LouisianaVoice is having a birthday. We are now five years old.
The onset of Bobby Jindal’s privatization crusade (employees of the Office of Risk Management were the first casualties) in 2011 was the defining moment that gave birth to this blog.
In the ensuing quinquennium, we have logged 1.5 million words, not counting the upcoming book Bobby Jindal: His Destiny and Obsession, which will be available in mid-April. We have made several elected officials and appointed officials angry and uncomfortable—angry and uncomfortable because in the past, they had been unaccustomed to having to account for their actions.
No agency has been exempt from scrutiny, from the governor’s office to various state agencies, boards and commissions, and sheriffs’ offices.
Along the way, our efforts were recognized by the Washington Post which, in 2014, named LouisianaVoice and Bob Mann’s Something Like the Truth as two of the top 100 political blogs in the nation.
But after all is said and done, we have an admission to make.
We should never have been necessary but sadly, we were and we are.
Like it or not, we get the kind of government we deserve. We have the power of the ballot but when only 40 percent of voters exercise that right, what does that tell us about our state, our country? And when that 40 percent responds by marching like so many robots into the voting booths to obediently choose who the lobbyists, PACs, the blaring TV ads and slick campaign mailers tell us without so much as an whimper of protest or an independent thought as to the actual merit of those for whom we are voting, then we have abdicated our right to expect good government.
That’s also why we are faced with dreadful choices in this year’s presidential fiasco. Contrary to most pundits, it’s not voter anger that has created the current political atmosphere.
It’s voter apathy and just take a look who those who have stepped into the leadership void to proclaim themselves as the protectors of democracy. And we did it to ourselves on a national level just as we did it to ourselves on the state level first in 2007 and again in 2011.
And don’t for a moment think this is limited to Bobby Jindal. He had enablers. They called themselves legislators. With few exceptions, we call them leeches.
Try this: Attend any House or Senate committee meeting and watch the members of the committee as witnesses testify. If more than two or three members are actually listening, I’ll eat my Louisiana Tech baseball cap. They’re sitting up there, elevated above the audience, laughing and talking, leaving the hearing room to take a call or get a cup of coffee—just going through the motions of hearing public concerns.
We (and this is a collective “we,” as in just about every citizen in this state) have done a lousy job of holding our elected officials to a high standard of ethical behavior.
And as they say, the sewage flows downhill because those elected officials in turn have failed just as miserably in holding their subordinates to any kind of standards at all.
And we have no one to blame but ourselves.
At first, it came as something of a surprise to learn that two members of the State Police Commission and eight members of the Board of Dentistry had never taken the annual one-hour online ethics course required by law of every public servant, elected or appointed, salaried or not.
It’s not as though they can claim ignorance. They are told of the requirements and they each sign an oath of office.
Freddie Pitcher Oath of Office
William Goldring Oath of Office
Nor have six members of the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners (LSBME) bothered to take the simple one-hour course, according to records provided by the State Board of Ethics. They include Drs. Michael Burdine, Kenneth Farris, Kweli Amusa, Joseph Busby, Roderick Clark, and former Board President Mark Henry Dawson who said LouisianaVoice was being “played for a fool” by plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the board.
Informed of the Board of Medical Examiners members who have not taken the course, one reader said, “As a physician, if I didn’t complete my required 40 hours of CME for the previous year, the LABME would not allow me to renew my medical license. Shouldn’t the members of the LSBME be held to the same standards they hold us to? And if they profess ‘ignorance’ on this matter, shouldn’t that be even more of a reason to have them removed?”
But wait. There’s more.
Also failing to take the course are Auctioneer’s Licensing Board Chairman Tessa Steinkamp, Secretary-Treasurer Darlene Levy, and licensing board legal counsel Larry Bankston.
And you also get recently retired (following a State Police “investigation” that cleared him of any wrongdoing) Angola Warden Burl Cain. http://theadvocate.com/news/15271102-172/former-angola-warden-burl-cain-cleared-of-misconduct-allegations-reports-say
Those having contracts with the state also are required to take the online ethics training.
Wade Shows, senior partner of Shows, Cali, & Walsh, a Baton Rouge firm with more than $3.4 million in contracts, has never taken the course and another attorney who has profited greatly from contracts with the Jindal administration, Jimmy Faircloth, took the course in 2012, but has not taken it since.
It should be pointed out that physicians and attorneys are required to take their own ethics courses provided by their professions.
But that does not change the fact that the State of Louisiana since 2012 has required that all public servants (elected officials, appointed officials, board and commission members, and contractors) take the on-line, one-hour course on an annual basis.
From time to time, we will be taking looks at other officials and state contractors to check for compliance with the requirement.
It may seem like a small thing but it becomes a very big thing when these people are not held to the same standards that rank and file state employees must meet.
We have not held the politically powerful accountable and they have not held those answerable to them accountable.
But most of all, we have not held ourselves accountable.
Tom, also real estate agents are REQUIRED to do 12 hours per year in order to keep their licenses! Paul
You are correct and so do insurance agents. I’m sure other professions have been overlooked.
I have very much appreciated the information you have provided and the effort you have taken to keep those of us who read your blog aware of the issues. Your coverage of the Toledo Bend Reservoir water sale effort was greatly appreciated. Having dealt with the Sabine River Authority for 8 years, I wonder if any of them have taken the annual one-hour online ethics course required by law of every public servant, elected or “appointed,” salaried or not. I am guessing, probably not. Having said this, my wife and I have decided to sell our property on Toledo Bend and move to Virginia. One of the reasons, we are tired of the lack of public service our elected and appointed have given us.
JonTB
LA needs people like you. Sorry that you are leaving, but your reasons are understood.
Good luck in VA
Second time trying Louisiana. This time in retirement. Thought it might have changed after being gone for 20 years. It was worse and won’t give it a third chance.
You are right. This is sad, for us, for our children and grandchildren and for our state. And we have no one to blame other than ourselves. We have always voted and we raised our children to believe that voting is a privilege; however, I am chagrined to admit that my adult grandchildren believe that everyone who seeks public office is a crook. Unfortunately, they only vote if it’s convenient. They are not passionate about issues, believing elected officials are all corrupt. I wonder if they would feel that way if they had grown up elsewhere? Louisiana’s culture of tolerated corruption surely has influenced that.
“Try this: Attend any House or Senate committee meeting and watch the members of the committee as witnesses testify. If more than two or three members are actually listening, I’ll eat my Louisiana Tech baseball cap. They’re sitting up there, elevated above the audience, laughing and talking, leaving the hearing room to take a call or get a cup of coffee—just going through the motions of hearing public concerns.”
Tom, I had a committee staffer call me tonight. I was her supervisor before I left. She said that some of the committee members complained that other committee members were asking too many questions. She politely told them that’s what you are suppose to do.
The governor is cutting all state departments. WHY hasn’t the legislators cut anything from their budget??? I guess the answer is they think they shouldn’t be asked to cut to help the state. I was told by a lady in the governor’s office that a bill had been filed to have cuts there. I called and told my rep. & senator to vote for it. Haven’t heard anything about this bill. Do you have any information about this bill? I have voted in every election since I became a voter at 18 yrs of age. My adult children also vote but they both live in another state. I went today to get a copy of my birth certificate. I live in Baton Rouge but had to drive to Amite to obtain it. It used to be in the health unit in B.R. Thank you Bobby Jindal!!
Jan – you can still get a birth certificate from the health unit in Baton Rouge. However, thanks to the Jindal administration, the people who used to provide this service have been replaced with a kiosk. I’ve had the pleasure of using that thing a time or two to get copies of my, and other family members, birth certificate.
Jan, Jerry is correct. However, the document my wife wanted to obtain could only be obtained in New Orleans. So we drove from BR to the lovely Benson Towers in New Orleans. That’s where the state vital records office is located. As a part of the deal with Benson to keep the Saints in New Orleans, the state had to agree to move all state offices in NO to the Benson Towers. Rental prices per square foot in Benson Towers, at the time of the move, were higher than what the state was paying. I do not know if that is still the case.
I and many many others are deeply indebted to Louisiana Voice (in the person of Tom Aswell) for being one of the finest bloggers in the state and nation. You have not only called out wrongdoers, but raised the hopes and expectations of many that maybe, just maybe, Louisiana can make a quantum leap forward and possibly become only the say 45th worst state in America. Oh the joy of such an attainment.
My wife and I are returning to LA soon in spite of the corruption. I have read your blog for several years and, although we are far apart politically, you are doing a great job ferreting out the corruption in the state. You are right on in saying we deserve what we are getting from government, nation wide. It would almost be refreshing to learn that LA was number one on the corruption list. Keep up the good work and stay out of the cane patches. watts
Thanks, Spyder. One of the greatest lessons I have learned in our 72 years of living (if I remember, I’m a month older than you) is that people can disagree and still remain civil (and in our particular case, lifelong friends) and respect each other’s beliefs. I just wish our elected officials could learn that lesson.
[…] Source: LouisianaVoice is 5 and we’ve learned we’ve failed to hold officials to high standards; … […]
Happy #5! From the first time I read your blog I was hooked. You speak for many of us who have been directly affected by corruption. You give us hope by exposing what happens behind the scenes. And sometimes, there is justice! Maybe someday the electorate will expect and demand better government. Meanwhile, Louisiana Voice holds our “public servants” accountable with brutal humor and detailed reporting. Great job!
A birthday party for Louisiana Voice?
No, thanks. The Bye-Bye Bobby party was enough excitement for one year.
Hi, there, Tom, how are you?
Just a thought. Particularly with Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida and South Carolina – the corruption and violence and other institutionalised crime has been going on – non-stop – since the violent overthrow of Black Reconstruction in the 1870s, right after the Civil War and the 1877 federal government PULL-OUT of Union troops from the South. And Black America is STILL paying for this.
Marian Douglas-Ungaro Washington and Rome
MARIAN DOUGLAS-UNGARO
On Tue, Mar 29, 2016 at 9:47 PM, Louisiana Voice wrote:
> tomaswell posted: “LouisianaVoice is having a birthday. We are now five > years old. The onset of Bobby Jindal’s privatization crusade (employees of > the Office of Risk Management were the first casualties) in 2011 was the > defining moment that gave birth to this blog. In” >
Well considering that legislators can change their votes on bills AFTER the outcome has been determined (as reported on WBRZ recently) what can we expect. That they can only do so if it “does not change the outcome” is of absolutely no consequence. It only allows them to lie to whichever constituent might have gotten aggravated about their original vote.
That to me says volumes about the legislature, the leges themselves and us for not raising holy hell about that kind of BS.
“…we get the kind of government we deserve.” Not necessarily always the case.
There’s a reason for the apathy, the constant bamboozling of the public who can’t seem to make a difference no matter what they do. So much propaganda, so little time…
“The talent you need to have as a politician is to make the voters think that you’re going to be supporting their interests …”
http://michael-hudson.com/2016/03/traumatized-worker-syndrome/