After my complimentary post on Metairie Representative John LaBruzzo’s affidavit which requested that the Governor veto the pay raise, it turns out that LaBruzzo is in fact accepting his pay raise. Here is Page 2 of LaBruzzo’s affidavit LaBruzzoPage2Affidavit.pdf .

Is there not ONE legislator who will step forward and become a champion of the people? Or am I simply hoping for Neverland?

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{Thanks C.B. for the “rest of the story”.}

An open letter to the NW LA State Representatives and Senators who stood behind the Governor at the Shreveport signing of the repeal of the Stelly Law.

Dear Senator Buddy Shaw, Senator Sherry Cheek, Republican Legislative Delegation Chairman Representative Jane Smith, Representatives Henry Burns, Jim Morris, and Patrick Williams:

Your colleague in the Louisiana House of Representatives, John Labruzzo (R) Metairie, has courageously sent a letter to Governor Jindal requesting that Jindal veto the legislative pay raise bill.

In a 6/25/08 post in BayouBuzz.com by Stephen Sabludowsky:

What is Governor Jindal hiding? His lack of courage or wisdom or political acumen or the truth? Or, is it details about a pledge with the legislature which he refuses to divulge any information?

“I’ve learned my lesson,” Governor Jindal said Tuesday during a news conference outside the Governor’s Mansion.

Which raises the question–which Bobby Jindal will show up at the next legislative session? The contrite Governor who told reporters at the Mansion on Tuesday that “Going forward, we’re certainly going to keep a much tighter rein on the Legislature in future sessions”?

By vetoing the legislation, it will give legislators the time to make their case to the people in a fair open way. That is exactly what Representative John Labruzzo has written the Governor—veto the legislation and start over.

Labruzzo, a young Metairie legislator who is trying to raise a family and who has been a strong advocate of the pay raise said it best, “”It has become obvious to me that we, the Legislature, grossly misjudged the issue of legislative pay during this past session. As a result, I am recommending that you veto (the bill) so that we can come together with our constituents to determine a more reasonable compensation plan for Legislators.”

The bottom line with the people versus Governor Jindal is trust.”

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Like it or not, the bottom line for YOUR constituents in the Shreveport/Bossier area is also trust. Some of you voted against the pay raise bill. But if you truly side with the people against this bill, then have the courage of your colleague Representative LaBruzzo, go one step further, and write a letter to Governor Jindal asking him to veto the bill. Your “No” vote was appreciated, but there is more you can do.

Asking a Governor to veto a bill is not foreign to most of you. In fact, it is exactly what several of you did in 2006, when you sent letters to Governor Blanco asking her to veto the “legislative health benefits for life” HB 1028 bill, which YOU voted FOR. (Except for Henry Burns, Jim Morris and Buddy Shaw, who were not in office at the time.) The health benefits bill was a bad bill, the people were furious about it, you admitted you had erred, and you asked for and received a veto.

Representative Jane Smith, you campaigned on a platform of deserving re-election because you had “experience”. During your campaign, I heard you on more than one occasion state that since you had been in Baton Rouge for a number of years, you “knew the ropes” at the legislature and you knew how to “get things done.” Indeed, this must be so, as you are now the Chairman of the entire Republican Legislative Delegation. You are in what should be one of the most influential positions in the LA Legislature. Will you use your authority, your influence and the “experience” upon which you campaigned to stand with the people of your district, and publicly ask the Governor to veto the pay raise?

Senator Buddy Shaw, you have well deserved hero status in Northwest Louisiana. As proven by your leadership to repeal Stelly, you have the will and the ability to tackle issues that may make you unpopular with the “good ole boys” in Baton Rouge, but which gain you wide respect among the folks back home. You are perceived as a champion of the people, and the people need your help once again. Will you publicly ask the Governor to veto the pay raise?

As for those of you who are freshmen legislators who stood proudly behind Governor Jindal at yesterday’s Shreveport event, you have an opportunity to draw a line in the sand, and stand on the side of the people who elected you to represent them. Will you publicly ask the Governor to veto the pay raise?

“We the people” will not back down from this fight. We will stand. Will we stand without you?

Sincerely,
Evodna Springer
VoteTheRecord

Thanks to thousands of emails and phone calls, Senate Bill 51 has cleared another hurdle at the Louisiana Legislature. SB 51, which claifies the right of citizens to have legally owned firearms locked in their parked vehicles on private parking lots, has passed the floor of the House of Representatives and proceeds to the Senate for amendment concurrence.

Just one short week ago, major players in the House of Representatives (many of them Republicans who campaigned on pro-gun platforms), were maneuvering to prevent the bill from being voted upon on the House floor.

But after countless phone calls and emails, even the staunchest opponents of SB 51 voted FOR the bill - including Rep. Kay Katz, and Rep. Jane Smith, both of whom were targeted by the NRA. Only because of people like you and me who took the time to call and email these representatives, was this victory won. There is still work left to be done. See the NRA email below.

Today, the Louisiana House of Representatives voted 66-35 in favor of Senate Bill 51, the NRA-backed bill allowing employees and customers to keep firearms locked in their vehicles while parked on a publicly accessible parking lot controlled by a business.

SB51 would clarify that current state law allowing Louisianans the right to possess lawfully owned firearms in their private motor vehicles would supercede policies adopted by business owners or employers prohibiting the transportation or storage of guns in locked cars and trucks parked in unsecured, public-access parking lots.

SB51 now heads to the Senate for concurrence, which could come as early as this evening. It is imperative that you contact your State Senator and urge him or her to support your right of self-defense by supporting SB51. We were able to gain support in the House due to the thousands of phone calls and emails that you made-now we need to do the same with the Senate! To find your State Senator please click here.

To see how your State Representative voted please click here.

All State Senators can be reached at (225) 342-2040

Kudos Kathy Ross!

Today I am announcing my initiative, “The Deaf Ear” campaign. Attached you will find a letter I am sending to Senator Robert Adley of Bossier City and Representative Thomas Carmody of Shreveport. These two gentleman voted to increase their salaries and perks while the citizens of Louisiana struggle.

Every election year we are asked to LISTEN to these candidates profess to be conservative Republicans. We work in their campaigns and on election day we pull the lever next to their names. I believe there is an epidemic among the elected officials in Baton Rouge from the Governor on down. As soon as they are sworn in, they all must lose their hearing.

Now is the time for our voices to be heard loud and clear.

I am asking each of you to either forward the attached letter with your name or create a letter of your own to Senator Adley and Representative Carmody. To make sure these gentleman know we will be heard, I am suggesting you enclose the following with your letter; either a hearing aid ($9.00 at Walmart), earwax removal solution, or a small box of Q-tips. We want to make a statement.

These people in Baton Rouge are not listening. The people in Washington, D.C. are not listening.

Be heard. Tell these legislators to LISTEN UP!

Kathy Ross
Chairman, The Deaf Ear Campaign

Kathy’s letter is HERE Listen_Up.doc .

In 1981 when the air traffic controllers union went on strike, Ronald Regan stood on the principle that it was wrong for employees to strike when they serve in areas that affect public safety. Regan gave these employees 48 hours to get back to work, then fired every single air traffic controller who refused. The country survived, and Regan established himself as a decisive leader who meant what he said and would stand down even one of the most powerful groups in the nation.

Similarly, the Louisiana Legislature is the “union” that is telling Governor Jindal, the few remaining true conservative House members, and by extension the people of the State of Louisiana, “If you don’t let us pass our pay raise bill, then we’re going to ’strike’, and we won’t pass any of your bills.”

To quote Brian Trumbore of StockandNews.com editorial on Ronald Reagan’s stand-off with the air traffic controllers, “principle matters, especially in the face of intimidation.”

I say to Bobby Jindal and the true conservative representatives in the Legislature who are being threatened (which could probably fit into a phone booth) - “Governor Jindal and conservative legislators, you have the support of 4.5 million people in this state. Do NOT cave to the few hundred elected officials in Baton Rouge who have forgotten their oath of office to the people they were elected to serve. Governor Jindal, call the bluff of the RINO Jim Tuckers and the liberal self-serving Democrats in the Louisiana Legislature. STAND for the people, because the people are standing with you!”

Tags Louisiana’s new state bird, thoughts from C.B.

The number people need to call to ask the Governor to veto the bill regarding legislative pay raises is 225-342-0991.

This is the Office of Constituent Services and allows voters to leave messages. If you call any other number, you may end up in the black hole of staff mailboxes.

The bill is on the floor calendar for today. You can and SHOULD watch it via live streaming video now at the legislative web site.

From LifeNews.com

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — A spokeswoman for a leading pro-life group says pro-life advocates need to begin work today to stop likely Democratic nominee Barack Obama. Karen Cross, the political director for National Right to Life, says Obama would advocate abortion at every turn if elected president.

“Senator Barack Obama has a strong position and voting record in favor of abortion on demand,” Cross told LifeNews.com. “He strongly supports the appointment of only U.S. Supreme Court Justices who favor Roe v. Wade.”

That means Obama would ensure legalized abortion throughout the entirety of pregnancy will remain legal in the U.S. for another 35 years, Cross says.

“If Senator Barack Obama becomes president of the United States, hundreds of thousands more unborn children will likely die each year,” Cross warns.

Cross points to a speech Obama made before Planned Parenthood in 2007 promising to sign the so-called Freedom of Choice Act that would make the Roe decision federal law.

She tells LifeNews.com the bill “would invalidate virtually all state and federal limitations on abortion, and would make partial-birth abortion legal again.”

Obama’s pro-abortion position is so absolute, the Right to Life leader explains, his position is even more extreme than that of Hillary Clinton, his Democratic rival who he appeared to finally vanquish on Tuesday.

“As a state senator, Barack Obama even voted against saving the lives of babies who survive late term abortions,” Cross says.

That’s a reference to two bills in the Illinois legislature that Obama helped defeat that would have made sure babies who survive failed abortions receive appropriate medical care following their birth.

While Obama has voted against parental notification on abortion and for mandating that taxpayers pay for abortions, Cross say presidential candidate John McCain’s record on abortion is a sharp contrast.

“Senator John McCain has a solid voting record against abortion and has cast 31 pro-life votes since 1997,” Cross explains. “He has also voted against endorsing Roe v. Wade and believes it should be overturned. In addition he voted to confirm Justices Alito and Roberts.”

Because the abortion contrast is so strong between the two candidates, National Right to Life issued an endorsement for the Arizona senator

“National Right to Life PAC strongly supports Senator John McCain for United States President and we have supported him in all of his U.S. Senate races,” Cross said.

Pro-life advocates have had concerns with McCain on the issue of embryonic stem cell research funding but they point out that Obama also favors federal funding. That makes abortion the key issue.

While her group has had disagreements with McCain on that bioethics topic, “Senator McCain did not waver in his votes against abortion,” Cross confirmed.

“The choice for president is clear,” Cross concludes.