Regular readers of this site know our disdain for the undue influence of lobbyists and special interests over lawmakers to the exclusion of the very voters who elected those same lawmakers to represent them and their best interests.
Our opposition to political decisions made with priority given to campaign contributions over what is best for the state is well-known—and uncompromising. Money should have no place—repeat, no place—in political decisions.
Unfortunately, we know that is not the case. Politicians for the most part, are basically prostitutes for campaign funds and those who choose to remain chaste usually find themselves at a serious disadvantage come election time.
To that end, you can probably look for State Rep. Jay Morris (R-Monroe) to attract strong opposition when he comes up for re-election in 2019. And that opposition, whoever it might be, is likely to have a campaign well-lubricated by the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry (LABI), the Louisiana Chemical Association, and the oil and gas industry.
At the risk of belaboring the obvious, we have gone on record on numerous occasions as saying the voters are merely pawns to be moved about at will by big business in general and the banks, pharmaceutical companies, Wall Street and oil companies in particular. It is their money that inundates us with mind-numbing political ads that invade our living rooms every election year telling us why Candidate A is superior to Candidate B because B voted this way or that way and besides, good old Candidate A has always had the welfare of voters uppermost in mind.
The presence of that influence was never more clearly illustrated than in Tyler Bridges’ insightful story in Friday’s Baton Rouge Advocate. http://theadvocate.com/news/15225624-78/la-legislative-staffers-sort-out-changes-added-at-the-last-minute
In the very first paragraph of his story, Bridges wrote that a secret deal between Senate President John Alario (R-Westwego), House Speaker Taylor Barras (R-New Iberia) and lobbyists for LABI and the Louisiana Chemical Association.
We won’t bother to re-hash the details of that meeting and the agreement finally reached just before the closing minutes of the recent special session. You can read the details in the link to the Bridges story that we provided above.
But suffice it to say had it not been for Morris digging his heels in and threatening to kill his own bill when he learned of a manufacturing tax break that had been added to his bill, HB 61 that aimed at eliminating exemptions and exclusions on numerous sales tax breaks. Though a Republican, Morris feels that big business isn’t paying its fair share of taxes.
“I was not aware of the deal,” Bridges quoted Morris as saying. “I was not invited.”
Neither, apparently, were any spokespersons for consumers, organized labor, teachers, or the citizens of Louisiana.
Oh, but you can bet LABI President Steve Waguespack was invited to a meeting in Alario’s office earlier in the day, as was Louisiana Chemical Association chief lobbyist Greg Bowser.
Given that, we would like to ask Sen. Alario and Rep Barras why no one representing the people were invited to that little conclave. And don’t try to tell us that the Senate President and House Speaker were representing the people. You were not. You were representing the vested interests of the chemical industry and big business. Period.
Sen. Alario, Rep. Barras: the people of Louisiana are far more deserving of a place at the table in some furtive backroom meeting than LABI and the chemical association.
Either all factions are invited in or no one is. The playing field should be level.
By not excluding lobbyists or by not inviting those on whose shoulders are placed the greatest burden, the ones who placed you in office, you have not just failed at your job; you have failed miserably.
Our late friend C.B. Forgotston would have said of the meeting which produced that secret deal: “You can’t make this stuff up.”
Louisiana Voice 
Absolutely disgusting but then again the voters who vote for Alario and Barras deserve it. The rest of us don’t get a say in what they do “in the name of the people”.
Disgusting, indeed, Fredster, but, there is some reason for optimism. Many of the members of the voting public who have been believing that what’s good for LABI & big business is good for them, have recently had their eyes opened by the current budget crises. Tom, we need to keep LABI’s role in putting us in these dire straits front and center. More of the mainstream media (Informed Sources & even the tabloid/infotainment local news programs) have finally been talking about the insane tax credits! Another Special Session seems inevitably in our future, so let’s turn up the heat on LABI, inform more voters of the truth, & demand that our legislators right these wrongs. Just 2 years ago, very few folks knew who LABI, ALEC, & the Koch Brothers were. Now, more & more are seeing the big picture. Let us build on this momentum.
Another thing made abundantly clear here is that open meetings of legislative bodies are largely theater for the entertainment of us mullets (as C. B. would call us). The real decisions have already been made before the play is enacted and the public is allowed to “participate”. This is one of the few times it didn’t quite work out because one of the actors went off script – and, thank goodness he did.
So true, Mr. Winham. Those who have worked on legislation know, but regular citizens do not, that all the real negotiations and dealmaking take place behind closed doors. Lobbyists, cabinet members, the governor’s functionaries and armtwisters are the ones making the deals with legislators, who then put on masterful performances in public.
There are few real advocates for We the People. Maybe it’s time we band together to lobby for those whose voice is faint. (We lost a respected and effective voice in “Nolaboy RH” who passed away several years ago.)
Boy, don’t I know. David Marcelle, from the Loyola Law, used to(he still may) bring a group of foreign legislators, government officials, and staff to the capitol every spring while we would be in session. I was often asked to speak to the group about the committee process. I would always stress that in the legislative process, the committee hearing is the only point in which the public gets to participate. I guess the advocates for we the people are our elected representatives. Sounds good in a utopian society.
Good for Jay Morris. How can you write a script without the most important character, the author of the bill? I have seen the “hijacking” of a bill to be used as a vehicle to further another agenda. However, the lead players usually ask/tell the author ahead of time that they want to use his bill. Many times the author was not going to move his bill, anyway. But, that was not the case with Rep. Morris. So, clearly he should have been involved in the negotiations. I believe that Alario was depending upon Barras to deliver Morris. But, from what I have seen so far, Barras does not have the same type of control/influence that Alario commands.
Interesting that many member of this online community predicted much of the current crisis issues over s a year ago. Doing some computer cleanup yesterday, I ran across a comment to a LAVoice post and comments, dated March 18, 2015:
The jindalistas are moving on, as expected, as the current administration winds down. Some will jump ship and others will be strategically outplaced, such as Stephen Waguespack at LABI and Stephen Moret at the LSU Foundation, so as to place jindal operatives where they can continue the destructive policies of their master, solidify his power after his departure and seal the destruction of state government.
Wonder where Kristy Kreme Nichols, Ruth Johnson and Kathy Kliebert will land?
Reblogged this on tmabaker.
[…] Source: Citizen input? We don’t need no stinkin’ citizen input. We have LABI, the chemical assoc… […]
Silly me, I didn’t notice Waguespack, or Moret on the ballot,
Very, very, small print.
What Happens When Neither Political Party Answers to the Bottom 90%?
http://www.alternet.org/election-2016/what-happens-when-neither-political-party-answers-bottom-90-america-crisis