IS ANYONE INTERESTED IN VOTING IN LOUISIANA?

Thursday, October 25th^th, 2018

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

IS ANYONE INTERESTED IN VOTING IN LOUISIANA?

Remember the 1970 song by Chicago; “Does anybody know what time it is, does anybody really care?” Well it’s close to Election Day in Louisiana, and it would seem by early voting projections and general lack of interest that Louisianans are not holding their breath to cast their ballot. Why the lack of attention to an event that affects the future of the state and the entire nation? There are a number of reasons.

Louisiana has become a strong red state with major advantages for the republican candidate. A number of democratic leaning voters feel going to the polls is just not worth the effort. “Why bother if my vote really won’t make any difference,” is the feeling of many more moderate inclined voters.

It’s much harder for candidates to get to voters today. It used to be that a voter had the choice of three TV stations, a few radio stations and one local newspaper. The Internet has changed all this. From cable to web newspapers, to information streaming, voters have so many new choices. And political media campaigns often get lost in the scuffle. It is simply much harder to get to the average voter without raising and spending more campaign dollars.

“Retail politicking,” particularly in statewide races, has become a thing of the past. Up until just a few years ago, candidates would never miss the chance to shake hands at numerous well-attended festivals and fairs across the state. When I was out looking for votes during my seven statewide elections, I would send over a convertible at the crack of dawn on parade day to get in the front of the line, often jousting with a number of other candidates. Today, few statewide candidates show up for such events.

Now candidates raise campaign dollars and hand it over to consultants, who then decide how the money is to be spent. And the majority of the spending is for 30-second attack ads in the final days of the campaign. Both sides attack each other, and voters are relegated to the choices of bad or worse. As one candidate put it: “I want voters to hold their nose and vote for me.”

The press does not cover political campaigns like they once did. This is a reflection of the financial cutbacks by newspapers, radio and TV stations across the state. Louisiana’s largest newspaper, The Times Picayune, now only prints three times a week. A reader has to go on line to read their news in a city where 40% of the voters do not have an Internet connection.

Radio stations are doing much less local programing. Thousands of voters used to listen to interviews about local and state politicians during morning and afternoon drive time. But much of the programing is now syndicated, with stations using talk show hosts who have little interest in local politics. TV stations in the state, with a few exceptions, no longer have the resources to do any in-depth comparisons of candidates. The result is that voters are less informed, and thus less interested.

And finally, I wonder if many voters in the state know how to vote anymore? I have run for office in ten different elections beginning in the early 70s. I   cannot remember being pigeonholed by voters who made their choice of candidates based on a single issue. Today, more and more voters toe the party line, and look for either the R or D after a candidate’s name. Too often, we don’t consider which candidate has a broad vision for what is in the best interest of Louisiana.

Have we relegated ourselves into “kneejerk” voting based on single issues? Consultants talk about the Catholic vote, the abortion vote, and the Cajun vote, often all based on self-interest, and not founded on a range of issues that are critical to getting Louisiana out of its economic doldrums. If these “self-interest” issues are not on the line, doesn’t this dampen the interest in going to the polls?

Elections officials are predicting a 30% turnout, one of the lowest for statewide elections in the past 100 years. There are number of ways to reinvigorate the electorate and make voting easier and more interesting. That’s fodder for a post-election column. In the meantime, every Louisiana voter will hopefully take the required few minutes to cast an important vote on Tuesday, November 6^th. Geaux vote Louisiana.

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“If God wanted us to vote, he would have given us candidates.”  ~Jay Leno

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.

LIVING AND DYING IN LOUISIANA!

Thursday, October 18^th, 2018

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

LIVING AND DYING IN LOUISIANA!

Fourteen years ago this week, Derrick Todd Lee received the death penalty in Louisiana. He was the state’s most notorious and prolific serial killer. I was there in the courtroom when the verdict was handed down.

It was a cool Tuesday evening, and I was leaving a reception for former congressman Billy Tauzin at the Old State capital in downtown Baton Rouge. Billy and I had fought many battles together when we both served in the Louisiana legislature back in the 1970s. He had fought and won a separate confrontation with cancer, and a number of Billy’s friends all turned out to celebrate a full life he had led. 

I headed to my parked car about a block away across the street from the East Baton Rouge Courthouse.  It was 8 o’clock in the evening, and as I approach my car, I could see numerous television lights and a large crowd on the front steps of the courthouse.

“What’s going on?” I ask one of the reporters I knew. “The jury’s still deliberating whether Derrick Todd Lee lives or dies,” he told me. “Will they come up with the verdict tonight?” I asked. “It’s getting late.” He nodded and said: “That’s what we hear. They’re supposed to push on till they make a decision. They’ll want to go home,” he answered.

I walked into the courthouse and took the elevator up to the sixth floor to the courtroom of the presiding judge, Richard Anderson. Sheriff’s deputies were everywhere and security was tight. I went through the metal detector and walked into a packed court room.

Col. Greg Phares was in charge of the numerous deputies surrounding the walls in the court room. Angola prison warden Burl Cain and I talked for a while. “Whatever happens, I’ve got a full night ahead of me. He will go to Angola tonight for the rest of his life, however long that is,” the warden mused.

About then, the bailiff quieted the court room and the jury filed in. The process was short. A signed verdict sent to the clerk, who read out the decision.  Derrick Todd Lee should be put to death. Then tears and sobs from the victims’ families, from Lee’s relatives, even the district attorney’s wife wiped away a few tears now that the ordeal was over.

So should Derrick Todd Lee die? There was an overwhelming community feeling that, yes, he should. The guy is charged with killing seven women. And there may be more. If you were looking for the right poster face for the death penalty, you can’t do better than Lee.

Putting aside the arguments for opposing the taking of anyone’s life, what possible reason would there be not to execute him? One is money. It costs on average 4 to 5 times more to invoke capital punishment than it does to put him away for life. The costs of appeal, including attorney’s fees that are almost always paid for the estate, often run several million dollars. It’s much cheaper to stick him in a cell and spend a few dollars a day to feed him.

And you can make a pretty good argument that if you want to put someone through hell, stick them in a maximum-security prison where he will either be brutalized by the prison population, or confined in solitary where he lives almost like an animal in total boredom. Some would argue this punishment is worse than the death penalty.

But we demand an eye for an eye. Oh, it may take a decade or more. But the odds were, that one day Lee would die. John McKeithen, Edwin Edwards and Buddy Romer each told me the toughest decision they ever faced as governor was whether to let a condemned man die. It was the first decision Roemer had to make the day he was sworn in. But they always let it happen.

Two different people that night at two different events. One a celebration of a full and continuing life. The other, just a block away, a decision to take away a life.

The challenge, of course, is to live a life of dignity. To see your own existence as a heightened example of universal experience – a life that is fulfilling in a way that is somehow larger-than-life. On that night fourteen years ago, it was obvious that one succeeded and one failed.

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.

WHAT’S THE NEW SECRETARY OF STATE TO DO?

Thursday, October 11^th, 2018

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

WHAT’S THE NEW SECRETARY OF STATE TO DO?

Special statewide elections in Louisiana are only a few weeks away. At the top of the ballot on November 6thwill be an office second in line to the governorship. A number of the candidates are harping on the same theme. Each wants to be the business development voice of the state. Will the Governor let that happen? Fat chance. 

The Secretary of State does have, under current law, some business duties. But the office serves primarily in that capacity as the filer and record keeper of corporations and partnerships. How can we gently say this....a glorified clerk of court. It would take a benevolent governor to turn over business development responsibility to another statewide official. 

So just what should these candidates be talking about? Yes, there are some real problems to address. Here’s the list. 

Voting Machines. All over the country, concerns are being raised over new electronic voting machines. Many critics say these machines are riddled with security leaks and are ripe for computer hackers to change numbers without elections officials knowing anything about it. And what about backup? Many machines in use have no paper backup to verify correct totals. Yet so far, those who seek the office to oversee this process have been mute in discussing the implications of election fraud. Checks and balances should certainly be an election debate subject. The bottom line is that there has to be some type of paper ballot backup.  

There is no necessity for new expensive voting machines. The more sophisticated the machines  are, the more likely that they can be hacked. The key, as obsolete as it seems, is to have a paper trail.Yes, it’s the 21^stcentury, but the best protection against voter fraud is probably using 1^stcentury technology – PAPER.

Voting Fraud-The days of blatant and widespread voter fraud has been greatly curtailed, although not eliminated. President Trump has alleged prevalent voter fraud, and this certainly raises the concerns of many voters. Here’s what the President said after his 2016 victory.  “ It tells you what a crooked system we have and what a rotten political system we have. I won Louisiana, but what’s going on is a disgrace.”In the 1980s, Louisiana created an Elections Integrity Commission. To put voter’s minds at ease, the new Secretary of State might consider reestablishing this commission.

Mandatory Voting?There are proposals being floated around to make voting mandatory, saying if jury service is required, why not voting? Are disinterested voters all that big of a problem? Some might argue that not voting is a protest against the choices being offered. How about offering an additional choice of “none of the above?” Some states actually allow such an option on the ballot. So candidates, tell us how you feel about forcing us to vote, or giving voters the option of voting against every candidate on the ballot?

Protecting Louisiana’s heritage. -The Bayou State has the richest heritage of any state in the nation. The job of the State Archives is to protect and share our history.  The present Archives Building in the country’s finest.  No other state comes close. (Disclaimer-It was built under the administration of some guy named Brown who was Secretary of State back in the 1980s.) What will each candidate do, if elected, to protect the state’s important documents relating to the state’s history?  And what about the ten local museums around the state that are managed by the Secretary of State?  How does each candidate propose to keep these museums open in light of the state’s fiscal problems?

Finally, I hope every candidate will commit to finding the Great Seal of Louisiana. The state constitution specifically directs the Secretary of State to be the keeper of the Great Seal.  I looked all over for it during the eight years I held this office, and never could find it. A major investigation must might be necessary to locate it.  After all, how can a state exist without a Great Seal. 

Some would argue Louisiana does not need to elect its Secretary of State.  Twelve other states have the office appointed by either the governor or the state legislature.  And that seems to be the growing trend.  The newly elected Secretary of State obviously needs to hit the ground running.  After all, this is just a special election. And guess what? The winner will have to do it all over again in less than a year.

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.

MEDDLING WITH LOUISIANA CHARTER SCHOOLS!

October 4^th, 2018

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

MEDDLING WITH LOUISIANA CHARTER SCHOOLS!

Here we go again with meddling federal judges. The 5^thU.S Circuit Court of Appeals came down hard on Louisiana charter schools last week. Charter schools, that by definition are independent with major input from parents, now will have to bargain with teachers’ unions. The 5^thCircuit is well known for questionable opinions that are often overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court.  Hopefully, this dubious decision will receive the same treatment.

In spite of a number of innovative proposals for reform put forth by concerned legislators, my home state of Louisiana ranks at or near the bottom in every national survey of educational achievement. Just last week, a state educational department analysis concluded that 57 percent of Louisiana public schools have received an F-rating for school performance.

There has been a growing interest in charter schools all over the nation, and particularly here in Louisiana. Ninety Percent of all kids attending public schools in New Orleans go to a charter school. These education facilities are independent public schools that are not constrained by the statewide one-size-fits-all requirements often placed on local schools. Charter schools are able to be more innovative in developing curricula, hiring teachers, and structuring the school day.

A key benefit of charter schools is that parents have a choice. They pick the school and are not forced into making their kids attend a specific local school. In just about everything else you do, there’s a choice. But not in where your kid goes to school. Choice fosters competition. For many, the lack of competition is a key component in the weakness of the American educational system. To be successful, schools have to compete. That’s the key to charter schools. And the students are the beneficiaries.

I have observed first-hand how successful charter schools can be in New York City were my oldest daughter Campbell has been actively involved in the support of the Success Academy Charter Network. To show how effective charters can be, Success Academy has opened 32 schools for 17,000 students. 

And get this. The student achievement is remarkable. Students at Success Academy rank in the top one percent of all New York schools in math, and the top seven percent in English. The racial makeup always comes up, doesn’t it? Only 3 percent of the kids are white. So much for not being able to close the racial achievement gap. As Campbell told a fundraising gathering for the network of schools, “demography is not destiny.”

She did not mince words to those who, in many states, continue to try to put up roadblocks to stop the growth of charter schools. “It’s a fight,” Campbell told the crowd last week. “We have to fight for these schools. I wish we didn’t. It amazes me that there could be anything controversial about the achievements of these extraordinary kids. It amazes me that anyone would dare try to choke one of the most exciting, innovative things happening in public education.”

And she answered some critics who say that all kids cannot attend charter schools. “No one is saying that every public school student should be moved into a charter. All we say is that the excellence of our charters should be moved into every public school.”

Campbell has also founded The 74, a nonprofit news website focusing on educational issues throughout the United States. The 74 publishes hundreds of related articles a year, many that discuss the advantages of charter schools. So it took a girl raised in Ferriday, Louisiana to go to the Big Apple and lead the charge for public school reform. Yes, this is a proud papa talking. But you cannot argue with achievement.

Right now, in a number of state legislatures across the country, there is an effort to curtail and limit the growth of charter schools. What a mistake this would be. Campbell put it this way. “You can tell who’s on the losing side of an issue when what they fear most is competition. By saving children and giving them a chance, these schools remind everyone what these kids are being saved from-an education system that has lost its way.”

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.