The City of New Orleans: Another One Of Many Safe and Happy Madri Gras.

 The City of New Orleans celebrated another one of many safe and happy Mardi Gras in 2026 thanks to all of those in authority charged with the responsibility of keeping City and its people safe.  And thanks to all the people, local and otherwise who over the years have helped to keep the event safe.

Despite the uptick in crime several years ago it is well to remember that the City has overall been a safe place.  The Madri Gras years, the Super Bowl years, The Jazz Fest years, The French Quarter Celebration Years, The Sugar Bowl Years, Bourbon Street in general and other entertainment that comes to the City and etc. etc., that take place every year with people standing shoulder to shoulder have been relatively safe.  The City has to stay prepared for any event, but lets not be overwhelmed.  We should be willing to report on and talk about the safe times and years and what the City has to offer.  

Now with a new year and a new administration in City Hall, let us look to the future for continued progress for the City and it's people.  Report the good things that take place more often and be objective about a brighter future for all.  And yes my fellow Americans, learning from the mistakes of the past is still the best way for a better future.  

This commentary written by Joe Lorio 

Louisiana's GOP U.S. Senate Candidates Are In A Race To The Bottom:

 The GOP Clowns running against present U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy for the November congressional elections have already started their attacks on each other and Cassidy is leasing the way with his own attack adds.  It reflects the sign of the times of a toxic republican party and their race to the bottom of the barrel.  Their attacks on each other only confirms their unfitness for the office they seek.

The Clowns are Trump and the party's ditto heads with no record of accomplishments.  The media will be no help to bringing clarity to the people because they have already accepted Trump and the party's lies and misrepresentations as facts.  And now, the media suddenly wants to question why no democrat is running for the office as a candidate.  The media and Louisiana have chosen sides ever since Trump became a candidate and they chose Trump and his party.

Through it all, the democratic party has remained the only SANE political party and will find the right time to field more democratic candidates.  There will be more democratic like John B. Edwards candidates in the future of Louisiana politics that will lead the state and the nation to a better time of Constitutional governing.  

The future of Louisiana is to be a democratic state once again, and when it takes place, you will have read it here first in PolitiDose, your daily dose of political commentary.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio

South Carolina Defeats LSU's Lady Tigers 79 - 72.

 South Carolina came to Baton Rouge Saturday night to play LSU that the local pundits predicted would be a game of importance for the Tigers SEC rankings and seating in the upcoming NCAA playoffs.  And for the 18th straight time, Carolina came away with a big win.  It was a packed Pete Maravich Center and the LSU fans had high hopes.  

In a TP/New Orleans Advocate sports column of Feb. 3 said LSU was hitting its stride at a crucial time and listed some stats why that was important going into the stretch of its SEC schedule in the next several weeks.  Since that article was written, LSU has lost to Texas, beat Auburn and loss to South Carolina. The big problem that LSU has faced this year is the fact that they lost their first two SEC games of the season and put them in a hole.  The pundits never wrote about that but what SEC team can afford to do that and not stumble the rest of the season.  After all, who has yet to learn how tough it is to win in the SEC.

As far as stats go, it does not tell the whole story in a basketball game that is different from all other sports.  Games are close, the lead changes hands many times and the game is usually decided in the last two minutes.  When two good teams meet, usually the team that is the most consistent wins. and that is what took place Saturday night for South Carolina for the 18th straight time.  

Another thing to think about is this.  Has the media overrated Kim Mulkey's ability since she came to  LSU because she was so successful at Baylor?  Mulkey and other coaches did not have all the changes to worry about during her stay at Baylor or the first couple of years at LSU.  Now she does and so do other coaches.  In other words, it is a different ball game now. Plus she is coaching in the SEC.

The positive note is LSU will make the playoffs and have an opportunity to play in the national championship game if they play well enough.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio

 

The U.S. Economy, Job Creation and the Unemployment Rate for January 2026.

 The Labor Department reported the economy added 130,000 jobs in January and the unemployment rate came in at 4.3%, it was 4% when President Biden left office.  The Department also revised all of 2025's job creation to be a corrected 181,000 jobs created instead of the 584,000 reported just last month.  It was a pitiful monthly average of only 15,083 per month.

By comparison, job creation in President Biden's 13th month in office January 2022, the economy created 513,000 jobs and a unemployment rate of 4%.  Job creation and the unemployment rate did better in President Biden's first 13 months than it did in Trump's first 13 months of his second term.

President Trump has been President for 61 months and has a negative job creation record of 2, 389,000 jobs.  And for those who pay attention to facts and not the lies, misinformation and BS of the media, Trump, the GOP and even the business community, the numbers are not surprising and could be predicted as PolitiDose has done in previous commentary.  

This commentary written by Joe Lorio

U. S. District Judge Fred Biery Stands Tall Against Trump and His ICE Tactics.

 Judge Biery ordered the release of 5 year old Liam Ramos and his father from an ICE detention center in Texas and their return to Minnesota.  Both did return as the judge ordered.  The judge in his release order blasted the administration saying:  THE CASE HAS ITS GENESIS IN THE ILL CONCEIVE AND INCOMPETANTLY IMPLEMENTED GOVERNMENT PURSUIT OF DAILY DEPORTATION QUOTAS APPARENTLY EVEN IF IT REQUIRES TRAUMATIZING CHILDREN.  

Coming from a court that had the facts and recognized a big problem with Trump's immigration policy, the Judge's statement tells how sick Trump's policies are on the issue.  Had this case not gone to court, one could guess Liam and his father  would still be in ICE's detention camp in Texas.  The court's actions and the nationwide protest by the people against ICE's unlawful actions, will bring changes for the better before it is too late.

The courts and the American people are speaking up about the convicted criminal President's sickness and it is not only about immigration.  It is about everything he touches that turns toxic and the violent atmosphere he has created.  And this writer has not changed his mind on a previous commentary that Trump will not serve out his term in office and the reasons why.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio 

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