Louisiana Voice

Let ‘em eat cake.

That’s pretty much the attitude of the Trump administration, a not-so-gentle reminder of the days leading up to the 1789 French Revolution.

For those not yet aware, a HALLOWEEN BASH was held at Mar-a-Lago Friday night that was reminiscent of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Great Gatsby and the so-called Gilded Age in America when the robber barons were busy socking away cash in the runup to the Wall Street collapse and the Great Depression that followed.

A tone-deaf Trump even had the nerve to give the party a Great Gatsby theme even as nearly 42 million less fortunate Americans were being denied SNAP benefits.

It’s not enough that Donald Trump is perfectly willing to let SNAP benefits run out on 16.3 million hungry children in the U.S. (including nearly 400,000 hungry children JUST IN LOUISIANA), but he has chosen to knowingly invoke a rule meant to benefit recipients but which does just the opposite.

U.S. Rep. Troy Carter (D-New Orleans) probably said it best:

“To add insult to injury, it appears that the Trump administration has now sunk to an all-time low — simply cruel and heartless.”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has issued a REMINDER TO RETAILERS prohibiting them from offering special discounts or assistance to families who rely on SNAP benefits during a lapse in federal funding. “This decision does not reflect the compassion or decency that public service demands,” Carter said. “It punishes those who already have the least and ties the hands of grocers who simply want to help their neighbors.”

The Department of Agriculture rule is contained in the Code of Federal Regulations and was included as a means of preventing retailers from overcharging SNAP recipients. Instead, Trump is now using the rule to prevent grocery stores from helping.

SEVERAL COMPANIES were assisting. They included Instacart, DoorDash. Others offering discounts included Walmart, Amazon and Kroger.

But an administration that chooses to ignore laws and court decisions it doesn’t agree with, now cherry-picks an obscure regulation in order to further punish nearly 42 million people, many of whom work at jobs that pay too low. But Trump first refused to release funds held in reserve for just such an emergency and now this.

Too, Repugnantcans keep insisting that undocumented immigrants are bleeding the SNAP program as well as Medicare and Medicaid dry when they know that undocumented people are ineligible for those benefits.

 “At a time when working families are struggling to put food on the table, this directive sends the wrong message about our values as a nation,” Carter said. “No rule or regulation should ever stand in the way of kindness. Leadership requires empathy and moral courage — especially in times of hardship.

 “I call on the administration to immediately rescind this directive and allow grocery retailers the flexibility to serve their customers with dignity and compassion. Congress must also review whether this so-called “Equal Treatment Rule” has been twisted into an instrument of cruelty rather than fairness.

 “Families in Louisiana’s Second District — and across America — deserve better. They deserve leaders who put people above politics and compassion above cold bureaucracy.”

But what else would one expect from Donald Trump?

Crow must leave a bad taste in one’s mouth.

Remember the hysteria over library books in Livingston Parish and the outside interference that prompted a book and national recognition for a local librarian whom certain people tried their best to destroy?

Remember how the Livingston Parish Library Board of Control members were all removed and some replaced by hand-picked parish leaders – new members who probably haven’t read a book in years, much less actually visited the local library?

Remember how the newly-appointed board held an illegal meeting and removed the head of the parish library system and how the Louisiana Attorney General came down on them for holding that illegal meeting?

Remember how a self-appointed head of an outfit calling itself Citizens for a New Louisiana barged into the parish thinking he was going to make Livingston part of his statewide campaign to initiate widespread book censorship?

Remember how Michael Lunsford and his Repugnantcan band of censors even tried to invade the library in Lincoln Parish only to be told the citizens there to butt out?

Best of all, remember how that Livingston Parish school librarian, one Amanda Jones, decided she wasn’t going to be victimized by these people and filed a lawsuit against a local citizen, a guy named Ryan Thames, for posting on Facebook that she advocated inappropriate reading material for 11-year-olds and that she advocated anal sex?

She didn’t ask for outlandish monetary damages in her lawsuit; she asked only for one dollar and a public apology.

Guess what?

She got both.

Thames (pronounced Tims) has posted his apology on Facebook and agreed to pay Jones one dollar as a settlement of her litigation. Here’s what he had to say:

“My name is Ryan Thames. I want to publicly apologize to Amanda Jones, a school librarian.

“I said that she advocates giving age-inappropriate to children. I said that she advocated to the teaching of anal sex to 11-year-olds. Those statements were not true. Ms. Jones has agreed to settle her lawsuit against me for $1 and an apology. I am grateful for the opportunity she has given me to resolve this issue. I genuinely apologize for the mental and physical pain my statements have caused her or her family.”

Boy, that must’ve hurt. If you care to actually watch and hear his apology, go HERE.

Funny thing is, Thames could’ve done this at the outset, three-and-a half-years ago and probably saved himself some legal fees, but chose to dig his heels in.

Today is the final day of LouisianaVoice‘s October fundraiser. I detest begging but if you deem you cannot contribute to our efforts, I would respectfully request that you at least consider a generous donation to your local food bank.

As much as we could use your financial assistance, with the expiration of SNAP benefits looming, it is far more critical that children be fed. There are two things I cannot stomach seeing hungry: children and animals. Each is dependent upon others for nourishment and it is imperative that that they not be ignored as we go about our holiday shopping.

If you are so disposed, go HERE, scroll down to the YELLOW DONATE button in the right-hand column and follow the directions to make a one-time contribution.

If you feel you’re unable to do so, then please make an attempt to help feed children.

I have a great idea to save the State of Loozianner a little money. I’m pretty sure it’s not an original idea because it’s too logical for it not to have occurred to someone else, too. At any rate, here it is:

• Call off the search for a new LSU president.
• Forget about hiring a new athletic director to replace the departing Scott Woodward.
• Abolish the LSU Board of Supervisors altogether.
• Consolidate, consolidate, consolidate. Rebrand Gov. Jeff Landry’s title to Governor/LSU Coach/Athletic Director/President/Board of Supervisors.

Think of all the money it would save. Why, Woodward’s salary alone is more than a million dollars a year. And by now we know what a football coach goes for and college presidents ain’t cheap, either. With all the Board of Supervisor members gone, think of what could be clawed back in terms of complimentary tickets to football, basketball, baseball and all other sports. Why, with those increases in ticket prices, just imagine how much revenue could be generated. And premium parking for those events…Why, they could be money producers for the university as opposed to freebies – especially since those prices are also going up.

By naming Landry to all three positions, he could then drop all pretense to just being an interested onlooker and become far more overt (if possible) in picking coaches, selling tickets, doling out passes to favored politicos, and generally throwing his bantam-weight around like a real-life coach/athletic director/college president.

God knows, he certainly wants to play a role in every aspect of decision-making at LSU. He’s made that quite evident even though officially, he has to pretend to only be concerned about the purse strings.

If you think for one nanosecond that any search committee appointed by a Landry-controlled Board of Supervisors is going to have a scintella of independence to negotiate with and hire a coach, I have some leftover Trump steaks I’ll sell you at a discount.

Landry should know one important fact. If he waltzes in and takes control of administrative matters at LSU, some quality coaches still there are gonna start looking elsewhere. Jay Johnson isn’t going to tolerate interference in a baseball program he has guided to the very top. Same for gymnastics coach Jay Clark and women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey.

There’s an old adage that says if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

One might argue that the football program is indeed broken and folks would be correct in that assumption. But by driving off an athletic director who is responsible in large part in bringing six national titles in six years to LSU, it would be a tragic mistake to try and revamp the entire athletic program – and that’s just what Squeaky Toy Landry is doing.

In short, he thinks he’s a lot smarter than he really is.