Rep. Steve Carter, confronted on harsh words for his tax proposal opponents, merely pivots to how long he’s been a Republican.

Louisiana Rep. Steve Carter:  R-Baton Rouge.

 

At a meeting of the Baton Rouge Press Club (BRPC) of Monday, July 31, 2017, Rep. Steve Carter responded to a question by Sound Off Louisiana founder Robert Burns entailing his harsh words for opponents of an initiative he sponsored in the 2017 regular legislative session to increase the gasoline tax by 17 cents a gallon:


Burns questions Rep. Carter on his harsh words for Louisiana-based volunteers working for the group Americans for Prosperity.  Regarding Carter’s request for anyone to “send a list of ‘pork barrel’ projects,” Burns HAND-DELIVERED an itemization of HIGHLY questionable spending priorities totaling around $40 million (list courtesy of Kevin Boyd and The Hayride).  To date, Burns has received zilch in the way of a response from Carter despite being a constituent of his.

 

CLICK HERE for Rep. Carter’s presentation to the BRPC in its entirety.

The gas tax was not the only initiative that Americans for Prosperity was active on in the 2017 legislative session.  Sound Off Louisiana will release a feature on Thursday, August 3, 2017 that will be immensely interesting to all who tune in, we guarantee it!

 

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Rev. Freddie Lee Phillips sounds off on Interior Design Board’s attempted search and seizure measures he claims are directed squarely at him.

Gov. John Bel Edwards’ appointees to the Louisiana Interior Design Board

Rev. Freddie Lee Phillips showed up 32 seconds after public comment was “closed” for the Louisiana Interior Design Board (IDB) meeting of Friday, July 21, 2017.  Accordingly, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards’ appointees to that Board flatly denied him the opportunity to speak.  Accordingly, Rev. Phillips found another vacant meeting room in the facility, the East Baton Rouge Public Library, and he sounded off on the Board’s aborted initiative to implement a search and seizure policy he claims is targeted directly at him:

 


Rev. Phillips sounds off entailing the IDB’s hastily-aborted “search and seizure” initiative.


At the April 25, 2017 LALB meeting, the IDB makes it crystal clear just how much they fear Rev. Phillips by demanding that he “not approach the table.”  At the 0:36 mark of the video, one of the Board Members asks, “Where’s Ronald?”  She is referencing EBRP Deputy Ronald Landry.  Executive Director Sandy Edmonds responds:  “I don’t know where Ronald is.  I talked to him yesterday.”

 

Although Executive Director Sandy Edmonds states in the video that she “hired Deputy Landry because of Mr. Phillips attending the meeting along with Mr. Burns and his video camera,” it is apparent from her email of 6/4/10 to Burns, in which she bends over backwards to meet with Burns ALONE at headquarters (yet simultaneously told Rev. Phillips that headquarters was “closed”) that the members’ fear is Phillips, not Burns.  As he indicated he would, Rev. Phillips requested that an IDB agenda item be added to discuss the hiring of EBRP Deputy Ronald Landry. Chairman Steinmetz flatly denied Phillips’ request.

 

If you would like to be added to our Sound Off Louisiana email list to be notified of future Sound Off posts, simply scroll to the very bottom of this page (mobile devices) or to the end of the right-hand column (desktops) and supply your email address within the subscribe box.  You’ll then receive an automated email from Word Press, and all you have to do is click on the blue “confirm follow” bar contained within that email, and you’ll begin receiving great posts such as the preceding one above. 

Fox 8’s Lee Zurik confronts (even using Sound Off Louisiana footage) Gov. Edwards’ year of inaction on damning Louisiana State Police report entailing LSPC Member Calvin Braxton.

Embattled LSPC Member Calvin Braxton

 

Fox 8’s Lee Zurik went straight for the jugular entailing Gov. John Bel Edwards’ inaction for a FULL YEAR after receiving this damning report entailing Louisiana State Police Commission (LSPC) Member Calvin Braxton attempting to use his influence and abuse his powers to have tickets fixed and even an attempt to have an LSP Trooper disciplined for arresting his daughter for DWI.

 

Though Braxton largely avoided Zurik’s questioning, he chose to address the matter with his colleagues once Zurik and his film crew left the meeting.  Zurik incorporated Sound Off Louisiana’s video footage (beginning at the 6:10 mark of his report) of Braxton’s commentary in his report, including Braxton defiantly stating:  “The Governor did what he did.  I’m still here.”

 

Zurik also supplied a follow-up letter to Edwards sent by the Louisiana State Trooper’s Association dated  June 19, 2017 point-blank asking Gov. Edwards, “whether or not you plan to proceed with specifications of charges against Mr. Braxton and have this matter set for a public hearing?”

 

Though she didn’t have the advantage of one-on-one interview footage with Braxton, WWL’s Katie Moore also featured the scandal on the 10:00 p.m. newscast.  In her report, she too included Braxton’s bold statement supplied by Sound Off Louisiana footage (beginning at the 3:50 mark of her report) wherein Braxton characterized Governor Edwards as “doing what he did” (i.e. nothing) and the fact Braxton boldly proclaimed himself “still here.”  Immediately after Braxton’s bold statement on Moore’s feature, Gov. Edwards’ Executive Counsel, Matthew Block, tip toes around Braxton’s alleged actions.  That segment of the video speaks for itself.

 

Can anyone just imagine the campaign commercials to run in 2019 by top Republican contenders for Governor of Louisiana entailing this incident?  The commercial can begin with Edwards’ oft-repeated “Honor Code” mantra of the 2015 campaign, followed by footage of him doing ZILCH about this situation for over a year (and that’s under the assumption he chooses to take action now).  Even if Edwards severs ties with Braxton immediately, the question (just as Zurik posed) remains:  Why did Governor John Bel Edwards sit on this for a full year and have to be forced into action by the media?  It’s going to be a tough question for “Honor Code” to answer in the 2019 campaign!

 

The following video is Braxton’s full commentary regarding Zurik’s surprise visit at the LSPC meeting of Thursday, July 13, 2017:

 


7/13/17 LSPC Meeting:  Commissioner Braxton comments publicly about allegations of “ticket fixing,” to include his daughter’s DWI.

 

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