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Bobby Jindal’s parade of lies and distortions about state’s wonderful business climate exposed in yet another survey

February 23, 2016 by tomaswell

After eight years of Bobby Jindal’s whiz-kid ALEC-backed policies of awarding tax incentives, exemptions, and inducements to the business and industry lobby and his constant boasting to Iowans and to Fox News of his smashing successes, Louisiana remains mired as the second-worst state in the nation for business.

So says the latest report of 24/7 Wall St., a financial news and opinion company headquartered in Delaware which publishes more than 30 articles per days on economics, health, and politics.

For its most recent survey, 24/7 compiled 47 measures into eight separate categories to determine the business climate for each state: business costs, cost of living, economy, infrastructure, labor and human capital, quality of life, regulation, and technology and innovation.

The U.S. has seen 71 consecutive months of private sector job growth through January, the report noted. Despite the consistent improvement, which dates back to February 2009 (the month after Jindal was first sworn in as governor), the recovery has been uneven and some states have experienced substantially less growth than others.

One of those is Louisiana, where the gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 1.5 percent was 21st lowest in the nation and average wages and salaries of $46,136 was 24th lowest.

Both of those ratings put the state at about the middle of the pack but other indicators showed a much bleaker picture. But only one other state, Maine, has experienced an annualized GDP decline over the past five years.

The 434 patents issued to residents in 2014 was 14th lowest in the nation. The projected working-age population growth through the year 2020 of minus 3.2 percent was seventh lowest and the 22.9 percent of adults with bachelor’s degrees was fifth lowest.

A decreasing working-age population, combined with the relatively low educational attainment means trouble for employers to fill positions with qualified job candidates. That could explain the high number of tax incentives to industries with low-paying, unskilled workers such as chicken plants and Wal Marts.

Almost 20 percent of Louisiana’s population lives below the poverty line, a statistic Jindal refused to address during his entire eight years of running for president. Moreover, the state unemployment rate was 6.4 percent. Both figures are higher than the national rates.

So, if Louisiana was second worst for business, which state was worst? Well, this time it wasn’t Mississippi which traditionally holds down the anchor spot. In this case it was West Virginia with lower GDP growth, lower average salaries, lower percentage of adults with a bachelor’s degree (actually the lowest), lower number of patents issued to residents and a lower projected working-age population growth than Louisiana.

The best state for business? That would be Utah. Where Louisiana and West Virginia each had a minus projected working-age population growth rate, Utah’s projected working-age population growth of 20.5 percent was second-highest. Despite the healthy projected population growth, Utah had an unemployment rate of 3.8 percent, fourth lowest in the nation.

Just more evidence of how Jindal was perfectly willing to twist and distort numbers to fit his ambitious but hopeless agenda.

Does anyone still wonder whether he was simply clueless or callously committed to his own ambitions?

Posted in Business, Corruption, Economy, Education, Ethics, Exemptions, Incentives, Finances, Governor's Office, Incentives, Jobs, Politicians | 20 Comments »

State police hire investigators with little or no experience at salaries higher than troopers with many years of experience

February 22, 2016 by tomaswell

Louisiana Voice has discovered some reasons the Louisiana Sheriffs support Colonel Mike Edmonson as LSP commander. LouisianaVoice found cases of hiring and promotion of sheriffs’ relatives.  LSP began hiring investigators after years during which LSP offered no Trooper academies to supplement the ranks because of budgetary cuts. Many were retired Troopers and most were highly qualified to do the same job as the Troopers they worked alongside.

We made identical public records requests of LSP and Louisiana Civil Service for a list of investigators and their salaries. LSP chose to play games because we asked only for “investigators” and did not specify “criminal investigators.” We received prompt records from Civil Service but we are still waiting for a response from LSP. Somehow, we’re beginning to get the feeling we’re being stonewalled by LSP.

Tommy Ambrose, Son in law of former Allen Parish Sheriff Hal Turner (Former LSA President)

Tommy Ambrose was hired as an investigator with LSP on July 29, 2013, at a salary of $40,518, about $5,000 more than a starting Trooper or the same salary as a Trooper with up to six years of experience. He resigned five months later, on Jan. 11, 2014. He was sent to the local regional law enforcement academy in Lake Charles because he was not a peace officer standard and training (POST) certified officer. According to sources, there is no other known instance of an investigator being hired who was not certified to be a police officer. According to other sources, there were applicants competing for the position with law enforcement certification and decades of experience. Public records showed Ambrose was being investigated but resigned before the investigation was complete. LSP denied our public records request for the investigation file. During his short tenure with LSP, sources say the best description was a history of inadequate performance, policy violations, and suspected criminal activity quickly overlooked after making a call to Colonel Edmonson’s cell phone. The situation got so bad Edmonson could not even justify it any longer and he resigned.

Tony Mancuso III, son of Calcasieu Parish Sheriff Tony Mancuso (Former LSA President)

Mancuso was hired by LSP as an investigator (Not a Trooper) at an exorbitant salary. Tony Mancuso III was hired on June 23, 2014, at a salary of $61,100. He got his first raise three months later to $63,564.80. He was given another raise and a promotion 8 months later in 2015 to $68,016. We compared that salary with other LSP Troopers and LSP Investigators.

  • Mancuso was hired at a salary $22,587.76 higher than a new Trooper who completed the State Police Academy. Mancuso did not attend the state police academy. We cannot confirm if Mancuso was even qualified to apply to be a State Trooper.
  • Within three months at LSP, Mancuso was making more than a Trooper with over 20 years of experience and a Sergeant with 18 years of experience. A Trooper had to meet the qualifications, go through the state police academy, and serve 20 years to get the same salary as Mancuso walked in the door with.
  • After the Troopers received two massive pay increases, his salary went up as well. He currently makes $20,000 more than a starting Trooper. He currently makes as much as Trooper with 11 years of service although he has less than two years as an investigator with LSP.
  • Mancuso is paid $11,107.20 more than an Theodore Trunick, an investigator of the same rank in the same office even though Trunick has more experience at LSP and had extensive law enforcement experience prior to joining LSP. Mancuso was hired at $61,100. Trunick was hired at $43,076, nearly $18,000 less than Mancuso.
  • Mancuso is paid more than a long line of retired LSP Troopers, Lieutenants, Captains, and other law enforcement officers with decades of experience.
  • Mancuso was hired over another applicant, Mike Hebert. Hebert, a graduate of the FBI National Academy and who had more than 30 years of law enforcement experience than Mancuso, applied for the same position. Hebert was eventually hired and remains at a salary of $61,100 which is $6,916 less than Mancuso.
  • Mancuso is the fifth-highest paid LSP Criminal Investigator in the state. Let’s take a look at the top four.
    • Shelly Hopkins: $74,422: Retired LSP explosives expert with an estimated 40 years of experience.
    • Daryle Graham: $73,902, supervisor/ criminal investigator level 4 with 37 years of experience.
    • Cayce Grimes: $70,740, former police chief, FBI National Academy, decades of Experience
    • Hampton Guillory: $68,681, decades of experience

We tried to find someone comparable to Mancuso but we found no other investigator with so little experience. Most of the investigators are retired from law enforcement agencies with decades of experience but all of whom make less than Mancuso. Mancuso is in his late twenties with an unknown history of law enforcement experience or education.

Brad Guidroz, Son of St. Landry Parish Sheriff Bobby Guidroz

Mike Hebert competed for a promotion shortly before he retired. On the surface, he would have seemed the logical choice. He was passed over for Brad Guidroz. At the time of Guidroz’s promotion, he reportedly had six years’ experience with LSP. Hebert had a distinguished career with LSP to go along with his 30 years’ experience and FBI Academy credentials. Some speculated his being passed over in favor of Guidroz this was the reason for Hebert’s retirement. Hebert retired, expecting an immediate rehire position with LSP but those plans were thwarted with the hiring of Mancuso. Hebert was eventually rehired after two months—at a lower salary than Mancuso.

Most of these hires came about during a four-year stretch when LSP salaries were frozen which meant troopers with say, 20 years’ experience, were being paid at the rate of 16-year veterans.

If it walks like a duck

When you put all this together it is difficult to come to any conclusion other than Edmonson has used his authority to hire and promote in exchange for the political endorsement of the Louisiana Sheriff’s Association. We are not ignorant to the fact this type of stuff happens all the time and know there are more stories of political favors. We just never thought it would be so out in the open. This is another example of Edmonson putting his own interests ahead of the needs of the people of the state of Louisiana. Giving away positions for political favors can result in less qualified people protecting the citizens and their fellow officers.

Posted in Corruption, Ethics, State Police | 6 Comments »

What am I going to do with all that money? Class action settlement check like winning lottery—except for money

February 22, 2016 by tomaswell

Well, my ship finally came in.

When I checked my mail today (Monday, Feb. 22), there it was. With unbridled joy and mounting anticipation, I ripped open the envelope and there it was: a settlement check.

$1.78.

It seems I was part of a class action litigation I didn’t even know about—a lawsuit against AT&T Mobility for an overcharge of something only vaguely explained as “taxes, fees or surcharges (internet taxes)” on internet access.

And it only took 92 attorneys to win that generous settlement reward on my behalf (no kidding, 92 attorneys).

The total settlement was $956 million.

The 92 lawyers get to split $926,466.69 in legal fees. They originally wanted $239 million on the basis of the aggregate $2.94 billion value of relief obtained (the $956 million plus nearly $2 billion “going-forward relief” in illegal taxes that won’t be collected in the future).

I get $1.78.

But hey, I should be grateful. One poor soul got only six cents—about one-eighth the cost of the stamp needed to mail the check.

92 attorneys for that?

Posted in Politics | 15 Comments »

Bobby Jindal: His Destiny and Obsession book publication set for mid- to late-March. Pre-order your signed copy now

February 19, 2016 by tomaswell

 

 

The galley proofs will go out any day now and after we have an opportunity to check for typos, errors, etc., it will go to the printer for publication. We now expect the book to be published in mid- to late-March.

As many of you are aware, Jindal has re-surfaced via his unsolicited endorsement of Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida for the Republican presidential nomination. He made his endorsement right after Rubio made a strong showing in the Iowa caucus. Immediately after Jindal’s endorsement, however, Rubio fell flat in the New Hampshire primary. Was Jindal’s endorsement the kiss of death for Rubio? Who knows?

But now South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, like Jindal, an Indian-American, has endorsed Rubio on the eve of tomorrow’s Republican primary in that state. Her endorsement is expected to mean much more to Rubio than that of a washed-up Louisiana ex-governor who plunged his state into financial ruin while pursuing his own lost dream of becoming leader of the free world.

While Jindal’s apparent trolling for a vice-presidential spot on the Republican ticket has been thwarted by Gov. Haley, he can still hope for a cabinet appointment–probably Health and Human Resources or Education. It’s not likely he will land either spot; Rubio, after all, must first get the nomination and then get himself elected–both long shots in themselves.

Meanwhile, you may still pre-order your signed copy of the book by clicking on the image of the book cover at right and placing your order with Cavalier House Books of Denham Springs. The bookstore is only two blocks from my home and John Cavalier will summon me to the store when he gets the books in for me to sign copies that have been ordered. At last count, the store had 54 orders and the list is growing and I want to express my humble appreciation to those who have already ordered copies and for your support of local businesses as opposed to online orders. I believe that is important just as I believe a governor should stay home and give his attention to the state’s fiscal problems instead of gallivanting all over the country in a hopeless attempt at seeking higher office.

 

Posted in Politics | 20 Comments »

Jindal tanks again, Edmonson relieves Troop D commander, Troy Hebert in need of history lessons, personal time clock

February 18, 2016 by tomaswell

Bits and pieces picked up by LouisianaVoice while out and about in the Gret Stet of Looziana:

Yet another Jindal scheme backfires

Bobby Jindal’s gambit for a hoped-for selection as a vice presidential running mate or appointment to a cabinet post may have just been shot down by another Indian-American governor.

Jindal, following Rubio’s strong showing in Iowa but before he faltered in New Hampshire, executed a calculated ploy to reignite his own fading extinguished political star. But South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley spoiled that fantasy, a dream which was about as likely as his winning the presidential nomination.

Right about now, Bobby has to be pretty much peeved at Nikki. She, after all, is a much more attractive prospect as a running mate. She is an articulate, conservative female who would give the ticket ethnic diversity—and her response to President Obama’s last State of the Union Address was far superior than Jindal’s response to Obama’s first one. She was actually coherent and he was, well….something else.

Oh well, as our friend Stephen Winham has said on more than one occasion, there is always the chance of a hostile takeover of the 700 Club by the one-time boy blunder.

 

Phone audits and changes at the top at Troop D

Meanwhile, we have learned from within Louisiana State Police that State Police Superintendent Mike Edmonson, or at least someone acting on his behalf, has ordered that a toll analysis be pulled on department cell phones, presumably in Troop D, to try and determine who may be talking to LouisianaVoice.

As we pointed out before, it’s a classic example of shooting the messenger. LSP, aka Edmonson, does not want to know about problems in his department (and there are many, as we shall examine momentarily); he only wants to punish those vocal few who want to see the problems addressed. “They just can’t help themselves,” our source tells us. “It is the only way they know how to do business.”

Well, Mike, you can conduct all the cell phone audits you like but I’m afraid you’re going to come up empty. First of all, I don’t believe any retired troopers are going to hand over their phones and the active ones aren’t stupid. They know better than to use state-issue cell phones for such purposes for the very reason we’re now seeing played out in your little witch hunt. They wait until after work hours and when they are well away from LSP headquarters to contact us.

All of which also raises this question: Is this the same professionalism shown when you carry out investigations into criminal activity? If so, the criminals must be having a field day.

At the same time, we have learned that that Capt. Chris Guillory has been relieved of his command at Troop D—and that Ronnie Picou may even get his job back when he appeals. (We requested the investigative report now that the investigation has concluded, but our request was denied by LSP.)

Picou, it seems, was terminated for lying and not for payroll fraud in connection with all those times he was home sleeping when he was supposed to be on duty.

Funny how that works out. A state Department of Children and Family Services case worker was not only fired, but is being prosecuted for failing to carry out mandatory monthly in-home visits with foster children. Inspector General Stephen Street said her misconduct was not linked to any cases of child abuse but her pending arrest is significant for the potential of abuse. http://theadvocate.com/news/police/14884056-32/arrest-warrant-accuses-state-worker-of-reporting-at-least-20-times-she-had-checked-on-foster-childre

Picou is not accused of endangering the public while he was snoozing, but the potential was certainly there. And Guillory allowed it to occur just as he allowed other activity to occur as previously documented by LouisianaVoice. https://louisianavoice.com/2015/09/05/state-police-launch-internal-affairs-investigation-of-troop-d-commander-after-public-records-requests-by-louisianavoice/

State Police HQ sat on harassment complaint against officer in Troop D, captain for year; IA now said to be investigating

Gift cards for tickets, payroll chicanery, quotas, short shifts the norm in Troop D; troopers express dismay at problems

State Trooper in LSP Troop D is reportedly terminated in aftermath of investigation into LouisianaVoice disclosures

Edmonson solution to multitude of problems at troubled Troop D: go after messengers with a withering vengeance

Speaking of lying, it appears that Guillory may have been relieved of command for being less than truthful to investigators when he denied that he refused to take a complaint from Dwight Gerst. Guillory was initially cleared of that but LouisianaVoice subsequently published an audio of Guillory doing just that. https://youtu.be/zd-JV3rKjko

Following our posting the audio, Gerst re-filed his complaint with LSP Internal Affairs last week and on Thursday (Feb. 17), Guillory was re-assigned to State Police headquarters in Baton Rouge, effective Friday, a move tantamount to placing him on administrative leave, pending the results of further investigation.

One question to Mike Edmonson: Why did it require a series of stories in the media to prod LSP brass into action when they have known for some time that there were disturbing irregularities occurring at Troop D? Concerned troopers have complained on numerous occasions but nothing was done until a glaring light was shone on the situation.

That speaks volumes about the quality of leadership at LSP.

 

Troy Hebert just won’t go away

Also On Wednesday, Troy Hebert, former director of the state Alcohol and Tobacco Control Commission (ATC) appeared on the Jim Engster Show. http://www.jimengster.com/jim-engster-podcasts/2016/2/17/0217-wednesday-the-advocates-mark-ballard-republican-state-rep-chris-broadwater-former-senator-troy-hebert-assistant-editor-james-moran-of-tiger-rag

Hebert, who is flirting with becoming an independent candidate for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by David Vitter, was his usual half-baked self on the show, both in terms of sheer hypocrisy and blatant ignorance.

During his 38-minute interview (which is more than double the time to which Andy Warhol said he is entitled), Hebert credited Huey Long for creating the state Civil Service system.

Wow. Huey Long? Really? The man who practically invented political patronage in Louisiana?

Troy, Troy, Troy. Try Sam Jones and Jimmie Davis.

Jones, who served as governor from 1940-1944, was the one who finally overthrew the Huey Long dynasty and is credited with restructuring state government into a civil service system which, by the way, was dismantled by Huey’s brother, Earl K. Long, when he became governor in 1948. Jimmie Davis reinstituted civil service for keeps during his second term, from 1960-1964.

Huey Long indeed. Troy, you need to brush up on your history.

You also need to brush up on consistency.

During his interview on Engster’s show, he also advocated that all state employees, including college professors, punch a time clock in order to qualify for their paychecks.

Except for college professors, who do extensive research, grade papers, give lectures, and advise students, all outside the classroom, a time clock isn’t such a bad idea in concept. It’s done in the private sector and in most public sector cases, it would work just as well.

It’s not such a bad idea to have legislators punch a time clock. As it now stands, they are paid per diem for entire legislative sessions, including the current special session. But those per diem payments are also paid on Fridays and weekends, days on which legislators do not meet except on extremely rare occasions. How do we justify paying them $149 per day for days on which they do not meet? How do we justify paying them when they do not show up to vote on key issues?

(Taking the current special session, for example, which began on Feb. 14 and ends on March 9, there are nine days—Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays—on which the legislature does not meet. But each of the 144 members receives $149 for each of those days. That’s $193,104 in per diem payments for doing nothing.)

But… but… but, Troy, about those time clocks and your own attendance record at ATC…

How would you go about punching a time clock during the time you were out at the construction site when you were building that nice house on University Lake when you should have been tending to state business? We have it on pretty good authority that you were out there virtually the entire time construction was going on. Was there a time clock at the work site?

Was there a time clock at your apartment over the Copper Monkey Nightclub in the New Orleans French Quarter where you managed to spend quite a bit of time during working hours? Just asking.

Troy? Troy?

….Now where did he go?

 

 

Posted in ATC, Corruption, Ethics, Governor's Office, Huey Long, Legislature, Legislators, Politicians, Senate, State Police, Transparency | 13 Comments »

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