development.” We’ll bring in hunters from the other states who can’t hunt because they allow those wildlife biologists kooks to control their seasons.

Sen. B: Think of all the spin off businesses like sporting goods stores, taxidermists, bait shops and all.   We’ll create lots of new jobs.

Sen. C:  It’ll stop the out-migration.   Sportsmen will move to our state in droves.  Instead of losing a Congressman, we’ll gain one.

Sen. A: Bobby will love it! It will give him more excuses not to be in Baton Rouge. He can fly in the state helicopter to the opening days in each of the 39 wildlife districts and make a speech about how it was all his idea.

Sen. B: I represent City Park in New Orleans.   I’ve gotten lots of complaints about the raccoons getting into everyone’s garbage cans and then hiding out in the park.  We can have a special raccoon season each year.

Sen. C: We don’t have many wild animals in Central City, but it’ll be a great excuse for folks to sit on their front stoops with shotguns.  It’ll reduce the crime in the area.

Sen. E: My district in Jefferson Parish has a lot of canals and the Nutria are causing them to cave-in.   I want to have open season on Nutria in my district.  I don’t know why the Deputy Sheriffs should have all the fun.

Sen. D: Will I be able to raise the limits within my district?

Sen.A: We can do anything we want within our own districts.  That’s why we’re getting rid of the Wildlife and Fisheries Commission.  All they care about is the wildlife.

Sen. D:   Man, I’m sick and tired of the bass limits.  I’m going to get the taxpayers to dig a lake on my worthless property and then remove the limit on bass.  That’s real economic development.

Sen. E:  You boys think big!  This idea is better than legalizing gambling.  I’m voting for the bill when it gets to the Senate Floor.

Folks, you can’t make this stuff up; at least, not in Louisiana.

C.B.

1 CB 8:00 am

Below are two of the most recent “only in Louisiana” incidents.

Keeping the brand out there.

On a recent Saturday night about 9:00 PM there was a shooting in downtown New Orleans on Canal Street at Royal.   Seven people were shot in the melee.

Fortunately, nobody was killed.

Usually, the New Orleans Police Department marks spent shell casings with small orange cones.  Apparently they ran out of cones last night.

Above is a picture of a “Hand Grenade” drink container from a Bourbon Street pub that was used by the NOPD to mark one of the casings.

This is yet another advantage of being allowed to walk around the streets with a drink in one’s hand.

Would you hire this firm?

I don’t know about you, but I would have serious doubts about hiring this firm to handle my financial affairs.

A 54-year-old Mandeville accountant recently was charged by a federal grand jury with one count of mail fraud related to the alleged theft of at least $40,000 that he was supposed to pay in state and federal taxes on behalf of a north shore hair salon.

Anthony Tulli, a certified public accountant and owner of the Mandeville-based bookkeeping business named Two Dagos in Heat….. Times Picayune, April 10, 2010.

If this was a civil case, the defense might be “assumption of risk.”

This is why comedy clubs can’t survive in Louisiana. They cannot compete with reality in our state.

C.B.

1 CB 8:00 am