Louisiana

Paul Ryan Self Destructs Any Chance To Run For President!

Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan, who this blogger spent a lot of time working to undermine his Vice Presidential candidacy in 2012, and got blasted for it by right wing websites and bloggers, has again shown further evidence of what a terrible choice Mitt Romney made in his Presidential race, in selecting Ryan to be a heartbeat away from the Presidency!

Ryan, who knows nothing about budgets, except that the poor, the elderly, the disabled, veterans, and the young should see cuts in Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Food Stamps, and other social programs; and there should be no extension of unemployment compensation for desperately unemployed people; and there should be no rise in the minimum wage, now has gone off the “deep end” with his assertion that those who live in the “inner cities” have no sense of the importance of work, and have not worked for generations!

This is a direct and racist assault on African Americans in particular, but also on Hispanics and Latinos, who are a majority of the poor in the urban areas of our nation.

But Ryan acts as if it is only minorities who are poor, and are unemployed, and in some cases, have not worked in a long time. From this statement, one would think that whites are not poor, that they all work, that they all have a heritage of understanding the point of work, and nothing could be further from the truth!

It is a fact, and always has been, that the vast majority of the poor do not live in cities, and are not minorities, although one would think so from a stereotype!

The fact is that there are millions of whites who live in the rural and suburban areas of the nation, and many are them do not work, have no hope of work, and live in depressed conditions often worse than urban slums. Many of these people are living in “Red” states, where Republicans vote to hurt their own constituents, while making it seem as if only minorities do not work, or have no work ethic. They live in Appalachia, the Great Plains, the Rockies, in comparatively sparsely populated areas, as compared to the urban areas on the East and West Coasts.

More whites receive food stamps, and the level of poverty percentage wise is higher in such places as Kentucky, West Virginia, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, and Alaska.

It is the lack of education; the tendency to have large families which are also dysfunctional; the reality of drugs and alcohol; the refusal of these state governments to give a damn about their white poor, along with minority poor; and the tendency to turn poor whites against poor minorities so that the GOP can keep power in the House and in the state legislatures, which is destroying generation after generation of deprived people of all races!

Only when there is a REAL war on poverty, instead of exploiting the issue based upon race, as Paul Ryan has now done, will we ever be able to guarantee a good future for millions of whites, as well as African Americans and Latinos!

And Paul Ryan, your potential Presidential candidacy is dead in the water, and while you might run, you have forfeited any realistic chance to be President of the United States, but that was clear, anyway, in 2012!

The Loss Of A Classic Great Governor: Reubin Askew Of Florida (1971-1979)

When one examines the history of state Governors throughout American history, one discovers that a very large percentage of them have performed horribly, with many mediocre at best, and very few standing out as exceptional in their performance in office.

We often say that the best place to look for Presidential candidates is to go to the states, and find effective Governors, who have proven their ability to govern.

But when we look, even at the present group of 50 Governors in the United States, it is hard to find many who give one a sense of optimism, as to their honesty, concern for the average citizen, and commitment to good government.

So when we do find such a Governor, he is to be treasured, although often not recognized adequately in his own lifetime.

Such a case is former Florida Governor Reubin Askew, easily rated the greatest Governor in Florida history.

But Askew is much more than that, as he is rated by scholars in one study as one of the top ten all time Governors in the history of all states since 1789!

Askew came out of obscurity in the Florida State legislature to serve two achievement filled terms as Governor of a state with a long list of mostly mediocre Governors. He was the first Florida Governor able to have two terms in office, due to a change in the state Constitution in 1967.

Askew was one of the NEW SOUTH Democratic Governors who came out of the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, including Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter, and Arkansas Governors Dale Bumpers and Bill Clinton. Sadly, the Republican Party did NOT produce forward minded Governors then or since, and we see the product of it in such Governors as Nikki Haley of South Carolina, Rick Perry of Texas, Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, and other disastrous Southern Governors given their states by the GOP!

Askew was a liberal on racial issues, in a state not known for open mindedness and tolerance, in the years before 1970. He was able to overhaul the tax laws of the state, and to promote open government through “sunshine” laws, and also advocate environmental protection. Additionally, he promoted streamlining of the state government and courts, and also pushed ethics laws.

Askew had tremendous accomplishments, but was always very humble and decent as a human being, not letting his power to go to his head, a rare thing among state governors, past and present.

Askew was so highly regarded that he was offered the chance to be the Vice Presidential nominee with George McGovern in 1972, but turned it down. He also had a brief run for the Presidency in 1984 and for the Senate in 1988, but disliked having to work to raise campaign funds.

He was born to a poor family, worked his way through school, and never forgot the common touch, which in itself, made him a great man!

Florida and the nation have lost a true giant, a model for others, but not many are following in his footsteps, either in Florida or in other states around the nation, something to be mourned, as we mourn his death!

Bobby Jindal For President: Give Us All A Break!

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal is working very hard to make a name for himself, as he plans to run for President.

There is a sad lot of candidates for President on the Republican side, but Jindal is among the worst of the worst!

He heads a state, Louisiana, which remains in the bottom ten of states in most statistics, and often almost at the bottom of the bottom!

His state is extremely poor, but Jindal, unlike John Kasich of Ohio and Jan Brewer of Arizona, will not allow Medicaid coverage for one out of four Louisianans, and continues to oppose ObamaCare with no alternative solution.

His state is the worst state per capita for people in prison, and the state prison system is mostly privatized, which makes it an industry designed to incarcerate as many inmates as possible for profit reasons.

His state, historically, is the most corrupt state politically, and now has a US Senator, David Vitter, who was involved in a prostitution scandal, but still was reelected, and now plans to run for Governor in 2015 to succeed Jindal.

Jindal has done nothing to better the lot of poor Louisianans, and every time he opens his mouth, he makes one wonder as to his intelligence, and his lack of empathy for those less fortunate is shocking!

If the GOP were to choose Bobby Jindal as their Presidential nominee in 2016, he would lose in a massive landslide!

The Potential For A Massive Hillary Clinton Landslide Of Historic Proportions In 2016!

The Republican Party is managing, by its rhetoric, including most recently, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, to insult women about their libidos, and that only helps the Democratic Party and its likely Presidential nominee in 2016, Hillary Clinton.

Between the issue of women, and also alienation of African Americans, Hispanics and Latinos, gays and lesbians, labor, environmentalists, the struggling middle class, the poor, those who believe in science’s validity over religious dogma, and those who have an open mind on social issues, the GOP is continuing to promote its own suicide, and the potential is there for a massive Hillary Clinton landslide of historic proportions, particularly for a Democrat!

The assumption is that Hillary Clinton can count on the 26 states and the District of Columbia which voted for Barack Obama in 2012.

Additionally, the potential for Indiana and North Carolina, which voted for Obama in 2008 but then turned “Red””, to go back to the Democrats, is seen as highly likely.

Then, the states of South Carolina, Georgia, and Texas in the South, along with Arizona and Montana in the West, and Missouri in the Midwest, (usually a bellwether state but not so in 2008 and 2012) to go Democratic in 2016, particularly with the growing Hispanic and Latino population, is seen as possible, or if not in 2020 for sure.

That would make 34 states, and then there is the issue of five other states which went for Bill Clinton in 1992 and 1996, but then turned “Red”, so the question is could the wife of Bill Clinton, because of the Clinton brand 20-25 years ago, by 2016, be able to convince those five states (West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana) to switch over to the Democrats, with those states also having growing numbers of Hispanics and Latinos? After all, Arkansas is the Clintons’ “home” state, and Tennessee was Vice President Al Gore”s “home” state, while the other three states, all extremely poor and deprived, were Democratic in the 1990s!

So the maximum number of states could be 39, plus the District of Columbia, leaving only eleven states which were solidly Republican in the 1990s, and have remained “Red” ever since—Alabama, Mississippi, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Alaska.

So were those eleven states to vote predictably, which is extremely likely, the GOP nominee for President would have ONLY 55 electoral votes, meaning Hillary Clinton would have won a grand total of 483 electoral votes! Imagine an election of 483-55 for the Democratic Party, which would certainly make for a Democratic dominance in the Senate and a majority in the House of Representatives, as well, as such an electoral vote landslide would insure a “coattail” effect!

Republicans And Medical Doctors In Congress: Do They Care About Health Issues?

When one looks at the 113th Congress, one discovers that there are 17 medical doctors in the House of Representatives, and three medical doctors in the US Senate.

Of these 20 physicians, 16 are members of the Republican Party—13 in the House and all 3 in the Senate.

And all of these Republican medical professionals are the type that any intelligent, informed person would avoid like the plague, as they have shown in their votes, their statements, and in their actions, that they do not have the well being of the American people in mind, but rather are simply capitalists who were in medicine for the profit, rather than for the well being of their patients! They are all anti abortion, and many have no concept of what rape is, and the issue of a woman having a right to an abortion under such circumstances!

So we have Congressman Scott DesJarlais of Tennessee, who like all the GOP doctors, is an anti abortion, “family” doctor, who not only condemns abortion but also adultery, but is known for having cheated on his wife, had asked a mistress to undertake an abortion, and has had numerous affairs, all the time invoking Jesus Christ and claiming he has been forgiven for his sins. His stupid constituents proceeded to reelect him to his House Seat, so what can one say?

And we have Congressman Paul Broun of Georgia, whose specialty is Family Medicine, running for the US Senate in 2014, who condemns science, believing it is the devil’s work! He rejects evolution and yet is representing the congressional district which includes Athens, Georgia, where the University of Georgia is located. He has been reelected by his district, and is a member of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, even though he rejects the concept of science and space!

And we have Texas Congressman Michael Burgess, Georgia Congressman Phil Gingrey, and Tennessee Congressman David Roe, all of whom are Obstetrician-Gynecologists, but have no understanding of what rape is, and how a woman should have the right to an abortion resulting from abortion!

It is interesting to point out that of the 13 Republican Congressmen who are medical doctors, 9 are from the South—three from Georgia, two from Tennessee, three from Louisiana, and one from Texas! With the kind of record these Southern Congressmen have on the issue of science and medicine, one has to wonder about their credentials, and why they keep on being reelected by their constituents!

And then there are the three Republican doctors in the US Senate—Wyoming Senator John Barrasso who is an Orthopedic Surgeon; Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn, who is a Family Medicine specialist; and last, but not least, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, an Ophthalmologist, who has accreditation from his own created organization, rejecting the national organization that accredits eye doctors!

Need more be said about Medical Doctors and the Republican Party? No wonder that comedian Bill Maher ridiculed them on a recent show!

Two Political Giants Pass From The Scene: Lindy Boggs And William Scranton!

In just the past couple of days, two Political Giants, one a Democrat and a woman, the other a man and a Republican, have passed from the scene, and their deaths remind us of the fact that there have been quality politicians in both parties, but the number who are such is rapidly declining!

Former Louisiana Congresswoman Lindy Boggs, the widow of former Congressman Hale Boggs, and the mother of ABC journalist Cokie Roberts, died at the age of 97. One of the greatest women ever to serve in Congress, she won her husband’s seat after he was tragically killed in a small plane over Alaska, with his body never being found, in 1972. Lindy Boggs served almost 18 years in her Louisiana House district, winning the last few times as the only white Representative in Congress to represent a majority black district. She served as the Chairwoman of the 1976 Democratic National Convention which nominated Jimmy Carter and Walter Mondale. She was outspoken on the subject of civil rights, and was the first woman to serve in Congress from her state. Boggs also served as Ambassador to the Vatican, the Holy See, in the second term of Bill Clinton’s Presidency from 1997-2001.

And her daughter, Cokie Roberts, became a well known, outstanding journalist on ABC for a few decades, adding much to the profession of television journalism!

Lindy Boggs was truly an elegant lady, and a woman who stands out as one of the best ever to serve in the halls of Congress!

Just today, news came of the death of former Republican Governor of Pennsylvania, William Scranton at age 96, who became very prominent as a one term Governor from 1963-1967, after serving one term in the House of Representatives. A progressive or liberal Republican, and proud of that appellation, Scranton ran a last ditch Presidential campaign against fellow Republican, Senator Barry Goldwater, attempting to stop his nomination for President in 1964.

Scranton came from a wealthy family which had founded Scranton, Pennsylvania, and was an inheritor of a fortune made in iron, coal, and railroads. He brought about education reform, including the community college system in his state. He also served as UN Ambassador in 1976, the last year of the Gerald Ford Presidency, and also headed a committee to investigate the Kent State University and Jackson State College tragedies which occurred after the US invasion of Cambodia in 1970 under President Richard Nixon during the Vietnam War! He also was asked by Nixon to be his Secretary of State, but declined, and was considered to be Gerald Ford’s Vice Presidential running mate in 1976, but passed by for Senator Bob Dole of Kansas!

The loss of two principled, decent politicians, such as Lindy Boggs and William Scranton, is a loss to American politics, and we can only hope for more people entering politics with the kind of stature and dignity that these two individuals personified!

States Refusing To Expand Medicaid Are Victimizing The Poorest, Saying Their Lives Do Not Matter, Only That They Are Born!

It is amazing how states that are anti abortion are also, in many cases, very willing to victimize the poor, once they are born, by refusal to expand Medicaid for the most needy!

So the idea seems to be to make sure everyone is born, and then you are on your own, as far as health care, if you are unfortunate enough to be the poorest in our society in those states, all of which are “red” or Republican states!

Among the states that will punish people who are poor, include:

Texas
Florida
Georgia
Alabama
Louisiana
Mississippi
Kansas

Altogether, about half the states will resist Medicaid expansion, and therefore determine that the lives of the poor who have no medical coverage do not matter!

And IF these people go to emergency rooms, they will get minimal care, and it will cost more than covering them under Medicaid!

So people who believe in the “right to life” are willing to see lives shortened, as long as they are born! After that, you are on your own, including children and the elderly!

What hypocrisy on the part of these state governors and legislatures, and the Republican Party, and yet the people in those states vote Republican out of ignorance and promotion of racism and nativism!

Absolutely unbelievable! Is this the kind of country we want to live in and promote for the future? The concept is maddening!

Mark Sanford Vs. Elizabeth Colbert Busch: The Race To Watch On Ability To Overcome A Sex Scandal!

Former South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, the center of a lurid sex scandal, is trying to restart his career by going back to the Congressional seat in Charleston which he held before he became Governor.

Once having Presidential ambitions, which fell by the wayside once he was involved with an Argentine beauty, and disappeared for days without explanation, Sanford now faces the challenge of the candidacy of Democrat Elizabeth Colbert Busch, the sister of Stephen Colbert, the comedian on Comedy Channel, who is one of the best political comedians in America, along with Jon Stewart of the same channel.

The race is very close, but if Sanford wins, his political career would be revived, and if he loses, he is done with politics, and would go back to his former real estate career.

Can a disgraced politician survive a sex scandal? Well, Senator David Vitter of Louisiana has done so, but that is an exception.

Of course, former President Bill Clinton did so, although not running for office again.

Former New York Congressman Anthony Weiner is considering running for Mayor of New York City, which will be another test of ability to come back from a sex scandal.

Realize that in almost all cases, a sex scandal destroys the career of a politician for good, so the Sanford and, possibly, Weiner cases will be very telling to see if the voters are willing to forgive, if not forget, their transgressions.

We shall see regarding Sanford tomorrow night, and Weiner making a decision to run in the next month before the deadline to file for the New York Mayoralty!

Zack Kopplin, The Hope For The Future Of Science In The Battle Against Creationism!

Zack Kopplin is a 19 year old History major at Rice University in Houston, who has become famous in his fight against the state of Louisiana, which passed a law on science education in 2011, which promoted the religious “creationist” theory of man’s evolution and development. The fact that Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal would sign such a law says legions about his potential candidacy for President in the future! What kind of intelligent political leader would have the gall to go along with such propaganda, which has no basis?

Kopplin has appeared on many shows, and challenged Congresswoman Michele Bachmann of Minnesota, proving that her statement that Nobel Prize scientists believed in creationism as legitimate, had no basis! He also challenged Rick Santorum on this controversy. His effect on this issue led to Jon Huntsman speaking up on the topic in support of what Kopplin has enunciated, during the Republican primary race for President in 2012.

Kopplin has won awards and endorsements for his fight to bring about the proper study of science in Louisiana and nationally, and has emphasized the importance of the separation of church and state. He has become a hero for those who believe in fighting the role of religion in educational policy, including the religiously based charter schools which have promoted creationism as science.

This is a young man who gives us hope that the ” Know Nothings” that permeate many state governments in many southern and Midwestern states will not be permitted to distort the field of science, and thus to put America behind in the international race for progress and forward thinking in the 21st century!

Louisiana, The World’s Prison Capital: A Violation Of Human Rights!

The New Orleans Times-Picayune has uncovered the fact that the state of Louisiana is the world’s prison capital.

One out of 86 adults is in prison, higher per capita than any state or nation in the entire world!

It is a rate three times higher than Iran and ten times higher than Germany!

Louisiana has doubled its prison population by allowing local sheriffs to operate local prisons, whereby the sheriffs get payments for how many inmates they have and keep!

A majority of inmates in Louisiana now are in for profit jails and prisons, a system which encourages incarceration. And the prisoners in these for profit jails do nothing all day to encourage them to have a better life after they leave, and are housed in large rooms with bunk beds and no privacy at all.

The harshness of the prison system is reprehensible, including more inmates serving life terms without parole, and more nonviolent offenders in prisons than any other state.

If one steals two cars, he is in prison for 24 years, and three drug convictions of any level lead to life without parole.

That such a system exists and is not subject to judicial or legislative review is a human rights outrage of massive proportions!