Friday, September 28, 2007

Vote early... and often. ;->

Early Voting Schedule - Registrar of Voters office, Rapides Parish Courthouse

Saturday, October 6, 2007: 8:30 am to 4:30 pm

Monday, October 8, 2007 through Saturday, October 13, 2007: 8:30 am to 4:30 pm

Grant Parish "Meet & Greet" with Bobby




Tuesday, October 2nd
10:50 AM


Grant Parish Courthouse
200 Main Street
Colfax, LA

Vote EARLY…
October 6-13 at your local Registrar of Voters Office


All are invited! Bring a friend!

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Debate party!

What: Show your support for Bobby Jindal

Who: Bobby Jindal Supporters from CenLA

Why: Join other supporters from CenLA in rooting-on Bobby as he “wows” his opponents during LPB and CABL’s “Candidates Speak” forum

Where: Bellino’s Restaurant, 4610 Jackson Street Extension, Alexandria, LA 71303

When: Thursday, September 27th, 6:30PM
.
Hosted by Supporters of Bobby Jindal.

Dutch Treat!

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Bobby Alert!


Please Join…

Bobby Jindal

as he announces his

Healthcare Agenda

Thursday, September 27, 2007
10:45 AM
Pinecrest Developmental Facility

Conference Center
100 Pinecrest Drive
Pineville, LA

Please RSVP to
blake@bobbyjindal.com

Gerald Long Alert!


Monday, September 24, 2007

Great PR for the RPRW and LAGOP candidates!











Thank you, Diane!

Rapides GOP women host candidates
By Karina Donica
(318) 487-6342

PINEVILLE -- A group of GOP candidates visited Pineville on Sunday as part of the Rapides Parish Republican Women's annual picnic.

Gena Gore, president of the organization, said it was an honor to be able to host the event, held at a neighbor's home at Holiday Circle, because it gives the public an opportunity to meet the candidates one-on-one.

State Senate candidate Gerald Long, state House candidate Chris Hazel, Louisiana State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education candidate Ruth Ulrich, commissioner of agriculture candidate Wayne Carter, lieutenant governor candidate Gary Beard and attorney general candidate Royal Alexander came to shake hands and chat with those attending about how they would like to improve the state.

"Many of these people running today are running because there is a need for change," said Long, who is a new face in politics. Most recently, the retiree was the regional director of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

"When you begin to look at the issues facing Louisiana, you can capsule all of that into one thing: Until we change the image of our state, we are not going to see very many things happen," Long said.

Long, of Natchitoches, said one of his top priorities, if elected, is to bring a three-fold ethics reform plan to the state. His plan includes requiring candidateds to disclose all sources of income, prohibiting any elected officials from doing business with the state and to demanding accountability.

Following Long, Louisiana House candidate Hazel, a Ball resident, said he is looking forward to a new era in politics in Louisiana.

He urged voters not to be apathetic about visiting the polls and helping to change Louisiana and the culture of corruption that has plagued the state.

Ulrich, the only woman candidate at the picnic, said Louisiana must not settle for less than being among the top 10 states in education.

Ulrich, of Monroe said quality education can be attained if the right financial support is available.Ulrich, of Monroe said quality education can be attained if the right financial support is available.

"I am running against three Democrats that have been 30 to 40 years in the system. I think it's time for someone outside of the system," Ulrich said.

Carter, who seeks to replace current Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry Bob Odom and currently serves as a Baton Rouge metro councilman, said he is the right choice.

"Folks, we can beat this guy," said Carter, who has worked in the logging business in Grant Parish. Carter said his plan focuses on ethics, efficiency by investing in priorities and economic development.

Carter's plan also includes promoting nutritional value and producing organic foods, traditional farming and specialty crops and a push for workforce development and scientific research.

Beard, of Baton Rouge, said the lieutenant governor's office he seeks to hold is significant for taxpayers because the lieutenant governor sits on the Louisiana Bond Commission and votes on projects coming before the commission.

"It's about the people's money" and how it's carefully spent, he said.

The two-term member of the Louisiana House said key legislation he has been involved with has included an environmental effort to help reduce waste-water rates, ethics reform to get required government agencies to get appraisals before purchasing and prohibiting campaign contributions from companies receiving emergency contracts.

Shreveport attorney Alexander, the final speaker and another new face in politics, said he was thankful for the response he is getting in the race against current Attorney General Charles Foti.

"I know that across the state I am not well known, but my opponent is, but not for very positive things. That's why I feel that I really have a chance," Alexander said. He most recently was chief of staff for U.S. Congressman Rodney Alexander (no relation). "But it is more than just the missteps he (Foti) has made. He has been in office longer than I've been alive."

Alexander said he wants to be a public servant because has the knowledge of the law and a commitment to abide by the constitution.

"What I tell people is that we have some of the best people living in our state, he said. "We certainly have some of the best food, the finest culture. What we lack is leadership at so many levels."

The Rapides Parish Republican Women organization is part of the Louisiana and national federations of Republican women, one of the largest and most influential women's political organizations in the country.

Saturday, September 22, 2007

HillaryCare is unconstitutional. Period.

THE DARK SIDE OF HILLARY CLINTON'S HEALTH CARE PLAN

By DICK MORRIS & EILEEN MCGANN
Published on FoxNews.com on September 20, 2007

The public face of Hillary Clinton's new health care plan is sunny, filled with choices for consumers and bright with promises for better health care for all. But a close examination of the proposal alongside other init iatives of Sen. Clinton in the past few years reveals a dark side she wants to hide from public view until after the election is over.

In her program, she speaks of how health care is the right of every "American" — but she has a rather expansive definition of "American." In 2005, Hillary co-sponsored legislation in the United States Senate to offer free health insurance, under the State Child Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) to the children of illegal immigrants who have lived in the United States for five years. So, those who have dodged the immigration cops for five years successfully would be rewarded not only with legal status and a path to citizenship, but with immediate free health care for their children.

Indeed, when Democrats and liberals speak of the 50,000,000 uninsured Americans, more than one fifth of those are illegal immigrants. Thus, about one in five of the beneficiaries of her program for universal health insurance are illegal aliens. (Illegal immigrants are a disproportionately large segment of the uninsured population because legal immigrants and citizens who live in poverty are eligible for Medicaid, but illegal immigrants are not.)

Would Americans like to reward those whose only connection to our country is that they flouted our laws to come here with free health insurance for themselves and their children? Doubtless Hillary knows the answer is no, so she is determined to hide that aspect of her plan from the public.

Hillary speaks of the importance of stopping health insurance companies from raising premiums on those who are sick. But she does not mention the inevitable flip side of her proposal — to raise premiums on those who are well. On the one hand, she would cover all those with chronic conditions with low cost health insurance and, on the other, would stop insurance companies from "cherry picking" healthy and young people for their insurance plans. The net effect would be a major increase in health insurance premiums for the vast majority of Americans.

In effect, her plan would turn "insurance" into "subsidy." The concept of insurance is that one pays a relatively low premium to guard against catastrophic expenses that are outside of our ability to meet financially. But Hillary's program would really be nothing more than a cash transfer from the healthy to the sick, not an insurance program at all.

Hillary says that her program would provide "universal" coverage for all. In order to achieve universality, one must make the program compulsory. The bulk of the uninsured do not want to have to pay for insurance. They are healthy and don't want the added burden of health insurance. That is why about half of those who are eligible for free or low cost insurance under the State Child Health Insurance Program have not signed up. Their parents don't want to.

So Hillary's program, as she freely admits, would require health insurance as a pre-condition of employment. Not having health insurance would be a violation just as driving a car without automobile insurance is illegal. The resulting coercion would force millions to pay for coverage they do not want and feel they don't need. But to pay for her national program, Hillary needs everyone to be covered so she can use their revenues to subsidize the coverage of those who are ill.

But the main defect of Hillary's program is that it leaves out any attempt at cost control. With health care absorbing 16 percent of our economy, Bill Clinton's warnings of economic disaster if its share of our national income passed 12 percent back in 1993 sound almost quaint today. Cost control is a vital part of any plan for universal coverage. Indeed, without it, extending coverage just offers a blank check to patients and providers which would drive even higher the share of our economy that goes to health care.

It was Hillary herself who explained this concept to Dick in 1993. The reality has not changed. Hillary will be forced to control costs as the implicit and vital element of any health care reform. This control of costs belies her contention that she would leave the health care system untouched except to extend coverage to those who now lack it. Because she would need to limit utilization and lower costs, she would be forced to ration health care and to impose government mandated and controlled managed care on all Americans.

For the first time, the word "no" would come into our system. Do you need open heart surgery? Are you a poor risk because of smoking or diabetes or age? No longer would the bureaucrat at the other end of the phone say "we won't pay for it" or "you don't need it" or "we can't fit you in at our facility." The answer would simply be no — even if you pay for it yourself, you may not have one. It is this type of coercion that drives Canadians over the border to the U.S. in search of medical options denied them at home under their socialized medical structure. Now it would operate on both sides of the border.

Finally, Hillary seeks to finance the system by ending tax breaks for the wealthy, by which she means any household with $250,000 or more in income. Never mind that she has spent that money several times over. But why use income taxes to finance her system? Why not do what Democrats and Republicans are now pushing in Congress — to finance it by raising cigarette taxes? That way we get a double impact: higher tobacco prices cut smoking, particularly among teenagers, and reduce health costs and the revenues pay for her expansion of the system. The current Congress is passing legislation to raise cigarette taxes 61 cents per pack to pay for a $35 billion expansion of the State Child Health Insurance Program. Why not raise them $2 per pack to raise the $110 billion Hillary says her health care proposal will need?

In selling her program, Hillary seems to imply that she was under the hypnotic control of her advisers (presumably Ira Magaziner) in 1993 when she designed her previous health care reform. Now she says she is in charge. "I'm the decision maker now," she told The New York Times. "I have a plan that is 100 percent my plan." But what was the 1993 initiative but her plan, concocted in secret and foisted in toto on a Congress which wouldn't pass it?

Now she says she would not "have approached [health care reform] in the same way" as she did in 1993. Now she will be informed by "a greater dose of humility and empathy and understanding of what it takes to get things done in our political system."

That and a determination to conceal the true implications of her proposal until after she is elected.

Note: IMHO, SCHIP - in our case, LACHIP - is a frog boiling scheme, if ever there was one.

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Oops!


Poster boy for tailgating escapades at LSU games. Oh well, PR is PR. ;->


Photograph by Harper Levy


Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Jindal Alert!


Please Join…

Bobby Jindal

as he announces his Education Agenda


Thursday, September 13, 2007
2:30-3:30 pm


Rapides Parish Learning Center @ England Airpark
1410 Neel Kearby Drive
Alexandria, LA


Please RSVP to blake@bobbyjindal.com

All are invited! Bring a Friend!

Monday, September 10, 2007

Gotta love this!


Need a new bumper sticker, Royal? ;->


Friday, September 7, 2007

As the saying goes, “You can’t make this stuff up.”

A snip, from Associated Press, about the governor’s race:

"A slew of lesser-knowns with little financing also are on the list of gubernatorial candidates. One who signed up Thursday was Democrat Mary Smith, a retired hairdresser from Winnsboro. Smith told reporters she wants to be governor because she wants to try to spring former Gov. Edwin Edwards from federal prison, where he's serving a 10-year sentence for bribery."

Emphasis is mine, of course. ;->

Thursday, September 6, 2007

Jim Donelon drew some Republican fire.

Please don’t tell me we could end up with an Insurance Commissioner named Vinny. ;->

James "Jim" Crowley, Democrat, Filed:09/06/07
4509 Linwood St.,Shreveport, LA 71108, 318/617-4389


"Jim" Donelon, Republican, Filed:09/04/07
4724 Folse Dr.,Metairie, LA 70006, 504/455-6503


Robert Lansden, Republican, Filed:09/06/07
P. O. Box 3667,Covington, LA 70433, 985/634-0496


M. V. "Vinny" Mendoza, Democrat, Filed:09/04/07
3510 Ole Miss Dr.,Kenner, LA 70065, 504/913-3971


Jerilyn Schneider-Kneale, Republican, Filed:09/06/07
173 Lark St.,Slidell, LA 70460, 985/643-4413

Where's Ragin' Nagin?

The jungle:

B. Alexandrenko, Other, Filed:09/05/07
P. O. Box 4366,Baton Rouge, LA 70821, 225/324-1870


Walter J. Boasso, Democrat, Filed:09/05/07
12 Brittany Place,Arabi, LA 70032, 504/279-8544


Foster Campbell, Democrat, Filed:09/04/07
816 Main St.,Baton Rouge, LA 70802, 225/334-9890


Vincent Mark Castillo, No Party, Filed:09/04/07
P. O. Box 14,Saint Rose, LA 70087-0014, 504/975-7870


Sheldon Forest, No Party, Filed:09/05/07
P. O. Box 102,Maurice, LA 70555, 337/873-7514


Anthony "Tony G" Gentile, Other, Filed:09/04/07
2368 Cours Carson,Mandeville, LA 70448, 985/674-2722


John Georges, No Party, Filed:09/06/07
P. O. Box 23508,Elmwood, LA 70183-0508, 504/736-4023


T. Lee Horne, III, Libertarian, Filed:09/04/07
116 Lyles Rd.,Bunkie, LA 71322, 888/823-0318


"Bobby" Jindal, Republican, Filed:09/04/07
P. O. Box 82860,Baton Rouge, LA 70884, 225/756-7969


Arthur D. "Jim" Nichols, No Party, Filed:09/06/07
2256 Hwy. 70,Donaldsonville, LA 70346, 225/474-0752


Hardy Parkerson, Democrat, Filed:09/06/07
127 Greenway St.,Lake Charles, LA 70605, 337/478-4370


Mary Volentine Smith, Democrat, Filed:09/06/07
237 New Zion Road,Winnsboro, LA 71295, 318/435-9032

Tuesday, September 4, 2007

Fund raiser for Lance!

Jimbo and Sandy Thiels
cordially invite you to
a fundraiser honoring

LANCE MAXWELL
Candidate for State Representative
District 25

Sunday, September 9th, 2007
12:30 pm until 2:30 pm

Tunk’s Cypress Inn

Host: $250.00/ Ticket: $30.00 per couple

Tickets available at:
Law Firm of Maxwell & Maxwell
1254 Dorchester Dr. — 445-4500

— and —

Tunk’s Cypress Inn

9507 Hwy. 28W — 487-4014

Also available at the door
(Make checks payable to the Committee to Elect Lance Maxwell)

Host Committee:
Mr. & Mrs. Tunk Andries
Mr. & Mrs. Richard W. Billings
Mrs. Shirley Bollinger
Mr. & Mrs. Bryan Bossier
Mr. & Mrs. Toby Brazzel
Mr. & Mrs. Joseph C. Canizaro
Mr. Samuel “Quint” Carriere, V
Dr. & Mrs. Stephan Chapman
Mr. & Mrs. Charles K. Charrier
Mr. & Mrs. Rodney Coon
Rev. & Mrs. Kevin Cox
Mr. & Mrs. Paul Dauzat
Dr. & Mrs. Mark Dodson
Mr. & Mrs. Charlie Dyess
Mr. & Mrs. Johnny Eskew
Mr. & Dr. Jimmy R. Faircloth
Mr. & Mrs. Ricky Farris
Mr. & Mrs. Mike Francis
Mr. & Mrs. Moon Griffon
Mr. & Mrs. Brooks T. Harris
Mr. & Mrs. M. Gene Haymon
Dr. & Mrs. Albert E. Hensel, Jr.
Mr. & Mrs. Barry Hines
Mr. & Mrs. Edmund “Bama” Hinton
Mrs. Joy N. Hodges
Mr. & Mrs. Robert Hughes
Mr. & Mrs. Scott Hunt
Mr. & Mrs. E. Lansing Kolb
Mr. & Mrs. Richard D. Kyle
Mr. Zane Konvicka
Mr. & Mrs. Oday J. Lavergne, Jr.
Dr. & Dr. Robert L. Levy
Mr. & Mrs. Richard “Butch” Lindsay
Mr. & Mrs. Donald R. Long
Mr. & Mrs. Robert G. Maddox, IV
Mr. & Mrs. James Manning
Mrs. Mary Jo Mansour
Mr. & Mrs. Roy O. Martin, III
Mr. & Mrs. Gary E. Maxwell
Dr. & Mrs. David C. McGraw
Mr. & Mrs. Charles R. Owens
Mr. & Mrs. Kent Patton
Mrs. June W. Peach
Mr. & Mrs. Frankie L. Rasberry
Mr. & Mrs. Robert A. Rayford, Jr.
Mr. & Mrs. Wayne Ryan
Mr. & Mrs. H. Brenner Sadler
Mr. & Mrs. James G. Savoy
Mr. & Mrs. John “Jock” Scott
Mr. Thomas B. Searcy
Mr. & Mrs. Aaron Slayter
Mr. & Mrs. Darty Smith
Mr. & Mrs. Henry Smith
Mr. & Mrs. Robby Tarver
Mr. Scotty Thiels
Mr. & Mrs. Ed Thompson
Mr. & Mrs. Orvis Tully
Sen. & Mrs. David B. Vitter
Mr. & Mrs. T. Laron Waters
Mr. & Mrs. Timothy W. Waters
Mr. & Mrs. Thomas O. Wells
Mr. & Mrs. Heath Wester
Mr. & Mrs. Donald H. Wilmore

Committee to Elect Lance Maxwell: Chairman Jimbo Thiels; Secretary Paul Dauzat

Mark your calendar!


Jindal to Announce Anti-Crime Agenda with Local Law Enforcement
Thursday, September 6, 2007, 8:30-10:00AM
Kees Park Community Center (Conference Room)
2450 Highway 28 East
Pineville, LA
Please invite your family and friends!