A Time To Move Forward

Now that the Presidents stimulus plan has been signed into law and his proposal to help rescue millions of Americans because of foreclosure on their homes has been announced, it is time to look forward and work for a better world for our children and grand children.  There is still much to be accomplished to reverse the greed and damage that the nation has experienced but the people can not and should not be side tracked from the journey ahead.

 

No matter what happens, the negative voices on radio and television will continue to try and divide America and its people.  We know from the past those voices have nothing to offer for the advancement of idea's that will carry our nation and people in the right direction to solve the problems of the past that have been with us far to long.

 

Our country has not survived over 200 years of history by accident.  We have had more good leaders than bad who put country and its people first, who overcame doubt with positive action.  A nation with ideals was our founders compass and every time we strayed from those ideals, a new leader emerged to get us back on tract.  We live in an imperfect world and we and our leaders are imperfect people, but we know right from wrong, good from evil, truth from lies and fact from fiction.  Therefore we have the ability to tune out those negative no nothing voices who try to divide us. 

 

Our people have to become once again leaders instead of followers.  Our future depends on that attitude, that can do spirit that rise above all the petty ideology that has harmed the country with personal superiority that is preached by those negative voices.  The future is ours to improve and safeguard for future generations.  We know the way because we have experienced the past and the failures.  All of us have a stake in life to make it better and for all of us to share in the benefits of what can be.  Anything short of that is a betrayal of what America is all about. 

AWOL On Obama's Stimulus Plan

Louisiana U.S. Representatives in congress, republicans Anh Joseph Cao and Steve Scalise met with port of New Orleans executives and other industry leaders to promote the ports master plan for 2020 reported the New Orleans Times Picayune in an articled published February 18.  The story pointed out port CEO Gary LaGrange said the key to job creation and to keep those jobs was more investment in the port by the state and federal governments.

 

Scalise said money needs to be poured into improving the port because it has been neglected for years by the state.  It was noticeable Scalise failed to point out he served in the state legislature during that time.  It was also noted that the meeting coincided with President Obama signing the stimulus plan passed by congress and opposed by both Scalise and Cao.  Their excuse for not supporting the stimulus plan in congress made them feel inadequate so they met with port officials to push for state and federal help for the port.

 

The stimulus plan passed by congress will put industry and people to work and ship material thru the port of New Orleans but Scalise said the plan was not responsible at a time when we need to control spending.  He was obviously talking about the record deficit spending and debt created by Mr. Bush the last 8 years.  The American people can be sure that the next President to control spending and balance the federal budget will be another democrat.  Mr. Scalise and Mr. Cao's party have no record to run on when it comes to controlling spending and balancing the budget.

 

Scalise and Cao may be new republican faces in congress but their ideology still represents the failed policies of the past that has been devastating the country and the people.

The Democrats Respond To Corporate Greed

The $787 billion economic stimulus plan that passed the House and Senate contains a provision that would impose restrictions on executive bonuses at financial institutions.  The provisions would prohibit cash bonuses and almost all other incentive compensation for the 5 most senior officers and the 20 highest paid executives at large companies that receive money under the TARP program, the New York Times reported.

 

The provisions was written by Democratic Senator Chris Dodd and would bar top executives from receiving bonuses that exceed 1/3 of their annual salary.  Bonus money would have to be in the form of long term incentives, like restricted stock, which cannot be cashed out until the TARP money is paid back in full.  The new rules will help ensure that taxpayer dollars non longer effectively subsidize lavish Wall Street bonuses Dodd said.  The top economic advisers to President Obama opposed the pay restrictions.

 

I believe that Dodd's provision and the Democrats willingness to embrace this common sense approach captures the feeling of the people concerning Corporate greed and the need to control this transfer of wealth.  It should be noted that only 3 republican Senators voter yes for the economic stimulus plan while all republicans in the House voted No.

 

President Obama and those that voted for the plan were willing to face the severe problem the economy is in and take action they believe was required.  Future action by the President and congress should be progressive and tackle those problems that have been left to fester by the previous administration.

 

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal

Does he really represent a new thinking for the republican party like people in the news media say as they promote him the rising star of the GOP.  The press in Louisiana is promoting him as such every chance they have.  As of this writing his accomplishments have been little in the year that he has been governor.  Obviously that is not long enough to judge the merits so lets look at some of his comments to try and understand what his ideology may really be.

 

In the February 12 issue of the Times Picayune on page A-15 Jindal told an audience in North Carolina that voters in 2006 and 2008 fired the republicans in congress and in the minds of too many the republican party has become the party big government spending, earmarks and the party of corruption in Washington, the party of Wall Street and big corporations.  No one can disagree with that description of the GOP but he forgot to mention that the GOP is the party of record deficit spending and debt creation.  In fact the last 5 republican Presidents in the last 38 years have not balanced one federal budget in all those years.  He neglected to mention that the republican party has no record of creating a sustained economy or job creation.

 

Jindal's was reported to say his solution would be to restore what he calls America's core cultural values, which he says are under assault by Television, Hollywood, the music industry and the Internet.  If that sounds familiar it should because that is the same ideology Ronald Reagan ran on almost 30 years ago and every republican President since.  There is nothing new there for Jindal.  It is the same divisive issues used in the past by the republican party.  One would think with the U.S. in the deepest economic trouble in 50 years, with massive job loses the governor would have something to say to address that priority.  It should be noted that Governor Jindal said that if he was still a member of congress he would have opposed both the House and Senate version of the stimulus plan as reported by the Times Picayune on Feb. 11, page A-4.  Jindal did not say what he would do to help the economic recovery.

 

Gov. Jindal failed his leadership role when he was silent when the Louisiana legislature raised its members pay which outraged the public and finally the governor vetoed the measure when it got to be his hot potato.  He supported the cancellation of the Stelly Tax plan which the Time Picayune reported cost the state a loss of over $300 million in revenue.  Now with the next state budget projecting a huge deficit the governor has mandated cuts in higher education and other area's. 

 

Commissioner of higher education Sally Clausen said her staff and the state's college system presidents have been looking at economies in programs as they face cuts as much as $382 million in the coming year as reported in the Times Picayune of Feb. 13, page A-2.  The loss in revenue of the Stelly plan has made the budget crisis worse.  There is no question there are times to cut taxes but republicans have a history of cutting taxes for votes and then get into the pockets of the average citizen 100 different ways.  Governor Jindal talks a good game but real action on important issues are lacking. 

 

Jindal has had fund raising events out of state in North Carolina, Arkansas, Florida, Texas, Connecticut and Mississippi so far to date.  It is obvious his mind is on a national office.  I have no problem with that but his priority should be the people of Louisiana.  A changed republican?  The record so far does not support that conclusion.