The Refusal To Serve: Sooner or Later, What Goes Around, Comes Around.

Sarah H. Sanders, President Trump's press secretary was told to leave a Virginia restaurant because she worked for  President Trump.  The  owner of the Red Hen restaurant said there were certain standards to uphold, honesty, compassion and cooperation according to reports.  Sanders said she and her family politely left the restaurant.

Trump and many of his ditto head friends said they were outraged at the incident.  This writers first thought after the restaurant's action was of the bakery store owner who refused to make a cake for a same sex couple and used his religion to justify his actions.  Of course, Trump and his ditto heads and conservative friends thought that the bakery's actions were ok but criticized the actions of the owner of the Red Hen restaurant.

One should be able to see where public places who use religion and political beliefs to deny people service can lead down a dark road of discrimination and bigotry.  Governments and the courts should not allow public places to discriminate against people for religious or political reasons.  This is a dangerous slope that has no end.

The seeds of division that the Trump  administration has planted and the lack of respect for our institutions and people continue to play out in America and should be alarming to everyone.


This commentary written by Joe Lorio

Louisiana Now Has A State Budget That Reverses The Failed Fiscal Mess Of The Past

Thanks to democratic governor John Bel Edwards determination to put Louisiana's fiscal house in order long range, the state legislature passed a $29.5 billion budget that has balance and prevents cuts to needed services that have taken a hit for a number of years.  The budget also retains part of the sales tax set to expire on June 30 that will allow the state to rely on this revenue source for the next seven years and eliminate the guessing games of the past.

TOPS, higher education and other services are fully funded in the budget and is a huge break from the past.  Governor Edwards had to call 3 special sessions of the legislature this year to deal with the budget problem and the republican controlled legislature finally decided to support the governor's approach to break the fiscal cliff mentality that put the state in a horrible fiscal position.

Governor Edwards understood from the time he took office that cuts alone would not balance the states budget or put the state on a sound fiscal footing.  He also understood that ideology does not solve problems so he did what democrats do best, he developed a plan and a policy based on needs and stuck to it while the republicans tried to discredit the governor's every move without success.

Louisiana can now move on another one of the governor's priority and that is tax reform.  A tax system that is fair across the board and help move Louisiana and its people forward for a better economy.  With the right leadership it can be done.  The budget agreement signals it can be done.


This commentary written by Joe Lorio