The New Orleans Saints 35 The Pittsburg Steelers 32

The Saints won their second road game of the season in defeating the Steelers and their record stands at 5-7.  The win was important because the Atlanta Falcons won also with only four games left on the schedule.  Does this game signal a turnaround for the Saints?  Time will tell.

The Steelers defense shut out Saints receiver Jimmy Graham but their secondary played poorly allowing three touchdowns with two defensive breakdowns and one with the defenders back facing Brees and did not know where the ball was.  Result, easy touchdown.  Of course the important thing is the Saints won and ended their three game loosing streak.

Payton and Ryan continue their little exchanges on the sidelines at the expense of the team and after 12 games all is not well between the two.  The Saints started the season just like they ended last season on a loosing note.  Will they finish strong in their last four games like they preach.  They have not done that in the last three seasons, so let the guessing begin.  

The seven sports writers for the Times Picayune all picked the Steelers to win the game.  They are still shell shocked after their silly predictions early in the season.  Lets see who they pick for Sunday's game with the Carolina Panthers.  

This commentary written by John Lucia

President Obama's Final Two Years In Office: What Will The New Year Bring? A Continued Story

In January the new year will begin with a triple history that will unfold before the people.  President Obama will begin his final two years in office, the U.S. Congress will be controlled by the republican party and the middle east remains a very unstable and volatile region because of ISIS, the Israel-Palestine situation and the unpredictable behavior of various factions in the region.

I wrote a commentary after President Obama was re-elected and suggested that in the President's second term he should use his executive authority to get things done when the reublican party failed to act on matters affecting the country and its people.  The President has done that, the latest example being the immigration issue.  The President should continue to do that when necessary in his final two years.  He should also use his veto power when necessary to stop any right wing or extreme agenda of the republican party, especially when it comes to the special interest groups and more tax breaks for those who need them the least.  The President has enough democratic votes in the U.S. House to uphold any veto and the democrats should use that leverage.

The President should keep his word on no American ground troops in combat in the middle east.  He should also remain cautious in forming policy for that region where people who live there lack the will to defend their own people because of Islamism, tribalism and sectarianism.  ISIS is not the mighty military force the news media has made it to be and the United States air power is proving that along with some Kurds and Iraqi ground troops who have been willing to engage ISIS.

President Obama's attention to continue the economic expansion, job creation, reducing the federal deficit and reducing the inequality in middle class income should remain a priority.  The country and its people have come a long way since the second great republican depression and the President needs to keep the republican's hands in their own pockets.  The negative voices have nothing to offer the country or its people and they will continue their policy of obstruction to try and inhance their party's chances of taking the White House in 2016.

The one thing that the democratic party lacks is their failure to have a quick response to the republican's noise machine of lies and falsehoods they spout on a daily basis.  President Clinton had a response team that did so to the republican's attacks.  The republicans could not handle the push back so they impeached him to no avail.  Obama needs to develop a team to follow President Clinton's lead in quickly exposing the republican noise machine.

And yes, it is another democratic President that has reversed the disaster left by the previous republican administration.  This writer knew it would happen from the very beginning and you read it here first in "PolitiDose" your daily dose of political commentary.   Stay tuned.


This commentary written by John Lucia

The Price Of A Barrel Of Oil And A Gallon Of Gasoline Continues To Fall

OPEC met Thursday to decide what to do about the world wide fall in the price of crude oil.  They have the power to manipulate the price but this time around they decided to hold production levels as is and not cut production which would have reduced the supply.  Some of the smaller OPEC members were hoping for the cut in production to stop the fall of the price of a barrel of oil which hit a four year low of $73 a barrel on the Brent benchmark.

The price of U.S. crude dropped below $70 a barrel and drivers are seeing the result at the pump.  The major U.S. and OPEC producers have amassed billions of dollars in cash over the last 12 years which has seen the highest sustained price for a barrel of oil and a gallon of gasoline at the expense of the consumer.  And one can believe the price has been minipulated.

Now Citibank in a report says the global supply of crude exceeds the demand by 700.000 barrels a day due to a sluggish global economy.  Other oil groups say the over supply will continue into 2015.  Much of the excess supply comes from U.S. producers from oil shale production which is expected to add 1,000,000 barrels of oil per day this year and next.

What is taking place is a good example why the U.S. will always depend on foreign oil if alternative energy sources are not developed.  An over supply of oil means falling prices and the domestic oil companies are not going to stock pile oil and sit on it.  Don't be surprised if American oil companies start to cut back on production and scale back some of their operations soon.  This writer wrote a commentary some time ago in "PolitiDose" pointing out what goes on in the industry.

There are a number of reasons for the over supply of oil.  Auto's with better gas mileage, Europe's sluggish economy, ditto China, Japan, Russia and greed by the OPEC countries and the domestic oil industry in the U.S.  One should be able to see that there has never really been a natural shortage of oil or gasoline in the U.S. or world supply. The problem has always been one of manipulation by cutting production to creating a shortage.

OPEC with its decesion to keep production at its current level despite fallen prices is a direct challenge to the U.S. domestic oil industry.


This commentary written by John Lucia.

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal's State Budget: "PolitiDose" Continues To Tell The Real Story

Readers of "PolitiDose" know that Jindal and the republican controlled state legislature has yet to balance one state budget since Jindal took office.  They say its balanced with cuts and other revenues but 5 or 6 months before the budget year ends Jindal announces the budget is out of balance by millions of dollars.

And true to form the same thing is happening to this years budget that ends June 30, 2015.  In a November 22 article in the Times Picyune the state is facing a mid year budget deficit of $180 million that Jindal plans to close using one time state revenue and cuts.  Five million of revenue will come from the TOPS scholarship program the article reported.  And on a more serious note the legislators were told that next years budget beginning July 1will face a wopping $1.4 billing short fall.

Jindal is no conservative when it comes to the state's fiscal matters and has put off year after year the hard choices necessary to put the states fiscal house in order.  His actions fiscally is a mirror image of the national republican party that has not balanced a federal budget since President Eisenhower in 1960.  When Jindal's term expires he will leave the next governor and the people a fiscal disaster to clean up.  Much like President George W. Bush left Obama and the country.

Jindal and his party's leaders are not really conservatives, although they have sold that bill of goods.  They are right wing radicals who preach an unAmerican ideology.  Because of precedent, this writer has been able to predict once again that this years budget would be out of balance long before the fiscal year ends in June 30, 2015.  And you read it here first in "PolitiDose" your daily dose of political commentary.


This commentrary written by John Lucia.

The Baltimore Ravens 34 New Orleans Saints 27.The Baltinore Ravens 34 The New Orleans Saints 27

The Ravens defeated the Saints on Monday Night Football.  It was the Saints third straight loss at home in the Super Dome and they now stand at 4-7 for the first eleven games.  In order to have a winning season the Saints have to win all five remaining games.  This writer believes that would be a stretch.

The Saints showed no improvement Monday night even though the Ravens played a loose zone defense(most of the game) in the secondary and allowed the Saint's players separation most of the game.  The Ravens rushing defense was tough and physical and allowed little running room for the backs.  The only exception was the long run on the Saint's second play of the ball game by Joe Morgan.

Brees once again threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown giving the Ravens a lead they never lost.  This has become a familiar turnover for Brees.  The Saints defense continues to add to their problems and Payton's trips to Rob Ryan's place on the sidelines and words of anger are not helping one bit.  Payton needs to leave Ryan alone and do his job.  If he feels Ryan is not the person for the job he can handle that after the season is over.  I do not believe Ryan and the defensive players appreciate how Payton is acting and as a result is affecting their play to a certain extent.  Maybe Ryan needs to return Payton the favor since the offense and Payton's play calling is having problems of their own.

 There is no question in this writers mind that there are problems between Saints players and between the players and the coaches.  It shows on the field and in their faces.  Payton continues his silly approach to the officials and acts like a spoiled brat.  I guess he really thinks he is a offensive genius like the TP sports writer have proclaimed for so many years.  Jeff Duncan and Larry Holder's reports in the TP are now 360 degrees what they were early in the season.  I guess they are trying to make up for their silly predictions before the season even started.  Their apple polishing reports are in limbo for the moment.

It is more than likely that the South Division champion will have no better than an 8-8 record when the regular season ends.  This writer has commented on more than one occasion in "PolitiDose" that teams with a loosing or break even record do not deserve to be in the playoffs. Can anyone really argue with that?  It is way past time for the NFL to revamp the playoff system.

The Saints travel to Pittsburgh and play the Steelers on Sunday.  Another road game and another opportunity to win their first game on the road this season.  It will be interesting to see how the TP sports writers pick this one.  Three of the seven picked the Saints to win the game against the Ravens on Monday night.


This commentary written by John Lucia

President Obama Uses His Executive Authority On Immigration.

True to his word, the President acted to move the immigration issue when republicans failed to act on their own.  The President's actions drew immediate response from the leaders of the republican party in congress with their usual nasty comments.  Their nose stays in the "bent out of shape" position forever as long as a democrat is President, especially this democratic President.

The President's action exposed how phony the republican's position has been on immigration for many years.  They failed to pass immigration reform during the George W. Bush administration even while they controlled both houses of congress and they failed to even take up and debate the immigration reform bill passed by the U.S. Senate in June of 2013, that is over a year and a half ago.  The right wing of their party is in control and they dare not even have an immigration policy to talk to the people about.

As the President said to the republicans,  if you don't like my decision, pass a comprehensive immigration reform bill.  The President has thrown down the gauntlet and now the republican leaders have to put up and pass immigration reform.  They will never shut up because that is their own way of not talking about their own failures to lead and produce policy.

President Obama has stood tall once again on a problem that has been around for a long time and his executive action has put the republicans in a box of their own choosing and the immigration issue is now in their court.


This commentary written by John Lucia.

Benghazi: A Scandal Only To Those Who Promote Scandals.

The U.S. House Intelligence Committee  report on Benghazi is complete and has been issued.  The report rejects allegations that the Obama administration intentionally misled the public about the deadly attack on the U.S. mission.  The report repudiates what it said was a "swirl of Rumors and unsupported allegations over the assault on the mission in Libya.

The report also said there was never a "stand down order" blocking rescue efforts and that White House officials were not to blame for an inaccurate initial account of the events.  Also noted in the report it implicitly rebuffed allegations that were lodged by republican leader Darrell Issa and embraced by republican party leaders.

Does any one remember the Fox News Network calling Benghazi a scandal over and over?  Ditto John McCain, Lindsey Graham, Mitt Romney and a host of other republicans in congress and the conservative news media in general, especially editorial writers.  They all accused the President and Secretary of State Clinton of the charges above that the intelligence committee found false and floating in a swirl of rumers and un supported allegations.  Romney even used Benghazi to try and attack the President during the debates of the 2012 Presidential elections.

The right wing conservative republicans will say anything to try to destroy the President and his administration.They are an unAmerican bunch who enjoy lying to the public and attempted to create a scandal over an attack that took the lives of 4 Americans.  Can one stoop any lower than that?  The real sad story of Benghazi is that too many Americans believed the lies of a bunch of spineless conservatives and the Fox News Network.

Come next year when the republican party takes control of both houses of congress allegations against the President will become sustained concerning a number of contrived issues where republicans will use the same tactic of out right lies.  The leaders of today's republican party are not fit to lead and make a mockery of the political system.  The republican party's rhetoric would never have been accepted by the greatest generation and neither should today's generation.


This commentary written by John Lucia.

Scalise's Bill Will Weaken EPA's Ability To Regulate Air Quality Standards

Steve Scalise, Louisiana's little boy rep in the U.S. House saw that house pass his bill that would expidite the permitting process for new projects according to an article in the Times Picayune of 11/21/14.  Democratic rep Henry Waxman said the bill could give new facilities "amnesty" from new air quality standards.  The President said he would veto the bill if it reached his desk.

The bill is all about gutting EPA regulations and allowing busineses to operate in their own selfish world without regulations.  Scalise uses job creation as the excuse for expediting the permitting process.  However,  Scalise and his party have no record of creating jobs to speak of and everyone knows the conservative attitude towaerd regulations.  As long as the democrats control the Senate the bill will not pass or advance to the President.

Scalise is the Whip of the majority House and is in a leadership position so one would think he would take up the immigration bill passed by the Senate or the minimum wage bill if he was serious about passing legislation that would move the country and its people forward.  Instead, he moves a bill that has no merit at this particular time.  The President continues to stand tall and be responsible while conservative republicans in congress continue to expose their lack of character and courage.  

Just think, if Scalise scheduled a vote on immigration and the minimum wage and it passed as this writer thinks it would, congress could have gone home on break and said they accomplished something positive.  What a shame.

This commentary written by John Lucia

Another Major Grant To Louisiana From The BP/Transocean's Deepwater Horizon Rig Sinking

Accoridng to a Times Picayune article dated 11/19/14 Louisiana will receive $13.2 million from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to rebuild barrier islands and to build sediment diversions for wetlands.  The money comes from a second dispersal from the Foundations Gulf Environmental Fund that holds the money from criminal settlements between the U.S. Department of Justice, BP and Transocean over their roles concerning the sinking of the rig.

And once again it is the big bad federal government that Jindal and his conservative ditto heads love to hate that has enforced federal regulations and have held BP/Transocean accountable for their negligent acts. And it has all happened under the Obama administration, the President who conservatives say is the enemy of the people of Louisiana and the state.  The real enemy of the people and Louisiana are Jindal and those elected officials who oppose the Levee Boards suit against the oil and gas industry for their destruction to Louisiana's environment by their operations.  The industry has been given a free ride for over 40 plus years.

The $13.2 million settlement is only a portion of the $1.2 billion that will be directed to the fund over a five year period for projects in Louisiana involving restoration of barrier islands and the construction of diversions.  The President's administration is working for Louisiana and the Gulf Coast and have answered the call to a disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.  jindal and the republican party in Louisiana continue to demonize the President and the federal government and shows how much character and courage the little boys lack.  Serious public officials?  You want find them in Louisiana's government.


This commentary written by John Lucia.