Pelican Institute Executive Officer Daniel Erspamer
Daniel Erspamer, who is the Executive Officer of The Pelican Institute, which is a Louisiana-based think tank promoting free market solutions to meet Louisiana citizens’ wants and desires, was the guest speaker at the Baton Rouge Press Club on Monday, March 4, 2019. Let’s drill down and examine a few things he had to say.
Erspamer devoted a significant portion of his presentation to outlining Louisiana’s onerous occupational licensing requirements for many professions which are not licensed in other states across the U. S. Here’s what he had to say in that regard:
Erspamer on Louisiana’s onerous occupational licensing requirements.
Erspamer was pressed by Louisiana Public Broadcasting’s President and CEO Beth Courtney to supply three occupations in Louisiana for which he asserts licensing should be eliminated. Erspamer had no trouble whatsoever responding, and he even provided a little lagniappe by providing a fourth. Here’s Courtney’s question and his response:
Erspamer provides Courney with four occupations in Louisiana for which he believes licensure should be eliminated, and he references these four as the “easy ones” to identify.
In his opening commentary, Erspamer emphasized the need for overall budgetary and tax reform in Louisiana. To that end, he stated that as many exemptions, credits, etc., that exist in Louisiana’s present tax structure as possible need to be eliminated and the rates of taxation reduced to provide a much fairer taxation system in Louisiana. That commentary fed the narrative for his response to a question on Louisiana’s Industrial Tax Exemption Program (ITEP), video for which follows:
Erspamer responds to reporter’s question on Louisiana’s ITEP.
Erspamer also provided the Institute’s rationale for opposing any increase in Louisiana’s state-level gasoline tax, and he provided the Institute’s assessment of a better approach for highway road and bridge construction and repair funding:
Erspamer on increased gas taxes and alternative means of financing highway road and bridge construction and repair.
Erspamer indicated that he sees very little potential for any initiative of much consequence to pass during the Louisiana Legislature’s 2019 Session, after which he responded to a question by Sound Off Louisiana founder Robert Burns entailing whether he shares the recent enthusiasm of LABI President Stephen Waguespack regarding the large number of new faces which will appear in the Legislature in 2020 as a result of term limits and whether obtaining those new faces which may be favorable to the Institute’s causes may also be offset by the re-election of Gov. John Bel Edwards:
Erspamer provides his thoughts on the Louisiana Legislature’s makeup for 2020 and beyond.
To view Ersmaper’s presentation in its entirety, CLICK HERE.
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