Not a fair shake
To the publisher:
Your endorsement of Lee Domingue should not be a surprise to anybody that knows you or can put two and two together [“Publisher’s View,” Feb. 24].
Everything I have seen about Mr. Domingue from print to television indicates he is a good man.
I am disappointed in your comments regarding the “attack” on Hillar Moore by my brother, Dan Claitor. Hillar’s contributions to the community as a baseball coach and the community are commendable. I have seen him in action firsthand as a law student years ago as well as members of the same church and school.
You say you know my brother. I say you haven’t given him a fair shake in this article. I cannot remember in recent memory a cleaner race.
Jon Claitor, Baton Rouge
Speech problem
To the editor:
It sounded to me like [Gov. Bobby Jindal] was reading a story to children [Daily Report, Feb. 25]. He definitely needs a speaking coach. Whoever he has should be fired.
Claire Hymel, Baton Rouge
To the editor:
Bobby Jindal has just wounded himself. His national registry is now zero. Stop the travel. Stop the interviews.
He can now stay home and do the job at home that we voted him to do.
Tom Moore, Baton Rouge
To the editor:
Gov. Bobby Jindal’s speech was not his finest hour as a host of naysayers have been quick to say. They fail to consider a few pertinent points, without which a criticism of Jindal is, at best, incomplete. He had to reply, in a relatively short time, to a lengthy speech by a most articulate speaker who spent most of the time telling his audience what they wanted to hear. Later, many sources revealed that President Barack Obama’s speech contained numerous inaccuracies, unrealistic promises or “sleights of hand,” as one commentator put it. Unfortunately for Jindal, my guess is that not more than 20% of those hearing Obama’s speech heard those criticisms.
Jindal had the decency to avoid overly criticizing our new president even though he had left himself wide open for it. In addition, Jindal showed integrity by resisting the challenge to suggest that the Republican approach would be able to deliver the pie-in-the-sky promises made by Obama.
When is the last time Louisiana was looked at seriously as perhaps providing a viable candidate for president? Why can’t the media understand they so often do more harm than good, often tarnishing their own reputation, in their haste to criticize or praise? Do we really believe that Jindal’s future opponents won’t be quick to point out anything critical of him that they can find, especially when voiced by Louisiana media?
There will be time aplenty in the future to publicly criticize him. Let’s first continue to see what good he can accomplish. Right now, I’d much prefer to be spending our time encouraging, helping and, yes, counseling when warranted, but on a respectable level, with the hope that his talents and ability will help move Louisiana out of its perpetual doldrums.
In the process, it would be nice if he decided he actually liked being governor and stayed around long enough to accomplish some worthy goals that lead to long-term improvements for our state.
Bob Benedict, Baton Rouge
To the editor:
First, let me say that I vote for the best candidate, not the Republican or the Democrat.
What Jindal said was probably what the first page of the Republican handbook states. It was nothing new. I thought a rebuttal was an answer or different point of view to what was said earlier. I think his “speech” was written days earlier. Other than telling us his biography, which I thought would be better moved to the A&E network, he stated almost nothing in rebuttal to President Obama’s speech. He looked a little awkward when he first walked to the microphones with one hand not moving back and forth very much. While he talked, his hands didn’t stop the whole time with that right hand shuffling back and forth and then the open hands coming up and going down over and over. That was very distracting.
He did not come off well in my opinion. But when you have someone who really sold his ideas as President Obama did earlier, I don’t know how Jindal could have really had any kind of rebuttal other than his “this is not the Republican way.” I also heard Jindal take a quote from President Obama and use it out of context to make the president sound like he was trying to scare Americans. The scare tactic—now that’s a page out of the Republican handbook. To take part of a sentence and use it as he did was very telling. I was very disappointed to hear him do this, but it shows he is as much a politician as everyone else.
I am tired of the “this is my party’s agenda” speech. When are these elected officials going to become Americans instead of politicians who are only looking for their party’s support for their next job? When are these people going to make a decision based on its merits and after letting it filter through their own brains and not on what the party wants them to do?
Paul J. Grethel, Walker
Not again
To the publisher:
Ah, yes! The old Louisiana Trojan Horse story … again. In the last election, promises of “reform and a different way of doing things in Louisiana” flowed downstream to us like the Mississippi River.
One year later, one new governor and what now? The same thing we have had for the past 50 years, a spending roller coaster [“Publisher’s View,” Feb. 24].
Last April, Jindal and the Legislature spent like drunken sailors and today Louisiana is broke … again.
Is this “new and forward leadership?” I think not.
What we, the taxpayers of Louisiana, voted for and what we got in the last election are two very different things. We enthusiastically welcomed the serious reform rhetoric of the Trojan Horse only to find when it came into office it was filled with nothing more than personal political ambition for national office that considered Louisiana a mere whistle stop on the trip. As a result, the large state issues are being overlooked and therefore no change … again.
So, what is the origin of the problem? In my opinion, it is the fact that the taxpayers of Louisiana have set the bar too low for public office. In the mind of the people the criteria for political greatness in Louisiana is threefold: personally honest, charismatic orator and breathing.
Bobby Jindal is unquestionably an individual of the highest personal honesty and integrity, an accomplished public speaker, and yes, breathing. Therefore, according to the skewed standard for political office predetermined by the taxpayers of Louisiana, he’s the “king.” We are willing to accept a few modest changes as earth-shattering, all the while the spending roller coaster is allowing Louisiana’s issues like higher education, health care and the road situation to grow larger and more destructive with each passing year.
Let me leave you with a thought worthy of pondering.
How can the Louisiana state government be spending $1 billion more per month in 2009, inflation adjusted, for the same population that we had 30 years ago [approximately 4.2 million] and still rank on the bottom of the “good lists” and the top of the “bad lists?”
Joe Traigle, Former Secretary of Revenue
City docked
To the publisher:
The city dock is a dream the real estate community has had for a long time [“Publisher’s View,” Feb. 24]. This ugly structure is the gateway to Baton Rouge as it is the first impression of a newcomer from the west on the Interstate 10 bridge. This development could turn an eyesore into one of the most spectacular in Baton Rouge. I look forward to one day watching a beautiful sunset from this great dream.
Gregg Cordaro, Cordaro Companies
Counseling the council
To the editor:
I was very disappointed with the outcome of The Caterie rezoning case [Daily Report, Feb. 24].
The request was consistent with adjacent land use, consistent with the 2010 Horizon Plan, consistent with the planning staff recommendation and approved by the Planning and Zoning Commission 5-4—but it was not consistent with the moral code of some Metro Council members. Therefore, rezoning was denied.
Adjacent land use—not moral code—should decide rezoning cases.
Patrick McCarron, Baton Rouge
