Vote NO to all new taxes — and especially on May 4, 2019 in Jefferson Parish, LA

Editorial by Leonard Lenny Vasbinder
April 28, 2019

Commentary on the upcoming May 4, 2019 election in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana.

I received a mailing from the Friends of the Jefferson Parish Public School System stating that the voters should vote in favor of the upcoming tax increase (millage). They call it an "investment in our schools" and say that the "cost is minimal" ($8.23 a month for someone with a $200,000 home) but doesn't say how much they are trying to raise on their mail out.

According to the Secretary of State's website voter portal, I was able to find the actual ballot language (see below) and they are increasing taxes by nearly $30 MILLION a year for 10 years — or nearly $300 MILLION!

They claim that the "newly elected School Board" have created this "strategic plan to move the system from a letter grade C to an A."

Only four out of the nine members are "newly elected" in January 2019. The rest have been serving (aka feeding at the public trough) since 2004 or a couple as recent as 2017, so the majority of the board are NOT "newly elected."

The same school board that has led the school system to a "letter Grade C" now wants another $300 MILLION and claim they will do better — now???

I say, VOTE NO to all new taxes. If the various governmental bureaucracies have been doing a crappy job with OUR MONEY for all this time, why reward them with more of OUR MONEY???

And remember, for all the past and existing millages, as property values increase (as almost all real estate does), the amount they get also goes up accordingly so they have been getting more and more of OUR MONEY for decades and only earned a "letter Grade C" for BILLIONS of dollars that taxpayers have paid in.

Friends of Jefferson Parish Public School System mailout

Actual ballot information:

PW School District No. 1 — 7.90 Mills — SB — 10 Yrs. (Select 1)

Shall School District No. 1 of the Parish of Jefferson, State of Louisiana (the "District"), levy a 7.90 mills tax on all property subject to taxation within the District (an estimated $28,785,000 reasonably expected at this time to be collected from the levy of the tax for an entire year), for a period of ten (10) years, beginning with the year 2019 and ending with the year 2028, for the purpose of giving additional support to the public elementary and secondary schools in the District by providing funds for the payment of salaries and benefits of teachers and other school employees?

Other reading:
https://ballotpedia.org/Jefferson_Parish_Public_School_System,_Louisiana
http://jpschools.org/school-board/board-members/
https://voterportal.sos.la.gov/sampleballot

Special Edition: New Orleans Needs Jobs, Not Lawsuits

Op-Ed by Marc Ehrhardt
GrowLouisianaCoalition.com
Edited By: Leonard Lenny Vasbinder
April 5, 2019

On March 29, the City of New Orleans announced it's filing a lawsuit against oil and natural gas companies over the coastal land loss. Now, more than ever, we need to unite as a community and tell Mayor Cantrell that we want jobs, not lawsuits!

The following is a statement from Marc Ehrhardt, executive director of Grow Louisiana Coalition regarding New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell's decision to sue New Orleans' energy industry:

“Nothing good comes from suing an industry that means so much to New Orleans. Right now, there are more than 1,600 New Orleanians and a couple hundred New Orleans-based businesses working in the energy industry here. These businesses employ citizens from every corner of the city.

The message being sent to thousands of New Orleanians who have made their lives and raised their families in the City of New Orleans is that their work, their years of paying taxes, rebuilding their homes and neighborhoods, and their value to the community means nothing. The city would rather sue them.

Lawsuits do not build relationships. They end them. If this issue was about truly working together on coastal management and building, then the city would recognize that New Orleans’ energy industry is already a dedicated partner in addressing Louisiana’s coast. The industry is also one of the largest partners in dozens of the city’s most recognized community efforts, including groundbreaking partnerships like NORDC, GNO Inc., and ongoing programs with local schools, nonprofit and environmental organizations here.

While the oil and natural gas industry go to work on these programs, lawsuits filed in 2013 were thrown out of federal court four times, including the final decision by the U.S. Supreme Court. Other lawsuits still languish in the court system without any significant movement more than five years after they were first filed. The people and businesses of New Orleans need jobs for everyone, not lawsuits.”

Worried about the future of New Orleans' energy industry? Share this newsletter with your friends and family. https://growlouisianacoalition.com/new-orleans-needs-jobs-not-lawsuits/