KEEP YOUR COVID GUARD UP!

 

Monday, March 28^th, 2022

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

 

KEEP YOUR COVID GUARD UP!

 

With a new strain of the Covid lurking, there are reports of a major uptick of infections this coming summer. If you are not that concerned, let me tell you how my Covid experience transpired. What happened to me was horrendous. I would not wish it on anyone. I was being careful. Or so I thought. 

 

But then I learned a stark lesson.  You don’t get the Covid. The Covid gets you

 

In the fall of 2020, I made the mistake of attending a dinner on behalf of a close friend. I planned on staying just a short time, and thought I was keeping my distance. But somehow, I became infected. The symptoms were shallow at first. I felt a little flushed and did not have a lot of energy.  I went to a local testing lab that did confirm I had contracted the virus.  It was time to get some medical help.

 

The advice I received from my internist was to go to the emergency room of one of our local hospitals. My nephew put me in his truck and drove me to the emergency room.  Both of us felt it was the right decision and I will be put in good care. What a mistake!

No visitors were allowed at the check-in desk, so I was put in a wheelchair, rolled into an unheated hallway, and there I sat.  For almost three hours.  I told several nurses’ aides who passed by that I was quite thirsty and could I have some water. Each nodded, but I never received anything to drink. That should have been a sign right then that my care would be suspect.

I was finally given a room that would be my home for the next 12 days. It was a miserable experience. The care I received was satisfactory when I could get it. But attaining the responsiveness of the hospital staff proved to be elusive. If I rang the hospital buzzer by my bed and asked for something to drink, it often took several additional calls, and a wait for an hour and a half for someone to respond. The nurses provided adequate care once I got their attention. But the right hand did not know what the left hand was doing.

 

Once, in an effort to reach the bathroom, I slipped and fell onto the tile floor. I lay there for over 45 minutes calling for help before a passing orderly heard my pleas.  My narrow hospital bed was extremely uncomfortable, and the food was, well, hospital food. Tasteless, not particularly nourishing, with few choices.

 

With virtually no effort to help in my rehabilitation, I concluded I had to get out of the hospital. The nurse in charge told me I was not ready to leave, but I knew if I did not make the effort, I might not ever get out of there. So I have my son picked me up, and brought me back home.

 

What a relief to get in my own bed. A wonderful home healthcare nurse stayed with me for the first two weeks. I was so weak, she had to assist me in moving the few steps to the portable toilet in my room. She also bathed me, as I had no energy to even raise my arms. But little by little, I could see my strength improve.

 

My physical rehabilitation began with a therapist coming to my home three times a week. At first, it was difficult to walk the length of my house. But after about 10 days, I was outside in my yard. Slowly, I increased my activity and could see major improvement. It took about four months of outpatient therapy to get in full recovery mode.

 

Covid was the worst medical experience of my life, and I continue to be angry.  I’m annoyed that I allowed myself to be exposed to the virus. I’m livid at the hospital for the poor care I received. And I’m disappointed over the fact that at my age, I have lost six months of living a full and active life. 

 

But I’ve been persistent in my recovery. Winston Churchill said: "If you’re going through hell, keep going."  I’ve certainty been tenacious in making the best of a debauched situation. And I’m a survivor. But keep your guard up.  You certainly do not want to share my experience.

 

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.  Readers can also review books by Jim Brown and many others he has published by going to http://www.thelisburnpress.com.

 

 

 

 

LEGISLATIVE INSURANCE REFORM A DUD!

Monday, March 21^st, 2022

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

 

LEGISLATIVE INSURANCE REFORM A DUD! 

 

The headlines blared across newspapers and television stations last week.  “State insurance leaders join forces on Catastrophe Reform Legislative Package,” featured the Lake Charles American Press.  “An insurance reform package is working its way through the Louisiana Legislature, “publicized TV station WDSU in New Orleans.  Similar reports fanned news media all over Louisiana.

 

So just what are these major new “catastrophic laws” that will get insurance claims resolved quickly and lower the outrageous rates the public is currently being charged?  With few exceptions, it’s all window dressing.  That’s right.  Almost every proposal by members of the legislature could be implemented and made a requirement by a simple directive issued by the Department of Insurance.

 

If an insurance company is delaying the payment of claims or “lowballing” by not paying legitimate claims in full, the Insurance Department has plenty of authority to levy major fines or even revoke the charter of the company that continues to ignore these regulations.

 

Another supposed “catastrophic change” calls for raising the minimum capital and surplus requirement for existing insurance companies from $3 million to $5 million by the end-of-year 2026, and to $10 million by end-of-year 2031.  Such higher requirements should not be necessary if the Insurance Department is properly examining insurance companies located in Louisiana.  There has been a woeful lack of reinsurance requirements of Louisiana insurance companies, all that should be set and required by the Insurance Department.  Insurance companies buy their own insurance in case they don’t have enough reserves to pay the claims of policyholders. That’s what the purchase of reinsurance from other major companies that specialize in reinsurance are for.

 

The best example of a company being able to operate in Louisiana and not have adequate reinsurance is the creation by the Insurance Department of Citizens Property Insurance Corporation.  This is the company that U.S. Senator John Kennedy, while serving as Louisiana state treasurer, called the biggest financial disaster in the state’s history.  Citizens has been a calamity from the get-go, and has cost Louisiana taxpayers almost two billion dollars.  It had almost no reinsurance. So if Louisiana insurance companies are going broke, the Insurance Department has been negligent in not properly requiring enough reinsurance.

And a side note here. The insurance industry doesn’t always come across as the good guy when disasters roll around. I will share an anecdote with you from 1992. Andrew had just hit the Florida coast doing massive damage, and was back into the Gulf on a three-day track towards Louisiana. America’s largest insurance company was A.I.G., based in New York and insuring numerous homes in Louisiana. The President of A.I.G. at the time was a fellow named Hank Greenberg, who has been in the news a lot recently over a major investigation by the Attorney General of New York. As Andrew approached Louisiana, Greenberg’s son, Jeffrey, also working for A.I.G., sent out a press release to key insurance brokers throughout the country. He basically said that the climate was right to immediately go into various insurance departments throughout the Gulf Coast and ask for big rate increases. His timing was terrible, and the approach he took did a lot of damage to the company’s image. 

I was in my second year as Insurance Commissioner, and was working late one evening. My secretary buzzed and told me there was a Mr. Hank Greenberg on the telephone. It was 8 o’clock in Baton Rouge, which meant it was 9 o’clock in the evening at his office in New York. 

When I picked up the phone, he came right to the point. “Commissioner, do you have any kids who really did some stupid things and stuck their foot in their mouth?” 

“Yes, I have,” I smiled and replied. 

“That’s exactly what my son did in putting out the dumb release about raising rates. With the storm approaching your shores, this is about the last thing we should have done. I am calling to apologize.” 

The senior Greenberg handled the issue with some taste and class, and I have always respected the way he handled this explosive situation. 

Instead of clamoring for unneeded new authority to increase oversight, and additional requirements on the insurance industry, the legislature should take a close look at why these same requirements are not being enforced by the regulators.  So if most of these proposed new “catastrophic laws” are unnecessary, just what should the legislature be requiring?

First, as Senator Kennedy has suggested, abolish the dysfunctional Citizens Property Insurance Corporation. This legislatively created company was modeled after a similar concept out of Florida. But the Louisiana company has been rife with problems from its beginning.

 Second, pass legislation requiring the governor and the insurance commissioner to meet with other state officials in surrounding southern states to form a joint catastrophic insurance pool. Recent hurricanes in south Louisiana dramatically show how the state is just too small to go it alone when it comes to dealing with hurricane related insurance issues. These deep southern states need to create a comprehensive response mechanism for mega-catastrophes. There is ample evidence that such a program is both necessary and critical to any affordable insurance solution in Louisiana. 

Actually, with all the natural disasters happening all over the country, it would be a great help to Louisiana for the creation of a national catastrophic insurance pool. In November of 1993, I testified in Washington for the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee for the necessity of such a national catastrophic fund. Congress talked about it then, but didn’t feel the pressure to address this serious national issue. Former FEMA Director James Lee Witt recently called for creation of such a national fund. Florida has joined the effort as are other states at risk along the east coast. But Louisiana should take the lead. There is more at risk down here, and the post-Katrina damage shows ample evidence that such a fund is necessary. The next Insurance Commissioner should be in the forefront of speaking out and lobbying nationwide for the creation of such an important fund. 

A similar fund was formed to create an umbrella of protection following the 9/11 catastrophe in New York. This is no federal bailout. A small portion of every policyholder’s yearly premium should go into such a fund. Then, when a mega-catastrophe happens, insurance companies would be on the hook only up to a certain amount. Above that amount, the fund kicks in. The bottom line? More predictability for insurance companies, and more stable, reliable rates for homeowners and businesses. With the future threat of hurricanes hanging over this part of the country, such a fund should be a no-brainer. 

Third, Louisiana needs more than passive regulation.  Proper regulation touches every single citizen. Following the recent spat of hurricane destruction, thousands of people could lose their homes due to the uncertainties of their insurance. There is a need for an aggressive, well informed vocal advocate. A number of states have an insurance consumer advocate located under the governor’s office.  An insurance commissioner, who receives political contributions from the insurance industry, it’s not the person to supposedly be looking out for policyholders. It’s the proverbial fox guarding the house. Better protection needs to be afforded to all insurance policy holders.

What’s the old Confucius saying?  Needing insurance is like needing a parachute. If it isn't there the first time, chances are you won't need it again. It’s crunch time to put laws on the books that have some teeth and that can really protect policyholders in Louisiana.

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.  Readers can also review books by Jim Brown and many others he has published by going to http://www.thelisburnpress.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HOW LOUISIANA CAN STAND WITH UKRAINE!

Monday, March 14th, 2022

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

 

HOW LOUISIANA CAN STAND WITH UKRAINE!

 

Following my column this past week on how Louisianans are affected by †he current war in Ukraine, I was surprised at the number of responses I received asking just what the average citizen can or should do to help this besieged country.  This will be a decision that everyone individually will have to make.

 

Many will do nothing.  Just continue to go about their business, or “go shopping” as a former president suggested after 9/11.  Others want to be involved and make a choice to pitch in and help in some meaningful way.  I was an elected official in Louisiana for over 28 years, and learned the lesson that most citizens want to have a voice in the decisions that the government makes.        Here's some sage advice form the 1995 movie, “Three Days of the Condor.”  

 

CIA "Book Reader" (Robert Redford): "Did we have plans to invade the Middle

East?"

CIA Agent (Cliff Robertson): "We make plans, we play games....what do you think

they'll do when they run out of gas, when they're freezing in their homes? They

won't care how we get it - they'll just want us to get it - what do you think we should

do?"

Redford: Ask them…ask them.

 

Elected officials in both Washington and Baton Rouge would better serve if they didn’t talk so much and do a little more listening to their constituents.

 

Here are some ways that many readers I know are choosing to help.  First of all, as I wrote last week, we should be aware that sacrifices are already being made by accepting higher gas prices and numerous other price increases all do restrictions on Russian imports and exports.  Sure there is an inflationary rise on most purchases, but the numbers are even higher because of the war.

 

 What individually can you do?  It’s a personal choice, but here is what I have done and will be doing.  

 

As for my helping in the war effort, first of all I am donating to Save the Children’s Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund. This organization, so my research shows, is concerned for children caught in the middle of armed conflict, forced from their homes in freezing temperatures, and exposed to injury, hunger and cold.  The fund provides children and families with immediate aid, such as food, water, hygiene kits, psychosocial support and cash assistance.  All the funds are spent inside Ukraine and one can donate at www.savethechildren.org.

Secondly, I fly the Ukrainian flag every day around the clock. These flags are available online for as cheap as ten dollars, and it lets your community know that you care about this nation’s fight for freedom and survival.

Third, I urge Ukraine supporters to express their opinion and concern.  Both to their friends and on social media.  If you have read and kept up on the devastation that’s taking place, let others know of your trepidation. They may not have been as attuned as you have.  

Forth, this is one time you just might be able to give support to the President.  Joe Biden is not all that popular down in Bayou land.  But even his strongest cynics seem to agree that Biden is on the right track of walking a tight line by strongly supporting the defense of Ukraine without dragging America into a direct confrontation with Russia that could lead to a nuclear war.

I believe in Ukraine’s fight for freedom and survival.  I served for ten years in the Army and in the Louisiana National Guard.  If I were 20 years younger, I’d be volunteering to travel to the Polish-Ukraine border to pitch in and help.

This conflict is not going to end soon.  Many more families, expectant mothers and young children will continue to be seriously injured and die.  And all that is happening half way around the world directly affects all of us here in America.  Standing on the sidelines should not be an option.

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.  Readers can also review books by Jim Brown and many others he has published by going to http://www.thelisburnpress.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE CHANGES IN LOUISIANA’S QUALITY OF LIFE!

Monday, February 28^th, 2022

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

 THE CHANGES IN LOUISIANA’S QUALITY OF LIFE!

 All we know
Left untold
Beaten by a broken dream
Nothing like what it used to be

We’ve been chasing our demons down an empty road

Singer Alan Walker

 These words hit home to me as I read a number of Louisiana newspaper headlines in recent weeks.  I’m approaching 82 years old and life is just not the same as it was when I started out in public life back in the 1970s.

Oh, we had some backroom gambling and horse race betting back then.  You could travel to Las Vegas for a special outing.  Today, every kind of betting is now legal here in the Bayou State.  Casino and riverboat gambling, the lottery, slot machines and video poker. Anything you want to bet on.  You can’t turn on the TV without seeing a barrage of ads featuring Louisiana’s first family of sports, the Mannings, huckstering sports betting.  Even Saints icon Drew Brees raked in the big bucks pushing a new casino referendum in Slidell.

“Sin taxes” used to be only placed on alcohol and tobacco just a few years ago here in the deepest of the deep southern states.  But they stand alone no more. Besides new forms of gambling, marijuana use is rapidly proliferating. Initially, the drug was for medical purposes and only had two growing outlets tied to state universities. Now there are proposals in the legislature to increase these budding outlets to ten, and legalize recreational use throughout the state.  So called “massage parlors are growing in number, and there was a proposal in last year’s legislative session to legalize prostitution.

On the national level, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer enthusiastically supports legal pot, and will introduce federal legalization next month.  Government in Louisiana and Washington used to be all about protecting the public good.  Now it’s about maximizing revenue from whatever source is available. Government has become amoral and sin is both passé and just another way to tax and bring more income into state and national coffers.

Church attendance has also become passé in recent years, with turnout dropping from some 70% fifty years ago to less than 48% today.  Religious organizations have always had a strong presence in Louisiana, with Pentecostals and Baptists dominating in North Louisiana, while the Catholic Church held sway throughout south Louisiana.  Churches in Louisiana local communities have traditionally played an essential role in teaching our young people the virtue of volunteering, getting along, and the importance of family values.  Today, many churches have canceled Sunday school classes, and there is a mass shortage of preachers and priests all over Louisiana.

In my early years as a statewide official in the state, I spoke to hundreds of civic clubs where they were always large crowds in attendance.  I continue to speak to such organizations today, but there are fewer such clubs, and the membership has been dwindling.  Volunteering used to be an important part of “giving back.”  Lending a hand is not as popular as it once was.

They are of course numerous individual exceptions to those categorized in my list of a changing state we live in today.  Many of these lifestyle changes are found in states all over the nation. But Louisiana, in my humble opinion, has always been different and special.  That’s why so many tourists come from all over America to visit and experience the unique flavors of the Bayou State. 

The taste for such flavors are part of our DNA. Outsiders rarely know much about mudbugs, zydeco, Laissez les bons temps rouler!, beignets, Geaux Tigers, Tabasco sauce, Who Dat ( a verb, not a question), Lil’ Wayne, Red Stick, the Hayride, Storyville, You are my Sunshine, Voodoo Queen, King Cakes, Napoleonic Code, bayous, Satchmo and Jumbo, and a long list of matchless symbols epitomizing  a way of life that is unusual, offbeat, often exotic, and always special.

Several lessons to be learned here. Elections have consequences so check out the views of those public officials you vote for. Government should be there to help, not take. And if the average citizen yearns for a better quality of life for their families, they need to give back. These premises would be a good beginning.

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.  Readers can also review books by Jim Brown and many others he has published by going to http://www.thelisburnpress.com.

 

 

DOES THE UKRAINIAN TRADEGY AFFECT US IN LOUISIANA?

Monday, March 7^th, 2022

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

 

 

DOES THE UKRAINIAN TRADEGY AFFECT US IN LOUISIANA?

 

When I bring up the subject of Ukraine with friends here in Louisiana, the response is more often than not some interest and a bit of concern, but that’s about all.  They don’t feel they are really affected.  So should my state feel more empathy about events half way around the world?

 

Maybe it’s just me. But I never thought such an event would happen. To think that in 2022, Russia went to war attacking Ukraine, and in doing so upended the balance of power across Europe and the Baltic countries.  And in so doing, we here in the Louisiana and throughout the nation will see a substantial hit to our own pocketbooks.

 

It’s concerning that I write this column sitting in my comfortable armchair and drinking coffee while at this very moment somewhere in Ukraine people are fleeing bombs from Russian artillery.  Mothers leave all their worldly possessions and escape with crying children to questionable protection in underground subway stations.  Over a million Ukrainians forced to flee to other parts of the country or to other countries.  One moment you are shopping, going to a local Starbucks and enjoying family meals together.  Then you quickly flee the onslaught of tanks and the reigning down of missiles.

 

This is not an effort of ethnic cleansing like the Nazis undertaking the elimination of the Jews. You wouldn’t be able to tell any physical difference between Ukrainians, Byelorussians, and Russians. They share a similar culture and speak the same or close to the same language.  No, what we are seeing unfold is a warped effort to stamp out the flame of democracy.  We are watching Putin’s regime moving quickly towards a resemblance of Stalin’s Russia or Hitler’s Germany.

 

And this military uprising directly affects our living standards here in Louisiana. The price of oil has risen to over $100 a barrel, doubling what the cost was in January.  We could see the price of gasoline at the pump rise above four dollars a gallon soon. The cost of most consumer goods, particularly items at the grocery store, will take a significant upsurge.

 

Products across the board are both imported and exported from the Soviets.  Louisiana sends aerospace products, automotive products, machinery, chemicals, poultry, soybeans, and soybean meal.  The state brings in from Russia Crude Petroleum ($424 Million) Refined Petroleum ($321 Million), Iron Ore ($82.7 Million), Palm Oil ($60.3 Million), and Coffee ($57.5 Million).  In fact 12.6% of all Louisiana imports come from the Soviet Union.  All these purchases have been frozen, with suppliers having to look for other markets, often at much higher prices.

 

Our investments in the financial markets are taking a hit.  No one knows how long this will last.  All these figures show that we here in Louisiana are not exempt from the effects of these world events.  We all pay a significant price.,

 

This international instability also raises the question of America’s defense capability. We in America are particularly vulnerable to cyberattacks. There are loud calls for more military spending that could require raising taxes. And will a compulsory draft be reinstated?  I volunteered for military service during the Viet Nam era, but will my grandsons have to fight again?  I sure hope not.

 

Investment adviser Vitaliy Katsenelson pointed out a historic model of how quickly world events can change, and gave as an example Russian Dmitry Shostakovich’s 7th, “Leningrad” Symphony. Shostakovich completed it in 1941. He was in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg), and the city was surrounded by the Nazis, blockaded, completely cut off from the rest of Russia. The Germans were bombing day and night. People were dying of hunger. 

This symphony starts out peacefully – the first 7 minutes are just about normal everyday life. Then in minute 7 you start hearing the faint sound of drums – that’s the German army marching on Russia. Minute by minute the drums grow louder, and then all peace is gone and all there is war. This symphony portrays well the irony and tragedy of what is happening right now. If Shostakovich were alive, he would have renamed this symphony “Kiev.”  Yes, we all have a stake in this war, and we all need to be concerned, whether we like it or not. 

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.  Readers can also review books by Jim Brown and many others he has published by going to http://www.thelisburnpress.com.