The Democratic Controlled Congress Passes Much Needed Firearms Legislation.

 President Biden signed into law new firearms legislation that will help reduce future mass shootings and gun violence deaths.  It was the first piece of firearms legislation since President Clinton's legislation that banned assault style weapons in 1993.  Democratic U.S. Senator Chris Murphy played a major role in keeping the conversation alive and before congress and the public and seeing it through to completion.

The Senate voted 65-35 for passage and all 50 democratic senators voted for the bill.  15 GOP senators voted with the democrats and 35 GOP senators voted against the bill.  In the U.S. House the vote of passage was 234-193.  All 220 democrats voted for the bill and 14 GOP reps. voted with the democratic majority.  193 GOP member of the House voted against the bill.  So all  together, 270 democrats voted for the bill while 228 GOP members voted against the bill.  A total of only 29 GOP votes were cast in favor of the bill so it was not a bipartisan passed legislative bill.  The  only Louisiana Senator who voted for the bill was Bill Cassidy and Louisiana's senator John Kennedy voted against the bill.  All Louisiana GOP House members voted against the bill and displayed their loyalty to the Trump/GOP extreme attitude.

Those who follow politics, mass shootings and gun violence find no surprise to find it was another democratic administration who did something concerning firearms regulations.  President George W. Bush and Donald Trump both had a GOP controlled congress but never did introduce any firearms legislation during the worst of times.  They just kicked the can down the road.

President Clinton's legislation made a difference and reduced the incidents of mass shootings and gun violence deaths and so will the legislation signed into  law by President Biden and passed by the democratic controlled Congress.  President Biden kept his word by seeking to include the GOP in his legislation efforts.  A stark contrast to the GOP's senator Mitch McConnell when he announced he and the GOP would not lift a finger to help or work  with President Obama when he was first elected to office because he wanted to make Obama a one term President.  

Democratic administrations don't have that problem.  They believe they are elected to serve the country and its people and they do so with plans and policy to move things forward.  After only 17 months in office, President Biden has accomplished much for the country and its people and he made good on his  remarks after the tragic Uvalde mass shootings when he told America and Congress, enough is enough and it was time to act.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio 

The U.S. Supreme Court Overturns Roe v. Wade: So What Does The Future Hold For Abortion Rights?

 A TRUE Conservtive majority Supreme Court appointed by Presidents Eisenhower and Nixon decided Roe v. Wade in 1973 that recognized the right of women to have an abortion.  The vote was 7-2 and 5 of those judges (the majority) were appointed by GOP Presidents.  That decision was based on legal grounds and the constitution and not in a political atmosphere generated by the rhetoric of the republican party.

Friday's court decision that overturned Roe was made by a so called conservative majority Supreme Court appointed by Republican Presidents and the decision was a political one and not based on legal facts, arguments, the constitution or the courts Stare Decisis.  The difference between the two courts decisions was Friday's decision to overturn was the result of the extreme anti-American attitude of today's conservatism which is not TRUE conservatism.  To make matters worse, the present court gave the power to regulate abortion to the states and the issue will still be subject to the political whims of each state.

This writer wrote commentary a few years ago outlining the facts that a real debate on the abortion issue has failed to take place the past 49 years and therefore the political debate has been useless.  The proof is that the political debate lasted 49 years and now a new political debate will  take place within the states.

Louisiana's Attorney General Jeff Landry, a Trump/GOP ditto head was quoted in the Advocate as saying. "TODAY THE BLEEDING STOPS AS THE U.S. SUPREME COURT HAS OVERTURNED THAT HISTORIC AND DREADFUL JUDICIAL ACTIVISM."  Evidently Landry did not read the ruling because the bleeding will not stop as there will be states who continue to allow abortion.

So now the issue of abortion will turn to a new political agenda at the state level and there will be states that allow abortion.  In other words, the so called conservative movement within the GOP has nothing to celebrate yet.  But they will claim political victory like Landry and others in Louisiana claim.

And after 49 years of noise from the anti abortion machine, this writer does not remember one man who impregnated a woman who had an abortion who came forward to challenge the abortion, claim responsibility and offer financial assistance to the woman  and the child he was responsible for.  That is part of the debate that never took place.  Maybe because those men were mostly republicans.

The REAL conservative Supreme Court made a legal decision based on the constitution in 1973.  The present so called conservative Supreme Court made a decision based on politics.  That is why three of those judges were untruthful during their confirmation hearings when they swore before the committee that Roe v. Wade was settled law.  Then they voted to strike down Roe v. Wade once on the bench.  The republican party outsmarted themselves and the people on  both  sides of the abortion issue never realized the debate was more than just a political debate.

So now we have a court decision that will divide the country even more with each state having their own abortion laws that can be changed any time the state legislature chooses to do so.  And all because of political and religious dogma.  What a  shame.

This  commentary written by JoeLorio

Byron York's Latest Opinion Column Displays His Ignorance.

 In a New Orleans Advocate opinion column dated 6/22/22 titled, "Like Carter, Biden Is A Powerless President" York, a so called conservative journalist, but who actually represents the GOP's extreme ideology displays his ignorance about the power President Biden is supposed to possess concerning controlling inflation.  As a result he tries to blame the President's policies for today's inflation and says, like former President Carter is powerless to do anything about it.

York, like most all conservative writers, writings are about attacking democrats because they can not articulate in writing any accomplishments of GOP administrations. They know democrats are better at governing but lack the character to say so.  Example: They are still pushing Trump's lies and misinformation with their own about the 2020 election.  So, lets take a look at inflation now, under Presidents Carter and Reagan.  

We know inflation did not begin with President Carter's administration, it began during the Nixon-Ford administration and continued into Carter's administration.  Inflation ran hot on Carter's watch but the economy created 10.3 million jobs and the unemployment rate never exceeded 7.8%  during Carter's term.  Deficit spending was $242 Billion and inflation hit 13.5% in 1980.  Average 30 year home mortgage rate was 13.7%.

In Reagan's first term inflation hit 10,3% in 1981 and 6.3% in 1982.  Average 30 year home mortgage rate was 16.3% in 1981,16% in 1982 and 13.2% in 1983.  The unemployment rate stood at over 10% for 10 straight months from September 1982 to June 1983.  It was and is the highest sustained unemployment rate in the last 72 years.  Deficit spending was $735 billion in Reagan's first term.  5.3 million jobs were created.

President Biden at the end of June will have served 17 full months in office.  Over 8 million jobs have been created in his first 16 full months in office.  The unemployment rate at this writing is 3.6% and inflation in 2021 was 4.7%.  As of this writing inflation is running between 5-8 % on an annual basis.  The 30 year home mortgage rate is 5.75% as of this writing.  The final numbers on deficit spending will not be known until fiscal year 2022 ends on September 30.  So as of today, the numbers tell us President Biden has done a better job with inflation than former Presidents Carter and Reagan.  And under President Reagan, inflation hit the average worker much harder with larger increases in unemployment, higher mortgage interest rates and less job creation.  And in  Reagan's second term the collapse of the Homestead and Loan Industry took place that cost the tax payers over $1 billion dollars.

Power is judged by outcomes, not by writers who want to see leaders fail.  We do not know yet how the inflation of today will play out in total, but the situation today does not call for, nor is it necessary for the media to pass out misinformation and lies about where we sand today that is dominating the news cycle, radio, TV, newspaper and social.  The negative voices are pushing recession, a collapse of the economy and every thing negative you can think of at a time of great progress from the GOP's failed policies of the previous administration.  The American people deserve better.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio

Note:  Mortgage information shown above taken from Peter Millers Mortgage Reports.  Inflation numbers taken from the U.S. Labor Departments, inflation charts. 

The GOP Has Earned The Right To Be Called The Party Of Lies and Misinformation.

 After the tragic mass shooting and killing of 19 young students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas by a lone gunman with an assault rifle, the republican party continues to lie and give out misinformation about the assault weapons ban of 1994.  They are still trying to sell the lie that the ban did not reduce mass gun shootings and deaths and therefore gun controls do not work.

In a 2019 report from Michael Klein dated 6/9/22 for Market Watch, Mr. Klein, Clinical Assistant Professor of Surgery, New York University, reported on a study of assault weapons incidents and deaths from 1981 to 2017 using the FBI's definition of a mass shooting as 4 or more deaths, not counting the shooter.  His findings are as follows.

(1)  From 1981 to 1994 when the assault weapons ban went into law, mass shootings were on a steady increase.  (2)  During the ban from 1994 to 2004 the number of deaths and the number of incidents from mass shootings slowed down.  (3)  After the ban expired there was an immediate and steep rise in  mass shootings and deaths.  (4)  Risk of dying from mass shootings was 70% lower during the ban.  (5)  During the  ban saw lower average annual rates of both mass shootings and deaths than before the ban.  (6)  From 1981 to the ban in 1994 the yearly average of deaths from  mass shootings was 7.2 per year.  (7)  From 1994 to 2004 during the ban, the yearly average of deaths from mass shootings was 5.3 per year.  From 2004 to 2017 when the ban was no longer in effect, the yearly average of deaths from mass shootings was 25 per year.  

If the ban was in effect throughout the period of the study 1981 thru 2017 it may have prevented 314 of the 448 mass shooting deaths that occurred during the years in which there was no ban, the report suggest.  The study is a powerful one and confirms an elementary belief that assault weapons, weapons of war do not belong on the streets of America because of their ability to do carnage to human life.  Assault weapons are killing machines of war and should be understood by even the least educated.  

Contrary to the GOP's lies and misinformation and their commitment to the IRA and the Gun Lobby, the assault weapons ban did have a positive effect on lowering the instances of mass shootings and deaths.  Allowing the assault weapons ban to expire in 2004 by the  Bush 43 administration was a decision that opened the door to an epidemic of mass shootings and deaths that put more of those weapons of war on  the streets of America and in the hands of teenagers.

As of this writing teenagers still are able to purchase an assault style weapon of mass destruction of  human life.  And the GOP are still opposed to raising the age to 21, following the lead of the NRA and the Gun Lobby.  President Biden was right when he said the assault weapons  ban of 1994 reduced the mass shootings and death of Americans.  Elected  officials who lack the character and courage  to stand up to the NRA and the Gun Lobby to this killing epidemic and continue to  lie and hand out lies and misinformation, they have lost all respect and dignity for themselves and human life.  They are unfit to serve in the U.S. Congress or  any part of government.

If the assault weapons ban was still in  effect, the study indicates there was a good  chance the Uvalde, Texas mass shootings and deaths would not have occurred. And that is so tragic.   

This commentary written by Joe Lorio 

Note:  The assault weapons  ban was part of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 during the Bill Clinton Administration.  

The Unbalanced News Media: A Disgrace In American Journalism and It's Obligation To Inform;

 The Internet and Cable News are flooded each day and night with commentary from media sources in general, individuals, polls, organizations, the GOP and the major networks whose commentaries are unbalanced and gives priority to negative thoughts.  Every day the negative news is about a predicted recession that changes daily, the President's low poll numbers, Biden is in over his head, Inflation is almost as high as the 1980's (it is not), Biden's energy policy is to blame for everything, the economy is a wreck (it is actually good) the coming recession will be historic, the President is inept, the American worker is being left behind, etc.,etc., and etc.  The negative unbalanced dead beat goes on and on and that is what people read, see and hear.

The news is never balanced with the positive news of the economy with the best job creation ever after a GOP recession that lost over 21 million jobs.  It put America back to work and with wages that increased over 5% in 2021 and are still increasing at the same rate so far this year.  An unemployment rate of 3.6%, it was 6.3% when Trump left office.  An economy that grew 5.7% in 2021, the highest rate of growth since the 1980's and over 8 million jobs added to the economy in only 16 months.  Consumers are spending and have been since Biden took office thanks to the President's COVID relief legislation and infrastructure package.  The transition from fossil fuels to a more stable energy source friendly to the environment.  Lower deficits, a more stable alliance with our NATO allies standing against Russia.  A democratic President and democratic controlled congress instead of a traitorous President and GOP.  A democratic party willing to stand up to Trump and his GOP operatives who tried to steal the 2020 President election.  A January 6 committee of congress with the character and courage to stand up, investigate and expose the threat to democracy that Trump and his operatives took  upon themselves to accomplish.  That investigation started it's public hearings this week.

The positive news for America and its people out weigh the negative news ever since President Biden took office.  But you never hear that from the unbalanced news media and it's sources.  This writer actually predicted the negative slant the media would take in commentary before the President took office.  The media actually has such a predictable record of such unbalanced news in the past.  And to top it off, many in the media are still enabling Trump, predicting he will run again in 2024 and taking polls on a Trump-Biden re-mach.

The public is fed so much unbalanced news to the extent it influences thinking.  That is why lies and mis-information play a major role in their unbalanced news.  As a result the January 6 committee has the task of informing the American people just how traitorous Trump  and his operatives were in their insurrection to over throw the democratic process of the Presidential election of 2020.  They attempted to over throw the peaceful transfer of power to a new administration.  The media looked the other way and never told the American people how democracy died on that day of insurrection and the damage it inflicted.  But every day the media can find time to be unbalanced and negative.

The American voter should  turn off all thoughts of electing a GOP controlled congress in the November elections.  The facts and the records are clear, the democratic party are best at governing America and on every issue.  All the media and the GOP have left are lies, mis-information and unbalanced news.  All a by-product of their inability to lead, govern and a un-American attitude.  

This commentary written by Joe Lorio

LSU Ends Its First Baseball Season Under Coach Jay Johnson.

 The LSU baseball team was eliminated from the regional NCAA tournament in Mississippi which officially ended LSU's first season under coach Jay Johnson.  Number one seed Southern Miss defeated LSU in the double elimination tournament defeating the Tigers two straight after dropping their first game with the Tigers.

LSU's over all won-loss record for the season was 37-18 and their record against SEC opponents was a winning 17-13.  Last season the Tigers overall won-loss record was 38-25 and their record against SEC opponents was a losing 13-17.  So some comparisons can be made as to what progress was made this year, if any, compared to last years team.

It is this writers opinion that this years LSU team did improve and make progress in hitting, especially with runners on base and driving those runners home.  LSU for the past several years were weak in that department and showed no improvement.

On the other hand, this writer believes the Tigers made no progress or very little in pitching.  LSU still has no starting pitcher they can count on to win that one game when they need to.  And the problem of weak starting pitchers has been around for several years.  Coach Johnson knows that and tried to move pitchers around to help out the situation but it is the Tigers weak spot and has to be corrected.

LSU was in the drivers seat in the Regional when they beat Southern Miss in the first game but let it slip away.  Many do not understand that "stats" are mostly meaningless in a short series.  The fact that LSU had a good road record had no bearing on their chances of winning as some thought.  So Southern Miss, a team that plays in a conference rated below the SEC proved a point when they defeated LSU.

Jay Johnson did a good job this season with the team this writer believes and demonstrated he understands what LSU lacks and what LSU has to do to keep improving.  LSU's last year team advanced farther going to the Super Regional then went two and out.  This years team had a better won-loss record in SEC play but the pros and cons of each team tell this writer the big need for the future of LSU winning and having an opportunity to play in the CWS is the recruiting of capable starting pitchers.

This commentary written by JoeLorio 

Note:  Next up is LSU football with their new head coach and what might be.

The U.S. Economy, Job Creation and The Unemployment Rate for May 2022.

The U.S. Labor Department reported the U.S. Economy added 390,000 jobs in May and that the unemployment rate remained at 3.6%.  It was the 16th straight month of positive job growth for the Biden administration.  The Department also reported that wages in May were up 5.2% from the same period in 2021 and that jobs were added in all sectors of the economy which was broad based.

Prior to the report the internet was full of negative reports about May's job numbers to be lacking and under 200,000.  They were wrong of course and have been for the past 16 months, but the negative beat goes on to try and influence the November elections.  A coming recession is another theme the negative news machine is pushing and hoping for so bad they are predicting it will take place sometime in 2022 or 2023.  Just a guess of course, they just want to plant that seed.

The economy does have a distraction with inflation, but so far consumer spending is still strong and wages continue to increase and reduce some of the burden.  The most important thing is for congress to pass the balance of the President's economic agenda in order for the economy and jobs to continue moving forward and bring inflation under control.  

The economy has come a long way since President Biden took office in January 2021 and in spite of the setbacks caused by COVID, supply chain problems, fuel cost increases and inflation, the President's policies has worked.  Over 8 million jobs have been added to the economy in just 16 months and that is a record first.  Still there are issues that are there that have to be addressed for the economy to maintain momentum and be progressive.  That is why the rest of the President's agenda is important.

This writer predicted in Politidose commentary when Biden was elected the GOP would begin their campaign of personal attacks, lies and negative comments about the President, his agenda and the democratic party and would never let up.  That prediction came true and is still in progress because the GOP has nothing left to offer America and its people.

The GOP's noise agenda has been good for, well, the noise it makes.  The President's policies have  produced  a good economy for America's well being with job creation and increased wages.  Plus federal spending is down from last fiscal year and so is the deficit. And all of that is good news for all Americans.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio