Sound Off Louisiana

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, appearing before the Baton Rouge Press Club on January 8, 2018

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards appeared before the Baton Rouge Press Club (BRPC) on Monday, January 8, 2018.  He stunned the two or three attendees who were present in the audience with conservative leanings when he indicated that his 2018 legislative agenda will include removing licensing requirements for a number of occupations in Louisiana, and he specifically referenced arranging flowers as a vocation which soon may require no license.  The Advocate’s  Stephanie Grace indicated this was a calculated move by Edwards to appeal to right-wing conservatives.

Whatever his motivations, Sound Off Louisiana‘s founder, Robert Burns, has no single economic issue more dear to him than occupational licensing boards and commissions, and anyone who knows him knows that fact well.  Accordingly, Burns’ most recent feature focuses on Edwards’ comments, combined with past video footage wherein Burns questioned former Gov. Bobby Jindal (on January 8, 2014) and then-Representative (and freshly-announced candidate for Governor) John Bel Edwards, D-Amite (July 21, 2014).  In providing Edwards’ statements of January 8, 2018 to the Baton Rouge Press Club, Burns also openly challenges Edwards to prove he can “walk the walk” and not be Jindal – Act II and merely “talk the talk.”:

Burns presents his historical questioning of Jindal (1/8/14) and Edwards (7/21/14 and 1/8/18) and challenges if he’s ready to “walk the walk” and not merely “talk the talk.”

Support Links:
1.

$11,725 tuition for 1,000 hour hair braiding instruction supplied by Stevenson Academy of Hair Design (owned by Rev. James Williams, an appointee of Gov. Edwards to the Cosmetology Board).

2.

Cosmetology board issuing first hair braider fine of $550 on 12/4/17.

3.

  Alternative Hair Design Program of Stevenson Academy, which calls for 1,000 hours of instruction (even though the State Board only requires 500 hours of instruction to receive a hair braiding permit).  Sources have told Sound Off Louisiana that the reason for the additional 500 hours is to enable Federal grants to cover tuition.  We have NOT verified that rationale for the additional 500 hours; however, if accurate, how do you feel, John Q. Taxpayer, about $11,725 PER STUDENT charged to “train” students on hair braiding when it’s been demonstrated the BEST source of such training is a skilled relative or friend who already knows how to perform such braiding and can convey the skills required in a small fraction of that amount of time at ZERO cost to taxpayers???????

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Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, appearing before the Baton Rouge Press Club on Monday, January 8, 2018.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards appeared before the Baton Rouge Press Club (BRPC) on Monday, January 8, 2018.  During the Q & A segment, he fielded a question by Louisiana AFL-CIO President Louis Reine.  The question entailed recent statements by Louisiana State Rep. Alan Seabaugh (R-Shreveport) wherein Reine states Seabaugh “wasn’t paying attention in class” when he said Gov. Edwards has not cut Louisiana’s budget.  The question and Gov. Edwards’ response follow:

Edwards responds to AFL-CIO President Louis Reine’s question at the BRPC on 1/8/18.

If history is any guide, Seabaugh likely won’t take kindly to the preceding characterization of him by Edwards.  Consider his sharp rebuke of Rep. Steve Carter, R-Baton Rouge, whom Seabaugh staunchly opposed entailing Carter’s proposed 18 cent per gallon added gasoline tax in the 2017 regular session wherein he acknowledged what many Louisiana citizens (most especially us at Sound Off Louisiana) believe are DOTD inefficiencies as he called for the firing of 3,000 of the agency’s employees:

Seabaugh’s 5/31/17 point of personal privilege on the Louisiana House floor.

So, there’s the contrast between “big labor” for state government employees and a fiscal conservative legislator who is willing to call state government inefficiency on the carpet.  If the first video above is any guide, we should be in for a very bumpy 2018 Louisiana Legislative ride, folks!

Click here to view Gov. Edwards’ BRPC address in its entirety.

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. 

Disgraced 19th JDC Judge Trudy White

Sound Off Louisiana subscribers may recall not long back us exposing the Louisiana State Board of Cosmetology (LSBC) turning a near-total deaf ear to the Institute for Justice’s (IJ’s) Lee McGrath stating his rationale for advocating that Louisiana hair braiders be allowed to practice without a cosmetology license or special permit requiring 500 hours of instruction.

Hair braiders who are practicing in Louisiana with no license or permit need to be forewarned that they likely represent yet another large pot of untapped fine money for the LSBC, which quietly demonstrated its resolve to begin capturing said fine money at its December 4, 2017 meeting.

At that meeting, the LSBC voted to accept a consent agreement for a hair braiding operation entailing two hair braiders operating with no licenses.  In the following brief video, McGrath makes some quick arguments before Louisiana House and Senate committees defending IJ’s position, followed by LSBC attorney Celia Cangelosi’s rather blasé explanation of a proposed consent agreement calling for a $550 fine for the hair braiders, followed by McGrath stating to Louisiana Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Dan Martiny how successful IJ’s litigation in Federal Court in California was entailing challenging that state’s hair braiding licensure requirement:

McGrath’s arguments to Louisiana House and Senate, Cangelosi’s blasé coverage of consent agreement,
McGrath’s coverage of IJ’s California hair braiding Federal litigation.

Meanwhile, the LSBC showed near-reverence to 19th JDC disgraced District Judge Trudy White as she presented a vague proposal for having “lifers” in Louisiana’s Correctional Institute for Women provide “alternative-hair instruction”:

White making 12/4/17 presentation to LSBC in its entirety.  Note:  As outlined on the link above, White is referenced as an integral part of a “pretrial supervision scheme” wherein reference is also made to alleged RICO statute violations thereof.  Cleve Dunn, Sr., father of her campaign manager, is identified in that litigation, which was filed by the Sothern Poverty Law Center, as the primary beneficiary of that alleged “scheme.”

The preceding video is date and time stamped, and here are some interesting observations we noted and reference to the time stamp of each:

1:07:34 – White arrogantly states, “I don’t know that we need your blessing going forward, but certainly we don’t want any opposition.”

1:08:23 – White states that Louisiana Supreme Court Justice Bernette Johnson “thought well of this idea that she invited…..” (an unnamed Court of Appeal Judge who made a vague reference at the outset about the meeting being recorded).

1:09:36 – LSBC Chairman Edwin Neill, III asked an unidentified representative of the Department of Corrections about any “limitation on sharp implements.”  Shockingly, the representative indicates “there is not.”  He further states that, “for a reasonable cause, which this is, they can maybe go to a little more of a blunt scissor.”

1:11:39 – Though White’s entire outline of her proposed program is incredibly vague, she further clouds even that outline by referencing that “these are lifers.  They’re not getting out.”

1:13:56 – LSBC member James Williams makes a less-than-subtle effort to flatter White by asking about “Judge Judy.”

We at Sound Off Louisiana were utterly stunned that LSBC Chairman Edwin Neill, III would make such a huge issue of public safety entailing unincarcerated hair braiders perhaps occasionally trimming the very last inch or two of hair using scissors, yet he would cavalierly accept with no follow-up the above-referenced inquiry he made wherein “lifers” will apparently be free to utilize scissors to engage in what he clearly defines as cosmetology acts!  What a contrast!

We also would have been far more impressed with LSBC Member Williams if he’d inquired about the Southern Poverty Law Center’s references to White being an integral part of a “pretrial supervision scheme” and its references to alleged RICO statute violations thereof.  For Williams’ benefit, we provide a direct link to that litigation.

In fact, we would have shown even more respect for Williams had he directly confronted White and inquired, “Will anyone be profiting from this proposal you’re making here today similarly to the way Cleve Dunn, father of your campaign manager, did in that alleged RICO scheme I saw plastered all over the news?”

Of course, given that Williams likely doesn’t know squat about White or the alleged scheme, we’re more likely to win the next Powerball drawing purchasing only one ticket than to witness him making such an inquiry!

White, who may likely belong in Federal prison as an inmate herself for her role in Dunn’s alleged “scheme,” further disgraced herself in having to apologize to her colleagues for running the following convict-friendly campaign ad:

Disgraced Judge Trudy White’s 2014 television campaign ad.

White has also been profiled for overruling jury verdicts and, in the process, angering many black residents who were victims of violent acts, the perpetrators of whom were tried in White’s courtroom.

So the logical conclusion here is that McGrath and IJ simply don’t understand Louisiana politics. To succeed in Louisiana, one does not appear before the Louisiana House and Louisiana Senate making logical arguments. Instead, one merely seeks out a disgraced State District Judge and have her do the heavy lifting for you! As an alternative, there’s always the Federal courts as McGrath indicated had to be utilized in California. In our opinion, that’s likely a soon-to-come development in Louisiana, but then, what do we know?

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.