No one can tell the people of Louisiana how this story will end, but one thing is certain, it never achieved the goals that millions of dollars of tax payers money was supposed to bring about. Avondale Shipyard was a mainstay for thousands of workers in Louisiana for many, many years prior to being bought out. They were taken over by Northrop, a large corporation who had long ties working with the military.
Northrop has since spun off its shipyard operations to Huntington Ingalls and announced they would close Avondale when their present military contract is fulfilled in early 2013. According to news reports up to 5200 jobs could be affected by the closure. Northrop made notice that the final two Navy LPD-17 class vessels would be built at its Pascagoula facility in Mississippi instead of at Avondale in Louisiana.
Former La. Governor Foster made a deal with Northrop in 2003 and pledged $56 million to upgrades at the facility at Avondale and create a ship building program to train new skilled workers to work at the plant. Also to keep employment at the plant at 5200. Northrop never reached that employment benchmark they agreed too for every quarter and there fore returned approximately $35 million to the state in March 2011. (Source: Times Picayune 6/4/11)
A report to keep Avondale open was reported in the Times Picayune of 10/19/11 where by Louisiana Governor Jindal offered Huntington a $214 million package that would save 3850 jobs at Avondale if Huntington can find another company to partner with. The incentives would pay for work force retraining and updates to the facility. That is exactly what Gov. Foster offered Northrop. Does that mean the facility was not updated and workers were not trained under the Foster package? Is this just another duplication and a waste of tax payers money? What happened to those workers that were retrained under the Foster package? Are they now working at the Pascagoula shipyard? That certainly would be a plus for Mississippi having trained skilled workers paid for by Louisiana tax payers.
The Times Picayune carried eight stories concerning the Avondale situation between June 4 and November 30, 2011 and not one story asked the question about retraining workers or upgrading the facility as mentioned in the paragraph above. Some thing is very wrong with the Times Picayune reporting. Was any inquiries made to the state to see how much updating to Avondale was actually made and if those updates are still operational for who ever takes over Avondale. How many retrained skilled workers are still employed at Avondale and exactly how many were retrained. The taxpayers who are footing the bill should be given this information.
What really has happened is that Northrop, a very large corporation who had long ties working with the federal government on military contracts wanted to get into the shipyard business for Navy contracts and bought out Avondale to eliminate competition. That is what large American compaines have been doing for many years and then when things get tough they end up spinning off the company they bought to cut their losses and of course they lay off workers.
The Northrop-Avondale project was a failed government-private enterprise using tax payers money to create jobs and now the Jindal administration is offering almost 4 times more thanwhat Foster agreed to do the exact same thing but this time it concerns 3850 jobs. Any time state governments give corporate welfare to business ventures they should have the common sense to give a detail account to the people of exactly what their tax dollars paid for and exactly what took place. So far that has not happened.
By the way, to those who have independent thought, remember it was the federal government that created those jobs for Northrop and Avondale with their military contracts and not Louisiana's governors despite the state's corporate welfare with tax payers money.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Saturday, January 21, 2012
The New Orleans Saints and The National Football League: Part II
Jeff Duncan, sports writer for the Times Picayune wrote an article published in that news paper January 14, the morning of the Saints-Frisco game that all but guaranteed the Saints would win because as he said, this is a different Saints team, a different time and they can win a road playoff game. However he gave himself some breathing room and said at the very end the Saints could lose because of their disposition.
Sport journalists in New Orleans, radio, TV and printed just don't get it and are incapable of judging the Saints on a rational basis. Their total reporting is simply the "offense genius of Payton and the prolific passing of Brees" which actually represents individual performance instead of the team performance. The Saints played a patsy schedule this year but met a real challenge with Frisco who's team knows how to play defense.
It is a matter of record that competition in the NFL has gone down hill as a result of expansion and a playoff system devised for the purpose of putting more money in the owners pockets. Competition was at a higher level before the playoffs were begun when the winner of the NFC and the AFC met in the Super Bowl. Now a team with a loosing record has a chance to be in the Super Bowl. There is nothing competitive about that and makes a mockery of the regular season which should account for everything.
The final NFL standings at the end of the season as published in the Times Picayune of January 2 showed that of the 32 teams that make up the NFL only 12 teams had a winning record, 37%. Is it any wonder why Drew Brees and Tom Brady both broke Dan Marino's passing record that has stood since 1984. And to top it off second year quarterback Matt Stafford of Detroit was only shy 47 yards of also breaking Marino's record. Is it any wonder so many records fell this year for the Saints and the NFL.
All six of the Times Picayune sports journalists listed in the January 14 edition predicted a Saints victory at Frisco. One would think that out of six at least one would have projected Frisco the winner because of their record and great defense. Duncan in his article on Sunday after the game gave the excuse that the Saints loss because the defense blitzed at the wrong time.
Ironically it was Damin Esper, a contributing writer in the Times Picayune of Sunday January 15 who gave the most intelligent answer as to why the Saints lost to Frisco. He said, the 49ers physical defense kept the Saints offense out of sync. That New Orleans gained plenty of yards but never was in control of the game. This writer will drink to that but who is Damin Esper? I have never heard of him but he made the right call.
Sports journalist in New Orleans will continue to talk about Payton and Brees ability and will also continue to brush aside the failures of the NFL and the lack of competition. All of the Saints prolific passing records and individual performances and the Saints are back home again early from the playoffs. The quarterbacks for the Giants and Frisco have taken their team to the championship game without all those individual records. Some sports journalists never learn.
Sport journalists in New Orleans, radio, TV and printed just don't get it and are incapable of judging the Saints on a rational basis. Their total reporting is simply the "offense genius of Payton and the prolific passing of Brees" which actually represents individual performance instead of the team performance. The Saints played a patsy schedule this year but met a real challenge with Frisco who's team knows how to play defense.
It is a matter of record that competition in the NFL has gone down hill as a result of expansion and a playoff system devised for the purpose of putting more money in the owners pockets. Competition was at a higher level before the playoffs were begun when the winner of the NFC and the AFC met in the Super Bowl. Now a team with a loosing record has a chance to be in the Super Bowl. There is nothing competitive about that and makes a mockery of the regular season which should account for everything.
The final NFL standings at the end of the season as published in the Times Picayune of January 2 showed that of the 32 teams that make up the NFL only 12 teams had a winning record, 37%. Is it any wonder why Drew Brees and Tom Brady both broke Dan Marino's passing record that has stood since 1984. And to top it off second year quarterback Matt Stafford of Detroit was only shy 47 yards of also breaking Marino's record. Is it any wonder so many records fell this year for the Saints and the NFL.
All six of the Times Picayune sports journalists listed in the January 14 edition predicted a Saints victory at Frisco. One would think that out of six at least one would have projected Frisco the winner because of their record and great defense. Duncan in his article on Sunday after the game gave the excuse that the Saints loss because the defense blitzed at the wrong time.
Ironically it was Damin Esper, a contributing writer in the Times Picayune of Sunday January 15 who gave the most intelligent answer as to why the Saints lost to Frisco. He said, the 49ers physical defense kept the Saints offense out of sync. That New Orleans gained plenty of yards but never was in control of the game. This writer will drink to that but who is Damin Esper? I have never heard of him but he made the right call.
Sports journalist in New Orleans will continue to talk about Payton and Brees ability and will also continue to brush aside the failures of the NFL and the lack of competition. All of the Saints prolific passing records and individual performances and the Saints are back home again early from the playoffs. The quarterbacks for the Giants and Frisco have taken their team to the championship game without all those individual records. Some sports journalists never learn.
Friday, January 20, 2012
The LSU-Alabama Rematch: Part I
The BCS rematch of LSU-Alabama was a media made game by ESPN, the networks and the money clout they have over college football. Competition and rankings had nothing to do with the rematch. Fifteen minutes after LSU defeated Alabama during the regular season a CBS reporter asked LSU coach Les Miles about a rematch before he left the field. That was a telling question because as of that moment both teams had three games left to play on their regular schedule. The rematch question was deliberate and was a prelude to what would follow.
LSU made two early mistakes. Miles should have brushed off the rematch question on the field and he and LSU's President should have said early on there would be no rematch in no uncertain terms and let the chips fall where they may. Plus LSU should have known better because of their rematch with Ole Miss in 1959.
Rematches are not good for competition and it allowed an unfair advantage to Alabama in this case because they only had to beat LSU once to win the national championship and LSU had to defeat Alabama twice to win the national championship. Any one who does not see the problem with that must be part of the news media.
At the end of the regular season LSU had won a division title and conference title. Oklahoma State won a conference title and Alabama won nothing. Yet Alabama was ranked second and OKS third. So much for competition. To some, what a team accomplishes during the regular season means nothing, but it should mean everything. There are no rematches in the SEC if a division ends up in a tie. The winner is chosen by other means, namely their record of how they competed during the regular season.
The media in New Orleans where the game was played billed the rematch as the game of the century even though the century is only 12 years old, which shows how silly the media was on the subject matter. Any sports minded person who follows football actually knew it would not be the game of the century. It is ironic that there was a time in the not to distant past when the national champion was crowned at the end of the regular season and before the bowl games. The bowl games were only to give the players and their teams a little fun, reward for the season and revenue for all teams in general. It is also ironic that there was more competition under that system then under the present system. And that really says it all.
Stay tuned for Part II: The New Orleans Saints and The NFL.
LSU made two early mistakes. Miles should have brushed off the rematch question on the field and he and LSU's President should have said early on there would be no rematch in no uncertain terms and let the chips fall where they may. Plus LSU should have known better because of their rematch with Ole Miss in 1959.
Rematches are not good for competition and it allowed an unfair advantage to Alabama in this case because they only had to beat LSU once to win the national championship and LSU had to defeat Alabama twice to win the national championship. Any one who does not see the problem with that must be part of the news media.
At the end of the regular season LSU had won a division title and conference title. Oklahoma State won a conference title and Alabama won nothing. Yet Alabama was ranked second and OKS third. So much for competition. To some, what a team accomplishes during the regular season means nothing, but it should mean everything. There are no rematches in the SEC if a division ends up in a tie. The winner is chosen by other means, namely their record of how they competed during the regular season.
The media in New Orleans where the game was played billed the rematch as the game of the century even though the century is only 12 years old, which shows how silly the media was on the subject matter. Any sports minded person who follows football actually knew it would not be the game of the century. It is ironic that there was a time in the not to distant past when the national champion was crowned at the end of the regular season and before the bowl games. The bowl games were only to give the players and their teams a little fun, reward for the season and revenue for all teams in general. It is also ironic that there was more competition under that system then under the present system. And that really says it all.
Stay tuned for Part II: The New Orleans Saints and The NFL.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Mitt Romney's New Hampshire Primary Speech
Romney's victory speech after the networks declared him a winner contained a statement that the cable news channels never did pick up on and several days has passed since then. The normal evening news never picked up on it either.
As reported in the Times Picayune of January 11, Romney was quoted as saying the following concerning President Obama: The middle class has been crushed: Our debt is too high: Our opportunities too few: That statement actually discribes what happened under the administration of George W. Bush, not Obama. In fact the Obama administration has actually been reversing those three issues raised by Romney. The national news media failed to respond big time. If people in the news media took time to check the facts they could perform a needed service to the people concerning the truth.
As far as the nation's debt as pointed out here before in "Politidose" if Reagan, Bush 41 and Bush 43 would have balanced the federal budget as Clinton did the national debt would not be a problem. Those three President's record 20 year federal deficit spree is the major cause of the national debt being out of control.
The people should also know from Romney's campaign rhetoric that he would follow the same failed policies of the administration of George W. Bush if he is elected President. Once again for people who want the facts, tune in to "Politidose" not the cable net works or the evening news.
As reported in the Times Picayune of January 11, Romney was quoted as saying the following concerning President Obama: The middle class has been crushed: Our debt is too high: Our opportunities too few: That statement actually discribes what happened under the administration of George W. Bush, not Obama. In fact the Obama administration has actually been reversing those three issues raised by Romney. The national news media failed to respond big time. If people in the news media took time to check the facts they could perform a needed service to the people concerning the truth.
As far as the nation's debt as pointed out here before in "Politidose" if Reagan, Bush 41 and Bush 43 would have balanced the federal budget as Clinton did the national debt would not be a problem. Those three President's record 20 year federal deficit spree is the major cause of the national debt being out of control.
The people should also know from Romney's campaign rhetoric that he would follow the same failed policies of the administration of George W. Bush if he is elected President. Once again for people who want the facts, tune in to "Politidose" not the cable net works or the evening news.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Conservatism: The Ugly and UnAmerican Ideology. Chapter III
The republican Presidentail candidates running for their party's nomination confirm using their own campaign rhetoric how the leaders and would be leaders of the party today represent a conservative ideology that is still ugly and unAmerican. It all began after the election of Ronald Reagan that started with the notion that the federal government was the blame for everything and then took on the form of personal attacks against their opponets because they could not debate the real issues.
The present republican candidates are still trying to out do each other as to who is the real and most conservative. They just can not bring themselves to be an American first. Ideology comes easy for them to use in governing because that way they do not have to study the facts of a subject matter and come to a reasonable conclusion. All that is needed is an ideology to come to what ever conclusion is necessary in their little warped minds.
No republican candidate has put forth any plan before the people as to what they would do if elected. All say they would create jobs but the republican party has no record of creating jobs that even compares to job creation by democratic administrations. Just ask President George W. Bush and keep in mind the current republican candidates all supported Bush's policies, tax reductions and exemptions for the wealthy and business, reduced regulation and have not balanced the federal budget in over 50 years. That dog did not hunt in the past and will not do so in the future.
Romney can't make up his mind what he wants to be or what he stands for, Gingrich, the master of personal attacks does not like attack adds aimed at him, Santorum is a divider of religion and was defeated last time he ran for reelection to the U.S. Senate because of his extreme ideology, Perry is just a sorry person and Paul is that steady voice for balancing the federal budget but was silent while the Bush 43 administration was breaking all deficit spending and debt records in the history of the republic.
They all hate government but all have had government jobs at the state or federal level and now all want the biggest government job of them all. With the exception of Paul they want to take the country to war with Iran and once again put the burden on our men and women in uniform to pay the price. All want to see President Obama fail so the country will fail.
They all want to finish the job Reagan, Bush 41 and Bush 43 started of starving the federal government of revenue to bankrupt the federal treasury so social secruity, medicare and other needed programs will be a thing of the past. Remember America the massive federal deficit spending spree of the those three Presidents required the use of trillions of dollars borrowed from the social security trust fund which as of today has never been repaid.
They are still trying to divide the country and its people with wedge issues such as religion, gay marriage, abortion, gays in the military, family, birth rights and a slew of other right wing propaganda. And yes do not forget they lie on a regular basis.
The record is clear, the economy, job creation, balancing the federal budget, paying down debt, low unemployment, low crime rate, increase in the average workers wages and protecting the United States has always done better on a democratic administrations watch. Those are lessons in history that all Americans should never forget.
Note 1: See Chapter I dated 1/30/08 and Chapter II dated 8/2/11
The present republican candidates are still trying to out do each other as to who is the real and most conservative. They just can not bring themselves to be an American first. Ideology comes easy for them to use in governing because that way they do not have to study the facts of a subject matter and come to a reasonable conclusion. All that is needed is an ideology to come to what ever conclusion is necessary in their little warped minds.
No republican candidate has put forth any plan before the people as to what they would do if elected. All say they would create jobs but the republican party has no record of creating jobs that even compares to job creation by democratic administrations. Just ask President George W. Bush and keep in mind the current republican candidates all supported Bush's policies, tax reductions and exemptions for the wealthy and business, reduced regulation and have not balanced the federal budget in over 50 years. That dog did not hunt in the past and will not do so in the future.
Romney can't make up his mind what he wants to be or what he stands for, Gingrich, the master of personal attacks does not like attack adds aimed at him, Santorum is a divider of religion and was defeated last time he ran for reelection to the U.S. Senate because of his extreme ideology, Perry is just a sorry person and Paul is that steady voice for balancing the federal budget but was silent while the Bush 43 administration was breaking all deficit spending and debt records in the history of the republic.
They all hate government but all have had government jobs at the state or federal level and now all want the biggest government job of them all. With the exception of Paul they want to take the country to war with Iran and once again put the burden on our men and women in uniform to pay the price. All want to see President Obama fail so the country will fail.
They all want to finish the job Reagan, Bush 41 and Bush 43 started of starving the federal government of revenue to bankrupt the federal treasury so social secruity, medicare and other needed programs will be a thing of the past. Remember America the massive federal deficit spending spree of the those three Presidents required the use of trillions of dollars borrowed from the social security trust fund which as of today has never been repaid.
They are still trying to divide the country and its people with wedge issues such as religion, gay marriage, abortion, gays in the military, family, birth rights and a slew of other right wing propaganda. And yes do not forget they lie on a regular basis.
The record is clear, the economy, job creation, balancing the federal budget, paying down debt, low unemployment, low crime rate, increase in the average workers wages and protecting the United States has always done better on a democratic administrations watch. Those are lessons in history that all Americans should never forget.
Note 1: See Chapter I dated 1/30/08 and Chapter II dated 8/2/11
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Another Good Economic Report For America and Its People
The U.S. Labor Department announced on January 7 that the economy added 200,000 net new jobs in December and that the unemployment rate fell to 8.5% from 8.7% in November. It was the sixth month in a row that the economy added at least 100,000 jobs, the longest time since 2006.
The economy added 940,000 jobs in 2010 and 1.6 million jobs in 2011. And once again it is a democratic administration who continues to reverse the record job losses due to the great recession that began in December 2007 under the Bush 43 administration. And once again the republican party has been no help to President Obama and continues to oppose his economic and job creation proposals just to see him defeated in the 2012 elections.
The republican party's Presidential candidates are no help either to the country as they profess to continue the Bush 43 policies of reduced taxes for the wealthy and business and the relaxation of regulations that monitor the behavier of business. They are also on record as being opposed to Obama's policies that have put the economy and job creation on track and ending the great recession.
The democratic party continues to be the best chance for the American people, the economy, job creation, lower unemployment and advances in the wages of the average American. As this writer has pointed out before, the President should exercise his executive powers to keep the economy and job creation growing because the republicans will continue to try and block his every move. That is the very nature of their ugly and unAmerican ideology.
The economy added 940,000 jobs in 2010 and 1.6 million jobs in 2011. And once again it is a democratic administration who continues to reverse the record job losses due to the great recession that began in December 2007 under the Bush 43 administration. And once again the republican party has been no help to President Obama and continues to oppose his economic and job creation proposals just to see him defeated in the 2012 elections.
The republican party's Presidential candidates are no help either to the country as they profess to continue the Bush 43 policies of reduced taxes for the wealthy and business and the relaxation of regulations that monitor the behavier of business. They are also on record as being opposed to Obama's policies that have put the economy and job creation on track and ending the great recession.
The democratic party continues to be the best chance for the American people, the economy, job creation, lower unemployment and advances in the wages of the average American. As this writer has pointed out before, the President should exercise his executive powers to keep the economy and job creation growing because the republicans will continue to try and block his every move. That is the very nature of their ugly and unAmerican ideology.
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