Monthly Archives: December 2010

The Town Talk: Louisiana College Considered Seeking $70M from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to Fund George H.W. Bush School of Medicine 8

by • Education, Health Care, Media Studies, National News, Social Activism, Today's News

According to reporters Billy Gunn and Karina Vailes of The Town Talk, Louisiana College, the small Southern Baptist institution in Pineville, Louisiana, apparently considered asking the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the State of Kuwait for $70 million, $35 million per country, in order to help fund the creation of the George H.W. Bush School of Medicine.

Quoting:

A draft proposal for the Louisiana College medical school indicates that the private Baptist college was looking at funding from two Middle East countries and naming it after a former president, but officials said Friday that proposal never was pursued.

The document, which was posted on the Save Our LC Internet message board, says the medical school would be “A Public/Private International Model of (the) Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, State of Kuwait, State of Louisiana & Louisiana College.”

Funding from the two Arab countries, the document said, would amount to $70 million.

The document, which LC officials said was stolen by someone and put on the website, states that the school would be named after former President George Herbert Walker Bush, who in 2006 spoke at the school. Bush was paid $100,000 through private donations to speak at LC’s 100-year anniversary celebration, where he was presented with an honorary doctorate.

To be sure, although the leaked document states that LC officials had “reserved” the right to name the school after the former President, LC officials claimed President Bush was never informed about their intentions.

Weird. The whole thing is just weird. Continuing from The Town Talk:

Umbach (LC’s consultant) explained that the origins of the Saudi Arabia/Kuwait draft proposal began after Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana and the Gulf Coast in August 2005. Then, the Kuwait government made a contribution to the state of Louisiana for relief efforts.

When LC school officials became aware that there may be some additional unspent funds, “it all began with the quest to see if some of those funds might be available for a medical school, because a percentage of the relief was suppose to go to Central and Northern Louisiana hurricane safe zones,” Umbach said.

“I honestly think that became a dead end,” said Umbach, whose firm specializes in economic research and analysis. “Apparently those funds were no longer available. We don’t know even how to apply, and that’s where the process kind of started, and where it ended was the ability for us to find other funding a lot closer, and that’s what we are pursuing to get the medical school off the ground.”

Don’t get me wrong here: It’d be awesome if Central Louisiana landed a medical school. No one’s against that. But really? I mean, really? We’re supposed to believe the entire pursuit was because Kuwait pledged $500 million to assist in Katrina relief? It seems a little far-fetched. Plus, it doesn’t account for the proposed $35 million ask to Saudi Arabia. Or the presence of the former President in this whole thing.

You can download the entire document here.

Jeff Landry’s First Move: Give the “Prince of Pork” Chairmanship of the House Appropriations Committee 2

by • Local Political News

Dear Louisiana Tea Partiers,

Be warned: apparently, Congressman-Elect Jeff Landry has no idea what the heck he is doing or talking about:

Daily Comet: You’ve stated you support banning congressional earmarks, correct?

Jeff Landry: The issue is completely moot. The Republican majority voted unanimously to continue the current moratorium on earmarks.

(In other words, regardless of Landry’s own beliefs, the issue is moot, and even if he had supported targeted earmarks for Louisiana recovery, unfortunately, he’s already been completely neutered by the Republican majority).

Daily Comet: According to The Times-Picayune, current and former Louisiana lawmakers say an earmark ban could undermine the state’s ability to corral federal dollars and direct the Army Corps of Engineers to pay attention to the state’s special hurricane-protection and flood-control needs.

Jeff Landry: I completely disagree with that. That is not completely true. The entire Louisiana Republican house delegation supported the moratorium; therefore if it was any of them, then I can’t understand why they would make that comment. Who said it?

Daily Comet: Sen. Mary Landrieu is a supporter of earmarks, for example.

Jeff Landry: That is not surprising; she is a big tax-and-spend legislator. That’s how she got the Louisiana purchase and we ended up with Obamacare.

My special comment here: We’ve had a number of woefully unqualified and unethical people somehow find themselves representing the State of Louisiana. Jeff Landry may be a nice guy. I’ve never met him. But clearly, obviously, he’s in way over his head. From what I understand, Landry was only elected after running a vicious campaign against a retired National Guard General. Hunt Downer, in my opinion, was and still remains far more qualified for the United States Congress than Jeff Landry, and so did my friend Ravi Sangesitty. Mr. Landry appears to be nothing more than an empty suit: Confusing specifically earmarked money for disaster recovery with health care reform; maligning an attempt at equalizing and ensuring fairness in Louisiana Medicaid disbursements as if it is tantamount to corruption (seriously, what an insult; the “Louisiana Purchase” plan to which he alluded was embraced by our Republican Governor)– employing the language and the innuendo of the fringe-right in order to promote his own sense of ideological purity while completely missing the issue and undermining the people to whom he was elected to serve.  Steve Scalise and John Fleming may welcome Mr. Landry with open arms, but the rest of our delegation needs to be careful: Thus far, there’s been absolutely no evidence that Landry understands the complicated issues with which he’s dealing.

Exhibit A:

Bad news. Per the D trip:

Today, Representative-elect Jeff Landry failed the first test of his commitment to fiscal responsibility when the House Republican Conference approved Representative Hal “Prince of Pork” Rogers (R-05) to Chair the House Appropriations Committee. His hometown newspaper has called Representative Rogers the “Prince of Pork,” as a result of his 135 earmarks at a cost of $246 million in the past two years alone.

“Representative-elect Jeff Landry is responsible for supporting the “Prince of Pork” and his 135 earmarks as the chairman of the House’s spending committee,” said Ryan Rudominer of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “Every day it becomes more clear that Representative-elect Jeff Landry and House Republicans are already breaking their promise to voters to get spending back on track.”

Representative Rogers and his Republican allies were responsible for turning record budget surpluses of the 1990’s into record deficits.

Highlights of Hal Rogers Fiscally Irresponsible Record

Rogers Was Named the “Prince of Pork” by Kentucky Paper. In February 2005, the Lexington Herald-Leader wrote an article entitled, “Prince of Pork; Hal Rogers Hauls Home Tax Dollars by the Billions.”  The story details Rogers’ history of being an old-fashioned politician who doles out earmarks to his supporters. Rogers’ aides estimate that Rogers has doled out $2.4 billion in earmarks since 1999. [Lexington Herald-Leader, 2/06/05]

Earmarks Galore. Rogers has pushed through 135 earmarks at a cost of $246 million in the past two years, alone. “The tiny airport that received $17 million in federal dollars but has so little traffic that the last commercial airline pulled out in February.  And then there’s the Hal Rogers Parkway, which was formerly known as the Daniel Boone Parkway before being renaming for Kentucky’s Prince of Pork.” [ABC News, 12/6/10]

Rogers wants taxpayer help for cheetahs. “U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers, R-Somerset, is sponsoring a bill to give $5 million a year to conservation groups that work overseas on behalf of endangered “great cats and rare canids,” such as cheetahs, lions and Ethiopian wolves. One group interested in applying, should Rogers’ bill become law, is the Namibia-based Cheetah Conservation Fund. Its grants administrator, Allison Rogers, is the congressman’s daughter.” [Lexington Herald Leader, 7/26/10]

Citizens Against Government Waste Names Rep. Hal Rogers August Porker of the Month in August. “Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) today named Rep. Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) August Porker of the Month for sponsoring legislation that could give federal funding to his daughter’s nonprofit organization, which promotes overseas wildlife protection for cheetahs.” [CAGW, August 2010]

Rogers’ Son Was Hired By Firm While Rogers Helped Them Secure a $4 Million Contract. In 2004, Rogers’ son, John, was hired by Senture, a company that works on call centers. During the same time, Rogers was helping the company secure a $4 million contract.  Additionally, company president Christopher Deaton gave $4,200 in campaign contributions to Rogers on September 3, 2005.  [CQ MoneyLine, moneyline.cq.com, accessed 2/12/09;  New York Times, 5/2/06]

Landry hates earmarks, remember? Apparently, though, he only hates them when they benefit Louisiana. Must make the Tea Party proud!

Summit on SPARC: A Thank You Note 1

by • Self-referential drivel

On Monday and Tuesday, the City of Alexandria- along with GAEDA and Meyer, Meyer, LaCroix, and Hixson- hosted a one-of-its-kind conference that featured some of the nation’s and the state’s foremost authorities in crime prevention, urban redevelopment, and infrastructure investment. I had the privilege and honor of helping to plan and organize this event, so, please forgive me, but I think it’s only appropriate to publicly thank those people who made the whole thing possible. So, thank you to:

1. Mayor Joseph Riley and his staff, particularly his assistant Rita, for believing in what we are trying to do in Alexandria.

2. Senator Mary Landrieu and her staff, particularly Jeanne-Marie Ganucheau and T. Bradley Keith, for championing Alexandria.

3. Greg Saville, who flew all the way from beautiful Port Townsend, Washington to share his insight with all of us.

4. Steven Bingler and Bobbi Provosty Hill, two of Louisiana’s most brilliant visionaries.

5. Frederic Schwartz and Carlton Brown, both early adopters of the SPARC Initiative and both internationally-renowned professionals. One of the highlights of the last four years of my life has been getting to know and being able to work with Fred and Carlton; I consider myself privileged to count them as friends.

6. Patrick Moore and his whole crew. Gracias al Padre.

7. Eric Shaw, the best employee Bobby Jindal has and will ever have.

8. Jeffrey Carbo. Without Jeff’s support and guidance, the Summit would have tanked. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

9. Jason Tudor, one of the most genuine people I’ve ever encountered and one of the most passionate advocates who practices what he preaches right here in Louisiana.

10. To all the other speakers- Haley Blakeman, Chris Camp, Tyson Hackenberg, Mayor Claybar. Amazing.

11. Mayor Clarence Fields and his Chief of Staff Rich Dupree, excellent work.

12. Sherman Desselle, a rising star in Central Louisiana.

13. To Ryan Harris, the new band director at Peabody, please, keep up the good work. You guys rocked.

14. Matt Henry, Maggie Jarrett, and the other folks at the Arts Council, kudos.

15. Lisa Harris, T.W. Thompson, Charmin Weiss, Karen Landry, Teresa Allen, Keith Wilmore, Chase Olson, and David Crain.

16. To the sponsors: the AARP; Ashe, Broussard, and Weinzettle; Barron, Heinberg, and Brocato; The Center for Planning Excellence; Franklin Industries; Jeffrey Carbo Landscape Architects; Monceaux-Buller and Associates; Providence Engineering; Tetra Tech; White Companies; and Yankee Clipper.

17. Daniel Smith, one of the hardest-working, most dedicated, and most intelligent human beings I have ever known. (The crazy thing is: I can honestly say the same thing about Michael Smith, Daniel’s twin brother).

18. And finally, even though he was the principal force behind the Summit and even at the risk of appearing sycophantic, I want to thank my boss, Mayor Jacques Roy. Throughout the last four years, I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to work for him, and each and every one of those days during the last four years, he has inspired, challenged, and encouraged me, personally, to become a better person, to not fear boldness, to reject those whose only motive is divisiveness or greed, and to strive toward equanimity, fairness, and honesty.

MONDAY, MONDAY, MONDAY and TUESDAY, TUESDAY, TUESDAY 7

by • Downtown Alexandria, Self-referential drivel, Smart Growth

Next Monday, you should all drive to the Coughlin-Saunders Performing Arts Center in Downtown Alexandria around 1:25PM.

Free parking.

Free admission.

And you’ll get to hear a series of incredible lectures and presentations from nearly two dozen of the nation’s and the state’s leading experts in urban redevelopment, Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED), and infrastructure investment.

The keynote speaker on Day One is Mayor Joseph Riley, the long-time Mayor of Charleston, South Carolina. Last year, the President gave Mayor Riley the National Medal of Arts. Riley’s revolutionized his hometown. Today, Charleston is one of America’s top travel destinations. A couple of weeks ago, Charleston was named America’s “Most Friendly City.” In his spare time, Mayor Riley founded the Mayors’ Institute on City Design, which has done incredible things for cities all across the country throughout the last two decades.

You’ll hear from Frederic Schwartz and Carlton Brown about the largest redevelopment project in the history of Jackson, MS and about their recently-launched plans to create sustainable, affordable housing in Ghana and Haiti. Fred’s an internationally-renowned architect, winner of the Rome Prize; he’s been featured in his hometown paper, The New York Times, nearly two dozen times, and he’s taught at Harvard, Yale, and Berekely. Carlton’s one of the country’s most successful African-American developers and a board member of the US Green Building Council. Sundance Channel recently dedicated an episode of their show “Big Ideas for a Small Planet” to Carlton and his work in Harlem.

Jeff Carbo and Mayor Brown Claybar of Orange, Texas are going to talk about the Shangri-La Botanical Gardens, which was recognized last year as one of the country’s top ten green projects by the AIA.

Greg Saville, one of the world’s foremost experts in CPTED, will talk about safe growth. Greg is the coauthor of the National Police Officer Training Program and the founder of the International Association of CPTED.

Steven Bingler and Bobbi Provosty Hill will discuss the idea of “nexus communities.” If you’ve never heard of this before, believe me, it’s a fascinating and intuitive idea.

And there’s much more: Eric Shaw on resiliency in Louisiana, Haley Blakeman on the innovative work being undertaken in Jena, Mayor Fields on Ft. Randolph and Ft. Buhlow, Pat Moore on the development of the Lake Charles promenade, Jason Tudor on neighborhood-level capacity-building in Hollygrove, Tyson Hackenberg on redeveloping brownfields, Chris Camp on emerging trends in recreation infrastructure.

All in Day One. All for free.

On Day Two, show up 9:00AM at Alexandria Convention Hall. Greg Saville will lead and moderate the day’s workshops, which will be focused on public safety and crime prevention.

Again, it’s all free.

In fact, if you’re an architect, landscape architect, engineer, or planner, you may qualify for free Continuing Education hours.

Some come one, come all.