SEC Expansion: A Prescription For A Weaker Conference.

 The powers to be of the SEC invited the University of Oklahoma and  the University of Texas to join the already crowded 14 teams in the SEC.  And the powers o be at those two universities accepted the invitation according to a report in the New Orleans Advocate of 7/31.  Those who support the expansion to 16 teams talk in terms of a more powerful and Profitable SEC.  (Notice they left out the word COMPETITIVE)   

This writer believes previous expansions in pro sports and college sports has produced a weaker and less competitive Conference, Division and etc.  How can those who support expansion justify such a move when they acknowledge that the present SEC is the most competitive and financially well off conference in college sports.  Simply put, they worship the almighty dollar of college sports and ignore competition and the real part it plays in sports.  A good example is how the almighty dollar failed to investigate the latest LSU sexual harassment scandal properly and make its findings public.  It took a report by USA today to break the real story.

The SEC's proposed expansion comes at a time when the BCS is considering expanding the number of teams in its annual playoff system.  It is another move that will weaken  the present play off system of 4 teams in favor of weaker teams.  As a result of expansion in the NFL, at the end of every regular season only 34 or 35 percent of the teams  end up with a winning record.  Does any one really believe that is a competitive league?  And to top it off, all teams belong to a college football draft which the NFL said would bring parity to the league.  Yeah, right.

If the SEC expansion becomes a reality, the conference will  be weakened and less competitive.  It will not show  up  immediately, but one can bet, because of precedent, it will surely take place.  The dollar people will have their way, but competition in sports will decline .

This  commentary written  by Joe Lorio

  

 

Good News On The U.S. Economy and The Second Quarter GDP

The U.S. Commerce Department reported that the GDP for the second quarter (April-June) grew at a solid 6.5%  annual rate and that the total size of the economy has now surpassed its pre pandemic level.  That adds to the first quarter GDP that was 6.3%.  Those numbers are a reminder that for the year 2020 the GDP contracted at a -3.4% rate.  So the nations economic well being has improved for the first 6 months of the current year.

The Commerce Department also reported that (1)  Consumer spending and business investment surged in the quarter.  (2)  Underpinning the recovery have been trillions in federal money and that consumers will continue to spend.  (That GDP for the year 2021 should grow at a robust pace of 6.5%.  The numbers tell us the Biden Administration has done a good job with the economy so far and it is now important for the administration infrastructure plan to become law with his parallel American Rescue Plan to keep the economy and jobs moving forward for the long term  It is even more important now because of the threat of another shutdown due to another virus outbreak.  

As a nation we can not afford to sit back on what has been accomplished over the first 6 months of 2021.  There is more that has to be done and the President is right to keep his focus on the long term health of the economic recovery and do what is necessary to sustain economic growth.

In a separate report the U.S. Labor Department reported that wages and salaries of workers in the private sector increased 1% in the second quarter to go along with the 1.1% increase in the first quarter.  It was the second largest increase in over a decade.  The 2.1% increase in wages and salaries for the first half of 2021 was higher than the 1.4% increase in the second half of 2020.

And once again it is a democratic administration that is moving America forward out of the economic recession that began in February 2020.  And for those who follow the facts, it was predictable.

This commentary written  by Joe Lorio

 

 

Governor John Bel Edwards Veto Of Bad Legislation Stands.

 The special session of the Louisiana legislature failed to over ride Gov. Edwards' veto concerning the carrying of concealed weapons and transgender rights.  The democratic governor stood tall  with his veto of the harmful legislation and received enough votes in the state house to sustain the veto.  The governor's leadership spoiled the republicans attempt to satisfy their base with their divisive tactics.

Louisiana does not need more guns on the streets and in the hands of those who attempt to do harm.  Law enforcement people across the state opposed the gun measure and rightly so.  The transgender issue was an attempt to discriminate against certain people and governor Edwards realized just how harmful both measures would be to the state and its people.  The republican's liberal stand on gun safety and their many attempts to support discrimination is documented over the years.

Governor Edwards is in the right position at a time of republican extremism both in state and at the federal level and has guided the state out of the pandemic at its worse hour, reversed the trend of deficit spending and debt and the malaise of the Jindal years.  His leadership has confused the so called conservative opinion writer Garey Forster and Forster takes it out on his own republican party in an opinion column dated 7/20 in the  New Orleans Advocate. 

In  his opinion column Forster takes aim at his own party for not standing up to Edwards since his election in 2016.  He calls Louisiana a blue state even though Trump won the state twice by  wide margin.  Forster said in his column he wants to see the republicans stand up and over ride the governor's veto.  

The real problem for Forster, the state GOP and the national GOP is they do not govern with policy or plans.  They govern with an extreme ideology of division with an anti-American attitude and there fore fail on the issues facing the state.  In other words they fail at governing.  The legislation the republican controlled chamber passed that Edwards vetoed was a good example.

The bottom line is Governor Edwards is so much more competent than any republican state legislator, republican opinion writer or any republican who tries to define himself as  leader.   The people of Louisiana my have voted for Trump twice, but enough voters with courage decided a democrat would be best to lead Louisiana and its people.  And that really says it all.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio 

Louisiana Approves Its Own Infrastructure Legislation.

Democratic Governor John Bel Edwards signed into law a transportation bill on infrastructure that would increase state aid for bridges and roads approximately $300 million a year.  The new funding will help make a new Mississippi River Bridge in Baton Rouge a reality that is needed and overdue.  The state finally became serious on the needs concerning infrastructure as President Biden made an issue on the subject on the federal level during the campaign and his short time in office.

We do know from reports from the state's legislative office the state needs approximately $14 billion to bring infrastructure up to par and is a great example how the issue has been ignored.  The approved legislation represents the largest state investment in transportation since 1984 according to reports and guess who was governor of Louisiana in 1984?  Well it was another democratic governor by the name of Edwin Edwards.  

So after eight failed years under governor Bobby Jindal, the state continues to move forward for the benefit of the people and the state.  Balanced budgets and some surpluses has brought stability to the state's fiscal health.  No more special sessions for the state legislature that took  place so often under Jindal to cut spending to balance budgets that were declared to be balanced when they first passed.

The election of John Bel Edwards came at the right time to bring leadership back into governing.  And Edwards had the character and courage to lead the state out of the grips of a pandemic and ignored the republicans in the state legislature who wanted the governor to open up the state at a time when the virus was still raging.

And once again, it is a democratic administration in the state that leads Louisiana and its people forward for the greater good and progress.

This  commentary  written by Joe Lorio

 

Job Creation and The Unemployment Rate For June 2021.

 The U.S. Labor Department reported the economy added 850,000 jobs in June and the unemployment rate came in at 5.9%.  It was the best month for jobs since August of 2020.  So in President Biden's first five full  months in office (Feb-June) a total of 2,925,000 jobs have been added for a monthly average of 585,000 jobs per month.  

And once again the pundits were wrong in their predictions.  They were expecting job creation to be approximately 700.000.  When the job numbers fail to reach their predictions on the low side they knock the economic recovery.  When it exceeds their predictions, they are silent.  As this writer stated before there are reasons for a bumpy recovery, the economic recession, then the pandemic which was a one two punch and when you include the Trump administrations failure to act, we can not expect a smooth economic recovery.

But the nation now  has a President with an economic plan and policies to move the country and its people forward.  Plus the President is an active one not willing to allow the past failures to dictate the future of America.  It has been a good five months for the President's administration and precedent tells us America and its people will enjoy a better future.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio

Steve Scalise and The Republican Party's Myth About Drilling Offshore Louisiana: A Continuing Story.

 Lets test your memory of the BP Oil Spill and Explosion in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 that killed 11 rig workers and damaged the environment.  Do you remember Scalise and other republicans in the state who opposed President Obama's moratorium on drilling in the Gulf until after the federal government completed its investigation and said the moratorium would trigger a mass exodus of drilling rigs from the Gulf and do great damage to Louisiana?  The Louisiana Department of Natural Resources-Office of Conservation keeps the official records of Louisiana's offshore drilling and its data source is the Baker-Hughes rig count whose report is considered the "bible" of the oil industry activity nationwide.  The report list the following information on the annual average number of offshore drilling rigs working in federal waters offshore Louisiana.  Lets examine the results.

The Louisiana offshore working rig count in federal waters during the Trump administration's four years averaged 17.7 rigs working annually.  During President Obama's last four years in office the working rig count averaged 38 rigs working annually.  And if you look at President Obama's first four years in office, the working rig count averaged 33 rigs working annually.  Those four years include the year of the BP explosion and the moratorium. 

Those official numbers support the conclusion there was no exodus of offshore drilling rigs on President Obama's watch and that the offshore drilling rig count was steady on the President's watch averaging 33 working  rigs in his first term and 38 working rigs in his second term.  The  opposite took place on  Trump and the republican watch during their four years where the average yearly number of offshore working rigs was 17.7 rigs.  It appears the exodus took place on Trump's watch.  The dis-information, mis-information, falsehoods and lies by Scalise and his party concerning the moratorium was typical of the republicans because they lack the ability to govern in a democracy.

The numbers also support the conclusions of this writers past commentaries in Politidose, including the most recent dated 7/4/21 that Louisiana, its people and the oil industry enjoy their most productive years during democratic administrations.  The GOP sucks when it comes to governing.  Their total political portfolio is one  of  lies and division.  

Louisiana and  its people can say they were fortunate to have a democratic administration in power at the time of the tragic BP explosion that held BP accountable for the loss of  life and the tremendous damage inflicted on  the environment.  So now the country and Louisiana has a new democratic leader in President Joe Biden and this writer is confident that Louisiana and its people and especially its workers will see better times economically and will move forward for a better future.

This  commentary written by Joe Lorio

Note 1:  See past commentary dated 7/22/11 titled, Drilling Offshore Louisiana in the Gulf of Mexico: Facts and nothing but the facts.

Note 2:  The highest annual offshore Louisiana drilling rig count in the last 40 years took place on  President Clinton's watch with an average of 90 rigs working.  The lowest took place  on President Trump's watch with an average of 17.7 rigs working.

Louisiana's Representative Steve Scalise: An Embarrassment To His State and The Country.

Scalise's opinion column in the New Orleans Advocate of 7/1/21 titled, "U.S. can do better on energy than Biden's agenda of restrictions" is full of the usual GOP lies, mis-information, dis-information and out right BS.  But its par for the course for the #2 republican who has no record of accomplishments.  The little boy Trump ditto head begins his column with the falsehood of saying Biden banned new oil and gas leases on federal lands and waters.  The President did no such thing.  What he did was pause those leases while the results of a study could be completed before future action is taken.  

Scalise then skips to wind energy and suggest we can do more.  Well, there is good news for the little boy ditto head.  Wind energy is included in Biden's total legislation to deal with infrastructure.  And in fact the feasibility of wind farms in the Gulf of Mexico off of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Texas is already in the works and published in the federal register for response from Offshore Wind Companies.  The President's goal is  to have wind generated electricity for more than 10 million homes by the year 2030.  Scalise, Trump and the GOP had the last 4 years to do something about wind energy but did nothing.

Scalise talks about oil industry related jobs in Louisiana that are in danger of being lost under Biden's agenda. Really???  What the little boy forget to mention on purpose is that oil  industry related jobs in Louisiana fell to  its lowest level in the last 30 years on Trump, Scalise and the GOP's watch.  And that took place while Trump  and his party said  they cut red tape and reduced regulations that would make them more productive.  Yeah, right.  Well it  did not create jobs.  The New Orleans Advocate published a chart in its 1/27/21 edition that showed total job employment in Louisiana related to the Oil and  Gas industry over a 30 year period from 1990-2020.  The chart shows that the greatest employment took place during  the Clinton and Obama administrations and  the lowest employment took place during the Trump administration.  It hit its peak in 1998 under Clinton with 59,500 Jobs and its lowest under Trump with 29,200 jobs in 2020.

The little boy tries to tie the increase in the price of a gallon of gasoline to Biden's policies which  have not even passed yet.  But the prices actually started their increase last year on Trump's watch because the oil producing countries cut their production to escalate the prices.  The oil industry is  noted for manipulation by their cutting and  lowering production when it is  to their advantage.  

The  bottom  line is the oil industry in Louisiana and the nation has done better on the democratic watch and that includes creating jobs and a more stable price for oil and gasoline.  President Biden has it right with his balanced proposals on  energy.  Trump, Scalise  and the GOP wasted four years with tax cuts that benefited those who needed them the least and failed to address the  problems and issues the country faces today.  And their failure is a result of their extreme ideology and a anti-American attitude.  President Biden's administration has policy and plans to move the country and its people forward in a new direction and his proposals are based on needs and not ideology.  

And that really says it all.

This  commentary written by Joe Lorio 

 

 

The GOP's Liberal Stand On Relaxing Gun Control Legislation Has Harmed Law Enforcement Much More Than The Protestor's "Chants of Defund The Police."

The GOP and their conservative news media have exposed their plan to win back congress in the 2022 congressional elections.  Every day its their false narrative that the democratic party supports the defend the police cry and that the party is weak on crime and the reasons the country is experiencing an increase in crime so  far in 2021.  So lets explore the past record concerning increases in violence.  

Last year in 2020 the U.S. experienced its worst gun violence death rate in the last several decades as gun violence deaths increased 20% over 2019, per the Gun Violence Archives.  Gun sales in  2020 were at its highest level ever which means more guns than ever were on the streets of America.  And all of that took place on Trump and the GOP's watch while they were talking tough.  In 2019 according the the Center for Disease Control  and Prevention 24/7 Wall Street the 10 worst states for gun violence deaths per capita 100,000 people were  as follows in order listed:  (1) Alaska (Republican)   (2) Mississippi (Republican)   (3)Wyoming (Republican)   (4) New Mexico (Democrat)   (5) Alabama (Republican)   (6) Louisiana (Democratic)   (7) Mississippi (Republican)   (8) South Carolina (Republican)   (9) Arkansas (Republican   (10) Montana (Democratic).  Seven of those top 10 states were republican controlled and 3 were democratic controlled.  

Gun violence deaths in Iowa in 2020 was up 23% over 2019, and  new relaxed gun laws passed by Iowa's republican controlled legislature went into effect just this year.  Iowa is a GOP governed state.  Florida has a 32% increase in gun  violence deaths since enacting "stand your ground legislation" in 2005.  The republican controlled state legislature in Louisiana recently passed a relaxed gun measure concerning carrying concealed fire arms.  Governor John B. Edwards rightly vetoed that bill.

According to  a report by the Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics from 1993-2010 gun violence deaths decreased 39%.  Non fatal gun crimes decreased 69%.  It is worthy to note that the assault weapons ban was in place by the Clinton administration most of that time and that gun violence deaths and crimes decreased every year on President Clinton's watch during those years.  

The Center for  Disease Control  and Prevention 24/7 wall street also reported that the statistics verify that the states with the most relaxed gun laws tend to have the worst record for gun violence and that the states with the most stringent gun laws tend to have the lowest gun violence.  And every one  knows it is Republican governed states and republican controlled legislatures that have the most relaxed gun laws.  

Police department around the country are having a tough time keeping up with all the guns on the streets of America.  They opposed weakened and relaxed gun laws that put their lives in jeopardy.  The liberal attitude of the GOP on weakening and relaxing sensible gun control measures has been worse for law enforcement than any slogan of "defund the police."

The facts tell us the GOP  has no credibility when it  comes to controlling violent crime.  Democrats have  better ideas and a clearer picture as to what needs to be done to reduce the violence.  The predictions for 2021 tells us gun  sales in the U.S. will break last years record.  That does not bide well for America with  all  the relaxed gun laws that are on the books.  History tells us we are a violent country and it takes place on both the Republican and Democratic watch.

This  writer believes that President Biden's policies will reverse the violent trend with policies that work.  They have  not worked the last few years and the time is now for new thinking and actions.  The GOP's policies of relaxed gun control laws have failed.  The status quo has to be discarded for real action and for all of those who are in doubt because of the mis-information being fed on purpose, the democratic party will not defund  the police.  

This commentary written by Joe Lorio

Note:  There has been no break down of gun violence by states for the year 2020 yet.  When it comes out, Politidose will publish same.

    

 

 

Abortion Has Opinion Writer Garey Forster Flaunting His Religion

Forester's opinion column dated 7/1 titled, "Don't count on the Catholic Bishops to lay down the law to Joe Biden" is laughable.  The words do  not do justice to the title and becomes a catch all for Forester's conservative problems.  He starts off by accusing President Biden and Governor John Bell Edwards of flaunting their religion because they showed each other their rosaries in front of the camera.  Then Forester flaunts his own religion by informing his readers that he is a practicing catholic, an altar boy and attended catholic schools for 13 years.

He then goes on to  talk about the catholic Bishops "teaching document" that would lay out the conditions under which catholic politicians who support abortion rights, including President Biden, may be denied communion.  He thinks the Bishops are just trying to scare the President and Nancy Pelosi.  But then says the Bishops will cave.  I had a good laugh when he added Nancy Pelosi to his article out of the blue.  Nancy is a  better woman than Forester is a man when it comes to politics.

Forester, the GOP and  so called conservatives are two faced and phony on the issue of abortion as stipulated in past Politidose commentary and the reasons why.  President Joe Biden and his wife choose life and brought children into this world.  They did not choose abortion.  Supporting a woman's right to choose recognizes that is the law of the land and that a woman has that right.  What drives Forester and his phonies nuts is that it was a conservative appointed Supreme Court by republican Presidents who decided Roe vs. Wade by a 7-2 vote and the conservatives on the court held the majority vote.  It has been republican Presidents that stacked the Supreme Court but Forester and his  so called conservatives won't talk  about that or the conservative judges who handed down the decision that made abortion legal.

No one  has ever heard President Biden, Nancy Pelosi or Hillary Clinton advise any woman to have an abortion, and as every one knows, Pelosi and Clinton both choose life and brought children into this world.  All three have more character, integrity and courage than Forester, the GOP in congress and most so called conservative opinion writers on the subject.  And that really says it all.

This  commentary written by Joe  Lorio

 

The New Orleans Advocate, Playing Catch Up With Past Commentary In Politidose.

 Politidose has reported for the last several years and more recently in a commentary dated May 29 how the state of Louisiana has lost billions in state tax revenue through the states tax give away programs to the business community.  The tax give aways are supposed to create jobs and etc, etc, etc, and benefit the state with financial returns.  The tax give away amount to $7 billion per year.

Now comes The Advocate staff writer Mark Ballard in a commentary dated 6/27 concerning the gambling industry in Louisiana.  Ballard discloses in his article that gambling revenues for the state has been at a standstill since 2007 and when inflation is taken into consideration that total revenue is actually down 27%.  Ballard also talks about the industry not making its promised job creation on and off and how even more tax concessions have been granted to the industry over time.

It has been know for some time that the state is losing too much tax revenue with the $7 billions in tax give aways.  And in this case, knowledge of the facts have not fazed our governors or state legislature to act and end the social welfare for the business community.  Business needs employees to operate regardless what taxes they pay.  Tax give aways will not result in hiring more employees.  Our elected officials allow themselves to participate in these schemes to enhance their political life.  To them its a game they play at the expense of the public good and the welfare of the state.

And that really says it all.  So stay tuned to Politidose, your daily dose of political commentary for the real story.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio