http://lawrencechehardy.com/index.php?blogId=1 In his 1996 State of the Union Address, President Bill Clinton declared that the era of big government was over.  Of course, the President was talking about the role of government in our daily lives and its overly burdensome rules and mandates.  As we now know the era of big government may have taken a short rest, but it has returned with a vengeance in Obama Care.  What we did not know was that era of Big Brother never took a rest and has arrived bigger, stronger, and better armed than ever. For weeks now the news media has been reporting non-stop about the scandals that have rocked our nation’s capital.  The abandonment of our diplomatic outpost in Benghazi that resulted in the deaths of four Americans including our ambassador to Libya is a scar on American foreign policy.  The IRS mess where the most powerful agency in the federal government targeted conservative groups for close scrutiny is much more than troublesome.  And lastly what was a blatant violation of the first amendment and the constitutional right of a free press through the subpoena of records from Fox News reporter James Rosen and others should concern liberals and conservatives alike.  If all of this is not enough, there is now more. It has been revealed that the National Security Agency (NSA) has been collecting cell phone logs of Americans under the guise of rooting out terrorists and terrorist acts before they happen.  In a recent nationwide Rasmussen Poll, voters rated the surveillance of these calls as the most serious controversy in Washington today.  In my opinion the current practice employed by the NSA is a clear violation of the U. S. Constitution. The law is well settled that law enforcement cannot troll our telephone records, emails, or mailboxes simply to find out where the next bank robber, thief, or embezzler might be hiding.  That would be an illegal search and unconstitutional.  The evidence obtained would be tossed out by the judge, and the accused would likely walk.  Most people would not like law enforcement showing up at their homes or places of business to "check things out."  Again illegal.  So is the federal government violating our fourth amendment right against illegal searches and seizures?  Here is the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution.  Remember that it was written as part of the Bill of Rights in 1789: "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."  Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution.   Washington politicos, democrats and republicans, are all over the chess board in support of and in opposition to the NSA’s snooping activities.  Many folks say they don't mind all of this snooping.  They say they have nothing to hide.  They say that in this day of terrorism we must give up some of our rights to remain a free nation.  Liberal California Senator Diane Feinstein says this is called “protecting Americans.” Uncle Sam has gone too far.  We do not have to give up our most basic and fundamental rights that protect us from government overreach.  The American people must be assured that the collection of our most private communications, thoughts, and ideas by the federal government is not a fishing expedition to see what can be found.  Snooping on known terrorists or those with ties to known terrorist groups or organizations is fair game.  But the mere collection of telephone numbers of every American citizen is too much.  The American government should not go on a fishing expedition trying to catch anything it can while not knowing, however, whether there is anything there to catch.  This is wrong and should not be tolerated.  And to say that people should be willing to give up some of their rights to be protected from terrorists is not understanding just how dangerous an overly zealous government can be.  In many ways it is as dangerous as those terrorists we seek and who are out to get us. So how do we protect the American people from government overreach?  One way is to appoint judges who follow the constitution.  These judges should require the law enforcement community to show probable cause for the search and not allow law enforcement to shoot an arrow into the air just to see where it might land.  That is unconstitutional.  We are fast approaching a line we should not cross if we have not crossed it already, and we should back away from that line now.  Far, far way.  We can protect our nation and our people from terrorists.  Let’s just do it right.  Let’s just follow the constitution.   http://lawrencechehardy.com/index.php?op=ViewArticle&articleId=82&blogId=1 Thu, 13 Jun 2013 09:32:17 -0500 Scandals in Washington, DC are nothing new.  Sex scandals or simply scandals of incompetence can be expected, and the American people usually look the other way when the scandal erupts.  Take a look at the Clinton sex scandal.  He was more popular after word broke that he was having an affair inside the White House and his impeachment trial than he was before.  He left office with positive poll numbers well into the 60's.  Barack Obama is hoping for the same results. The breaking news about the IRS targeting conservative groups for review and the Justice Department going after records of the Associated Press are bad news.  Add to this the continued lack of a responsible response and explanation by the White House to the Benghazi attacks last year, and you have legitimate scandals. This White House is on constant damage control a sign that the White House itself is not in control of its own business.  The fact that the IRS and Justice Department scandals even exist points out the arrogance of the federal government.  There is a culture inside government that "we" can do no wrong.  Left to its own designs government, at any level, can be oppressive.  That is why we have a Bill of Rights to protect all of us from the possible abuses that the federal government can impose on its people.  These two scandals are very bad and good reason why we need our Bill of Rights at all levels of government. There is a growing feeling that the Benghazi scandal comes out of a failure of the federal government to respond quickly to the attack on the American diplomatic post.  Four Americans are dead and Republicans and other responsible lawmakers want to know why they were not better protected.  Again this is a serious failure by the federal government that is still unanswered. Interestingly the American people while deeply concerned by these incidents do not blame President Obama for what happened. His positive poll numbers continue to hover around 50%.  The president has gotten a pass, and that is unfortunate.  The only way these kinds of events are going to be prevented in the future is if the people in power today are held accountable for these failures.  If the White House is allowed to skate by with idle excuses and political rhetoric, the next incident that occurs will be treated the same; and politics will become the rule of the day.  Politicians want to be loved, and this president is no different.  Blaming someone else is wrong, and waiting for the fallout to judge how to respond is no way to respond.  The political arm of the White House should not control the message.  The truth should control.  In the case of Benghazi, the White House faced a real problem.  With the death of Osama bin Laden and President Obama's declaration that Al Qaeda was on its heels, the White House had a real problem.  If it says that Al Qaeda was responsible for the attack, it would make the president’s pronouncement that Al Qaeda was down for the count untrue. Since that can’t be, the White House called the attack “spontaneous.”  No one believed that declaration, not the American people, the media, the people inside the White House, the CIA, or anyone else.  But the president’s team tried to sell it anyway.   How fortunate for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that she was said to be too tired from her foreign travels to appear on the Sunday talk show circuit.  So the administration sent U. N. Ambassador, Susan Rice, making her the administration’s sacrificial lamb.  The Benghazi attack was not spontaneous.  It was a well-orchestrated military hit on our facility.  Why the cover-up?  Why was the White House so concerned?  It was in the middle of an election, and how it described the attack could have an impact on the outcome of that election. Politics triumphed over truth and national security.  These stories cannot be allowed to go away.  The American people deserve a truthful explanation.  The IRS being used to intimidate citizens is wrong and reprehensible.  The truth need be told.  The Department of Justice violating the first amendment's protection of free speech is unacceptable.  It should never have happened.  And the Benghazi attack needs to be fully vetted.  The American people deserve a clear answer of what happened and how.  Nothing less will do.  When politics interferes with the Bill of Rights, all Americans should be sickened and scared.  The only thing standing between us and a ruthless dictatorship is the Bill of Rights, and all Americans should demand that it be respected especially by the government itself.   http://lawrencechehardy.com/index.php?op=ViewArticle&articleId=81&blogId=1 Mon, 20 May 2013 13:00:59 -0500 No more tolls.  The voters spoke loud and clear this past weekend when they trashed the tolls on the Crescent City Connection.  With 78% of the vote, voters said they were tired of tolls, perceived misspending by the bridge, and broken promises.  So while the tolls are gone, new issues have become front and center.  Louisiana has had serious fiscal problems for several years.  The money has not been there to fully fund state government to the extent we have been used to.  Dramatic cuts have been made to higher education and health care.  More cuts loom his legislative session.  Now the CCC will have to compete for scarce dollars to fund its maintenance, operations, and safety issues.  Orleans and Jefferson legislators will need to do battle with the budget process to make certain that this major connection between the east and west banks of our region remain properly maintained and safely connected. The CCC became its own worst enemy.  Legislators and residents accused it of misspending toll revenue and not living up to the promises that were made when the tolls were extended.  They were correct, and the outcry became so loud that voters demanded drastic change...and change they got. I understand the frustration.  I get the rally cry to eliminate the tolls.  For those who use the bridge on a regular basis, I comprehend how just how poorly treated and taken for granted these folks have been for all of these years.  But this should not be a surprise.  Big government has a way of doing these kinds of things. So how will it go without tolls?  We will not know for sure for several years.  At this point it is only a matter of speculation.  Legislators and toll opponents have assured us that all will be fine.  Supporters of the tolls said without a dedicated source of revenue, the tolls, the quality of care for the bridge will decline.  Based on my experience with government, it is likely that the bridge will not be maintained at the same level as it has been in the past.  The degree of care will be less.  With the state's limited resources, the bridge will have to get in line with other roads and bridges from around the state to fight for the dollars to properly care for it.  Our legislators will have to step up and convince the Department of Transportation and other legislators from around the state that the CCC requires special consideration due to its size and importance to this region.  I am not confident how this will all play out.  I just hope that at the end of the day voters have not thrown out the baby with the bath water.   http://lawrencechehardy.com/index.php?op=ViewArticle&articleId=80&blogId=1 Wed, 08 May 2013 19:35:48 -0500 The explosion of two bombs yesterday at the Boston Marathon points out once again that we live in a dangerous world.  The attack was not committed with guns or AK47’s or high capacity magazines.  The attack was committed with explosive devices that injured, maimed, or killed countless innocent people.  Those near the explosions who survived now have their lives changed forever.  As I sat watching the television accounts and seeing the explosion near the finish line, I wondered just how much hate must a person have in his or her heart to commit such a heinous act?  In America we are taught tolerance for one another.  We respect each other’s religious and political views.  We hold free and open elections.  We have a free market economy, and we applaud the ingenuity of the American people.  Success is a good thing in America.  In other parts of the world, the same cannot always be said.  So why these tragedies occur is sometimes hard to comprehend.  There are those who are so miserable in their existence that they must take revenge on society.  They want the attention and thrive on it.  In these types of attacks, it is usually for a political or religious reason.  Maybe it is a left wing or right wing cause, or possibly it is an act of war against our nation like 9/11.  In other attacks some crazy person finally snaps completely, and it just makes no sense at all.  It is killing for the sake of killing.  We must remain diligent as a nation.  We must protect our shores and our people.  We pride ourselves on our freedoms, and we should never do anything to compromise or lose them.  At the same time we should never forget that we are at war against religious radicals and domestic nut jobs who want to bring down our nation.  The responsible party or parties will be caught and punished for what they have done.  Whether this is domestic or foreign terrorism or foreign influenced, the facts don’t change.  There are real crazies out there, and we need to stop them. For 1,000 planned acts of terrorism, our defenses must stop every one of them.  For the terrorists only one of those acts needs to succeed. What the terrorists don’t comprehend is that they are up against the greatest nation in the history of man, and that at the end of the day America will stand tall – undefeated and unstoppable.  God bless America!   http://lawrencechehardy.com/index.php?op=ViewArticle&articleId=79&blogId=1 Tue, 16 Apr 2013 10:25:26 -0500 Click on the link below to watch my interview with Bayou Buzz on the SMOR poll on Gov. Bobby Jindal. http://www.bayoubuzz.com/buzz/item/389379-jindal-louisiana-legislature-vitter-landrieu-smor-poll-winners-and-losers http://lawrencechehardy.com/index.php?op=ViewArticle&articleId=78&blogId=1 Wed, 03 Apr 2013 17:56:42 -0500 Southern Media and Opinion Research (SMOR) has come out with its latest survey on Governor Bobby Jindal (R-La) and Senator Mary Landrieu.  The survey shows Gov. Jindal with an approval rating of 38% while U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu (D-La) has an approval rating of 56% with just 12% giving her an excellent rating.  Politicians do not like polls by independent pollsters.  That is because those poll results are usually not kept secret.  When such polls do come out, the spin doctors go to work.  Accentuate the positive; explain away the negative.  In this instance, Governor Jindal cannot be happy with his latest poll numbers, and he should not be.  Senator Landrieu is looking at a mixed bag.  Governor Jindal.  The poll numbers are not good.  Whenever an incumbent has numbers below 40%, the incumbent is considered vulnerable.  In this case Gov. Jindal is term limited, but his ability to lead, especially with the very important upcoming April 8th legislative session, is severely weakened.  This is at a time when the governor needs all the stroke he can muster.  Of particular concern is the broad lack of support in the survey for the elimination of the state personal and corporate income taxes coupled with an increase in the state sales tax.  This is the governor's big plan for tax reform. Voters don't like the idea, and the SMOR survey shows that.  Now comes a published report by LaPolitics Weekly that the tax plan is on hold.  Voters are also unhappy about the budget cuts that have been made over the past several years.  Enough is enough they are saying.  This legislative session will be a tough one for the governor and his leaders in the House and Senate.  Individual legislators know what is happening back home in their respective districts.  With numbers like they are statewide, poll numbers in the local districts are most likely similar or worse, and legislators will be much more cautious about voting for proposals that do not have support back home.  Many times legislators will support controversial proposals when the governor is popular and can provide political cover. This is not the case today.  Gov. Jindal needs to take a moment and look in the mirror.  The voters of this state are upset.  Many of his earliest supporters, his most loyal supporters, are disappointed in him. Just ask them, and they will tell you. Their hopes and expectations of the kind of governor that Bobby Jindal would be have been dashed.  Bobby's numerous trips out of state have made voters feel that he is not interested in being Louisiana's Governor particularly at a time when Louisiana has been hit hard by a national recession, and state revenue has fallen causing dramatic budget cuts especially for higher education and health care.  People want leaders and expect leadership.  Bobby was elected to provide the leadership that the prior administration lacked.  He needs to put his further political ambitions on hold and look to the business of running the state.  No more out of state trips.  He should focus on Louisiana.  Do this, and he can recover.  If he continues traveling around the country, he may lose control of the ship and never be able to recover.  Bobby Jindal governed and led in his first term.  Now is the time for him to resume the leadership role that he let slip away before it is too late.  And above all don't underestimate Bobby Jindal.   Senator Mary Landrieu.  Sen. Landrieu's poll numbers are a tale of two people.  While her approval rating is good, her re-election numbers give pause for concern.  While Sen. Landrieu receives the approval of fifty-six percent of respondents, only thirty-seven percent are willing to commit to vote to re-elect her to the Senate seat she will have held for eighteen years when her current term expires in January, 2015.  It is quite problematic for Sen. Landrieu who supported the Affordable Care Act or Obama Care.  She has supported tax increases and supported the democratic leadership of the U.S. Senate.  None of these is popular in Louisiana especially Obama Care.  To defeat Sen. Landrieu republicans must field a candidate who is not perceived as extreme on the issues.  Sen. Landrieu will use announced candidate Baton Rouge Congressman Bill Cassidy's (R-La) voting record against him calling him too extreme on the issues.  She will also tout all that she has done for the state.  Rep. Cassidy, on the other hand, will call Sen. Landrieu the extremist, a liberal, pointing out her support for Obama Care and other initiatives put forth by President Obama, who lost big to Mitt Romney in Louisiana in the last presidential election, and democrats in congress.  Republicans must work to make sure that only one credible republican runs for Senator. If more than one credible republican enters the race, Sen. Landrieu will sit back in the primary (November 2014) and tout her ability to deliver for the state while the republican candidates attack one another.  In the runoff one month later, she will be in a commanding position to be re-elected.  Not that long ago I considered Gov. Jindal the favorite in the race against Sen. Landrieu.  But the governor's sights are set elsewhere, and so this race will not happen.  Nonetheless the race will be a whopper that will be watched all over America and  especially in Washington, D.C. where democrats look to hold on to their majority control of the U.S. Senate.  Republicans, on the other hand, are looking for a pickup.  But, given the talented ability of republicans to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, a pickup of this seat is no guarantee.   http://lawrencechehardy.com/index.php?op=ViewArticle&articleId=77&blogId=1 Wed, 03 Apr 2013 17:04:35 -0500 Louisiana has a history with tax reform.  Back in the late eighties a movement was underway in Louisiana for fiscal reform.  Simply put the effort was designed to shift Louisiana's tax burden from big business and industry to individual taxpayers and property owners especially homeowners.  The movement had support from virtually every so called good government organization and the news media.  Newspapers around the state wrote countless numbers of editorials in support of the plan.  Radio, television, and newspaper news stories were slanted in favor of the plan.  And it had the support of then Governor Buddy Roemer (R).  The legislature defeated the tax proposal mostly due to the dramatic increase in property taxes that it levied and a significant reduction in the amount of the  homestead exemption.  A watered down version that did not affect the homestead exemption was later passed by the legislature but defeated by voters statewide.  Fast forward to today.  Governor Bobby Jindal has proposed his own version of fiscal reform.  The governor's plan is to eliminate the state income tax and shift most of that burden on to the state sales tax through an increase in the current rate of 4% to 5.88% and the elimination of some current sales tax exemptions.  His plan is being roundly criticized, and the opposition is growing.  Major shifts or changes in public policy like this proposal create the real possibility that the plan will be dissected and picked apart by countless opponents.  Such cherry picking is dangerous for proponents because it allows the opposition to join forces with one another even though each group individually may have different reasons to be in opposition, but all of whom want the legislation defeated.  In numbers there is strength.  Individually these groups would have no stroke at the state capitol.  But when they join forces, they can become lethal.  And that is what is happening.  It will be a tall order for the legislature to adopt such a far reaching proposal as what  Governor Jindal has laid out.  By the time legislators are beaten up by the editorial boards across the state, the special interests and lobbyists in Baton Rouge, and local officials, the governor's plan will be dramatically different from what is being talked about now.  How different it will be is anyone's guess.   Governor Jindal is talented at getting his way, and the legislative leadership will do everything it can to make sure he is not embarassed at the outcome of any legislative vote.  Bobby Jindal passed financial disclosure for elected officials.  And although the plan that passed was considerably watered down from the governor's original version, the plan did pass and now elected officials across the state must disclose annually their assets, liabilities, and incomes.  Passing such legislation was no easy task especially with local officials and legislators kicking and screaming along the  way, but the governor did it.  Tax reform, however, may be different.  To avoid disaster Governor Jindal will have to be intimately involved with this legislation to the bitter end listening and addressing the concerns of lawmakers and the groups affected by his proposal.   Even a watered down version of his plan could be considered a victory for Bobby Jindal.  Asking for more than you think you can get but settling for less can be a winning strategy giving the governor most of what he really wants.  But at the end of the day Governor Jindal will have to pass what is considered to be landmark legislation in tax reform or the remaining two years of his term will be best named after that ice cream flavor called "Rocky Road."  Just ask Buddy Roemer.    http://lawrencechehardy.com/index.php?op=ViewArticle&articleId=76&blogId=1 Wed, 27 Mar 2013 09:19:09 -0500 With the presidential election over, political junkies now turn their eyes toward the next big race.  At first glance that would seem to be the 2014 Mayor's race in New Orleans, but Mayor Mitch Landrieu (D) appears to have no real opposition at this time and should coast to an easy re-election victory barring the political upset of the century.  So the junkies now look much farther down the road to the 2014 race for the U.S. Senate seat now held by Mary Landrieu (D).  In each of her bids for the U.S. Senate, Mary Landrieu faced stiff opposition, and 2014 looked no different.  Two years ago Governor Bobby Jindal (R) looked like a sure candidate for the Senate.  His chance of winning the election was excellent.  The governor was popular, and she was on the ropes having voted for Obama Care.  Today the political world is much different.  Although Louisiana is a very conservative and Republican state, Sen. Landrieu is the favorite in her bid for re-election even against a yet to be announced candidate.  Gov. Jindal clearly has his eyes focused on a much bigger prize, the race for President in 2016.  The governor’s agenda is lock step with the positions and goals of national conservative groups whom he is heavily courting and whom he hopes will lead him to the White House.  Whether this is a winning strategy remains to be seen.  For Sen. Landrieu it is one less candidate to worry about.  So the race for the Senate will boil down to Sen. Landrieu and someone else.  Republicans need to rally around one candidate something they have had trouble doing in the past.  A field with multiple republican candidates will only hurt the party's chances of winning.  And finding that one candidate is getting more difficult.  Several members of Louisiana’s Republican Congressional Delegation have announced that they will not be running for the Senate.  Which Republican runs remains an open question.  Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne (R) has recently announced that he is looking at the race.  The Tea Party is rumored to be encouraging former Republican Congressman Jeff Landry to run.  The state Republican Party will find a candidate, but look for Senator David Vitter (R) to have a big say in that decision. The Senate race will be unusual in one major way.  It will have a ripple effect on Louisiana's race for governor in 2015.  Rumors say that Mayor Landrieu, Mary’s brother, is eyeing a run for Governor.  If Mary Landrieu wins re-election, look for Mitch Landrieu to almost certainly take a shot at the Governor's Mansion.  A Mary Landrieu victory in the Senate race will give a major boost to Mitch Landrieu’s aspirations.  The race for governor will be fierce, costly, and divisive regardless of who enters the race.  And with Mitch Landrieu in the race, Republicans will meet their match.  Louisiana’s current fiscal woes will play a significant role in the next governor’s race.  Democrats will say budget cuts have been too big and hurt those who most need the help.  Republicans will say differently.  In either case higher education and health care in Louisiana will have taken big budget hits over the years and the wisdom and breadth of those cuts will be aired out on the political stage.  Republicans should have a real concern over the toll these cuts have taken on Governor Jindal, and the impact they might have on the republican candidate for governor.  Faced with shrinking revenue Governor Jindal slashed the state budget much to the chagrin of many legislators, including some Republicans, educators, and health care providers.  Those cuts have taken their toll on the governor whose poll numbers have dropped significantly.  Republicans should have cause for concern that voters may take their opposition to the deep budget cuts out on the republican candidate for Governor.  In any event the next governor faces big challenges in getting Louisiana's fiscal house in order.  November, 2014, is far away.  October, 2015, is even further away.  And a lot can happen between now and then.  President Obama hopes to take back control of the Congress for his last two years in office and holding on to the Landrieu seat is an important part of his strategy.  National democrats hope to win back a governorship that has been in the hands of Republicans long enough.  Republicans see all of this as a prelude to the race for president in 2016.  It never ends.   http://lawrencechehardy.com/index.php?op=ViewArticle&articleId=75&blogId=1 Thu, 07 Mar 2013 10:10:38 -0600 My commentaries also appear at www.BayouBuzz.com, and watch for my monthly appearances on La. Newsmaker on Cox Cable. For years we have heard conservative members of Congress say that the federal government has a spending problem.  Now liberals in Congress are saying we have a revenue problem.  Two different takes on the economic mess our country is in and two different positions that will be difficult to resolve.  As a result America continues to sink further into debt and calls continue for additional higher taxes.  One thing about government is that it can create its own economic mess, and that is exactly what has happened.  For government and its bureaucracy to survive, they must create new programs and expand existing ones so that the government itself and the bureaucracy that runs it can justify their existences.  And one thing you can be sure of is that once a program begins it is nearly impossible to cut it.  For the first time in American history we have a president firmly committed to an expanded role for government in the daily lives of Americans.  Whether it is for more government expenditures or more and higher taxes to pay for those programs, Barack Obama truly believes that America's future lies with the active participation of the federal government in the daily lives of the American people.  He is unconcerned about deficits.  Republicans believe that the deficit must be addressed and that federal spending must be curtailed without raising taxes.  The solutions to our economic nightmare and rapidly rising deficit (the federal debt is now more than $16.5 trillion) are solutions that neither side wants to hear or discuss.  Democrats don't want to cut spending, and Republicans don't want to raise taxes.  By spending more than it can afford, the federal government has put itself into a no win position.  President Obama and many members of Congress call for more taxes on the rich.  Outspoken liberal and former Democratic Party presidential candidate and former Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean has stated that taxes must be raised on everyone.  Without meaningful cuts in the budget, Howard Dean is right.  More taxes will be needed to fund spending and avert fiscal calamity.  But neither Mr. Obama nor members of Congress will admit this.  If the federal government has a revenue problem, as liberals claim, it is strictly the fault of the federal government.  Congress and the President, past and present, continue to spend money they do not have.  They have tricked the American people into believing that taxing the rich will resolve our economic mess when top economists tell us that taxing the wealthiest Americans at a marginal rate of 100% will not give the federal government enough revenue to pay its bills.  (Taxing the rich is easy since they compromise such a small percentage of voters.)  So it is no wonder that the federal deficit continues to grow at an alarming rate.  And, when you add in the outrageous tax exemptions and exclusions from federal income taxes that special interests get, the revenue picture gets worse.  Simply put Washington has exempted as many people and special interests as possible from paying federal income taxes, all for votes and campaign funds, while continuing to spend money the federal government does not have.  The federal government has ended up with the worst of both worlds, insufficient revenue to pay its bills and an increasing mountain of bills to pay.   President Obama and liberals in Congress have to know that continued unfunded spending and increasing deficits will send the American economy into a tailspin.  Failing to act means interest rates will rise making home ownership less affordable and creating another housing crisis.  Inflation will kick in increasing monthly rents, the cost of groceries, fuel, and energy, and the necessities of life.  All of this hits the poor and the middle class the hardest, the very people liberals say they want to help, and makes more Americans dependent on the federal government.  So what is it going to be?  Higher taxes, less spending, or both?  My position?  Raising taxes across the board, as Howard Dean advocates, will send us into another recession.  Selective tax increases will not be enough and could also create another recession.  Ignoring the problem or simply paying lip service to it as Washington is doing now will only make matters worse.  I believe the federal government has a spending problem; and, if it is not resolved soon by cutting spending, raising taxes on the poor and the middle class will be the least of our problems. http://lawrencechehardy.com/index.php?op=ViewArticle&articleId=74&blogId=1 Tue, 19 Feb 2013 11:34:39 -0600 What a score for Louisiana, New Orleans, and Jefferson Parish! Super Bowl XLVII was a super hit. The game was spectacular, halftime was incredible, and the fans who visited our great city were well pleased by their experiences. Putting on such an event is a major effort involving many people and organizations including the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation, a group that brings many major sporting events to our city and community. The group may not be well know to a lot of locals, but their reputation throughout the United States for putting on major sporting events is well known. Super Bowls, men’s and women’s Final Fours and SEC regional and championship games, the R + L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, the Bassmaster’s Classic, and the NBA All-Star game come to New Orleans in large part thanks to the efforts of many people and organizations including the Sports Foundation which takes a major leadership role and deserves credit for a job well done. No trip to New Orleans is complete without a visit to some of the finest restaurants in the world. Restaurants were busier than ever, and several were featured on national television including Drago’s Seafood Restaurant at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside. Also in line for credit is Family Gras sponsored by the Jefferson Convention and Visitors Bureau. This annual event attracts thousands of people who gather on the neutral ground in front of Lakeside Shopping Center and Whole Foods Market and Jared Jewelers on Veterans Boulevard. This year’s performances were highlighted by Saturday night’s appearance of Frankie Valli who at 78 years of age has a voice as strong and talented as it was in the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. His performance was memorable. Many locals in attendance and many fans from Baltimore and San Francisco were in attendance too. Family Gras and Super Bowl revelers received an added treat. Mardi Gras parades rolled in Metairie on Friday and Saturday nights. The Krewe of Excalibur had their usual outstanding parade with some of the best royalty costumes in all of the Mardi Gras season. The Krewe of Atlas followed Excalibur. The Krewe of Caesar rolled on Saturday night and kept its reputation as one of Mardi Gras’ best parades. If there was one problem, it was the incident in the second half of the game itself, after the Raven’s kickoff return for a touchdown, when many of the lights in the Mercedes Benz Superdome went out. To those announcers, writers, and pontificators who want to criticize what happened, as if it was a planned event by the city or the dome itself, you are proof that some people will look for any reason to be negative. To me it was just one of those things that can happen at any live event. In an outdoor stadium, like next year’s Super Bowl, the NFL runs the risk of snow storms and blizzards preventing fans from getting to the big game. Sports writers are already complaining about potential traffic issues, and the game is a year away. In a dome stadium in 2013, it was the lights. So what? The game went on and became much more competitive than it was up to that point. Lighten up, guys! It’s live entertainment. The big news by the local newspaper that the mayor of New Orleans was buying his own tickets to the Super Bowl courtesy of the New Orleans Saints and whether or not the governor of the state was doing the same thing was so absurd. The Super Bowl is a big event attended by many corporate big shots. The mayor should be at the game and so should the governor, and the local newspaper should not be implying that either one of them is doing something wrong by buying their own ticket to attend. I hope the mayor and governor did attend so they could represent our city and state to the corporate giants and big time investors who can give a major economic boost to our region by locating their businesses here and investing in Louisiana. So despite the lights delaying the game and misguided criticism by some of the media, this weekend was one of excitement and out of the park entertainment. It was good for the city, the region, and our state. New Orleans looked fabulous and stood out as a place to visit and maybe more. The lights shined brightly on our state, city, and region this past weekend, and we all have much to be proud of. http://lawrencechehardy.com/index.php?op=ViewArticle&articleId=73&blogId=1 Tue, 05 Feb 2013 08:14:59 -0600