CenLamar | Est. 2006

  • Charlie Buras: Governor Jindal is Flying on Gambling Lobbyist’s Dime

    It appears as if the intersection between Louisiana governors and gambling lobbyists continues to be heavily-trafficked. According to Charlie Buras of The Old River Road, Governor Jindal has utilized the support of Alton Ashy, a registered lobbyist for the gambling industry,  in order to travel out-of-state for fundraising events. Mr. Ashy’s style is currently influenced by “magazines,” and he believes that “watches” are the most important element of fashion. He “splurges” on shoes and coats but “skimps” on jeans. And he can’t live without shaving butter. Quoting from Buras: Sources now confirm for us that right before leaving for North…

  • Drew Ward: Unemployment: Let’s actually look at the numbers

    Today the Department of Labor Statistics released the unemployment stats for January.  Their report is anything but optimistic.  The current unemployment rate for the nation as a whole is 7.6%, reported as the highest since 1982. Something I heard on NPR’s All Things Considered this afternoon caught my ear though.  Several economists were discussing the fact that at some point during the last 10 years, the US government changed the way they report employment figures.  They estimated that the actual unemployment rate was actually 14.8% and rising! Why?  Because the traditional way of reporting employment statistics was much more straightforward. …

  • On My Wish List: Amtrak

    I stumbled across this report on Shreveport Mayor Cedric Glover’s $2.3 billion “wish list” for his City, which includes finishing Interstate 49, hiring more police officers, and a collection of various infrastructure projects. As long as we’re wishing, why don’t we ask to fill the gaping hole in the Amtrak commuter rail network here in Louisiana? Check it out: Currently, if you want to get from Little Rock to New Orleans or Baton Rouge on Amtrak, you’d have to travel hundreds of miles in the wrong direction, all the way to San Antonio, before finally making the turn. Same thing,…