First of all, to all those loyal readers, including those employees throughout state government, who contributed so generously to our most recent fund raiser, please accept our heartfelt appreciation. We are trying to respond personally to all of you who contributed on line and by snail mail. We met our goal and that will help us in our research for the book we are writing on the administration (and chronic absenteeism) of our part-time governor.
Should he be foolish enough to try for higher office, the book should attract national attention as the only source of insight into the real Bobby Jindal (as opposed to Faux News and his op-ed pieces in the Washington Post).
Also, we regret to inform Commissioner of Administration Kristy Nichols that her check for our fund raiser was apparently lost in the mail. She may wish to re-send.
Oh, one more thing, Kristy. The definition of insanity, as you know, is trying the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Well, there is another, lesser known definition: Trying to discourage state employees from reading LouisianaVoice by blocking access to our blog or by forbidding employees to log onto it. In case you may be unaware of it, we suggested long ago that state employees not log onto LouisianaVoice at work lest they feed the paranoia that already runs rampant throughout the Division of Administration (DOA).
We know all about your little dictum that state employees are not to log onto our web page—and we concur. And why even bother to claim that blocking access was because of “bandwidth issues” when no one is buying that feeble explanation? After all, they will have plenty time to absorb our posts at home, on their own time…on their own computers, Smart Phones, etc. Uh, you do know they have these devices at home, don’t you? They can—and do—read us extensively there…and there’s not a thing you can do about it.
We also know all about your threat to monitor DOA employees’ emails—and that is your right. The computers do belong to the state, after all, but somehow makes you look pretty small and conveys the image that you have little else to do with your own time than snoop through state workers’ emails. But that’s okay because we happen to agree that the computers should be used for work and not for shopping on Amazon.com as I witnessed management personnel doing during my years in state employment.
Kristy, you may wish to refer back to that super-secret employee survey taken by IBM in the state agencies under DOA. You know, the survey that revealed such deep-seated discontent and distrust of the administration on the part of state employees. Did you ever wonder, Kristy, why that survey reflected such an undercurrent of unhappiness among your employees? Did you? Of course not. You just wrote the $25,000 check to IBM and filed the survey away in a drawer somewhere without ever trying to understand the prevailing mood. Oh, that’s right, you had a concert to attend in New Orleans so you couldn’t be bothered with such trivial matters.
And as for Stephen Russo, the Executive Counsel for the Department of Health and Hospitals: You can instruct your people not to talk to us until you turn blue in the face but you should know they’re talking to us anyway and they will continue to do so, your demands notwithstanding.
Truth be known, we’re kinda enjoying all the attention and fuss being made over our little stories. We know when you’re squirming we’re pretty close to something you don’t want us to know. If we were just blowing smoke, you really wouldn’t give a rat’s patootie, now would you?
But let us latch onto a story like the one we broke about the proposed benefit changes by the Office of Group Benefits or the one about how Jindal and State Police Superintendent Mike Edmonson tried to sneak in that $55,000 per year retirement benefit increase for Edmonson, or how the Department of Education tried to enter into that furtive agreement with Rupert Murdoch to share private student data or how Jindal tried to have Murphy Painter wrongly prosecuted for doing his job which irritated Jindal financial backer Tom Benson and suddenly we’re off limits.
Have you checked out our masthead recently, the part where it says “It is understandable when a child is afraid of the dark but unforgivable when a man fears the light”?
You may wish to commit those words to memory.
Louisiana Voice 
I like the way you directly call her out. Like, “hey girl, you’re on my radar” and “you too, Russo”.
Keep up the fine work, Tom.
Has Kristy never heard of child or reverse psychology where to get a child to do something one suggests that the child NOT do that very act? Now those few state employees that may not have been regular readers of Louisiana Voice will become readers just to see what all the fuss is about.
The problem is the administration is treating state employees as just that—children—and the employees resent that very deeply.
Perhaps DoA could share why it needed a third party to “collect” the donation cards of state workers who wanted to contribute to the United Way via payroll deduction when previous years state workers did that. Oh, and this third party contractor gets 17% of the “take” to do this which means the United Way receives 17% less than in previous years. Who stands to gain from this arrangement??? Why does this administration continue to “break” processes that aren’t broken to parade out a “fix” that’s not needed. Okay, I’ll wait for the book to get those answers!
AZ- please post more information on this stealth privatization raiding donations to United Way. There was no campaign or visit from a UW rep in our agency this year as always in the past. I researched this new consolidated campaign but never found info on a third party collecting pledge cards. There was no info at all on the new entity provided in any agency that we are aware of. This agency had always been very generous to UW in the past. The many non-profits are going to be in a world of hurt next year—no one pledged or donated—in any agency that we have contact with. And now a revelation about a privatized raid on donations??? Do these people have no shame at all? Do they steal candy from children too?
So Tom, I wonder what the rule is for texting on gov’t time? Like when you are in a hearing about health benefits for state employees and the texts are concerning the logistics of getting you and your daughter to a concert at the Smoothie-King Ctr in nola?
Excellent point!
I hope she reads that! 😉
How Dare You, Mr. Aswell! You know that us “subjects” of “le gouverneur” are not intelligent enough to know what is good media reporting! We must leave this selection of what constitutes good and truthful reporting to “le gouverneur” and his chosen court (group of “minions”) in order that they can lead us from the depths of ignorance!
Yes, both You and Ms. Nichols are correct with the statement that active state employees should not be utilizing their state issued computers to access matters that are not explicitly related to the employee’s job. However, I am wondering just why Ms. Nichols is targeting Louisiana Voice as a “no read!” Has she perhaps “peeked” as to its contents through the use of her state issued computer?
On a separate matter, but one that can still be regarded “in context” if one looks at all of this administration’s questionable decisions as a whole, I only hope that this last revelation and most gracious move by Madam Kristy N. in the form of refunds to OGB clients, do not lessen the desire of state employees (active and retired) for retrieval of truthful answers regarding what happened to OGB funding and the recent changes in OGB insurance.
This is my first time commenting “on-line”; therefore, I want to extend my appreciation to you and Louisiana Voice for exposing the truth regarding the actions of “le gouverneur” and his group of “minions”. Also, its election day today. Therefore, if anyone has not yet voted, please do exercise your right as a citizen of Louisiana and these United States to go out and cast your vote for the candidate and amendment of your choice!
Isn’t it time to call our governor by his real name instead of his nickname?
Perhaps, but a rose, by any other name…
Wait…his real name???? This is too good to be true!!!!
Awesome, awesome, awesome. I’m willing to bet she is so mad right now you could fry an egg on her forehead. LOL.
Keep up the heat, Tom
No, they really shouldn’t be reading outside materials of any kind during work hours, but that does not keep them from reading them before and after and I think such an edict will probably ensure that they do. Isn’t that just like those liars in the Jindal administration? Never heard of freedom of speech, have they? So I hope they all take 5 minutes in the parking lot to read Louisiana Voice. They will especially need to as the Republican infestation is probably going to get worse and all those dear conservatives from Livingston Parish no longer have mosquito protection. Maybe they will all get West Nile.
As a republican state worker from Livingston Parish I find your comment disgusting & inappropriate. Find some class.
LA Lady, I am sorry you were offended, but I think twinkie1cat was trying to exhibit her clever sense of humor.
On the other hand, maybe she was also trying to point out that “shrinking government”, a lynch pin of conservative ideology, can sometimes have unpleasant consequences in the real world. This is unlike the fantasy land where so many conservatives reside where smaller government is ALWAYS better.
Wishing harm on a certain group of people does not make someone “clever”. But thank you for your apology. 🙂
Ms. Nichols should realize that her computer and its records are public records as well, and I would think those would be very interesting indeed. Censoring what State employees can read on their computers sounds more like what happens in China or North Korea.
Bwaaaaa ha ha ha ha!!!!!!
I’ve waited 40 years to be able to say what I want, and put political signs in my yard, and Madam Kristy Nichols nor anyone else will shut me up! I read your articles whenever posted and email them to approximately 20 fellow state retirees! We are hungry for the truth!