Wednesday, October 04, 2006
OBSERVATIONS
BY EMILY METZGAR
My (Shreveport Times) column this week offers some observations about Louisiana politics based on events from recent months.
Bottom line:
Frustration with business-as-usual is tough to sustain more than a year after massive natural and manmade disasters. So here’s a new slogan that surely everyone can rally around: Welcome to post-Katrina Louisiana; just like pre-Katrina Louisiana but now with unified levee boards.
Excerpt:
"Louisiana's voters aren't serious about the spirit of term limits. Look no further than the runoff for a statewide office. It's now a contest between two term-limited politicians seeking further opportunities for public employment. During their tenure as representatives of the people this state has consolidated its position in the nation's public policy basement. Their combined presence in the runoff is not representative of change "" no matter what their campaign commercials say."
Note: The column says Saturday’s voter turnout was 25%. Sadly, it was actually only 22%. I regret the error, on several levels…
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
“Politics: A strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles.”
~ Ambrose Bierce
