In a meeting with the Algiers Point Association, Justin Augustine, VP of Veolie Transportation announced the Algiers-Canal street ferry hours of operations would be extended from 6am to 10pm Monday thru Friday beginning July 1. Justin also noted state senator David Heitmeier and city councilwoman Nadine Ramsey secured the funding for the next two years of operation.
This writers recent commentary on the subject matter pointed out that funding should have been in place when the tolls were removed from the bridge so there would be no interrupted hours of the ferry service. The people of Algiers suffered thru that reduced service for almost one full year. Many thanks to Mr. Heitmeier and Ms. Ramsey for securing the needed funds.
Justin Augustine also said they will be working to extend weekend hours in the future for ferry services and will work for improved service as well as new ferry boats. He also said the company is committed to the service of the Algiers-Canal street ferry system. The extended hours is great news for the people of Algiers, especially those who use the ferry in their daily lives. Lets hope it is just the first step in a viable transportation system for pedestrians that fits into the life styles of the people who have used the service since 1827.
This commentary written by John Lucia.
Saturday, June 14, 2014
The U.S. Senate Votes To Improve Veteran Administrations Health Services
The U.S. Senate approved a Veterans Administration health care bill 93-3. The bill would expand for Veterans health care services including private doctors, shorter wait time and a multitude of other health services that have been in the news lately. The CBO estimates the bill will cost $35 billion over the next ten years and maybe more.
Republican representative Jeff Miller, chairman of the House Veterans Committee said the republicans will want offsets in the budget (cuts in other programs) to pay for the bill. The people should remember that it was President Bush who started the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq while the republican party controlled both houses of congress and paid for those wars with deficit spending and not budget cuts. They also passed a prescription drug benefit that they said would cost no more than $400 billion over 10 years but has already cost double that amount and was also paid for by deficit spending and not budget cuts.
The war in Afghanistan has already cost over $1 trillion and still counting. The war in Iraq also cost over $1 trillion. One war, the former was justified, the other was an unnecessary war over WMD that did not exist. Those two wars have placed 2 million more veterans into the VA system according to democratic U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, Chairman of the Veterans Affairs Committee, who said our job is to make certain that every veteran in the country gets quality health care in a timely manner.
President Bush and the republican party saw no obstacle in spending over $3 trillion on the above wars and prescription drug benefit financed by deficit spending but now republicans in congress want budget cuts to fund a VA bill that is estimated to cost $35 billion. It is just another way for the republicans to obstruct needed legislation concerning the problems with the VA and confirms their unAmerican ideology of the double standard they practice. The democratic party has demonstrated in the past that democratic administrations are best at controlling federal spending, lowering the federal deficit, balancing the federal budget and the Obama administration is doing just that.
This commentary written by John Lucia.
Republican representative Jeff Miller, chairman of the House Veterans Committee said the republicans will want offsets in the budget (cuts in other programs) to pay for the bill. The people should remember that it was President Bush who started the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq while the republican party controlled both houses of congress and paid for those wars with deficit spending and not budget cuts. They also passed a prescription drug benefit that they said would cost no more than $400 billion over 10 years but has already cost double that amount and was also paid for by deficit spending and not budget cuts.
The war in Afghanistan has already cost over $1 trillion and still counting. The war in Iraq also cost over $1 trillion. One war, the former was justified, the other was an unnecessary war over WMD that did not exist. Those two wars have placed 2 million more veterans into the VA system according to democratic U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, Chairman of the Veterans Affairs Committee, who said our job is to make certain that every veteran in the country gets quality health care in a timely manner.
President Bush and the republican party saw no obstacle in spending over $3 trillion on the above wars and prescription drug benefit financed by deficit spending but now republicans in congress want budget cuts to fund a VA bill that is estimated to cost $35 billion. It is just another way for the republicans to obstruct needed legislation concerning the problems with the VA and confirms their unAmerican ideology of the double standard they practice. The democratic party has demonstrated in the past that democratic administrations are best at controlling federal spending, lowering the federal deficit, balancing the federal budget and the Obama administration is doing just that.
This commentary written by John Lucia.
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