Is contracting out of state operations to businesses the wave of the future? It’s certainly been a big agenda item for Gov. Bobby Jindal. Several of his privatization initiatives sparked controversy, from the big changes underway at charity hospitals to smaller moves that have laid off state employees in favor of private-sector contractors. While that is … Continue reading →

Lewis Thomas, a gifted physician and author, took pleasure in reminding graduates that diplomas came from humble origins. “The word diploma comes, simply and by definition, from duo, two,” he wrote in 1990. “A diploma was a sheet of paper folded double.” But the real of value of a diploma isn’t the document … Continue reading →

The Legislature’s debate over the budget and the film tax credit program continues as the legislative session begins to wind down. The focus is on what can be done this year to control the cost of the program without causing any harm to the industry by the possibility of reduced film production. Missing in the discussion is … Continue reading →

Lately it has almost become a rule of thumb that those who decry left-wing bias are those who have a right-wing bias. This surely applies to Jim Richoux’s rant on the May 17 Advocate opinion page. I haven’t been a reader of The Advocate for very long, but one thing I know is that it … Continue reading →

Your recent editorial urging investments for young children is spot on. Unfortunately, in lean budget times children’s services appear to be a target for reductions. One has only to compare the appropriations for the current fiscal year to the requested amounts for next year to realize that truth. The actual dollar difference between the years … Continue reading →

I have a little booklet that my dad got when he was mustered out of the Navy at the end of World War II. It’s titled “Going Back to Civilian Life.” It details things returning veterans should know: benefits available to them and their families, advice on keeping the government life insurance they may have had … Continue reading →

The message from New Orleans Police Chief Ronal Serpas could hardly be more reassuring. If you don’t count murders, New Orleans is an “incredibly safe city.” And, in case there are still a few nervous Nellies out there, Mayor Mitch Landrieu will always be there to spread the same encouraging news. While the bodies … Continue reading →

Question: “At what point do we stop giving away our revenues?” That query from state Rep. Jay Morris, R-Monroe, was answered the day he asked it in the state House: not yet. The latest giveaway — er, that’s development tax credit — was pushed by Rep. Walt Leger, D-New Orleans, to revamp an insurance premium tax … Continue reading →

As hurricane survivors, many of us in south Louisiana are painfully familiar with the damage that bad weather can bring to a community. That’s why we have a special sympathy for Oklahoma residents as they recover from a huge tornado that ripped through the suburbs of Oklahoma City, killing a number of people and injuring many others. Continue reading →

Defendants in two emotionally charged criminal cases in the Felicianas, and their attorneys, spared a large number of people the horrifying ordeal of participating, in one fashion or another, in criminal trials this year. Brett Gerald, who’ll be 31 on May 30 — exactly one year after he killed seven Baton Rouge … Continue reading →

This week, the Louisiana House will vote on Senate Bill 242, an innovative plan put forth by New Orleans tourism leadership that ensures the continued vitality of the state’s valuable tourism industry. Like other statewide initiatives that receive some public dollars, tourism marketing efforts are potential victims of on-going financial stress and significant governmental cutbacks. SB242, if … Continue reading →

I am writing in response to the opinion piece, “BR breakaway district not a done deal,” written by Will Sentell and published on May 18. In this column, Sentell gives the impression that he supports the breakaway district and he seems to characterize all opponents as “Democrats who are less inclined to favor big changes in public … Continue reading →

Edward Buckner, president of the Original 7 Social Aid and Pleasure Club, writing about the tragedy surrounding their Mother’s Day Parade, seeks a restorative-justice approach that would “more deeply repair the harm.” Buckner, a former board member of our organization, knows that our current system of criminal justice is not working. Most people … Continue reading →

Recently The Advocate juxtaposed its near-weekly plaint regarding our “absentee” governor to a cartoon showing a caricature of Bobby Jindal in a straightjacket, mouthing the words: “Any Republican that’s thinking about running for president in 2016 needs to have his head examined” (see “Our Views,” May 17). The implication was clear. My mind … Continue reading →

Look behind the crime statistics in any major city in America, and you’re likely to find that a lot of young dropouts are committing a sizeable number of the offenses. That’s why we applaud the efforts of East Baton Rouge Parish officials in fighting truancy — the chronic absence of children from school. In … Continue reading →

Perhaps the most encouraging development in the recent arrest of two young men accused of shooting into a New Orleans Mother’s Day parade was the number of people willing to phone in anonymous tips about what they saw during the shooting. The shooting in the Crescent City’s 7th Ward left 19 shot and another trampled. Shawn … Continue reading →

Every April we hear grand political pronouncements about preventing genocide and to “Never Forget!” April, the month in 1945 when U.S. troops liberated Nazi concentration camps, is also the month when genocide broke out in Rwanda in 1994. To make such pronouncements in an obligatory and perfunctory manner mocks the horror that the victims … Continue reading →

Every day American workers face threats to the security of their jobs. The U.S. merchant marine knows this all too well. Today, less than 2 percent of imports and exports are carried on U.S.-flagged ships, while over 98 percent of cargoes travel on foreign-flagged vessels that do not employ U.S. citizens or pay taxes to the United … Continue reading →

Albert Einstein has been credited with stating that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. This aptly describes the Republicans in Congress on their 37th vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). Unfortunately, my congressman, Dr. Bill Cassidy, is front and center in this exercise in … Continue reading →

It’s been just over three years since the BP Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico exploded, killing 11 people and spilling millions of barrels of oil into the Gulf. An untold number of pelicans and other animals succumbed to the oil slick that polluted large swaths of coast … Continue reading →

In rejecting a bill to expand public access to the records of the Governor’s Office, the House and Governmental Affairs Committee early in this legislative session struck a blow against transparency in state government. The bill was defeated after opposition by Gov. Bobby Jindal’s executive counsel, Thomas Enright. That’s a sad development from a governor who entered his … Continue reading →

If the good people of South Carolina want to elect to Congress a philandering ex-governor who lied about being on the Appalachian Trail, that’s up to them. Yet as John Nichols reminded readers of The Nation magazine, the election of Mark Sanford was not as far-fetched as many thought. The reason: It was a GOP district, … Continue reading →

I have been teaching in the Louisiana public school system for seven years. Frankly, I am appalled that the Senate would even consider removing the Common Core State Standards from Louisiana schools and continue to use the Louisiana Comprehensive Curriculum. First of all, the LCC … Continue reading →

Providing vouchers to children who attend failing schools does not solve the problem of public education. Even if we assume that children are getting a better education at private schools, the vouchers are only helping a small number of students. What about the many other children who … Continue reading →

The Louisiana Science Education Act promotes a greater discussion of science, not religion, in public school classrooms. Unfortunately, The Advocate obscured that fact by initially titling its May 3 article on the law “Creation science repeal fails.” Contrary to the article’s initial title and those quoted in the … Continue reading →

In reference to the May 10 letter “Erroneous judgement on religion,” Wayne Pace conveniently used only Muslims to agree with Michael Polito that religion is and has been used to perpetuate ideologies that caused death and destruction to the masses. He conveniently left out the Spanish Inquisition and … Continue reading →

After years of fighting attempts to tweak or lessen the generosity of Louisiana’s film tax break program, industry leaders have come to the negotiating table. Apparently, they realize that lawmakers are feeling a lot less generous these days. The state’s continuing budget woes, stretching into a sixth year, have provoked new scrutiny for the billions of … Continue reading →

A major mobile phone corporation launched an attack on Sen. David Vitter, R-La., during the same week the senator used social media websites to ask people for pictures of “free cell phone” booths and signs. Earlier this month, Vitter filed legislation to end the GOP-maligned subsidies for low-income families to receive mobile phone services. Continue reading →

Oil City, home to just 1,000 souls, is in the middle of nowhere — Caddo Parish, to be precise — but life there is far from uneventful. As many as 25 wild hogs might show up at any time and start rooting around. It wouldn’t do much good … Continue reading →

Even as a bipartisan majority in the state House celebrates its renovation to the budget proposal of Gov. Bobby Jindal, the spotlight moves to the Senate, where a new phase of budget deliberations begins. If history is any guide, the Senate will consult with the governor on changes to the House-passed product. But the significance of … Continue reading →

In a state with high levels of illiteracy, promoting reading is especially important. That’s why we welcome the approach of summer reading programs in public libraries across south Louisiana, thanks to the support of the State Library of Louisiana. The State Library, which sets the theme for each year’s program and provides support to library systems … Continue reading →

In politics, if something sounds too good to be true, it usually is. That is a lesson both for Gov. Bobby Jindal, and for those who push him to expand Medicaid insurance for people in need in Louisiana. The Legislative Fiscal Office suggested that taking the federal aid that would expand health care would be a … Continue reading →

Did you know that Sheree Harris won a red 2013 Chevy Camaro on Wednesday? Probably not. You probably don’t know Sheree Harris. But, I wanted to know more about Harris because she is one of the bazillion people who win stuff — and I never do. … Continue reading →

Legislators have repeatedly approached the Louisiana Hospital Association and member hospitals with requests to generate creative solutions to help with the Medicaid crisis. To that end, the association, which represents hospitals across the state, has been examining what other states are doing successfully in this area. After much … Continue reading →

I’m jumping on the ferry on the way to Algiers. Why? Well, I ride a bike and, without using a cab or bus (expensive and unreliable), I can’t get across the Great Mississippi River. It’s a matter of equal access to provide to all people … Continue reading →

Having failed twice before, Rep. Frank Hoffmann, R-West Monroe, is promoting another stealth creationist bill, House Bill 116, which “provides relative to textbooks and other instructional materials for [public] elementary and secondary schools.”When Rep. Gene Reynolds, D-Dubberly, expressed concern that HB116 could permit adoption of … Continue reading →

On May 10, as members of the Louisiana House of Representatives worked to pass a nearly $25 billion compromise plan for funding health care, higher education and other public services, Gov. Bobby Jindal was spending part of the day in New Hampshire raising money to elect Republican candidates to the New Hampshire state Senate. Perhaps not … Continue reading →

We welcome the visit to New Orleans by the Dalai Lama, the revered religious leader of many Buddhists around the world.
He is perhaps the most high-profile religious leader to visit Louisiana since the late John Paul II visited New Orleans in 1987. The Dalai Lama’s visit, like the visit by the legendary pontiff … Continue reading →

The best thing that opponents of a new school district in southeast Baton Rouge have going for them is that backers still have hurdles to clear. First and foremost is the requirement that part of the package has to gain two-thirds support in both chambers of the Legislature, which is 70 votes in the House. Continue reading →

Edward Pratt’s column “Scary drift ends texting on highway,” May 9 was a great lesson for those who think texting while driving is safe or, as Pratt wrote, “It won’t happen to me.” Each year, hundreds of people are injured in accidents caused by … Continue reading →

I just could not believe Tuesday’s headlines in the New Orleans edition, James Gill hired by The Advocate. We have a Benghazi crisis, an IRS crisis, The Associated Press being spied upon by the Justice Department, and Kermit Gosnell, the abortion doctor, found guilty of murder, and you choose to ignore all of this as … Continue reading →

Upon opening my paper Tuesday, I was genuinely astonished that the front-page article covering the House committee hearing on gestational surrogacy (SB 162) failed to report anything about the medical testimony presented. Anyone not at the hearing would not even know that there are medical issues in surrogacy important both to the woman … Continue reading →

Democrats were cock-a-hoop because U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu’s chances of re-election got a boost when she came out against putting deadly weapons in the hand of criminals and lunatics. Polls showed that the vast majority of Louisiana voters applauded her common sense. But wait. The Republicans are celebrating because pinkos who try to emasculate … Continue reading →

As a newspaper, we have an obvious and direct interest in freedom of expression, and that makes us especially concerned about the federal government’s recent overreach on two fronts. The Internal Revenue Service, which is responsible for ensuring that nonprofits don’t violate their tax-exempt status by sponsoring political advertising, has admitted that it singled out … Continue reading →

I was working the night shift out of Narcotics when the call comes in. It’s the chief, calling about a 966. A “966” is cop lingo for illegal drugs — the bad stuff. “At OPP,” the chief says. “So the guy’s already in custody,” I reply. “You could say that,” he answers. Continue reading →