No tax advocate
To the editor:
Politicians are eager to say they are in favor of lowering taxes. The reality is that they are raising tax rates if they raise the homestead exemption [“Random Thoughts,” May 5.] They are raising the millage rate. That’s the equivalent of raising the sales tax rate.
If you called the Legislators and the governor and asked them, “Why do you want to raise the millage rate in every parish,” their foreheads would start to sweat. You will have busted them.
The governor clearly wants to portray himself as an advocate for lower taxes. I don’t think he’s aware that these proposals paint him as being in favor of and responsible for unnecessarily raising millage rates statewide.
Arthur Sterbcow, Baton Rouge
Pure torture
To the editor:
Why has Business Report picked up the liberal left wing media’s definition of our country’s interrogation techniques of foreign terrorists [Daily Report, April 29]?
Terrorists are not military combatants, but rather are mind-blown crazed individuals with no respect for life—our soldiers, their fellow countrymen, women, children, anyone. It doesn’t matter. All they want is a destiny with infamy.
The former LSU professor evaluated the differences between strong yet valid questioning technique versus a method of torturing for the heck of it. He decided on the side of America’s safety. Where do you stand?
Tony Ayers, Baton Rouge
Green with envy
To the publisher:
This story was set up to give the middle class, average Jane/Joe some envy [“Publisher’s View,” April 20]. It is just like TV programs that showcase the rich and famous with their homes and yachts. We all know sports figures and movie stars make a lot of money for their work, and the media makes them out to be someone for the public to look up to.
There is no way some young kid in a small town who can barely get out of high school, if he does at all, gets into that kind of situation. This just makes these people think they should be making that money for what they do, and that drives them on to be petty criminals.
I run a $35,000,000 company and just barely make a six-figure salary. My counterpart [district manager] in the investor-owned utility world makes probably twice what I do, but that is considered “big business.” I also work for a board of directors who are members of the cooperative and have a stake in what decisions they/we make.
I just know that the average person will not have enough money to pay their bills if Congress and/or the Environmental Protection Agency passes a carbon tax, or “cap and trade” that is being discussed. For Louisiana, we are looking at $50 to $60 per-month increase in the average customer’s electric bill.
Joseph H. “Jodie” Cotten Jr., General manager, Pointe Coupee EMC, New Roads
Boardroom politics
To the editor:
I am in favor of having one board handle all guidance and direction for education in the state [Daily Report, April 16]. I don’t know which board, and I would not be opposed to it being an appointed board so long as there is diverse representation of the stakeholders. It could be a mix of educators, business, parents, teacher groups, etc., but it should not be stacked in favor of any one group.
I am opposed to having an appointed position be as powerful as noted in the article. This could get to a situation about who has the most money to buy the position and not be in the best interests of educating our young people. This board should provide guidance, establish a distribution of state funds and establish qualifications to hold various positions in the education systems. Day-to-day operations should be left to the heads of various organizations providing the learning experience. The board should monitor them and take appropriate actions when the results are not as planned, including the replacement of those who are not performing. The board should do away with tenure and go to system in which pay is tied to results. If we rank 49 out of 50 in the U.S., they get paid at that level.
We have too many groups directing the education system now, and it needs to be made more efficient. Utilizing some of the criteria from the Baldrige National Quality award or an international ISO standard would be a good start to improving the system. Let’s do what is necessary to improve the education system and try to get politics out of it.
Mickey Christensen, Baton Rouge
