The Latest Insult To The State and People Of Louisiana By The State Legislature

Tyler Bridges of the New Orleans Advocate in an article dated 4/28 reported Governor Edwards is pushing legislators to focus on tax breaks to raise state revenue, but guess what?  The Governor found out the legislature has no system to justify the tax breaks and judge if those tax breaks are doing the job the business lobby claims they do such as creating jobs and etc.

 "PolitiDose" reported many times how the $8 billion a year in tax breaks given to business is the main reason why Louisiana has a revenue problem.  The article also reported what was known earlier that Corporations are enjoying more tax breaks than they are paying in Corporate taxes.  Governor Edwards said what business would spend money and not know what return it is getting.  Yet, that is exactly what the state Legislature has been doing with those business tax breaks.

It is a little late in the game for the legislature to wait around and come up with a plan to evaluate the tax breaks with looming deficits.  What they should do is make steep cuts to those tax breaks across the board in the special session the Governor will call in June.  Require business to justify what tax breaks are left and in the future the legislature should work on the assumption that if a business needs tax breaks to operate, then the business is not viable nor is it properly managed.

The legislature has insulted the state and its people long enough by not having a plan in effect to judge if the $8 billion in tax breaks are justified.  The legislature has to act now.


This commentary written by Joe Lorio

Donald Trump, Former President George W. Bush, Conservatism and The Republican Party: What They All Have In Common.

Their common denominator happens to be so called "tough talk", division, extremism, trickle down economics, failed foreign and domestic policy, deficit spending and a lack of understanding the basic's of arithmetic.  As a result very few lasting accomplishments for the last three republican administrations.

That has set the stage for Donald Trump to be able to run over his republican opponents exposing their weakness and the party's failures.  Republican voters think they found a new kind of republican in Trump but behind the tough talk is a man who supported the republican party's failed policies of the past with rhetoric and campaign contributions.  Like republican elected officials in general, Trump likes to speak of doing things in the singular and as a result little policy is offered the people to look at.

If Trump wins his party's nomination which is likely, one can be sure his general strategy in the general election against the democratic nominee will be personal attacks of a nasty nature just as past republican campaigns have been.  Tough talk is a reflection on Trumps lack of character and knowledge and his inability to be articulate on the very issues that the country faces.

President George W. Bush could not articulate how Saddam and Iraq were a threat to the national security of the U. S. so the fairy tale story of WMD was created along with the planted seed that Saddam had a hand in the tragic attack on 9/11.  Trump is using the same kind of tough talk on the campaign trail to hide his lack of understanding in foreign affairs.  Extremism, division and trickle down economics will catch up to Trump in due time and the people will realize he represents the same republican party he loves to hate.


This commentary written by Joe Lorio

Seven Months Until The November Election

Election day in November will conclude 18 months of campaigning for the President of the United States.  Much money will be spent during that time period by the candidates, PAC's, individuals and other supporters.  It is a ritual that needs to be changed in this writers opinion.  The debate process should be changed and handed over to Public Television and their hosts should be the moderators for obvious reasons.
At this point in the campaign, strategy will change and so will the rhetoric, especially on the republican side.  Donald Trump's campaign has recently announced Trump will act more Presidential than he has been because he believes he will b his party's nominee.  He will now be more moderate and nice to the voters he has been critical of.  His campaign believes he has done all the damage he can do to his republican opponents and now has to do an about face for the every day voter.  That is SOP for republican candidates because they are a party of ideology and think of themselves as elite.

Democratic candidates do not have that problem because they believe in policy for America that reaches all Americans.  It is the reason why the country and its people do better on the democratic watch.  The Obama administration has continued that record moving the country out of the republican record recession of 2008.  The republicans do not wish to talk about that and neither does the news media, they would rather report on what divides America.

There could be a real challenge to the candidates before the election if the Supreme Court rules in favor of President Obama's executive order on immigration which they are now hearing.  It would be interesting to say the least how the republicans would act if the court rules in the President's favor.  We know they do not want immigration reform from their own lips.  President George W. Bush introduced immigration reform during his administration in 2007 only to be rejected by his own party.  They also rejected immigration over 2 years ago when the democratic controlled senate passed immigration reform legislation.

So a lot can happen in the next seven months.  But regardless what happens, one candidate alone will stand out as the voice of reason and consistency on the issues facing the country and its people.  And this writer has a good idea who that person will be.


This commentary written by Joe Lorio

The GOP: A Conservative Party With Various Ideologies That Can Not Be United

The republican party is not a conservative party of only one ideology.  That is why they oppose everything and have achieved very little while in control of the government they hate.  There are the Eisenhower republicans, the Goldwater republicans, the Reagan republicans, the extreme republicans, the right wing republicans, the Evangelical republicans and the Tea party republicans.  Some of those factions think of themselves as being purist.

The republican Presidential candidates in the last two campaigns of 2008, 2012 and now 2016 were and still are so divided among themselves had no policy to offer the voters because they were too busy trying to appeal to all of the conservative factions.  That is an impossible task.  The republican controlled House is a good example.  They have no accomplishments, shut down the government, can not agree on needed legislation, are in conflict with each other and their former speaker John Boehner resigned because he could not control their actions.  And as of this writing the republicans control both houses of congress and there is no action taking place.

The republican Presidential candidates of 2016 (17 when they started) were so weak because of their ideology, the 3 left standing, Trump, Cruz and Kasich continue to have problems with the factions within the party.  Trump and Cruz are dividers with Trump playing on the republican party's past failures and Cruz trying to prove he is Mr. conservative.  Kasich does not play well within his own party with most of the factions.

The various factions of the conservative ideology with in the party has been devastating.  Because of the "stop Trump movement" Trump said the other day he did not believe there would be violence at the RNC.  If Trump wanted to use the word violence what he should have said is I will not condone or support violence in any form at the convention.  Saying he did not believe there would be violence is not a very strong message.

The conservative ideology of the republican party is truly unAmerican in practice because it believes there is no boundary in achieving its radical and extreme agenda even if it means holding the people and the government hostage by shutting it down.  Today's republican party will not survive or live to govern effectively if they fail to realize that America and democracy are inclusive, that all people should be able to live the American dream and diversity is American's strength.  No one can live in the past and the future needs to be embraced because it is the future for our children and grand children.  


This commentary written by Joe Lorio














       

MSNBC's Love Affair With Donald Trump

MSNBC's coverage of Tuesday's New York presidential primary continued the networks love affair with Donald Trump and used superlatives to describe his victory over John Kasich and Ted Cruz.  But the real story of Trump's win was that it was predictable, expected and the polls prior to the primary gave Trump a large lead.  After all, it was Trump's state and spouting superlatives was totally phony.

Governor John Kasich won his state's primary in Ohio and Ted Cruz won his state's primary in Texas just like they were expected to do and MSNBC described those two wins as ho-hum because they knew it was predictable.  The double standard by MSNBC is just another example of the networks favorite candidate who they generously give free air time to.

This writer tuned MSNBC out early because it was evident where they were going with the story.  Its ironic that both Clinton and Sanders received more votes than Trump but that was never mentioned before I turned the network off.  On primary election nights once the votes are counted, that is all that matters.  All of the talk before and after is to fill up air time and an attempt to influence the voters with silly statements by the networks host.

In the year 2016 it can be said that television was more informative before the existence of the cable news networks.  And that really says it all.


This commentary written by Joe Lorio

Louisiana's TOPS Program

What is taking place today with TOPS was bound to happen.  Those who have just a little knowledge of budgeting knew it was only a matter of time.  The people and our elected officials think it is a very worth while program and the sad part of it all is the mismanagement by the previous administration and the legislature.

When government is faced with choices, elected officials have the responsibility to face the challenge of those choices and act accordingly.  Governor Edwards has done that in his proposed budget concerning TOPS by recommending for the next budget year TOPS financing only about 1/3 what it had been doing because of revenue shortfalls.  It brings reality to the subject matter for the legislature to deal with.  So lets look at TOPS as a worthy program that enables the state's citizens to have a Louisiana college education and stay and work inside the state instead of seeking employment out of state.

If it is a worthy program, the answers are there as to how to make it work.  The first question to be answered is:  Does the state have the necessary revenue to fully fund the program year in and year out.  Enrollment is sure to increase and so will tuition so that has to be taken into consideration as the cost of the TOPS program will continue to escalate as it has done since the program was started.

If the answer is no then the legislature has to take the next step.  Instead of funding full tuition how much can the state afford to have a reduced level of TOPS support.  Could it be 20, 30 or 40% of tuition?  Can a source of funding at that level be found year in and year out.  Even a lesser level of TOPS funding will create a problem if a steady stream of funding is not found.

Those questions should have been answered before the program was even started.  Reality then would have averted what the state is going through now.  Edwards is trying to have the legislature prioritize its needs.  The needy and the most important issues for the state and its people should come first.  Edwards has taken the first step by himself by announcing his decision to delay some construction that the state can not afford at this time and which is not a priority.

There was no TOPS available while this writers children were of school age but I know what today's parents face.  If I were a parent of college aged children I would settle for TOPS even if at a reduced benefit if that is the only thing the state could afford.  That would still be a great help.

The legislature has to learn from the past failures so Louisiana's future will not be like the failed past.  A crisis of ones own making can be corrected, reversed and a new progressive future can be charted.  If the legislature works with Governor Edwards in due time they will be able to say, "we faced the bullet, did our jobs and took care of the business of the state and our people."  If they can say that then needy programs like TOPS will be viable.


This commentary written by Joe Lorio

Governor Edwards Gives His Budget Proposal To The State Legislature

Louisiana Governor Edwards met with House and Senate members this week and offered his much awaited budget proposal for the state's fiscal year beginning July 1.  The proposal included cuts to the TOPS educational program, hospitals, prisons, public schools and other areas.  It is a budget of reality that will allow the legislature and the public for once address the seriousness of the state's fiscal problems.

The governor nor the legislature wants to see those cuts take place especially the TOPS program which is pegged at a reduction of 66%/  Edwards knows this is serious business and one time money and temporary funding that won't be there in the future will not be used like in past budgets.

The House and Senate will have to bite the bullet and do the job they failed to do in the special session.  The truth and facts now have to be faced with answers that truly put the state's fiscal house in order.  Anything less is a failure.  The current budget that ends June 30 is still $30-70 million out of balance.  The budget year that begins July 1 is $750 million out of balance.  Reruns of Jindal's budgets can not be tolerated.


The $8 billion of loss revenue because of tax breaks, tax credits and other goodies to business need to be closed.  If TOPS, hospitals and needed services have to take a hit, so should the $8 billion.  Its called fairness.The TOPS program started out costing $50 million a year and is now well over $200 million a year.  If TOPS is important then the legislature has to find the financial resources to fund it with out the gimmicks or scale it back until a source of funding is found to keep the program running.

 The republican controlled legislature has to correct its past budget failures and work with governor Edwards to solve the problems.  Reality is what it is.  Now is the time to deal with it.  The fairy tale has finally been exposed and the status quo is not acceptable.


This commentary written by Joe Lorio

New Orleans Council Member At-Large Stacy Head and "PolitiDose" Are On The Same Page

In a opinion column in the Times Picayune dated 4/13 Stacy Head called for a way to achieve tax fairness at the local level is to allow New Orleans voters to approve a constitutional amendment that would return thousands of currently tax exempt properties to the tax rolls.  She also said the burden of paying for government services should be shared by more of the people and entities who use them.

Head believes that tax exempt properties should be limited to only those places where an organization actually teaches, prays or fulfills the mission of the exempt organization.  Of course Head is referring to non profits and or charitable organizations whose tax exemptions goes much farther than they should.

And if what Head said sounds familiar its because you read it here first in "PolitiDose" in several commentaries over the last several years.  Head is on target with her editorial and every one should pay his or her fair share of taxes, even the poor for reasons already stated.  No one should get a free ride when it comes to taxes.

The burden of who should pay taxes is a no brainer if one is honest with him or her self and has the courage to stand up to special interest groups who care only for themselves.  Keep up the good work Council member Head, "PolitiDose" will continue to support your position.


This commentary written by Joe Lorio

Louisiana's U.S. Representative John Fleming's Point of View Article To Simplify The Tax Code Shows His Real Character and Who He Really Cares About.

Fleming's article in the Times Picayune of 4/13 titled, "Give Americans A Break and Simplify The Tax Code" is not about simplification as one finds out when reading the article.  It is about the same old republican conservative ideology of "trickle down economics" of:  (1)  eliminating the estate tax that benefit the wealthy;  (2)  Allow the deduction of state and local sales taxes from federal taxable income;  (3)  Reduce the Corporate tax rate:  And (4)  The above will reinvigorate the economy.

Fleming's article can best be described as a ruse to go back to the same failed republican policies using falsehoods to cover up the attempt by using the word "simplify."  To simplify is easy if one has the courage.  You can not have a tax system that is more simple than a reasonable tax rate bracket with no exemptions for any one.  That would be easy to understand and the tax forms could be filled out by the average taxpayer with no help.

The estate tax has been studied for many years and the studies shows eliminating the tax would benefit the wealthy and that the current tax code actually protect the mom and pop farms and property with high enough exemptions.

Reducing the corporate income tax again as Fleming suggests represents the failed policies to move the economy, create jobs or balance the federal budget.  The corporate tax rate has been reduced from the 90% range to the present range of less than 40%.  Fleming knows that companies on average pay an effective income tax rate between 12-13%.  Mitt Romney verified that with the release of his tax filings that was made public.  Fleming also knows that there are many corporations who pay no income tax because of loop holes, tax breaks and tax credits.

When the people elected Barrack Obama, their vote ended the carnage inflicted on America and its citizens brought about by the failed policies of Fleming's party.  And that really says it all.


This commentary written by Joe Lorio

It Appears Senator Bernie Sanders Is The One Who Is Becoming A Little Nervous

A funny thing happened after Bernie Sanders won the democratic primary in Wisconsin.  At a rally soon after the results he told his supporters that Hillary Clinton said he was not qualified to be President.  He also said Clinton was getting a little nervous and sometime later said Clinton was not qualified to be President and threw out several reasons why.  Sanders and his staff had to walk back two of those statements later.

First he acknowledged Clinton did not say he was not qualified to be President after the news media reported same.  Then later he acknowledged Clinton was qualified to be President.  Why the silly statements so soon after a big win in Wisconsin?  This writer believes it is because Sanders knows arithmetic.  Although he won Wisconsin he only picked up 3 more delegates than Clinton and he knows he can not catch her like that.  So look for more silly statements from Sander's campaign concerning Clinton.  Time is running out and Sanders will use the same kind of personal attacks used by republicans.

The feeling is starting to come to mind that if Clinton wins the democratic nomination Sanders will run as an independent third party candidate which he is.  He is running in the democratic primaries because he wants the benefits the party has to offer.  It is democrats and their party who have stopped the republican party from privatizing social security and medicare not independents.  Of course we will all know what goes down in only a few months after the primaries are over and the convention picks their nominee.


This commentary written by Joe Lorio

Precedent Is A Factor In Determining Who Would Make The Best Presidential Nominee For The Democratic Party

Precedent is a roadmap and record that can be used to accurately predict the out come of some action, initiative, issue or policy.  This writer used precedent in a commentary here in "PolitiDose after Obama was elected President to predict that because Obama was a democrat, the economy, job creation and lower unemployment would happen in a recovery on his watch.

That commentary was made because precedent had shown that democratic administrations perform better and that precedent goes back for over 50 years.  Precedent can also be used to predict failure.  Example:  Republicans talk a good game about balancing the federal budget but has failed to do so since President Eisenhower accomplished the feat in 1960.  The republican precedent of trickle down economic tax cuts can count on failure to balance the budget and their present Presidential candidates are still trying to sell it.  The last republican President George W. Bush got caught in past republican precedent and failed to balance one budget in his 8 years in office even though President Clinton left office with balanced budgets and surpluses.

Precedent now tells this writer that Hillary Clinton would make the best democratic nominee for President.  She has a record to run on and a party to back her up who knows how to get the job done.  Senator Sanders is a independent and the precedent for independents and or third party candidates for President have not turned out well.  That is probably why Sanders is running in the democratic primaries and trying to win the democratic nomination.  But winning the nomination would still not make Sanders a democrat and his voting record in congress for over 25 years does not match the progressive record of the democratic party.

Precedent is clearly on the side of Hillary Clinton being the best choice to be the democratic party's Presidential nominee for the 2016 election.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio

Commentary In PolitiDose And By Washington Post Journalist E.J. Dionne Are On The Same Page

"PolitiDose" supporters have been reading past commentaries where this writer has pointed out time and again how the news media has failed to report the good things that take place in the United States.  Instead, they focus on the extreme, the negative and divisive statements of the republican party and especially those associated with Donald Trump.  One would think the United States is a third world country after being exposed to their broadcasts.

The remarkable turn around of the economy, job creation, a sustained reduction in deficit spending, lowering the unemployment rate, the Affordable Care Act, keeping America safe at home and abroad and a host of other accomplishments that has moved the country and its people forward has all been over looked and under reported in favor of the negative voices out there who care only about obstruction and falsehoods.

"Make America Great Again" sounds good only to the uninformed.  America's success with its allies against ISIS gives way to fear reporting and just recently the news media gave little time and attention to three of ISIS's top leaders being brought to justice in the last 5 weeks when they were killed by American air strikes.  The news media was too busy reporting on Trump and the republican's Presidential circus including two of the candidate's wives.

Now comes Washington Post Journalist E.J. Dionne in a Times Picayune story of April 3 who writes and I quote:  The evidence is in and it shows that the dominate media narratives about 2016 are wrong.  Our country is not roiled with across the board discontent, and Donald Trump is not the most important voice in our politics.  Turmoil in one of our political parties is being misread as reflecting a deep crisis well beyond its boundaries.  

Dionne goes on to say the following:  (1)  the best revealing and underplayed development this week was Gallup's finding that President Obama's approval rating was at 53%.  George W. Bush's approval rating at the same point in his Presidency was 32%.  (2)  The demography of Obama's support explains why a relentless media focus on Trump and the republican primaries entirely warps the message coming from Americans as a whole.  (3)  The voices of conservative republicans are being amplified beyond all reason by the obsession with Trump and the GOP struggles.  Dionne also reports that everything in America is not going swimmingly good but Trumpism is a very poor guide to what needs to be done.

E.J. Dionne in this writers opinion is the best journalist on the issues because his commentary covers the facts of the subject matter he writes about and he fully understands the issues.  He does not inject wild comments, use cliches or try to bend the issue to support a certain position or ideology.  "PolitiDose" is proud to have such a respected journalist agree with some of the positions taken in its commentary.


This commentary written by Joe Lorio

The Foreign Policy Of The United States: Serious People Understand It, Others Do Not

President Obama understands it because he is serious, knows the history of it and as President is involved in it.  Charles Krauthammer and Cal Thomas, two conservative journalists have never experienced it first hand.  In two separate articles in the Times Picayune dated 4/1/16 titled "Assessing the final four on foreign policy" by Krauthammer and "Terrorists regard U.S. restraint as weakness" by Thomas show their lack of being serious.

Krauthammer tries to explain the foreign policy of Clinton, Sanders, Trump and Cruz who he calls the final four if one of them were elected President and fails the test.  Clinton is the only one of the four with actual foreign policy experience but he does not like anything democratic so his comments on her can be taken with a grain of salt.  He really is confused about the other three because of their lack of foreign policy experience and therefore has nothing serious to say except to repeat their statements made on the campaign trail which they often walk back.

Thomas in his article is still trying to sell America restraint in its foreign policy as a weakness exploited by terrorists.  He can only sell it to the uninformed.  He tries to use Bin Laden's statement as an example of restraint even though Bin Laden is dead and not by restraint.  In fact Thomas is ignorant concerning American history and American values where restraint plays a major role in American success.

Krauthammer and Thomas has a problem as they continue to show their motivation for such articles because they want to see America hit by terrorists.  They were wrong about republicans being better than democrats at keeping America safe and they will stoop to say anything.  Those are the type of people connected with the news media who are feeding the extreme policies of the republican party and their Presidential candidates, especially Donald Trump.  Yes, for some, conservatism is still the unAmerican ideology.

President Eisenhower was a republican, a conservative and a retired military general who knew about foreign policy, war and the role restraint played in his responsibilities as a leader.  Ike, as the President was known, would be opposed to the conservatism paraded today by the republican party and the news media.  And that really says it all.


This commentary written by Joe Lorio