President Obama's Latest Position On Cuba: Another Big First For PolitiDose.

The President's latest approach to Cuba in a speech to the nation on Wednesday was long overdue by an American President.  Cuba, an island nation located 90 miles from America was once a natural trading partner and vacation location in our own hemisphere.  It was controlled by a dictator back then like so many other countries near by.  Every one knows what took place when Castro came to power so there is no need to repeat the story here.  The President's actions did what this writer suggested in a commemtary dated 11/23/07 titled Cuba:  A Missed Opportunity for America.

Cuba outlasted 11 America Presidents and a embargo that was supposed to bring the Castro government down.  It did not, it only damaged the Cuban people.  Cuba itself has never been a threat to America since the 1962 Cuban missile crisis.   It was only a threat then because of Russian nuclear missiles installed on that island.  President Kennedy took care of that threat, understood a free Cuba with out influence from the outside could be an ally and partner in our hemisphere and some of his top aids said had he lived and were reelected President would have moved to improve relations with Cuba and reduce Russian influence.

The republican's reaction to the President's speech was predictable, the usual negative rhetoric, especially from Louisiana's Jindal and Scalise.  Both little boys still represent the stupid party's wing.  Now the starting point of diplomacy with Cuba has begun after laying dead for over 50 years.  Congress should support the President's actions because America has everything to gain.  More freedom for the Cuban people means less influence by the Cuban government.  Bringing families together again will accomplish the same thing.

This commentary written by John Lucia.

U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu: Her Service Will Be Missed By Louisiana And The Nation.

Mary Landrieu's three terms in congress was a productive one both on the state and national level.  She was a Senator who understood the issues and did not use ideology as a political tool.  Serving under 3 Presidents, Clinton, Bush 43 and Obama she voted with and against some of their policies.  But she never voted to shut the government down.

If she voted 97% of the time with Obama's policies that speaks well of her because no thanks to the republicans, the economy is growing, job creation is robust, unemployment is down, federal spending is down, the deficit is down and being reduced on a steady basis, the country has been safe from terror attacks unlike under the previous administration, Bin Laden was brought to justice, inflation is under control, the GDP is growing, the country has a successful foreign policy and the ACA and medicaid expansion has insured millions of Americans.  And just recently 3 more republican governors said their state would participate in the medicaid expansion under the ACA.

A noted conservative think tank said Bill Cassidy voted 98% of the time with republican speaker of the house John Boehner.  Well any one who follows politics knows that the republican controlled U.S. House has no real accomplishments for the country or its people to speak of.  They did vote to shut down the government two years ago and Cassidy was right there with them. Yes, this writer will take Landrieu's 97% vote with Obama over Cassidy's 98% vote with John Boehner any day.

Louisiana will miss Senator Landrieu service because the republican party has no record on moving the state forward.  Jindal and the state republican party have been a disaster.  If I was a young man I would run for governor.  I could handle any thing the republicans would try to throw at me.  And that says it all.


Note:  Bill Cassidy served 3 terms as a U.S. Representative but during the campaign could not list any one accomplishment under his signature that became law.  So like a republican ditto head when you have nothing to show the people, attack your opponent.


This commentary written by John Lucia.

Torture: America's Moral Mantle Of World Leadership Betrayed.

Our fore-fathers who established what is now the United States of America stood tall and authored a constitution that set the country on a course of moral and political responsibility.  And for over two centuries world leaders and people of the world have looked up to and admired the U.S. for its moral character.

The U.S. Senate report on CIA torture is a betrayal of America's high ideals and moral character and a major regression from the nations past leaders who understood that our strength and endurance as a people are rooted in a moral creed.  Past Presidents have been eloquent on the subject matter and understood that dispite our many failures the U.S. was moral in its judgements and its policy towards others at home and abroad.

The report brought denials from those involved and former V.P. Dick Cheney even said he would do it again.  Some republicans supported Cheney's position.  Senator John McCain, a former POW who was tortured by his captors supported the report and its findings and said torture should never be accepted.  Others said the report should not have been made public.

President Obama stood tall and banned torture after he took office.  This writer ;pointed out in a recent commentary about the CIA, President Truman's remarks in a letter to the Washington Post when he said over 50 years ago, "There is something about the way the CIA has been functioning that is casting a shadow over our HISTORIC POSITION and I feel we need to correct it."  President Truman knew what leadership was all about and that the President is the one person who has to set the example and lead.  He fired General Douglas MacArthur during the Korean War when the general disobeyed the President's orders.  The buck stopped on President Truman's desk.

To those who believe the report should not have been made public lets turn to what President Kennedy said in a speech on the 20th anniversary of the Voice of America in February 1962.  We are obliged to tell our story in a truthful way, to tell it, as Olivefr Cromwell said about his portrait, Paint us with all our blemishes and warts, all those things about us that may not be so immediately attractive. We compete with those who are our adversaries who tell only the good stories.  But the things that go bad in America, you must tell that also.  And we hope that the bad and the good is sifted together by people of judgement and discretion and taste and discrimination, that they will realize what we are trying to do here.  We seek a free flow of information.  We are not afraid to entrust the Ameican people with unpleasant facts, foreign ideas,alien philosophies, and competitive values.  for a nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people.    President Kennedy was well aware of our nations values, morals and Historic positions.

President George W. Bush failed the test of a true leader in allowing the torture thing to happen and let it get out of hand.  He denied torture during the time it was taken place and worst of all was still in denial after it was exposed.  President Bush like so many in his administration wore their morality and religion on their sleeves for political reasons.  True leaders on the other hand have the widsom to know the difference and govern with policies that represent what our nation and people are all about.  There is no excuse for what happened on Bush's watch.  WWII was a much larger problem for America than the problems Bush was dealing with but President's Roosevelt and Truman prosecuted that war with policies that defined who we are, our values, our moral responsibility, our ideals and our historic positions.

President Obama took the right first step, congress took the second step with the release of the report and now it is up to the President to follow up and future Presidents to never forget.


Note:  See my previous commentary dagted 11/28/07 titled, Diplomacy:  Democrats Force Reality On Bush where I write about moral responsibility.


This commentary written by John Lucia

The CIA: Still Out Of Control and Sadly, Still No Oversight.

President Truman created the CIA so he could obtain the best intelligence in order for him to make the best possible decisions that affect America.  It was an intelligence gathering agency only who had no operational authority.  President Eisenhower changed that when he authorized CIA to equipt and train Anti-Castro Cubans for an invasion at the Bay of Pigs.  The CIA has not been the same since and that was the beginning of CIA lies, illegal activities, dirty tricks and you name it.

The latest now is the Senate intelligence report on Torture.  The torture is new but not the violation of laws by the CIA that has been going on for over 50 years.  The U.S. House and Senate have intelligence oversight committees who are supposed to ride herd on the CIA and make sure they know what the CIA is up to.  They have failed their responsibilities in that regard.  Senator Frank Church in the Church report of the 1970's and many others since then documented the illegal activities of the CIA and their out right lies.

So the question is whats new and how to put an end to an agency out of control for so many years.  A sane congress should have put an end to the CIA's  activity once and for all after it was determined that the CIA even withheld evidence from the Warren Commission in conjunction with the assassination of President Kennedy.

The answer is simple.  Congress and the President need to take away the operational capacity of the CIA and once again return the agency to its original mandate, that is intelligence gathering only.  The CIA's operational ability has allowed them to make their own foreign policy and not be accountable to anyone. According to the book, "JFK And The Unspeakable" the author on pages 332 and 333 wrote the following.

On December 22, 1963 one month to the day after JFK's assassination former President Truman published a very carefully worded article in the washington post warning the American people about the danger of the CIA taking over the government.  He wrote as following:  I think it has become necessary to take another look at the purpose and operations of our CIA.  For some time I have been disturbed by the way the CIA has been diverted from its original assignment.  It has become an operational and at times a policy making arm of the Government.  This has led to trouble and may have compounded our difficulties in several explosive areas.  We have grown up as a nation respected for our free institutions and for our ability to maintain a free and open society.  There is something about the way the CIA has been functioning that is casting a shodow over our historic position and I feel that we need to correct it.

Six months later in a letter to the managing editor of Look Magazine concerning an editorial copy that was published in Look the President wrote.  Thank you for the copy of Look with the article on the CIA.  It is I regret to say, not true to the facts in many respects.  The CIA was set up by me for the sole purpose of getting all the available information to the President.  It was not intended to operate as an international agency engaged in strange activities.  

Since President Truman set up the CIA, several Presidents has given the agency broad authority to engage in activities over the years that has resulted in much trouble for our country.  The latest torture report is a good example along with other lies and illegal activities.  President Kennedy found out about the CIA's dirty tricks during the Bay of Pigs training and vowed to break up the CIA.  He fired CIA director Allen Dulles after the Bay of Pigs and was in the process of curtailing their operations when he was assassinated.

Paul O'Neill, President George W. Bush's first appointed Treasury Secretary in his book,"The Price of Loyalty" at one of the President's cabinet meetings said, reading documents CIA director George Tenet passed out it laid out a plan of covert activity around the globe.  At its core was the enabling provision that there be virtually no civilian over sight.  The concept was tell us how you want to look Mr. President and we will handle the rest.  Author's note:  This is the same CIA director who sat along side of Secretary of State Colin Powell before the U.N. who outlined the so called proof of Iraq's WMD.  But as every one knows they did not exit at any time during the Bush administration.

Congress needs to gain self respect, character and courage by taking away from CIA all operational authority and leave the CIA only with the authority to gather intelligence for the President to use in his decision making.  Although :President Truman established the CIA over 50 years ago, he showed greater wisdom than leaders who came later.  He was aware that a out of control CIA would be a disaster for the country.

It is time for Congress to act once and for all on the matter.


This commentary written by John Lucia

Another Fairy Tale "Point of View" Editorial by Chris John In The Times Picayune

Chris John, President of the Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association is well known as a mouth piece for the oil and gas industry.  His family has operated a oil field trucking company in Louisiana for many years and John can not be expected to render an independent judgement concerning the industry.  In his latest editorial he says its time for congress to lift the ban on American crude oil exports.  Congress passed that oil export ban in 1975 for good reason and it is still working.

John says in the editorial if the ban is lifted U.S. production would increase to 11.2 million barrels of oil per day from the current 8.2 million barrels of oil per day; would create 63,000 jobs; save American consumers $5.8 billion per year; would increase revenue for Louisiana; lower gasoline prices; grow the economy and a host of other goodies.  It is the same song the industry tries to sell over and over again.

How will an increase of 3 million barrels of oil per dayfor export make the U.S. less dependent on imports?  It won't.  As of the moment U.S. crude production is the highest it has been in a few decades.  That is one of the reasons the price of a barrel of oil and a gallon of gasoline has been falling.  That is also the reason the subject matter is coming up now.  It is timely for the industry because the republicans will control congress next month and the oil industry wants to call in its chips.

The falling price of a gallon of gasoline is saving consumers money now while the export ban is in effect.  Lifting the ban will not lower that price because that would make the price more available to manipulation.  As far as increasing Louisiana's revenues don't believe it.  Louisiana was promised that when the legislature gave the industry tax breaks and exemptions for drilling and production of natural gas from the Haynesville shale.  So what did the industry do?  Well, they diverted their natural gas drilling and production from other areas that did not have the tax breaks to the Haynesville shale area and Louisiana's severance tax revenue fell.  That story was run in the Times Picayune as a reason state revenues were not keeping up with state expenses and revenue projections.

How will lifting the export ban improve the U.S. energy security?  It won't, that is why the Strategic Petroleum Reserves was created in the 1970's.  The bottom line is that the industry has the ability to make the U.S. independent of foreign oil in a reasonable period of time if they wanted to.  They have the leases, the know how and the finance to do so but as this writer has pointed out the industry would have to stockpile the supply and when supply out strips demand, lower prices occur.  That is what is taking place now with the drop in prices.

John and the industry want to export that additional production to have more control over the international market than it has now and to keep prices inflated.  That is the reason for the Keystone XL Pipe Line that would carry dirty Canadian crude through the U.S. for gulf ports to refine and then export the refined product.  The U.S. territory would be used only as a transit point.  Nothing there either that would make the U.S. independent of foreign oil.

And all the while the domestic oil industry enjoys tax breaks and exemptions worth $8 billion.  It is the same story, those that have so much are never satisfied.  Chris John opposed the BP Moratorium and also opposed the Levee Boards suit against 97 oil and pipeline companies whose operations destroyed the state's environment.  That should tell one what little respect he has for the state or its people.


This commentary written by John Lucia.

The New College BCS Playoff Format Is Faulty

Florida State is undefeated in their last 30 games, ended the 2014 regular season at 13-0, won their conference championship, are the only undefeated team in the top 10, yet the BCS has them ranked number three.  That sucks big time.  They should be rated number one.  The BCS committee trys to play God with a multitude of other factors to rank the teams and fall flat on their face.

Alabama, the number one ranked team by the BCS is always given favorable treatment.  It started and ended with Bear Bryant and started up again when Saban became head coach.  Alabama lost to Ole Miss this season, a team with three losses.  Alabama almost lost to LSU, a team that lost four games this season and also almost lost to Arkansas, a team that lost more games than LSU.  No way Alabama should be ahead of Florida State in the rankings.

This writer thinks the NFL playoff system stinks but they do the fundamental thing in using a teams won-loss record as the basis for the top seed.  College teams with the best won-lost record are chosen to play in their conference championship games.  So why the change for the BCS number one selection?  The BCS commission out smarted them selves by limiting the play off to four teams.  It should be a play off system of eight teams.

Who would have thought the BCS play off system would be broken before the first game was ever played?


This commentary written by John Lucia

The Carolina Panthers 41 The New Orleans Saints 10

The Panthers from Carolina showed up at the Superdome on Sunday, played the game and defeated the Saints.  The Saints also showed up but failed to play.  As a result the Saints regular season will end with no more than a break even record of 8-8.  With three games to play on schedule, two away and one at home their final number is in doubt.

This Saint team is the latest version of the Coulda, woulda, shoulda teams under coach Mora in his early years as coach of the Saints.  The players and coaches have run out of excuses and answers.  One thing is for certain, the players and coaching staff have problems themselves and between themselves.  It shows on the field, in their faces and in their performance.  The highest paid players and coaches are not earning their pay.

Sports writers for the Times Picayune continue their apple polishing stories about how Brees is still the same quarterback stat wise.  They mistake individual stats for a team effort like the Saints on paper were the best since the 2009 team.  Paper rosters do not make a team.  Payton Manning is in his 3rd. year with a new team and continues to do more for his team than Brees does for the Saints and Manning had to sit out a whole year due to surgery.

Not too many Saints opponets are "Feeling the Brees" the last 3 years.  During that time I questioned in several commentaries the ability of Payton and Brees to keep the Saints on top.  I felt that way after Bountygate was exposed and so far they have not delivered.  Meanwhile Mickey Loomis and Tom Benson are silent on what is taking place.  They too are drawing large pay checks.  Will there be an accounting after the disaster is over?  This writer will be watching.

With Atlanta's loss on Monday night no team in the South division will have a winning record at the end of the season but one will still make the play offs.  No team in that division deserves a shot at the play offs so this will be my last commentary on the Saints until the season is over.  I will then write a wrap up commentary on the team.  Stay tuned.


This commentary written by John Lucia.

James Varney: A Conservative Republican Journalist who Ignores The Facts.

Both Varney and his editorial published in the Times Picayune Reflection section of 12/7/14 titled, "Republicans need to show they can stop over-spending" are full of it.  Varney does not know the difference between a calender year and the federal government's fiscal year which begins October 1 and ends September 30.  The Congressional Budget Office and the U.S. Treasury publish the official numbers of the federal government on that fiscal year basis.  That means the President's budget which is submitted to congress adhears to that schedule which means the last fiscal year of a President ends and overlaps the first 9 months of the new President.

Varney attempts to make the phony case that the national debt has risen 70% on President Obama's watch by calculating the national debt when Obama took office.  Bush's last fiscal year budget was still in effect when Obama took office and ran to Bush's last fiscal year which ended 9 monts later on 9/30/09.In other words Varney passes what was Bush's debt to Obama.  The only way to measure the fiscal success or failure of a President's administration is on a fiscal basis as the Congressional Budget Office does that is available on the internet.  Ditto the U.S. Treasury for the national debt.  So lets compare the real numbers concerning the national debt from the records of the Treasury Department concerning Presidential Administrations.

At the end of President Carters last fiscal year 9/30/81 the national debt stood at $999 Billion.  (yes that is billions)  Ronald Reagan followed Carter and at the end of Reagans last fiscal year 9/29/89 the national debt stood at a whopping $2.8 trillion.  (yes you read that right trillions) which was an increase of 186% in the national debt.  A record that still stands.

George H.W. Bush followed Reagan and at the end of his last fiscal year 9/30/93 the national debt stood at $4.4 trillion.  An increase of 54% in the national debt.

Bill Clinton followed Bush 41 and at the end of his last fiscal year 9/30/01 the national debt stood at $5.8 trillion.  An increase of 31% in the national debt.

George W. Bush followed Clinton and at the end of his last fiscal year 9/30/09 the national debt stood at a whopping $11.9 trillion.  An increase of 105% in the national debt.

Barack Obama followed Bush 43 and at the end of his fifth fiscal year 9/30/14 the national debt stood at $17.8 trillion.  An increase of 49% in the national debt.

The official numbers show that the largest increase in the national debt occured during the fiscal years of Reagan, Bush 41 and Bush 43 by far.  Obama's eight fiscal years are not up yet but it is safe to say when his last fiscal year ends the increase in the national debt will not be as great as it was under Reagan or Bush 43 and those two Presidents did not take office with the worst economic depression in 60 years and the record job losses that the Bush administration passed on.  That makes Obama's numbers look even better.  Democratic administrations also do a better job at controlling federal spending.

The real sad story of the national debt is that had Reagan, Bush 41 and Bush 43 balanced the federal budget like Clinton did the national debt would not be a problem as we speak.  Varney's editorial was silent on the Republican's role in creating debt because that party leads the pack in doing so.  The massive increase in the national debt under Reagan 186% and under Bush 43 105% was and still is a dagger to the heart of the federal government's fiscal house.

A President's policies are what controlsbalanced budgets, federal spending, the national debt and fiscal matters.  Fortunately Democratic Presidents have done much more for the country and its people in that regard and yes in the last 34 years the smallest increases in federal spending took place on President's Clinton and Obama's watch.

Conservative Republican Presidents:  Not in your lifetime.  That really says it all.


Note 1:  See my commentary titled, "The National Debt:  Betrayal and Devastation" dated 12/6/09

Note 2:  ditto titled "Federal Spending:  Facts vs. Myth"  dated 10/31/09


This commentary written by John Lucia.

The Republican Controlled U.S. House Passes Another Bill To No Where.

The U.S. House voted 219-197 and passed a bill this week declaring that the President's action on immigration was null and void and without legal effect.  They admitted they wanted to send a message to the President.  Obama actually sent the republicans a message with his actions, either the republicans act on immigration or he would.  The bill will go now where in the U.S. Senate, there are too many importment issues to be settled this year.

Once again, Boehner and Scalise pushed legislation that was meaningless like the 50 plus times the House voted to repeal the ACA.  Just think, those two republican legislators could have taken up the immigration bill passed by the U.S. Senate in June of 2013, debated, ammended, sent back to the Senate or passed the bill and immigration reform could have been accomplished before the end of the year and the President's executive action would have been mute.

The U.S. House's action is a prelude to what is to come in the new year when the republicans take control of both houses of congress.  It will be important for the democrats to stick together and give the President enough votes to uphold the President's veto power when and if it needs to be used.  There is one issue as American as apple pie that could pass both houses and signed into law before the end of the year but the republicans won't allow it.  That issue is raising the minimum wage as the President proposed over 2 years ago.

The republican party continues to live its unAmerican conservative ideology and places America and its people in jeopardy.  One of their latest reasons for voting the above bill on immigration was the congressional elections of last month was against Obama's policies.  Not really in any sense, the people voted for the President's policies when he ran against John McCain and Mitt Romney and defeated them and their policy ideas.

Republicans think they should have power when they lose elections.  When they win elections, they abuse power.  Not a very good policy for success and it shows.


This commentary written by John Lucia