The Good News On President Biden's Economy Just Keeps Coming.

 With only two months left in office, the U.S. economy continues to produce for the country and it's people.  The U.S. Commerce Department reported November 16 that retail sales for October were up 0.4% from September and that consumer spending is driving the economy's steady growth.

The Department also reported Americans' take home pay on average has surpassed inflation for about 18 months.  That statement is an astounding testament to the strength of the economy.  The Department ends it's report with this statement:  "Trump inherits an economy in which spending is strong, growth is solid and unemployment is low."  Another astounding statement, but not to those who follow the facts and read PolitiDose commentary.

The sad news is that the media allowed the lies of Trump and the negative voices on the economy dominate the news and never gave the proper time to the positive position of the economy and the factual numbers in the last 46 months.  And those numbers took place despite inflation.  The public was exposed to the negative voices and the lies carried by the media.  They especially never tired of pushing the negative voices of recession.

PolitiDose commentary had it right how the economy would do well under the Biden administration and that prediction was made even before he took office.  The shame of America's media has never been greater.

This commentary written by Joe  Lorio

Federal Judge Strikes Down Governor Jeff Landry's Ten Commandments.

 U.S. District Judge John deGravelles ruled Louisiana's recently passed Ten Commandments legislation was unconstitutional and cannot be enforced.  Louisiana cannot enforce the law known as House Bill 71 which was set to take place on January 1.  The legislation, if enforced would have had public K-12 schools and colleges post the Ten Commandments in every classroom.  The issue now moves to the U.S. Court of Appeals and will end up in the U.S. Supreme Court for a final decision.

Republican governor Jeff Landry said he could not wait to be sued when the legislature passed the measure and his wish was granted.  Donald Trump supported the legislation.  Governor Landry is a Trump ditto head and like he and his GOP CULT use religion to divide the country as they use it to discriminate against those whose lifestyle they oppose.  It is part of their extreme agenda.

Common sense tells us the ten commandments is used as a phony issue by the GOP.  If one violates the Commandments it will not be school children, it will be elected officials and common sense supports that.  Trump is a good example:  Adultry, fraud, which is the same as stealing.  And then there are others that the people of Louisiana are aware of.  There are many religions in the United States and the separation of church and state displayed the wisdom of our forefathers who realized that.  This writer has always believed that political and religious dogma are the greatest threat to progress and humankind.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio

Alabama 42 LSU 13

 Now that the dust has settled and sports writers, the media, fans and others had their say, as to what went wrong, there is nothing left to offer but observation.  Local and State sports reporters (media or otherwise) have a tendency to over rate the strength of teams they cover so the fans objectivity seem to be lost in the excitement of the new season.

Many reporters before the season even began, thought the Tigers had a good chance to make the play offs because of the expanded playoff system.  But winning is still the controlling factor.  Some tried to suggest how Kelly would do in his 3rd. season at LSU, by what took place in Kelly's 3rd. season at other schools he coached.  This writer believes that is a failed judgement, especially when your team now has to face 6 or 7 SEC teams each season.  

LSU's running game by the RUNNING BACKS have not done well under Kelly.  LSU's leading rusher the first two years was quarterback Daniels who also in Kelly's second season broke LSU's rushing and passing records.  But that success did not improve LSU's won-loss record of the previous year.  There was no good reason not to develop a running game with the RUNNING BACKS even with Daniels being there.  So, LSU began this season without Daniels and a proven running game.

Coach Kelly has had two offensive coordinators and two defensive coordinators and other new coaches in his first three years.  How could LSU be expected to be better this year with that situation?  Who knows the quality of those coaches, how can there be consistency with those changes in such a short period of time?  After 9 games no one knows the capabilities of those new coaches or what the future will look like.  In this writer's judgement, LSU at the start of the season should have been rated as a "wait and see team" and said so in a PolitiDose commentary dated September 5, 2024 and that is the way this LSU team is shaking out so far.

Now the Tigers are off to Florida for another SEC game and we will soon find out if any progress has been made from the Alabama game.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio

The U.S. Economy, Job Creation and The Unemployment Rate for October 2024.

The U.S. Labor Department announced the economy created 12,000 jobs in October and that the unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.1%.  It was the 45th straight month of positive job growth even though lower than the monthly average.  The Department also reported claims for unemployment continue to be low.  The Federal Reserve announced they reduced interest rates by 1/4%.

The U.S. economy continues in a positive direction, despite the negative voices who have been active since President Biden took office in January of 2021.  And when President Biden's administration leaves office in January 2025, the country's economy will be in much better shape than when he took office.

For those who follow facts and history, the record tells us that process has taken place over the past 72 years.  And that is not just a coincidence.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio 

When It Comes To Louisiana Offshore Drilling, Donald Trump, Louisiana's GOP, The Oil And Gas Industry And The Times Picayune Writers Are Incapable Of Walking The Talk.

 Mark Ballard's opinion column in the Times Picayune of 11/7 titled, "Trump likely to boost Louisiana drilling" was dominated by how Trump's election would bring about great things for Louisiana offshore drilling.  But the article failed to point out how under Trump's first term in office, offshore drilling went south and so did employment in the industry for Louisiana's workers.  If Mark did his homework, he would have known that but failed to mention how Trump failed to "drill baby drill" when President.

The offshore rig count went down greatly on Trump's watch and never came close to the number of rigs working offshore on President Obama's watch in either of his terms.  And President Obama had to deal with the BP oil explosion that took the lives of 11 workers and polluted Louisiana's coastline.  Obama also declared a moratorium of drilling until answers could be found and Louisiana's GOP said it would kill offshore drilling.  Of course it did not and as usual it was just the usual GOP lies.  The U.S. became the world's leading producer of oil on Obama's watch and continues to be on President Biden's watch today.

The Louisiana offshore drilling rig count in Obama's second term averaged 38 rigs working per year.  The rig count during Trump's first four years averaged 17 rigs working per year, less than half of what took place under Obama.  The rig count in Obama's first term averaged 35 rigs working per year.  The Times Picayune published a graft on 1/27/21 that showed the number of employees working in the industry from 1992-Dec. 2020.  It showed top employment took place in May of 1998 when 59,500 were employed.  The low point came in 2020 when only 29,200 were employed.  Over that 28 year period, the high took place on President Clinton's watch, and the lowest on President Trump's watch.  And the most consistent high took place on both Clinton and Obama's watch, both democrats.

The facts tell us, offshore Louisiana drilling does the best when democrats control the White House and that the democrats can walk the talk.  The GOP and their supporters are unable to do the same.

This  commentary written by Joe  Lorio

Rig count numbers were taken from the official records of The Louisiana Department of Natural  Resources, Office of Conservation.  

The Fairy Tale Opinion of Writer Cal Thomas Continues.

 Two recent articles by Cal Thomas published in the New Orleans Advocate of 11/1 and 11/4 continue the mis-information Thomas is noted for over the years.  The first article titled, "Voters face time for choosing (again)" tries to make President Reagan a champion on fiscal policy but cannot back it up with facts.  Thomas uses the national debt as an example and it blows up in his face because he fails to articulate Reagan's actual failed fiscal record during his 8 years as President.

Thomas reminds his readers that in 1964 Reagan made a speech in support of GOP Presidential nominee Barry Goldwater that he, Thomas recently re-read and how little has changed six decades later and still unresolved.  Thomas goes on to quote, we have not balanced the budget 28 out of the last 34 years.  It is unclear from the article if Reagan made that statement or Thomas himself.  Also unclear is the time frame.  Is it 34 years that past before 1964 of Reagan's speech or 34 years that passed before 2024.  

If it was the years prior to 1964. the budget was balanced 8 times by President's Roosevelt, Truman, Eisenhower and Hoover.  If it was before 2024, 4 budgets were balanced by President Clinton. Thomas also mentions the national debt in 2024 is 35 trillion that makes the 1964 debt look like chump change.  This line of thought captured the essence of Reagan's philosophy and would define conservatism for decades to come says Thomas.  In fact, Reagan himself, destroyed the concept of conservatism along with his own party the 8 years he was President.

President Reagan never balanced one budget in his 8 years; the national debt at the end of Carter's last fiscal year was less than a trillion dollars, it stood at $997 billion.  8 fiscal years later when Reagan left office the national debt stood at $2.8 trillion, an increase of 187%, the largest percentage increase in the last 70 years; spending was up 75%, the largest increase since the Nixon-Ford admin.; Reagan was the first admin. to have a annual $1 trillion budget. Reagan was the one who started the  national debt on its upward spiral and was never conservative when it came to fiscal matters and the record confirms that.  

Thomas second article titled, "House speaker Johnson is Clark Kent" was as out of touch with reality as you can get.  In a telephone interview with Johnson, he tells Thomas when a GOP congressional committee meets with the Pentagon, they ask what is the top threat to America, and the Pentagon says the national debt.  Johnson says we have got to get back to  fiscal sanity, that's one of the foundation principals of our party.  The Pentagon has never said the national debt is America's top threat. Thomas never asked Johnson and both were silent on the facts.  Since 1980 the largest increases in the national  debt took place on the republican watch.  No republican President has balanced the federal budget since Eisenhower in 1960.  The Trump admin. added more to the national debt than any other President in a 4 year term, $8.2 trillion.  

The GOP is incapable of walking the talk of fiscal  sanity.  They know it, and Cal Thomas knows it but neither one will be truthful to the American people.  Fiscal sanity has not been the foundation of the GOP since President Eisenhower.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio  

The Greatest Sports Story That Has Never Been Told.

 Sports writers, especially the local ones, and those in broadcasting always have a lot to say and stories to tell.  But to this writer, most of the sport's talk amounts to hype and cliches with very little real information.  There is one sport's story (and actually an old one) that has never been told as far as this writer can tell and who thinks the story is relevant today and would be interesting to know the answer.

So, here goes!!!  Former Nebraska football coach Tom Osborne was the head coach for 25 years from 1973-1997, accomplished a won-loss record of 255-49-3. won three national championships in '94,'95 and '97 and a winning percentage of .830.  This year 2024 marks the 27th year of his retirement.  During that 27 year period, Nebraska never even came close to achieving a consistent winning record.  Coach Bo Pelini who coached during that era had the best won-loss record.

The greatest story never told is why has Nebraska failed to achieve a consistent winning record in that 27 year period?  The answer has never been revealed.  Why has it taken so long to find a capable head coach to bring Nebraska back to some semblance of its glorious past?  The Alabama football team shared the same fate for 25 years between Bear Bryant's retirement in 1982 and the hiring of Nick Sabin in 2007.  

Sports writers have the time and connections to investigate this story and this writer feels sure sports fans would like to know the answer.  PolitiDose does not have the resources to investigate but will make its opinion know soon in another commentary based on observation that have a connection to what is taking place in sports today.  Twenty seven years and counting and there is no indication things will change at Nebraska.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio

The GOP: The Ugly American Party That Became Trump's CULT and Turned Their Backs on Corruption In Government and The Democratic Process.

 Donald Trump's CULT GOP party did the unthinkable when they allowed their party to nominate and support for President a convicted criminal, sexual abuser, fraudster and a former President who tried to overturn the 2020 Presidential election.  Their willingness to support such a person damaged an honest system of public service and honest government.  The CULT reached the bottom of the barrel and now have no standard of conduct for those who have political ambitions in the future.  The CULT's new NORM tells the story of what once was an American party and is now un-American in every sense of the word.

As members of congress, the CULT is anti everything that has made America the Beautiful, who accepts help from foreign powers to interfere in our elections and other propaganda to help the CULT's cause.  They support and use personal attacks, lies, misinformation and an extreme rhetoric that is violent and toxic.  Trump is their convicted criminal godfather and relish being at the bottom of the barrel with him.  

Donald Trump and his CULT GOP are obsessed with power never before granted by the constitution to make the American people bow down to them.  They control the U.S. House but have no accomplishments because America has a sane democratic controlled U.S. Senate that has blocked their corrupted plans.  They want pay back because the democrats are in control and stopped their un-American actions at bay.

On November 5, the American people can make sure the country remains America the Beautiful by defeating Trump and his CULT party at the ballot box.  A defeat would not only end Trump politically, it would set the stage for a chance to reverse the corruption of the now GOP CULT.  A Trump defeat would also mean Donald Trump will have to face his legal problems in court for his many felony indictments and stand trial and possible sentence.  There is no better way for justice to be served.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio 

A Predicted Times Picayune Editorial.

Two PolitiDose commentaries dated 1/3/24 and 2/25/24 predicted that in time, republicans would try to take credit for the downward trend of murder and crime in the New Orleans area.  The commentary included the good news of murders in New Orleans being down 27% in 2023 compared to 2022 and other information.  

Now comes a Times Picayune editorial dated 10/20 titled, "Credit for drop in crime should be spread around."  The editorial then takes the step and gives credit FIRST to Gov. Jeff Landry's State Police's Troop Nola he appointed to work with the Mayor's office.  Never mind the fact that rime had started it's downward trend a year before Landry became Governor and before he authorized the State Police Troop Nola to work with New Orleans.  

The editorial never mentioned how the N.O. Police Department was working with the federal government's ATF department that took hundreds of firearms from those convicted felons who had never turned over their weapons. Any time you take hundreds of firearms off the streets, there will be less crime.  The editorial never mentioned how the Department was working with the FBI to round up the criminal elements in New Orleans.  All of that took place long before Landry ever became Governor.  

The editorial was correct in saying the credit should be spread around and is broad based, but why start off with Troop Nola?  They were a very late addition, like over a year after crime started it's downward trend in all of 2023.  Why not mention the ATF and the FBI performance with the N.O. Police Department if you are going to name names?  The daily contents of the Times Picayune tells this writer the editorial staff and the owner are supporters of the GOP.  This writer does not have a problem with that but the GOP and many of it's supporters have a history of trying to take credit when good things take place on the democratic watch.  Surely, people in Louisiana remember how some of Louisiana's representatives in the U.S. Congress tried to take credit for the President's infrastructure legislation even though they voted against it.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio 

President Joe Biden's Third Fiscal Year Comes To An End.

 The Congressional Budget Office announced that the President's third fiscal year budget came to an end on 9/30/24 and came in with a $1.8 trillion federal deficit.  Trump's third fiscal year budget came in with a $3.1 trillion federal deficit on 9/30/20 as a comparison.  That $3.1 trillion budget deficit is still a record.

Trump's total fiscal year deficits in his four fiscal years was $7.5 trillion, a record for any four fiscal years.  Total deficit spending in Biden's three fiscal years was $4.7 trillion, with one fiscal year yet to go.  So, deficit spending continues to be reduced on the democratic watch as of this date.  President Obama's last fiscal year deficit was $666 billion and that is what he left the Trump administration.  President Trump's last fiscal year deficit was $2.7 trillion and that is what he left the Biden administration.  

And if one goes back and checks the CBO's official records you will find that every democratic administration that followed a GOP administration, completed his last fiscal year with a smaller deficit than the GOP administration before left.  And the record goes all the way back to the Eisenhower administration.  When it comes to reducing deficit spending, democrats can walk the talk.  The GOP cannot.  

Sadly, the media has never told that story, but PolitiDose commentary has told the story for the past 9 years.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio