MORE PRIDE NEEDED IN LOUISIANA?

Friday, November 25^th, 2016

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

MORE PRIDE NEEDED IN LOUISIANA?

One of the biggest tests facing Louisiana’s recently elected Governor John Bel Edwards is the challenge of re-instilling pride in the attitudes of many Louisianans. Government can only do so much. But a governor can be a catalyst in raising the public’s expectations.

The whole focus of public accountability and local pride came to mind recently on a visit to Charlotte, North Carolina. Now I do admit a bit of favorable prejudice toward the Tar Heel State, having graduated from Chapel Hill back in the 60s. And 60 years ago, many observers linked North Carolina and Louisiana as the two southern states with the greatest potential for economic growth and a higher quality of life in the South.

Both states had a strong agricultural base, with tobacco being king in Carolina and both cotton and sugar cane offering farmers a good living in Louisiana. It was textiles in Carolina and oil Louisiana. The two great university presses in the South were located at Chapel Hill and Baton Rouge with major American literary figures concentrated around the two great state universities.

But an economic downturn hit both states in the late 1970s. North Carolina quickly diversified and centered its future economic development on an innovative research triangle that attracted startup businesses all over the state. High oil prices enticed Louisiana to keep the status quo. And things haven’t changed much.

Several Louisiana cities have recently sent groups of business leaders and public officials around the country to observe what seems to be working in other cities. They would do well to make a pilgrimage to Charlotte. Here is what they would find.

One of the first things you notice is the cleanliness, not just in Charlotte, but throughout much of the state. There are exceptions. But by and large, you just don’t see the litter that seems to cover Louisiana.

A few months ago, a former Louisiana State Senator was a guest on my syndicated radio show. He told the story of his efforts to bring a Japanese automobile plant to Northeast Louisiana. The Senator had picked up the Japanese officials in Shreveport and drove them to the plant site some 20 miles east of Monroe. He and his group made what they thought was a first-rate presentation, but the Japanese decided to go elsewhere. When he followed up the visit to find out why Louisiana was turned down, he was given two reasons. First was the lack of a trained workforce. But just as important, was the liter along the highways. He was told: “Your people do not seem to take much pride in keeping their state clean.”

A brand-new monorail system has just opened in Charlotte, traveling throughout the downtown area and linking all the major hotels to the convention center. Congestion throughout the inner city has been greatly reduced, and I found it to be a quick and easy way to travel.

Charlotte, as well as a number of other North Carolina cities, is in the process of becoming “wired.” Even midsize cities like Winston Salem are installing wireless broadband networks. As one city official told me: “We are trying to differentiate our North Carolina cities from other locations as we are competing for those knowledge-based companies. If your city is not wired up, you’re just not going to be competitive.” As has been written here in several recent columns, Internet access, particularly for students statewide, could be the single biggest asset toward moving Louisiana’s lackluster educational system literally giant steps forward.

The bottom line, Governor Edwards, is that in setting out your new agenda, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. There are a number of progressive ideas emanating from cities and states all over the country. Many of these ideas will require a major financial investment. But others, like keeping our roadways clean, are simply a matter of instilling a sense of personal responsibility. That’s where pride begins.

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“If you love Louisiana, she’ll love you back.”

Al Hirt

Peace and Justice

Jim Brown

Jim Brown’s syndicated column appears each week in numerous newspapers throughout the nation and on websites worldwide.  You can read all his past columns and see continuing updates at http://www.jimbrownusa.com.  You can also hear Jim’s nationally syndicated radio show each Sunday morning from 9:00 am till 11:00 am Central Time on the Genesis Radio Network, with a live stream at http://www.jimbrownusa.com.

TRUMP CAMPAIGN LIKE READING A NOVEL!

Thursday, November 17^th, 2016

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

TRUMP CAMPAIGN LIKE READING A NOVEL!

Let me tell you just how Donald Trump became the nation’s president-elect.  It’s really quite simple. He had a compelling story to tell that resonated with millions of Americans who have been browbeaten by the continuing and tiring clichés that have been coming out of the mouths of both political parties for decades.

The Trump victory could have come right out of a best selling novel.  I have a small publishing company and am asked for editing help and content suggestions on a weekly basis. It’s part of my job to recognize a captivating story. And if ever there was the right occasion to spin a good yarn that many readers could identify with, Trump’s timing was perfect.

Remember that President Obama swept into office in 2008, with the wind at his back as he promised hope and change.  But as Maureen Dowd wrote this week in The New York Times, “Obama lost touch with his revolutionary side and settled comfortably into being an Ivy League East Coast cerebral elitist who hung out with celebrities, lectured Congress and scorned the art of political persuasion.”

Hillary Clinton continued to stir the fires of resentment by giving over 75 speeches to Wall Street powerbrokers at more than $200,000 each. Besides a message of “continuing the legacy,” middle class Americans saw little change and the curdling of any real hope.  Thus the foundation for “Trump-The Novel.”

I tell any aspiring novelist that a compelling suspense narrative needs to include several elements.  There needs to be a threat, a villain, a victim, an opportunity, a solution and a hero.  Trump recognized these essentials from the get-go, and built his initial campaign rhetoric on a direct appeal to blue collar America, many of whom had gone from the hope of 2008 to the hopelessness of 2016.  He set out his story by addressing each of these elements.

The Threat - Immigration, globalization as jobs moved overseas, new technology that allowed computers to replace workers, racial and cultural anxieties, and a feeling that the Washington elites were completely out of touch.

The Victims - Blue collar Americans, many who were either out of work, or who were facing a changing and lowering of their previous standard of life.  The guaranteed healthcare and retirement benefits had become a thing of the past for many workers, with many losing their jobs all together and others hanging on by a thread.

The Opportunity - Trump saw an opening in this widespread frustration and made a simple and forceful call to arms.  Make America Great Again. The nation hadn’t won a war since World War II, and the country was enmeshed in military brushfires all over the Middle East.  The haves were making big bucks in the stock market while the average wage earner was just trying to keep his head above the economic fray. To many, America was falling behind, and it was time for someone to call for a rebirth of past greatness.  In stepped Donald Trump.

The Villain - You’ve got to have a bad guy in any novel.  Trump focused his attacks on immigrants, foreign trade deals and the establishment centered on Wall Street and Washington elites.

The Solution - Build a wall, cut taxes, drain the swamp in Washington where lobbyists control the agenda, make other countries have more skin in the game of terrorist protection.  It was a message the resonated throughout white collar America.

The Hero - Of course, none other than Donald Trump.

So the novel resonated with millions of Trump supporters who saw a larger than life billionaire as the whiplash to the hope and change promised in 2008. Trump’s story of how he won has been written.

So will lit be a best seller?  And will there be a sequel?  We will find out in four years.  But whatever happens in the future, I’m ready to be his publisher.  Love him or hate him, Donald Trump has a compelling story to tell.

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“I've had a beautiful, I've had a flawless campaign. You'll be writing books about this campaign.” – Donald Trump, July 29, 2016

Peace and Justice

Jim Brown

Jim Brown’s syndicated column appears each week in numerous newspapers throughout the nation and on websites worldwide.  You can read all his past columns and see continuing updates at http://www.jimbrownusa.com.  You can also hear Jim’s nationally syndicated radio show each Sunday morning from 9 am till 11:00 am, central time, on the Genesis Radio Network, with a live stream at http://www.jimbrownusa.com.

WAS THE ELECTION RIGGED?

November 10th, 2016

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

WAS THE ELECTION RIGGED?

So was our recent presidential election rigged as winner Donald charged repeatedly throughout his campaign?  Maybe there were no shenanigans on Election Day.  But the election process itself was either unduly influenced or rigged from the get-go.

Mainstream news organizations played a less than noble role by interfering in the process.  Rules were arbitrarily set as to who could join in the televised debates. Lesser-known candidates from both parties were either kept out of the presidential debates or relegated to a “kiddie table debate” that was never shown in prime time.

From the beginning, Trump was a creation of the media. Campbell Brown, a former anchor for CNN and NBC News, recently wrote: “Early on, even before he was the front-runner, TV news was giving Trump far more attention than other candidates. The coverage itself helped create him and has exposed those systemic weaknesses in television journalism. It needs to be understood how important it is for Trump’s rallies to be shown live and, in substantial part, uninterrupted. When the networks did that, they turned their programming into a Trump infomercial.” (Disclaimer: my oldest daughter).

In Louisiana, the statewide public television network, paid for by taxpayer dollars, has allowed an outside private organization to pick and choose who would be allowed to be part of a public debate. Twenty-four candidates qualified for U.S. Senate, yet only five were “blessed” to participate. The other candidates weren’t even given a “kiddie table” option. So the tax dollars of 19 candidates were used to deny them the right to be part of the debate.

We even had charges that the Russians were involved in hacking into both campaigns.  And Louisiana was one of three states where the Russians wanted to come in and “observe” the election process. We know we aren’t able to keep the Russians from meddling in Syria. But infiltrating Louisiana? Give us a break.

And speaking of meddling, the Director of the F.B.I. injected himself into the Clinton email allegations by going public days before the election, something that has never happened by the F.B.I before.  Both the Trump and the Clinton campaigns blasted Director James Comey’s intervention.

Third parties were kept on the presidential debate sidelines by archaic rules that set the bar way too high for their participation. Both the Democrats and the GOP wanted no part in giving any exposure to third parties, at a time when the country needs feasible options.  Polls showed that both major candidates had huge negatives, and a majority of voters voted against rather for. There is certainly room for a viable third and even fourth choice in political parties.

Down in Jefferson Parish, just outside of New Orleans, there were secret voting machines for VIPs, a direct violation of state law.  The registrar of voters who allowed the secret voting process was quoted as saying: “It’s really a convenience for those whose time is, for lack of better word, maybe more valuable than others.”  So you and I play by the rules, but VIP politicians get special treatment.  Makes you wonder what other perks are given out in the voting process.

And we could write a whole column on who came up with the idea of holding a Louisiana Senate debate at predominately black Dillard University, where David Duke would be a participant. The Dillard president charged that the rules allowing Duke to debate were “rigged,” but he still sanctioned the debate to continue as rioters were pepper sprayed.  It was ugly.

As a former Secretary of State and chief elections officer, I can tell you that every election has its share of glitches.  But this recent presidential election was a doozer and the process needs to be reviewed for improvements in the current system.

Donald Trump is our new president to the delight of his many supporters. If you don’t like the results, you just have to wait another 1453 days until the next presidential election.  So get ready.

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“Win or lose, we go shopping after the election.” Imelda Marcos

Peace and Justice

Jim Brown

Jim Brown’s syndicated column appears each week in numerous newspapers throughout the nation and on websites worldwide.  You can read all his past columns and see continuing updates at http://www.jimbrownusa.com.  You can also hear Jim’s nationally syndicated radio show each Sunday morning from 9:00 am till 11:00 am Central Time on the Genesis Radio Network, with a live stream at http://www.jimbrownusa.com.