Louisiana Voice

In case any of you have attempted to contact LouisianaVoice by email at louisianavoice@cox.net, you may have learned that your emails are no longer getting through.

That’s because after battling continuing price increases from my cable provider (I won’t mention the name, but it’s initials are C.O.X.), I finally decided to cut the cable.

As of a little more than three months ago, I dumped my landline telephone, my cable television and my internet, opting instead for a local antenna (who can watch 250 TV channels, after all?). C.O.X. was generous in giving me a 90-day free ride on internet (so they could continue their campaign to get me to change my mind, which they did—and I didn’t).

When I discovered a couple of Saturdays ago that I no longer had emails through them, I decided to go in search of another Outlook email provider because, even though I also have Yahoo email accounts, I like the Outlook format.

Consequently, our new email address is louisianavoice@outlook.com should you desire to send me a news lead or to simply ask a question.

Of course my frustration isn’t restricted to cable. There’s also (pick a name) cell phone service provider.

In my case, I dropped the provider whose initials are A.T.T. some time back and went with one whose name I also won’t mention, but which begins with a V.

Not that I got any financial relief; they’re all either way too expensive or way too inadequate in signal reliability.

But how about this one: earlier this week, I decided to get a newer phone for my wife. I selected a phone that cost $150. The sales rep told me it would be about $7.50 per month.

I said no, I would pay the full amount up front.

He said no, I can’t do that.

I can pay the first $7.50 and then come in and pay the balance the second month. Crazy, huh? It gets better.

After he sold me the case and the protective shield (absolute necessities for any discerning call phone owner, I was told), my tab for what started out as a single monthly payment of $7.50 was $161, including a $50 setup charge, that initial payment of $7.50 and tax.

So, I whipped out the old check book and starting writing.

Can’t take a check because they can’t accept payment of sales tax by check, says he.

Wait. What?

That’s correct. V can’t accept payment of sales taxes by check, though all other fees could be paid in that manner.

Never in my 75 years on this planet have I ever heard of a business being unable to accept payment of sales taxes by check. Oh, there has been the occasional merchant who didn’t take checks at all, others who don’t accept credit cards (and state agencies don’t accept cash as payment for documents) but never one who excluded only sales taxes.

What’s particularly puzzling about this policy is that I’ve had V as cell phone provider for a couple of years now and I pay my monthly bill—which includes sales tax—by check.

Go figure.

If it ain’t cable, it’s your cellular phone provider. Just another way for them to mess with us.

And I won’t even get into trying to interpret a hospital bill, insurance policies, warranties on anything from cars to appliances.

And does anyone know what terms they’re agreeing to when they click on “I Accept” when downloading a computer program? I mean, who reads those things anyway?

If it ain’t cable or your cellular phone provider, it’s something else like the rapid-fire disclaimer at the end of an auto commercial that no one on earth can comprehend or the long list of downright frightening side effects at the end of the commercial for some new wonder drug.

Just another way for them to mess with us.

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LABI loses!

It was a headline I never thought I’d get to write as long as we had legislators like Rep. Cameron Henry (R-Metairie) and House Speaker Taylor Barras (R-New Iberia) carrying the water for the business lobby.

And cheered on by the Baton Rouge Business Report.

And let’s not overlook Sen. BODIE WHITE (R-Central), who withdrew his bill, SB 214, which would have seized control from local communities over burgeoning industrial tax exemptions which have gutted local governments’ desperately needed revenue for schools, law enforcement, and roads and bridges.

He withdrew his bill after it became evident that he didn’t have the needed votes to run roughshod over local government.

As did Rep. Rick Edmonds (R-Baton Rouge) with his HCR 3, which would have done essentially the same thing as SB 214, that is to override Gov. John Bel Edwards’s executive order giving local government more control over the granting of industrial tax exemptions, particularly those exemptions that don’t really result in any new jobs.

What is particularly ironic about this whole thing is the Republican Party purports to be the party that wants government out of our lives, i.e. more say-so about local affairs by the locals.

Except, that is, when those local desires impede business and industry’s desires to pile up more and more tax exemptions, placing the burden of picking up the tab for police and fire protection, road and bridge construction and repair, education, and a multitude of other responsibilities on the already overburdened working stiffs.

One need only examine the campaign contributions of LABI’s four (count ‘em) political action committees to understand the stroke the organization has enjoyed in the legislature.

The same can be said of contributions by the oil and gas industry, nursing homes, banks, payday loan companies, cable TV, health care providers, pharmaceutical companies, private prisons, and insurance companies, most of whom are also members of LABI.

Compare those campaign corporations to those of your average, non-fat-cat individuals to see who has the most stroke in the halls of the Louisiana State Capitol. Take a look around the rotunda and in both chambers to see who the lobbyists represent. See anyone who represents your interests? Didn’t think so.

And, of course, let’s not overlook the abetting of Business Report.

Just yesterday (May 9), for example, the publication chronicled in a headline that “Louisiana’s corporate income tax ranks 27^th in nation.”

Oh, my. That high? That’s terrible! Something has to be done about that! The sky’s falling!

But wait. What Business Report conveniently overlooked was that conversely, if we have the highest corporate tax, then with only 50 states, that would necessarily mean we also have the 23^rd lowest corporate income tax rate.

The headline was reminiscent of the joke about the Russian news agency TASS, back in the old days of the Soviet Union, ran a headline about a two-way automobile race: “Russian car finishes second, American car next to last.”

Of course, you can’t blame Business Report. After all, it was only transcribing as news the Tax Foundation’s PR that lamented in its own press release that “State Corporate Income Taxes Increase Tax Burden on Corporate Profits.”

On the one hand, the Tax Foundation said that yes, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (that would be Trump’s and the Republican Congress’s tax reform that enriched everyone’s lives so much) reduced the federal corporate income tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent but alas, “most states also tax corporate income.”

Well, here’s a news flash for you: the federal tax reform did precious little to actually help the middle class while cutting federal income tax by 14 percent and furthermore, most states also tax individual income.

The Tax Foundation also had a by-state ranking which appears to place Louisiana with the 44th BEST (6^th WORST) OVERALL BUSINESS CLIMATE. It also shows that Louisiana has the worst sales tax rate, which means that the working poor pay the highest proportionate taxes on goods and services.

And of course, we have the second-best unemployment insurance tax rate, according to the Tax Foundation. That would the unemployed in this state are getting the shaft, thanks to the untiring lobbying efforts of LABI.

It’s probably no coincidence that LABI and lobby sound so similar.

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By William Khan, guest columnist

New Orleans business owner

Republicans and conservatives, especially in Louisiana, generally claim to support and rally around three principles: self-sufficiency, fiscal responsibility, and local decision-making—as opposed to edicts from detached levels of government, bench legislators, or bureaucrats. When it comes to Orleans Parish’s fight to fix its infrastructure and pull itself up by its bootstraps, support for Mayor Latoya Cantrell’s initiative should come from all corners of the state and across the political spectrum in the Louisiana legislature.

Louisiana can do tremendous things when people look past party labels and work toward the common good. Our state should not underestimate what we can accomplish when we work together. In fact, Louisiana must work together to tackle massive challenges like restoring our coastline and protecting vulnerable communities.

In the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, our state worked hard to bounce back. If we want to preserve what we have painstakingly recovered and continue moving forward, Louisiana lawmakers should support communities trying to address their flooding and water risks with modern infrastructure and smart funding policies.

Louisiana and the Who Dat Nation got the attention of the entertainment, media, and sports world when they unified, spoke up, and convinced the NFL to revise its rules for the upcoming football season. Officials who are usually polar opposites like Steve Scalise, Cedric Richmond, Bill Cassidy, and Helena Moreno found common cause, mobilized, and achieved results. If our state’s diverse and proud representatives can come together to demand action after a sports gaffe, surely they can put aside labels to address a growing, tangible, and existential danger to Louisiana’s largest city and its economic engine.

When New Orleans and Louisiana landed a new office from DXC Technology despite intense competition, the company ranked Louisiana high on a number of metrics but it suggested that the state could improve on regional cooperation, multi-parish collaboration, and a reputation for self-centered political thinking. In the past, Louisiana has struggled with a perception of politicians asking companies, “What’s in it for me?”

To those companies, families, and investors thinking of relocating to Louisiana, our state can send them a powerful message. By voting in favor of smart, sustainable solutions for infrastructure improvement in New Orleans, Baton Rouge legislators can make a strong statement about Louisiana’s potential for regional—even statewide—cooperation, its openness to innovative public policy, and its ability to set aside special interests for the long-term common good.

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By Stephen Winham

Guest Columnist

Inspired by U. S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and introspection, I have decided it is time for my daily bashing of the current POTUS to end.  His life and his almost 2 ½ years in office speak for themselves.

A recipient’s request to be removed from my email blast list this week made me see something I had obviously repressed – I would ask to be removed from a list of daily email blasts supporting the actions of the POTUS and would not have read them anyhow. The request made perfect sense.

I believe 2 immutable (and often mutually-exclusive) things explain the current support of the POTUS by 30-40% of our population:

1. The belief that any means justifies the end – MAGA – and that he is the secular messiah who will fundamentally change our country in the direction reflected by his words and deeds. The wealthy and powerful in his base see this one way, the underachievers quite another.
2. Ignorance, or selective dismissal of daily headlines, radio and television stories, easily verifiable facts about his life and his own direct statements and actions – and a general ignorance of history – blind faith.

These two things are apparently not going to change and there is little point in trying.  All I have really been doing so far with my blasts and conversations is simply preaching to the choir – nobody else is paying attention.

Active protests, letters to Congress, diatribes detailing facts readily accessible via other means, and even impeachment are not the answers, but protection of the free press is essential and must be preserved at all cost.

At this point, the only thing that makes sense is to begin now to find an acceptable 2020 candidate and get fully behind her or him.  Party does not matter.  Among the things that should matter are:

1. Demonstrated deliberation, altruism and honesty
2. A belief in basic human dignity
3. A background that includes enough relevant leadership experience in the public sector to enable immediate effectiveness
4.  A belief that international diplomacy is critically important and that both sides must win for lasting results – coupled with the recognition that the leaders of some countries are despots who cannot be trusted and whose actions cannot be condoned
5. Fair tax policies – i. e., those that adequately fund a stable government and do not benefit the wealthy to the detriment of everybody else
6. Recognition that strong environmental regulations are important not just to our personal well-being, but to our long-term economic health

Many other things, like a much-needed transportation infrastructure plan, can be added to this list, all with a positive rather than negative outlook.  A national infrastructure plan, for example, would provide tremendous economic benefits.

Most 2020 candidates will find it necessary to attack the current POTUS.  I now believe that to be unnecessary.  What is necessary is to limit criticism of their fellow candidates.  To the extent the reputations of each of these people are destroyed, we will move toward an election like the last one.  That happens all too often of late and it must stop.  The focus should be on what positive actions can lead to a positive future.

I am asking the 60+% of our people who believe we need new leadership to vote and encourage like-minded people to vote in 2020 in record numbers to prove it so we can move toward uniting this country again.  Hopefully, a good candidate will emerge and be successful, once elected, due to a solid, incontrovertible victory.  In the meantime, we will have one thing in our favor – hope.

FYI:  BELOW ARE THE MAIN TEXTS OF MY LAST 2 EMAIL BLASTS.  I STILL BELIEVE THESE THINGS, BUT NO SENSE BEATING A DEAD HORSE. I AM PROVIDING THEM HERE FOR CONTEXT, BUT FEEL FREE TO IGNORE THEM:

Swinham Blasts:

4/22

I agree 100% with Nancy Pelosi that impeachment is a no-win scenario.  I’m beginning to accept that Trump will not go crazy enough or do enough crazy things for the 25th amendment to work and, though my best outcome would be him resigning and issuing a totally childish rant endearing him to his base in perpetuity – the same rant he will make when he is not re-elected which we have to do EVERYTHING possible to prevent and the only thing I know to do in that regard is get out every vote of like-minded people I can.  

1. S.  I thought the newspaper article about Admiral Mike Rogers’ phone call from Trump reported in the Mueller report was among the most damning things in there, but I realized it would have NO impact on Trump’s base, or if it did, it would be positive since they seem to love everything he does.  Meanwhile, this and everything else in the report, or that Trump says and does, is becoming for the rest of America, “Ho Hum, nothing to see here” – and there’s the rub.  If his behavior is accepted as the norm will enough people wearing our jerseys get out there and vote for his opponent or will this, combined with the Democratic candidates’ attacks on one another as they vie for the nomination, make it impossible for the rest of us to aggressively support the ultimate nominee, poisoned as s/he will have been by her own party members?  In other words, will we again face 2 candidates we don’t like?

4/23

The most significant thing Trump said after the release of the Mueller report, when told his own people had to refuse his orders, was, “Nobody disobeys my orders.”  Putting aside the obvious reflection of his innate persona, the clause “…and gets away with it” is implied and reflected in the number of resignations and firings during his tenure.  Therefore, the people working for him (clearly including the Attorney General) can only remain if they are willing to agree with him on everything and follow his every order without question.  What an unhealthy environment for the rest of us – and what a picture this paints of how people in powerful positions in our government can either lack  moral fiber, or put it completely aside for their own benefit – and that includes Congress and all but one member of our own delegation – maybe 2 if we count Garret Graves – so let’s say 1 1/3.  Whether Trump has violated the U. S. Constitution may be debatable.  The fact Congress is refusing to exercise its own powers to provide checks and balances is not.

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