Speaker of The U.S. House, Louisiana's Mike Johnson Is As Sick As Donald Trump.

 Another government shutdown is taking place on Trump and Johnson's watch, although this time it is a partial shutdown of the U.S. Government.  All because the funding bill that passed the House that they supported, the GOP controlled Senate could not pass it because the Democratic party opposed the increased funding for ICE.  The Democratic party said they would only vote if changes would be made to the ICE funding.  Trump said he would agree to that so the bill goes back to the House to take up and vote on.  

Johnson threw a fit and said that Trump would have to sell the changes to the GOP House members himself.  In other words, Johnson lost his sway over his own party.  Johnson also said he would not support the change of unmasking federal agents and gave a silly reason why.  Those federal agents (ICE) are the only ones in law enforcement on the City, State and Federal level who wear mask.  

And it could only take place on the watch of a convicted criminal President named Donald Trump and his ditto heads who have abandoned their oath of office.  And that really says it all.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio

Louisiana's GOP Candidates For The U.S. Senate Campaign Are Trump Ditto Heads.

 There are six announced Louisiana GOP candidates for the U.S. Senate.  Two that are serving in the Congress, current U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, current U.S. Representative Julia Letlow.  Four that serve in state politics, Treasurer John Fleming, Senator Blake Miguez, Representative Julie Emerson and Public Service Commissioner Eric Skrmetta.  Cassidy and Letlow vote with Trump on most issues brought before congress and support Trump's policies in general.  They also support his tariff taxes imposed on the people despite knowing congress has been given the power to do so in the constitution and not the executive branch of government.  Rather than opposing the President's actions, they turned their backs on their oaths of office to govern and surrendered to the President.

The GOP controlled state legislature has a history of supporting Trump in his first term and so far in his second term in office and approve of his policies.  The U.S. unemployment rate was up when Trump left office in his first term and so far in the first year of his second term it is up again from what it was when Biden left office.  Louisiana's state unemployment is up from what it was when Edwards left office in Landry's first two years as Governor.  GOP Presidents are terrible at creating jobs and reducing the unemployment rate.  In the past 96 years only one Republican President has left office with a lower unemployment rate than when he took office and that was President Reagan.

The GOP controlled congress passed the "one big ugly bill" Trump wanted and Cassidy, Letlow and all of Louisiana's GOP members in congress voted for it.  It will be a factor in the upcoming economic recession that will take place on Trump and the GOP watch once again.  Trump has been President for 60 months (48 months in his first term and 12 months in his 2nd term) and in that time span the economy has not created one new net job.  The economy lost 2.7 million jobs in Trump's first term and created over a little of only 500,000 jobs in his first 12 month of his 2nd term for a minus of over 2 million jobs lost in his 60 months in office.

All the while, Cassidy, Letlow and the GOP in congress supported Trump's programs and policies and surrendered their independence as elected officials.  They allowed Trump to be their master and they became just Trump ditto heads.  So, it won't matter which GOP candidate the people vote for in the GOP senate race because they all will be Trump ditto heads.  And that really says it all.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio  

More Silly Talk From Sports Writer Scott Rabalais.

 The "silly talk" continues by Rabalais promoting the fiction of who was the better team, LSU's national championship team of 2019 or Indiana's national championship team of 2025.  Of course, Rabalais picked LSU and then offered nick picking things to try and prove his point.   It almost sounded like the nick picking the CFP committee uses in its rating of the teams that have the same record and have to choose one over the other.  

The bottom line is a simple one.  LSU was a rated team in 2019.  Indiana was unrated in 2025 to start the season.  The pollsters misread Indiana from the very beginning, just like the Baton Rouge sports writers missed on predicting how LSU would end up this season.  I guess they want everyone to forget about that so Rabalais brings up LSU's 2019 team.

Indiana went 16-0, undefeated and won the most games ever in a single season and a national championship.   And that really says it all.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio

Hello New Orleans: Welcome To A New Beginning In 2026.

 On Monday January 12 Helena Moreno took the oath of office as Mayor of the City of New Orleans.  The Mayor won the vote with a majority vote and no runoff was necessary.  On the campaign trail her story for the City was about change and priorities that would move the City forward in a new direction.  In her inaugural address the very next day on Tuesday, she once again announced her plans to the people.  

So,2026 will be a new beginning and the end of a past era when needed progress never came about.  Moreno is in a good position to be able to execute her plans and policies.  She has a successful record of public service both on the state and city level.  She is a people person who relates and knows what a future New Orleans needs to do to achieve real progress and move forward.  She is well prepared to be the City's 63rd Mayor.  Her greatest problem will come from the media and especially the TP/NewOrleansAdvocate which is a republican leaning media.

On the day of her inaugural address, the TP/NOA published a full page commentary announcing that three of their opinion writers would be sitting down to discuss how Moreno handled the transition and what they will be watching after she takes the oath of office.  Then all three columnists asked each other a series of "silly questions" about how the Mayor would handle various issues.  They started the "silly season" early in an effort to try and influence the people before the new Mayor even set foot in her new office.

The people of New Orleans will know how and when to make a judgement on grading the Mayor.  She set the bar high because she has confidence in her plans and policies to move the City in the right direction.  She has addressed the City's budget problem in an honest tone and reasonable way that the people can understand.  It is this writer's opinion that Mayor Moreno is well qualified to accomplish her agenda.  She has appointed well qualified people to important positions which says a lot about her commitment to move the City forward.  It also underscores her management skills.  

The future of the City and it's people look brighter going into the new year and beyond.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio

China Defeats President Trump On Trade Tariffs.

 China's trade surplus came in at $1.3 trillion in 2025 despite Trump's tariffs and set a new record.  At the same time the U.S. finished the year with another trade deficit.  China reduced it's exports to the U.S. 20% in 2025 and offset that by trading in other markets in South America, Southeast Asia, Africa and Europe.  One can picture the government of China having a good laugh at Trump still telling the American people that China is paying for his tariff taxes.

China knows how to react to the convicted criminal President and his lies to the American people.  They understand his weakness on economic matters better than anyone.  China is also smart enough to remember what President Kennedy proclaimed long ago when he said, "trade or fade" on the subject matter.  Trump's tariff taxes on the people are a drag on the economy and well being of the people.  They also do not represent trade policy or plans.

America has a President who is so dishonest with the people he cannot stand up and inform the people he raised their taxes with his tariffs.  Instead, he lies everyday.  America the Beautiful has to change this dark cloud hovering over the land of the free and the home of the brave.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio  

President Trump, A Convicted Criminal, Unleashes His Masked Agents.

 The killing of an innocent driver Renee Good in Minneapolis last week by an Ice Agent is just one more sign of the violent side of the Trump Administration.  It comes at no surprise to those who pay attention to Trump's political and personal world and the party who is just his stooge.  Trump lied about the shooting when he said the driver rolled over one of the agents.  And his Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said the driver tried to run over one of the agents, another lie.

For a long time it has been known that Trump has a violent side.  We knew he tried to overturn the 2020 Presidential election with a violent mob that attacked the nation's capital on Jan. 6, 2021, violated his oath of office and committed a traitorous act.  We also knew that he would pardon those rioters convicted in a court of law and was sentenced.  We knew Noem was not qualified for the job and she was only there to carry out Trump's orders.  We knew in Trump's first term he told aids, why can't protesters be shot in the legs, ignoring the public's right to protest peacefully.  We also knew that in his first term Trump openly supported White Nationals, a group that the FBI reported during Trump's first term were the greatest terrorist threat to America domestically.  And we knew of Trump's violent rhetoric toward other individuals.

It is past time for the GOP controlled congress, the business community, the people and the courts put a stop to Trump's sickness, corruption and madness.  He is out of control, over the top and a threat to all.  Ice should be disbanded, reorganized and retrained to do a legitimate job concerning immigration.  The face cover of Agents has to go and they have to be held accountable for any illegal actions.  

The bottom line is the convicted criminal President's violent rhetoric is well known and he should be removed from office legally.  He has already committed an impeachable act and should be replaced sooner, rather than later.  America the Beautiful cannot continue on the same course.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio

The U.S. Economy, Job Creation and the Unemployment Rate for December 2025.

 The U.S. Labor Department announced that the economy created 50,000 jobs in December and the unemployment rate came in at 4.4%.  The unemployment rate when Biden left office was 4% so unemployment rate is up 0.4% during Trump's first year in office for 2025.  The Department also reported that total jobs created in 2025 was the lowest yearly number since 2020 when it took place during Trump's first term in office.  Only 584,000 jobs were created in 2025 for a pitiful monthly average of 48,666 jobs per month.  The Department also said they revised downward October's job numbers from a loss of 105,000 jobs to 173,000 jobs lost.  

By contrast, in President Biden's first year in office in 2021, over 550,000  jobs were created in December and the unemployment rate came in at 3.9%.  It was 6.3% when Biden took office, so the unemployment rate was down 2.4% in Biden's first year in office in 2021.  

President Biden's economy performed so much better than the Trump/GOP economy did in its first year and Biden had to deal with COVID.  In fact the Trump economy failed big time creating jobs just as past GOP administrations have done and set a historical precedent.  And it was all predicted in PolitiDose commentary before Trump took office.  The media knows of the GOP failures to create jobs but never report it because they are too concerned with enabling Trump and his party.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio  

Scott Rabalais Continues His "Silly Talk."

 Baton Rouge sports reporter Scott Rabalais in a commentary dated 1/4/26 in the TP/New Orleans Advocate titled, "Time for LSU to stop playing nice" was just more "silly talk" that continues to fuel the LSU-Ole Miss conversation.  Rabalais is unhappy that Lane Kiffin's offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr., will still be coaching Ole Miss in the CFP game this week with Miami.  

Rabalais also does not like the criticism hurled at Kiffin for leaving Ole Miss at a time his team was going to the CFP for the very first time and would have a chance at the National Championship.  Most coaches would not walk away from that, but Kiffin did.  

The "silly talk" about Kiffin's offensive coordinator coaching Ole Miss in the playoffs has no bearing on the future of LSU football under coach Kiffin.  This writer believes Kiffin has no allegiance to any team because of his actions and would not have hired him to coach LSU.  The buck has to stop somewhere to reverse the money madness now associated with college sports.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio 

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) Performed Better On President Biden's Watch Than It Did On Trump's Watch.

The DJIA performed better on President Biden's watch in his first year in office in 2021 than it did in President Trump's first year in office in 2025.  No one would think that the way the media and the Trump/GOP talk about Wall Street success in 2025.  The media is so committed to the Trump/GOP BS, misinformation and outright lies, they are part of the problem.  They failed to find the time to report that American employers laid off more than 1.1 million workers in 2025, the largest job layoffs since 2020 during Trump's first term in office.

When President Biden took office on January 20, 2021 the DJIA closed at 31,186.  At the end of December 31, 2021 the DJIA closed at 36,335, a gain of 5,149 or 14%.  When Trump took office on January 20, 2025 the DJIA closed at 43,487.  At the end of the year on December 31, 2025 the DJIA closed at 48,382 up 4,895 or 10%.  President Biden and the stock market had to  deal with COVID in his first year in office, Trump did not.  

Recent commentary in PolitiDose told the story how the country did better on Biden's watch in the first year concerning job creation, lower unemployment, higher GDP and a better economy overall.  Stay tuned to PolitiDose for the final summary of 2025 when the federal government will release the final numbers of Trump's first year of his second term.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio 

 

The Absence of Real GOP MEN and WOMEN in the U.S. Congress.

 Real MEN and WOMEN in congress have character, courage, honor and a commitment to their oath of office and the constitution.  Today however, the republicans in congress who control both houses of congress lack those qualities and therefore being real MEN and WOMEN escape them.  They are Trump ditto heads who surrendered their congressional responsibilities to Trump's tariff taxes on the American people.

The GOP in congress know the constitution gives congress the power and authority to tax and withheld that authority from the President and Executive branch of government.  Despite that knowledge they folded and allowed the convicted criminal President to levy tariff taxes on the people.  They turned their backs on America, their oath of office and the constitution.  They gave Trump the power to be a dictator and destroy what a democratic legislation process is all about.

Trump's GOP also turned their backs on their responsibility of being real MEN and WOMEN.  They knew the history of Watergate when real MEN and WOMEN of the GOP in congress told President Nixon he had to resign or face impeachment for his actions.  They stood tall, faced up to their responsibilities challenging Nixon and he did resign the Presidency.  The GOP in congress did its job, knew what was at stake in American politics, that the separation of power worked best for America.  

Trump's GOP in congress are just that, he owns them, shames them, threatens them and has taken over congress as his own branch of government.  The GOP has no original thought or agenda for America, only what Trump demands.  And Louisiana's GOP representation in congress are some of the worst failures.  Never has a GOP congress governed as a bunch of clowns and stooges.  And that really says it all.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio