Dummycrat Is Hate Speech According To Facebook

Editorial By Leonard Lenny Vasbinder
October 29, 2018

On October 5, 2018, on my main Facebook page, @LennyVasbinder, I posted a link to a news article related to the upcoming election on Tuesday, November 6, 2018.  As part of my comment about the news article, I made a rather benign joke, "And remember, to cut back on lines, Republicans vote on Nov. 6 and democrats vote on Nov. 7. :D" Yes, I included the Big Smiley to further indicate it was a joke as if it wasn't already obvious to everyone--except a dummycrat.

Apparently, this benign joke was so offensive to Facebook that they deleted my post and put me in Facebook Jail for 30 days. Yes, I have previously been in Facebook Jail for one-day and three-day stints.

Here is a screenshot of the notice that I got from Facebook before being put in Facebook Jail for 30 days.

I get out of Facebook Jail in five days and will be back to my antics but in the interim, I have started exploring the social media site, Snippy.com, and my new profile there is https://snippy.com/u/profile/OrVwHQRmwn. I heard about Snippy on the Buck Sexton talk radio show.

WHERE ARE OUR MILLIONAIRES?

By Leonard “Lenny” Vasbinder

Originally published Feb. 8, 2017 (in the Delgado Dolphin Newspaper)

If you want to be a Hollywood South millionaire, you do not need to be a well-known actor, producer, or director. All you need is $900,000.00 and the State of Louisiana will pay you the difference.

Let me explain. According to Gordon Russell’s investigative report, “Giving Away Louisiana: Film Tax Incentives,” in The Advocate, Dec. 2, 2014, “Film productions don’t have any corporate tax liability because they are set up as limited liability companies that simply make payments to actors, crew, and vendors. Profits from a film are taxable, but they go to the film’s investors, who are usually based elsewhere. As a result, most productions sell their tax credits to someone who owes taxes, which is legal under Louisiana state law, usually getting about 90 cents for each $1 worth of tax credit. Buyers, many of them wealthy movers and shakers, get 100 cents on the dollar from the state, creating a group of influential middlemen who benefit from the program.”

Will French, who helped author the Louisiana Film Tax Credit law, is also a major player in the film tax credit exchange industry. The Secretary of State records show he is the founder and/or officer of many businesses with “tax credit” as part of the business name, (Louisiana Tax Credit Finance, LLC, Oauchita Tax Credit Finance, LLC, and many others.) He is also listed as the co-founder of the Louisiana Film & Entertainment Association, a trade association that vehemently opposed the changing of the law and issued the talking points to the local actors, unions, and trade groups, who added their voice to the protest.

Julia O’Donoghue’s article, “Louisiana film tax credits could face restrictions, though what type is unclear,” in the Times-Picayune on April 28, 2015 documents more statements from Will French.

With all the controversy concerning the film tax credit program in the past two years, it brings to light, again, the fact that after 15 years and nearly $2 billion of Louisiana taxpayer dollars going into the film industry through the tax credit program, we have very little out-of-state infrastructure investment, and we still do not have a single producer, director, or actor, that is a Louisiana local resident, that has made even one of those million dollar paychecks, even though Louisiana has spent a billion dollars in six years, between 2008 and 2014.

For folks who may not realize just how much a billion dollars is, it is equal to one thousand millionaires! So out of nearly two thousand million dollars, over the past 15 years, do you really mean to tell me that not a single one of those million dollar checks could have been spent on the hiring and promoting of a single Louisiana resident to a major film job?

That is what was and still is wrong with the tax credit program. There is nothing that really pushes Hollywood to hire local or to permanently invest locally. The big productions come and go every 60 — 90 days and leave with millions of dollars of our hard-earned tax dollars each time they leave. And they leave almost nothing tangible behind — no studios, no office buildings, no local producers, no local directors, and no local actors that were promoted as a big star and paid the big bucks.

It should be noted that the filming of Season 3 of “NCIS: New Orleans” opened with the loss of “Brody” and even that spot could have been filled by a local Louisiana actress but instead, CBS went out of state for the actress to fill that spot with a NY actress, Vanessa Ferlito, taking the spot. On a positive note, the show, as a local television series, has hired and promoted some locals to upper-level positions, but still no millionaires.

On a negative note, tens of thousands of the jobs that the film industry does give to locals are minimum wage or $8 an hour jobs as background (a/k/a extras) and are only day-player jobs. Since the production gets a 40 percent rebate on those wages, it means the production is actually only paying out an effective rate of $4.80 (or less) an hour. Further, considering the taxpayers are paying the 40 percent rebate, it’s a double whammy to these very low paid workers. These background workers are almost always hired on a day-to-day basis and get a “pink slip” at the end of each day.

Hopefully, the new tax credit law changes, written by the legislature in 2015, which are geared more toward developing and promoting local, homegrown productions, will also open the doors for more local producers, directors, and talent to become more experienced and better known so that one of us will make one of those million dollar paychecks in the very near future.

For all the so-called “industry leaders,” trade groups, and workers in the industry who are crying about the $180M cap on the tax credits, only two years out of 16 have gone over $180M and I do not recall the sky falling during those other 14 years. Yes, y’all are “acting” like Chicken Little.

One major suggestion for the next revision to the tax credit law would be to put in a clause that makes Louisiana an investor in each production that receives money from our tax credit program. For the past 15 years, we have invested almost $2 BILLION and have not gotten a single penny back from any of the productions that made money. There have been countless blockbusters that went on to make billions of dollars in combined profits over the years and each and every one of them should have had to pay back our investment, with an appropriate return. Every other investor in a film project expects to be paid back their investment with a nice return whenever a film is profitable — why shouldn’t we?

University of New Orleans (UNO) Tuition, Fees, and Charges Explained — Part 1

By: Leonard Lenny Vasbinder

Republished October 9, 2018 — originally published in the UNO Driftwood newspaper September 15, 2017. https://unodriftwood.com/1855/news/tuition-fees-and-charges-explained-part-i/

If you looked at your Fee Bill or Student Account Detail on the University of New Orleans (UNO) WebStar site, you may have noticed all the fees that are on your bill besides just tuition. These fees have been an ongoing concern for the thousands of students who have to pay all these fees each semester — often for things they may never use.

While students have been hearing about cutbacks from state subsidies that caused their tuition to go up, many universities and colleges have also been tacking on fees that further increased the total amount that each student pays every semester.
According to this article, https://unodriftwood.com/868/news/uno-tuition-price-holds-steady-fees-nearly-double/, in The Driftwood in fall 2016, tuition has remained steady the past couple of years but the fees have risen considerably. Where tuition has increased from $2,582 to $3,045 between fall 2012 and fall 2016/2017, an increase of nearly $500.00 (nearly 20 percent), fees have more than quadrupled from $343 to almost $1,450 (over 400 percent). According to the article, “Just four years ago, a student could attend UNO for less than half the price of what the tuition [and fees are] now.”

A really big and unexplained fee is for Other Mandatory Fees — $529.81. The Privateer Bucks, Fuel Recovery Charge, and Student Retention Initiative Fee are other larger fees that were not easily recognized for what they are.

Bursar Brett Cassell was asked for comment on the fees and referred all inquiries to the public relations department representative, Adam Norris. When contacted, Norris, UNO’s chief communications officer, asked for all questions to be put in writing and Norris replied by email.

“The Other Mandatory Fees are comprised of the various Tuition Components. We do not publish these, but they are as follows, and most are self-explanatory: 1. General Fee, 2. Campus Beautification Fee, 3. SS Referendum ’87, 4. Facility Use and Maintenance, 5. Auxiliary Plant, 6. Athletics, 7. Student Health, 8. University Center, 9. Student Services, 10. University Services, 11. Driftwood [possibly meaning this newspaper], and 12. Wellness Center,” said Norris.

Norris further stated that the following link gives a description of most of the fees. You can just click on the fee at the bottom of the Web page to see an explanation of them. http://www.uno.edu/bursar/tuitionfees.aspx. “Also, there are numerous courses with Course Fees added by the department,” added Norris. Here is a link to a list of those fees [near the bottom]: http://www.uno.edu/registrar/catalog/1718catalog/tuition-fees.aspx

“Regarding the Privateer Bucks, any unused portion will roll forward as long as the student is at UNO. Once the student either graduates or leaves UNO, the student can receive a full refund for any unused portion of the Privateer Bucks,” said Norris.

According to this second article, https://unodriftwood.com/1049/university/university-administration-explains-current-fee-increases/) in the Driftwood in fall 2016, “There will be no tuition increase,” said Adam Norris, the university’s chief communication officer. “Rather than increase tuition, the university tacked on two other mandatory university fees: the Privateers Spirit fee and the Student Retention Initiative fee. “The dedicated fees were taken to the Student Government and a separate open forum was held in May [2016] to discuss the proposed fees. The rationale for these fees was shared at that forum, as we wanted student input and feedback,” said Norris. Norris added, “It should be noted that these are mandatory fees, and financial aid and scholarships can be used to cover their cost.”

Most of the students talked to about these fees had not really looked into them. They were surprised at how many fees there were and the dollar amount on some of them.

“I live at Privateer Place and go to UNO full-time and I could have used the $125 mandated for Privateer Bucks to buy food that I could have cooked myself instead of spending it on much higher priced restaurant food. I could have also used that money for books, rent, and other necessities,” said Ngugi Gathige, an incoming transfer student from Delgado Community College (DCC). “It’s bad enough that UNO costs twice as much than DCC and my grants do not cover all the tuition and fees so I had to pay out-of-pocket for some of the expenses and books,” continued Gathige.

“The much higher and continually rising cost to attend UNO will also mean higher student loans that have to be paid back by so many students,” said Gathige.

“While wages for most people in Louisiana have remained stagnant for the past 10 years, the cost of going to college just keeps going up higher and higher,” said Gathige.

Delgado Community College Tuition Up Over 100 Percent In The Past Seven Years

By: Leonard Lenny Vasbinder

Republished October 9, 2018 — originally published in The Delgado Dolphin online newspaper, Spring 2017. The Dolphin has now been canceled by Delgado Community College as part of their eliminating the entire Mass Comm program.

Delgado Community College in New Orleans, with several campuses in the surrounding metropolitan area, has seen a substantial spike in tuition in the past seven years.

After having stable tuition fees and costs from Fall 2005 through Spring 2010, the Fall 2010 semester saw the first increase from $768 ($979 with fees) to $944 ($1,195 with fees), an increase of nearly 23 percent for tuition and just over 22 percent for tuition and fees. The Spring 2012 semester maintained the same pricing.

Fall 2011 saw another increase of about 12 percent. Fall 2012, 2013, and 2014 saw similar double-digit increases each year with a slight slowdown for Fall 2015 of only 10 percent tuition and 6.4 percent tuition and fees increase. Fall 2016 did not increase, nor did Spring 2017.

The combined increase is 109 percent for tuition from Fall 2009 to Fall 2015 and 99.7 percent for tuition and fees during the same period, more than double what it cost just eight years ago.

These increases were authorized by the state legislature in 2010 to allow universities to offset the cuts from their state funding.

Recent reports show a drop in enrollment of around 7 percent from 2009 to 2015, with another 5 percent drop from 2015 to 2016. Delgado still has the second highest enrollment in higher education in Louisiana.

Delgado did not reply with a comment in time for the original publication.

Constitutional Amendment Six (6) Affecting Property Taxes is on the upcoming November 6 ballot

Press Release edited by:
Leonard Lenny Vasbinder

October 04, 2018

CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT 6 PROPERTY TAX AMENDMENT IS ON THE NOVEMBER 6 STATEWIDE BALLOT

FACTS ABOUT CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT 6

Amendment 6 will buffer property owners from large property tax increases if there is a steep increase in value.

Actual Text of Proposed Amendment No. 6: Act 718 of the 2018 Regular Session of the Louisiana Legislature proposing to amend Article VII, Section 18(A) and (F) of the Louisiana Constitution. Do you support an amendment that will require that any reappraisal of the value of residential property by more than 50%, resulting in a corresponding increase in property taxes, be phased-in over the course of four years during which time no additional reappraisal can occur and that the decrease in the total ad valorem tax collected as a result of the phase-in of assessed valuation be absorbed by the taxing authority and not allocated to the other taxpayers?

WHAT DOES CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT (CA) 6 DO?

By law in Louisiana, tax assessors must reassess all properties at least once every four years. When property values rise in your area, you could see big increases in your assessment and, therefore, in your property taxes. Under CA 6, if you have a homestead exemption and your property assessment increases by 50 percent or more during a single assessment, this law phases in the increase in your property tax bill equally over the next four years.

WHY IS IT NECESSARY?

Real estate prices have increased so quickly in many places. In some neighborhoods, rapidly rising values and taxes have priced residents out of their own homes! This law, if approved by voters November 6, would soften the blow of a potentially steep increase in your tax bill. That beats being hit with a large increase all at once.


HOW DOES IT WORK?

Let's say your house is valued at $100,000 one year, but reassessed at $200,000 the next year. Instead of paying taxes on the full $200,000 that first year, it would phase in over four years:

Year 1: held to $125,000 assessment
Year 2: held to $150,000 assessment
Year 3: held to $175,000 assessment
Year 4: $200,000 assessment

For more information, https://ballotpedia.org/Louisiana_Amendment_6,_Phase-In_of_Tax_Increases_from_Property_Reappraisal_Amendment_ (2018)

New York Times shows their left-wing bias once again!

September 28, 2018

Editorial by: Leonard Lenny Vasbinder

One of the many reasons that Conservatives, Republicans, and of course, President Donald J. Trump call so many of the mainstream media (MSM) the lamestream media (LSM) the "enemies of the people" is this typical stunt done by The New York Times (NYT) for today's cover.

Out of the dozens, if not hundreds of images NYT could have used, they have Ford standing with her right hand up, taking the oath, with someone next to her looking up at her in adornment. Then, they have Judge Kavanaugh sitting at the table with a scorned look on his face with an onlooker looking at him scornfully as well. They did this on purpose!!!

Their obvious bias comes through so often that most people on the right no longer trust them or most others in the LSM.

Dear Hollywood Celebrities (and now, Professional Athletes too!)

Ad -- Thanks for reading my blog and following my blog and Youtube Channels. Please consider using my Amazon Store link for your Amazon shopping. I earn a very small commission from Amazon and it doesn't cost you anything extra. https://amzn.to/3cYkMcU

Dear Hollywood Celebrities,

It’s time to wake up now. Get this! The only reason you exist is for my entertainment. Some of you are beautiful. Some of you can deliver a line with such conviction that you bring tears to my eyes. Some of you are so convincing that you scare the crap out of me. And others are so funny you can make me laugh uncontrollably.

But you all have one thing in common. You only exist and have a place in my world to entertain me. That’s it. Nothing else!

You make your living pretending to be someone else. You play dress-up like a 5-year-old. Your world is a make-believe world. It is not real. It doesn’t exist. You live for the camera while the rest of us live in the real world. Your entire existence depends on my patronage. I crank the organ grinder, and you dance.

Therefore, I don’t care where you stand on issues. Honestly, your opinion means nothing to me. Just because you had a lead role in a movie about prostitution doesn’t mean you know what it’s like to be a prostitute. Your view matters far less to me than that of a someone living in Timbuktu.

Believe me or not, the hard truth is that you aren’t real. I turn off my TV or shut down my computer, and you cease to exist. Once I am done with you, I go back to the real world until I want you to entertain me again.

I don’t care that you think BP executives deserve the death penalty. I don’t care what you think about the environment. I don’t care if you believe fracking is bad. I don’t care if you call for more gun control. I don’t care if you believe in catastrophic human-induced global warming. And I could care less that you supported Hillary for President. Get back into your bubble. I’ll let you know when I’m in the mood for something pretty or scary or funny.

And one other thing. What was with all this “I’ll leave the country if Donald Trump wins”? Don’t you know how stupid that made you sound? What did you think my reaction was going to be? I better not vote for Trump or we’ll lose Whoopi Goldberg? Al Sharpton? Amy Schumer? Leave. I don’t care! And don’t let the door hit you in the ass on your way out. Oh, by the way, is Clinton returning any of the money you so generously donated to her election?

Make me laugh. Make me cry. Even scare me. But realize this, the only words of yours that matter are scripted — just like your pathetic little lives. I may agree with some of you from time to time, but in the final analysis, it doesn’t matter. In my world, you exist solely for my entertainment. So, shut your pie hole and dance, monkey, DANCE!

--ANONYMOUS

Updated -- After doing a little more searching, the author actually posted this open letter on her blog back in 2010.

http://injennifershead.com/?p=1841

Support the 1st Amendment--ALL of it!

Editorial by Leonard Lenny Vasbinder
August 23, 2018

Many of you are seeing the cries (pardon the pun) of the media claiming they are "under attack" mostly because President Donald J. Trump calls out many of them as "fake news." There has been a movement going on for the past few weeks from editors, journalists, TV news personalities, etc., protesting them being "under attack." The Student Press Law Center has joined in so that student newspapers will also be writing editorials about the topic. The Society of Professional Journalists has been part of the movement from its inception.

Well, here is mine.

Journalists and newscasters have sat on their hands (and butts) for the past many years while freedom of speech was under attack by the politically correct crowd, mostly because so many journalists were on the side of the PC movement shutting down the rights of people on the right. Now, they are seeing what the rest of us have been seeing for a decade or more.

Believe me, college campuses are even worse than what the rest of society is seeing.

I am a strong believer in the 1st Amendment (and that pesky 2nd Amendment that protects the 1st). While I understand the media not liking people screaming at them when they are doing live remotes ("CNN SUCKS!") writing about them in a negative way, calling them the "fake news" that they often are, calling them "the enemy of the people," etc., unfortunately, they have brought most of this on themselves by not being fair and balanced against the PC movement and the left-wing college campus movement that has been shutting down the freedom of speech part of the 1st Amendment.

I'm not saying that two wrongs make a right but maybe, just maybe, enough reporters, journalists, newscasters, and editors will start to stand up for the rights of ALL people to utilize their 1st Amendment rights as part of their "cries" about their part of the 1st Amendment being "under attack."

They have to realize that the people's right to free speech and complaining about the LSM (left-leaning mainstream media) is just as much a part of the 1st Amendment as the freedom of the press--maybe they are seeing things more clearly now and will defend ALL people from attacks, but I doubt it.

No, The First Amendment Is Not Under Attack!

Editorial by: Leonard Lenny Vasbinder
August 11, 2018

The 1st amendment is not under attack. Since when is it an attack for someone else to use their 1st amendment rights (freedom of speech) to voice their opinion about a journalist's 1st amendment rights (freedom of the press)? 

It seems to me that the 1st is just being more widely used than ever--including this comment.

https://www.spj.org/fight/

"SPJ is angered and alarmed by the trend of public officials — those who have chosen to be in the public eye while working for the American people — and their treatment of journalists.

This behavior cannot and will not be tolerated. Not by SPJ. Not by journalists. Not by the American people who know a free and unfettered press has been a cornerstone of democracy for the past 240 years..."

New Orleans Health Department Reminds Residents of Reactivated School Zones

Press Release edited by:
Leonard "Lenny" Vasbinder
August 08, 2018

NEW ORLEANS — This month, the City of New Orleans' Health Department (NOHD) reminds residents that school zones will be reactivated in August 2018 ahead of students returning to school. Drivers are encouraged to drive at or below the speed limit, stay alert and put away phones while driving.

School zones are a safety focus for the city. Drivers can expect to see enforcement of 20 MPH school zone speed limits, freshly painted crosswalks for students and an increasing number of NOPD-trained community crossing guards. These improvements, and more to come are coordinated by the NOHD's Safe Routes to Schools program.

Safe Routes is a national program that promotes safe travel for students through techniques of education, encouragement, engineering, enforcement, and evaluation. The ultimate goals of the program are: improving travel safety; encouraging the healthy habits of walking and biking to school; and reducing air pollution and traffic congestion. The New Orleans Safe Routes program is accepting new schools to the program for the 2018-2019 school year to assess their school zones, make plans to improve safety, and coordinate City departments to address hazards.

Everyone is encouraged to do their part to ensure a safe, healthy and successful school year.

Back to School Tips from NOHD:

Driving in School Zones — Obey all posted signs in school zones including: 20 MPH speed limits, no cell phone use, and stopping for children crossing the street. The New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) will be conducting traffic enforcement in school zones across the city.

Riding to school — Parents dropping off their children at school should familiarize themselves with their school’s arrival and dismissal policies. Children should exit vehicles at the curbside, away from traffic. When arriving or leaving the school campus, drivers should watch for other children.

Walking to school — Consider whether your child is ready to walk to school as a healthy way to start the day. Help plan their route to school and walk with your child the first few times. You may also want to find another child in the neighborhood with whom your child can walk to school. Be sure to review traffic safety rules with them and remind them not to talk to strangers.

Biking to school — If your child bikes to school, help them plan their route and remind them of the rules of the road. Bike riders should always wear a helmet and bike in the same direction as traffic, riding as straight and predictably as possible.

Riding the schoolbus — Wait until the bus comes to a complete stop before approaching it from the curb. Wear a seatbelt on the bus if it is equipped with one. Do not move around on the bus, and keep heads and arms inside the bus while riding. Wait until the bus comes to a complete stop before getting up to exit and then check both ways before exiting the bus.

Preparing for the school day — Children should eat a healthy breakfast to concentrate at school and may need help packing their backpacks. A backpack should never weigh more than 10 to 20 percent of a child’s body weight.

Learn more about the NOHD programs around travel safety at www.nola.gov/health/bicycle-and-pedestrian-safety 

About the NOHD:

The mission of the nationally accredited NOHD is to protect, promote and improve the health of all where we live, learn, work and play. NOHD is committed to building a healthy New Orleans through equitable social and environmental conditions and through policies, programs, and partnerships that promote health. Learn more at www.nola.gov/health.

THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE IS NECESSARY TO AMERICA

January 12, 2018 — Editorial By Leonard “Lenny” Vasbinder

(A reprint of a paper written in October 2016 during the Presidential election process)

NOTE - When does the Electoral College meet to cast their votes?  The Monday after the second Wednesday in December of presidential election years is set as the date on which the electors meet and vote, pursuant to 3 U.S.C. §7.  https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/3/7

In 2020, the meeting is on December 14.

Four years ago, during the 2012 presidential election cycle, I was watching Fox News Channel’s late-night show, Red-Eye, and “TV’s Andy Levy” was the guest host instead of the regular host, Greg Gutfeld.  Levy made a comment about not understanding why the Electoral College (EC) was necessary or something to that effect.  His comment made me think about all the times that I’ve explained the EC to my friends and family.

The EC is necessary because it solidifies our Representative form of government, further balances the voting powers between large and small states, helps to maintain stability during each Presidential transfer of power, and declares the winner of the presidency without the need for a majority of the popular vote.

Our Founding Fathers created the EC to further establish States’ rights since Washington D. C. was intended to be a limited federal government, where the State’s governments were supposed to be the primary governing authority that each person paid taxes to and whose laws they were subjected.  The American media and public education bureaucracy have failed to regularly and properly explain to the people that the United States of America is a Representative Republic, not a regular one-person, one-vote democracy.  Eugene Volokh of the Washington Post writes, “It’s true that some Framing-era commentators made arguments that distinguished “democracy” and “republic”; see, for instance, The Federalist (No. 10).” though even that first draws the distinction between “pure democracy” and a “republic,” only later just saying “democracy.” But even in that era, “representative democracy” was understood as a form of democracy, alongside “pure democracy.” (Volokh). 

This difference between a representative democracy and a pure democracy seem to elude so many people in the 20th century, probably because of the laziness of the education and media bureaucracies not educating and informing people accordingly.

Very few people, both in high school and in college understand the difference between a pure democracy and America’s Representative Republic form of government and the EC.  According to a 2009 report by NBC Los Angeles, on the American History Quiz by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, 71% of 2,500 random Americans received an average score or 49% or an F. “[Even] Those who have held elected office lack civic knowledge; 43% do not know the EC is a constitutionally mandated assembly that elects the president. One in five thinks it “trains those aspiring for higher office” or “was established to supervise the first televised presidential debates.” (NBC Los Angeles). This confirms my assertion about the education problem concerning the EC when so many elected officials do not understand how the EC works.

According to Amy Geiger-Hemmer with Lake Country Now news, “When drafting the Constitution, the founders actually considered a direct popular vote, then dismissed it.  They feared a popular vote would favor candidates from larger states, with larger populations.  At the time they also debated allowing Congress to elect the President.  That idea too was shot down.”  (Geiger-Hemmer).  The Founding Fathers created the EC to give more fairness and balance between big states and smaller states so that a candidate who wins the majority of the EC votes, which they garner when they win a state, also wins the presidency.  Each state’s EC votes are based on the number of Representative districts plus the two senatorial seats allocated to that state. Richard Posner, in a Slate.com column, points to the Constitution where it, “Provides that ‘Each State shall appoint … a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress.’ And it is the electors who elect the president, not the people.” (Posner).

One of the fears the Founding Fathers had was where a single state had a much larger population and a popular-vote count would allow that single state to control who becomes President.  That would make politicians from that state be more inclined to run for President knowing they had that "home state" advantage.  When the Electoral College was first put into place, the Founding Fathers were concerned about Virginia with over 740,000 in population with Pennsylvania being the second largest state with nearly over 430,000 in population.  These numbers come at a time when the total population of the 13 states was under four million, so Virginia and Pennsylvania controlled nearly 35% of the total vote. Times have changed since then but the balance of power provided by the Electoral College still stands.

Under the pure democracy, one-person-one-vote  system, when a presidential candidate comes from one of the heavily populated states with many millions of voters, like New York, Texas or California, and after the popular voting is done, only won their home state by a landslide, that candidate would become president, even if losing the other 49 states.  Whereas the other candidate won 49 of the 50 states and won by a slim margin in each state and ended up with a lower total popular vote but won the EC in a landslide.  Is it fair, or right, that the candidate from the really big state, who only won that single state should become president?  Our Founding Fathers believed it would not be fair or right!  Yes, this is an absurd scenario but this scenario further shows the reason for the EC by illustrating absurdity by being absurd.

The EC further reinforces this Representative form of government which has allowed America to have a reasonably stable government with a smoother transfer of power from one President to the next and across party lines, unlike the riot and unrest that often occurs in other countries.  It is possible and has even happened on a couple of occasions where the winner of the EC had fewer popular votes.  It happened in 1888, then happened again most recently in 2000 when Al Gore had more popular votes than George W. Bush, yet ended up losing the EC.  Even with the controversies of that election, America still had a smooth transfer of power from President Bill Clinton’s Democratic Party control to the incoming Bush-led Republican Party.

In our state elections, not subject to the EC, we require a majority of the popular vote to win.  Because of this, if no Gubernatorial or other statewide candidate wins 50% plus one, there is a run-off between the top two candidates. Posner also wrote, “The Electoral College avoids the problem of elections in which no candidate receives a majority of the votes cast. For example, [Richard] Nixon in 1968 and [Bill] Clinton in 1992 both had only a 43 percent plurality of the popular votes, while winning a majority in the Electoral College (301 and 370 electoral votes, respectively).” (Posner).  Without the EC, we would have to have a run-off system similar to the States, which would drastically change when the incoming president would take office, violating the Constitution.  This is one of the reasons that efforts to abolish the EC over the last 200-plus years have met with little success.

In conclusion and in simpler terms, albeit an extreme example, let’s say that one candidate won 49 states by only one vote in each state and then lost to the other candidate in only one state, but lost by 50 votes.  The candidate who won that one state by 50 votes would have won the popular vote by only one vote but lost 49 out of the 50 states.  Should that candidate, who won only one state but got only 50 more votes in that state, become the President when they lost the other 49 states?  No, they should not, because it would not be fair to the people in the other 49 states (98%) that did not approve of the popular vote winner.

Works Cited:

Black, Eric.  MinnPost.com. 10 reasons why the Electoral College is a problem.  October 16, 2012

Geiger-Hemmer, Amy L.  LakeCountryNow.com. Opinion Blog.  It’s Hemmer Time.  Why the Electoral College is Necessary.  Feb. 22, 2010.

NBC Los Angeles  NBCLosAngeles.com. Study: Americans Don’t Know Much About History. July 17, 2009

Posner, Richard A.  Slate.com. View From Chicago.  Eric Posner Weighs In.  In Defense of the Electoral College:  Five reasons to keep our despised method of choosing the president.  November 13, 2012.

Volokh, Eugene.  WashingtonPost.com.  The Volokh Conspiracy — Is the United States of America a republic or a democracy?  May 13, 2015

500 additional K-12 seats open for any Louisiana resident at University View Academy

Press Release by University View Academy
July 25, 2018

Edited by Leonard "Lenny" Vasbinder

University View Academy, the state's leading provider of high-quality, free public online charter schooling for grades K through 12, has been approved by the State of Louisiana'sDepartment of Education to offer 500 additional seats in all grades for enrollment for the 2018-2019 school year.

University View Academy is currently traveling the state, hosting information sessions at which families can learn more about the online school and how to enroll students for the 3000 seats. Superintendent Dr. Lonnie Luce encouraged families to apply as soon as possible so that their student can receive their free MacBook Air and their Internet subsidy and school materials.

The school also offers an Early College program which allows a student to earn two years toward at Louisiana college degree with their high school diploma. "This program is accepting applications now from rising 9th and 10th graders," said Program Director Mandy LaCerte.

Parents can enroll their child online now at: www.UniversityView.Academy or call 225-421-2900. Students accepted for enrollment and their parents will be able to attend students orientation sessions which begin July 31 to teach families how to use the school's online platform. All instruction is offered daily by certified Louisiana teachers.

Superintendent Luce encourages parents and prospective students who attend any of the current informationsessions to meet with currently enrolled families as well as University View teachers and staff. "But if you can't attend one of these sessions, we can answer all your questions online or by phone," said Luce.

University View Academy's award-winning program is great for families who would like more individualized instruction for their child, are seeking a more diverse program with more flexible hours due to their child's interests, or to accommodate special needs. For more information, call (225) 421-2900.

ABOUT UNIVERSITY VIEW ACADEMY

University View Academy is the state's leading provider of high-quality, freepublic online charter schooling for grades K through 12. University View allows students to learn and excel at their own pace, with individualized instruction by Louisiana certified teachers, while offering families the support and flexibility they seek to fit their lifestyles.

At University View Academy, students embrace technology, flourish through innovation, and seek empowerment to become their best self. As an online charter school, students access their lessons anytime, anywhere with a MacBook Air computer offered by the school. The school accepts students from any parish in the State of Louisiana.

University View Academy was recently awarded the Innovative Education Award by the Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools.

FACEBOOK OPENS REGISTRATION FOR NEW ORLEANS COMMUNITY BOOST

Press Release —
July 18, 2018
D. Johnson
Edited by Leonard "Lenny" Vasbinder
July 19, 2018

In November of last year, Facebook announced the launch of a new program to invest in small businesses across the country. The program, Community Boost, is designed to help small businesses grow and to give more people the digital skills they need to compete in the new economy. Facebook Community Boost will be visiting 30 cities this year and will be in New Orleans from August 7 to 9.

Today, we are announcing that registration is open for anyone who wants to come to Community Boost which kicks off on August 7 at River City Venues, 1380 Port of New Orleans Pl., New Orleans, LA 70130. You can learn more about the event and register here: www.facebook.com/business/m/community-boost/neworleans

Why Louisiana? When Facebook heard that Louisiana wanted more digital skills training, it became a driving force behind why it was chosen to host Community Boost. A survey by Morning Consult of small businesses in Louisiana found:

Demand for digital skills: When we spoke to the Louisiana small business community about what are important factors when hiring employees, more than 8 in 10 (84%) said an individual's digital skills were important. When asked about where a candidate went to school, 6 in 10 (63%) said that was a factor. We're seeing in city after city that the future of work is changing and we know that companies like us have a role to play.

Value of social media: Louisiana small businesses also see social media as critical to their success. For example, nearly 7 in 10 (67%) small business workers in this state said that Facebook is important to running their business.
Growing with social media: The Louisiana small business community knows Facebook is essential to growing their businesses. More than 5 in 10 (52%) small businesses on Facebook say that it has helped them hire additional employees. More than 7 in 10 (75%) say that Facebook allows them to reach more customers outside their cities, states, and countries.

KHAN ACADEMY AND SAL KHAN: FROM A GRACE KING HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT TO INTERNATIONAL EDUCATOR

By: Leonard “Lenny” Vasbinder, Originally Published March 29, 2017

If you have ever had trouble learning something in one of your classes, you may have had the good fortune to hear about Khan Academy (KA). You may have already seen one of the thousands of educational videos in one of your classes already — Or watched on your own time as part of studying for a course.

Salman “Sal” Khan, 40, born in Metairie, Louisiana in 1976 and graduated as valedictorian from Grace King High School in 1994.

Khan went on to graduate from MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) with Bachelor of Science degrees in mathematics, electrical engineering, and computer science in 1998 and proceeded to get his Master of Science degree in electrical engineering and computer science, according to the heavily referenced Wikipedia page https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sal_Khan. He was the class president at MIT during his senior year. Khan went on to get his MBA from Harvard Business School.

In 2003, Khan was helping to tutor one of his cousins online using the Yahoo Doodle service and that progressed from Khan helping more and more friends and family online to a friend’s idea of recording the sessions and putting the videos on YouTube for anyone to watch.

According to www.KhanAcademy.org, what started as a one-man operation has grown to an 80-person organization whose mission is to “provide a free world-class education for anyone, anywhere.” That has also evolved to the Khan Academy’s YouTube channel, https://www.youtube.com/user/khanacademy, where over 6,000 videos are now available for free, teaching subjects spreading across the spectrum.

Some of the latest tutorials and teaching videos cover the SAT (and other college entrance exams) and soon, the LSAT (Law School Admission Test). Some people have paid hundreds, even thousands of dollars for tutoring for these difficult tests and now, KA will help you learn and prepare for them — for free. According to KA, in the short time that the SAT video tutorials have been online, over three million students have taken the SAT tutorial series.

According to the Khan Academy YouTube channel, more than 100,000 people take the LSAT each year. Khan will be offering a series of videos that will help prepare students for the LSAT and KA partnered with the Law School Admission Council in preparing the KA video series. According to the KA press release, “The free practice materials will launch on Khan Academy’s website in the second half of 2018.”

The November 19, 2012, issue of Forbes featured an article by Michael Noer, with the headline that sums things up, “One Man, One Computer, 10 Million Students: How Khan Academy Is Reinventing Education.” The article goes on to explain how America has some of the highest educated but also some of the lowest educated people in the world. “About a fifth of American 15-year-olds do not have basic competence in science; 23 percent can’t use math in daily life.”

Those dismal statistics are one of the things that motivate Khan to produce the video tutorials. The KA website and YouTube channel videos cover a broad array of topics. Everything from basic math and algebra to computer science to the Electoral College to the French Revolution. From science and engineering to arts and humanities to the history of Christianity and many other religions

The videos are designed to look like the student is being taught by their favorite relative — Or in the case of Khan, the world’s favorite relative. Nearly 3,000 of the videos are actually personally created by Khan, using a digital blackboard and neon markers to illustrate the lesson while Khan narrates. The videos look like your favorite relative is helping you work through your homework or lesson as if they are right at your desk or kitchen table.

According to the countless articles written and the heavily referenced Khan Academy Wikipedia page, “Khan Academy has delivered over one billion lessons worldwide.” Further, Khan Academy is used by 40 million students and 2 million teachers every month and the content is being translated into 36 languages by volunteers and international partners.

According to the statistics on the Khan Academy YouTube channel, Khan created the account on November 16, 2006, and the channel currently has over three million subscribers and the videos have been watched over one billion times.

According to the Forbes article, “The numbers get really crazy when you look at the impact per dollar,” says Khan. “We have a $7 million operating budget, and we are reaching, over the course of a year, about 10 million students in a meaningful way. If you put any reasonable value on it, say $10 a year — and keep in mind we serve most students better than tutoring — and you are looking at, what, a 1,000 percent return?”

According to a 2013 article that appeared in The Guardian, a UK-based news service, and the www.KhanAcademy.org website, anyone can sign up for free and “start viewing tutorials and taking the interactive tests that are at the heart of the academy’s method.”

In over half of the videos, Khan personally narrates and explains the material and uses the digital blackboard to illustrate the lecture, as if you were sitting in a classroom or he was standing over your shoulder, personally helping you. Then you take the online tests and the software tracks your answers and notes any mistakes. When you are satisfied that you have learned the subject matter, you can move on to another subject or the website will suggest related topics.

The mission and history of Sal Khan and the Khan Academy can be summed up by their website motto:

“You can learn anything. For free. For everyone. Forever.”

Welcome to Lenny's News & Views

While I continue my Journalism education, this blog will be where I post my news articles and editorials until I am gainfully employed by one of the big publishers.