MAYOR CANTRELL ISSUES STATEMENT ON BICYCLE SAFETY AND INFRASTRUCTURE

Press Release Edited by:
Leonard Lenny Vasbinder
March 15, 2019

NEW ORLEANS — Mayor LaToya Cantrell today issued the following statement on bicycle infrastructure and how it impacts the safety of New Orleans residents:

“The tragic events on Esplanade Avenue on March 2 underscored the importance of the work my administration has been doing since Day One to give residents safer, more accessible and more equitable ways to navigate the City. That includes improved bicycle infrastructure with each change to our roadway network and the creation of safer spaces for bicyclists.

“As one of my first acts after taking office, I established an Office of Transportation to improve coordination of transportation initiatives among various City agencies. The Office is working every day with the Department of Public Works, and its partners, to ensure that roadway dollars spent on transportation infrastructure follow national best-practices, especially for safety, including accessible pedestrian signals, sidewalk ramps, appropriate traffic lights, and protected or buffered bike lanes.

"This work is happening all around you. Just this week, the Broad Street Bridge was re-striped to include bike lanes in either direction, protected by plastic bollards.

“This spring I will be launching my transportation action strategy, which will lay out my vision for how New Orleanians can get around safely, no matter what mode of transportation they use.

"Also this Spring, we will embark on a citywide bike planning effort. The process will involve collaboration with the City Council, extensive input from bike infrastructure experts and advocates, best practices from across the world, and most importantly — community engagement. Our team was awarded a $2.6 million dollar grant to complete this work. We want to make sure to improve our existing infrastructure while creating better bike network options for citizens.

“The Office of Transportation is also working with DPW, the community, the Council and internal departments to define a new Complete Streets program and policy so that every street gets a review for appropriate transportation and safety improvements when it is reconstructed. This will change the way Complete Streets has been implemented in the past and will improve our ability to make these improvements more sustainable.

“As we mourn for the loss of innocent lives on our City streets, we remain laser-focused on the work we have begun since I took office, and committed to continuing every effort to prevent tragedies like these.”

Women’s Half Marathon to Impact Traffic Sunday, March 10

By: Leonard Lenny Vasbinder
Saturday, March 9, 2019
Edited Press Release

 

Women's Half Marathon Route

NEW ORLEANS — The City of New Orleans has granted a permit to the 2019 Women's Half Marathon and 5K, which will take place Sunday, March 10, 2019, from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. Residents and businesses in the Bayou St. John, Fairgrounds, St. Bernard Area, Fillmore, Lakeshore, Lake Vista, Lake Terrace & Oaks, St. Anthony and Milneburg neighborhoods are encouraged to plan ahead for traffic and transportation impacts.

Route

Runners will begin at City Park, proceed down Wisner Boulevard to Moss Street where they will loop back along Bayou St. John and up Wisner Boulevard to the lakefront. Runners will proceed eastbound on Lakeshore Drive to just past Elysian Fields Avenue, where they will double back to Wisner Boulevard and will end in City Park.

Traffic Impacts

Traffic will be restricted along the route depicted above until the last participant passes and course materials are removed. Roads along the route are expected to reopen within the following time frames:

8:15 a.m.: All streets on the riverside of the Wisner Bridge reopen
10 a.m.: All streets on the lakefront reopen
10:15 a.m.: Robert E. Lee Boulevard reopen
10:40 a.m.: All streets outside City Park reopen
11 a.m.: All streets reopen
The City of New Orleans will track the beginning and end of the half marathon as it progresses along the route in real time at routewise.nola.gov.

Transportation Impacts

The City Park Streetcar Line may be delayed due to runners crossing tracks. Additional routes will experience delays or detours during the event, including but not limited to Lines 48, 32, 91, 90, 55, 51, 52 and 60. All RTA service alerts, updates, and detours can also be accessed by downloading the RTA’s GoMobile app. To learn more, visit www.norta.com or call Ride Line at 504-248-3900.

For more information on the race, visit http://nolawomenshalf.events/

City of New Orleans Prepares for a Safe and Celebratory Mardi Gras Season 2019

By: Leonard Lenny Vasbinder

February 12, 2019

NEW ORLEANS — Today, Mayor LaToya Cantrell convened public safety officials and department heads for a tabletop briefing on the preparations underway for Mardi Gras season. Ahead of major parades, City officials, alongside State and Federal partners, are testing response plans, preparing parade routes, and keeping residents informed to ensure the 2019 Carnival season is safe and celebratory.

"I know for a fact that we have the world's greatest experts as it relates to public safety. We are more than prepared for Mardi Gras 2019, and we will continue on this trajectory up until the start and culmination of the Mardi Gras season. As we are prepared, we need our residents and our visitors to be just as prepared as the City of New Orleans," said Mayor Cantrell. 

TESTING PUBLIC SAFETY RESPONSE PLANS

The City of New Orleans will host a “full-scale” public safety exercise in Armstrong Park and the Treme Center on Friday, Feb. 15 from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., simulating a complex, coordinated attack on a parade. Organized by the New Orleans Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, this important drill will help New Orleans public safety agencies — including Police, Fire, and EMS — test emergency response plans in the event of a real incident.

Residents and commuters near Armstrong Park should expect large numbers of public safety personnel, equipment, sirens, and simulated gunfire. This is a test of staff and equipment and will not pose a threat to the public. The New Orleans Fire Department is distributing door hangers to residents in the immediate vicinity. Louis Armstrong Park and the Treme Center will be closed to the public during the exercise, from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Additionally, all parking lots on the Municipal Auditorium and Mahalia Jackson Theater sites will be closed to the general public on Friday.

KEEPING RESIDENTS INFORMED

The New Orleans Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness will provide public information leading up to and during Mardi Gras events. Tips and resources about transportation, safety, what to bring, and permitting are outlined online at ready.nola.gov/mardi-gras. Real-time updates related to weather, safety, traffic, and parade delays will be provided on Twitter @nolaready and via text message. Residents and visitors are encouraged to text MARDIGRAS to 888777 to subscribe to text updates. This year, the City is also launching routewise.nola.gov, which displays parade routes and tracks the beginning and end of each parade in real time.

PREPARING PARADE ROUTES

Neutral Grounds and Sidewalks

Recent construction on St. Charles Ave. has been completed. Residents are encouraged to careful, because curbs are slightly taller than they used to be.

The Department of Parks and Parkways has trimmed over 600 trees along parade routes and will keep the neutral grounds clear throughout the season. Residents are reminded not to rope off areas of the neutral ground, public sidewalks, or other public property, which is prohibited by law. Additionally, residents should not leave ladders, tents, grills, or any other item on the neutral ground or along curbs and sidewalks overnight. Anything left will be disposed of. For more information on what to bring and what not to bring to parades, visit http://ready.nola.gov/mardi-gras/what-to-bring/#tents.

Trash & Recycling

In 2018, 46 tons of Mardi Gras beads were cleaned out of the city's storm drains. This year, the Department of Public Works will install "gutter buddies" — barriers that block solid objects from entering drains — along the Uptown and Endymion parade routes. Residents and visitors are also encouraged to do their part to keep trash off of the streets and out of the drainage system. Tips include cleaning up your area before you leave, depositing trash in public receptacles, or carrying your trash with you to dispose of later. Additionally, the Young Leadership Council will again host its recycling initiative during three parades this year: Krewe Du Vieux (Feb. 16), Krewe of Freret (Feb. 23), and Krewe of Tucks (Mar. 2). For more information, visit http://ready.nola.gov/mardi-gras/what-to-bring/#trash. Department of Sanitation crews will follow parades each day to clean routes. Parade goers are urged to stay clear of sanitation crews and their heavy equipment.

First Aid & Lost Children

First aid stations are staffed by the New Orleans Health Department and the Medical Reserve Corps. Parade goers are encouraged to go to a first aid station if in need of medical assistance. However, always call 9-1-1 during a medical emergency. On parade days, stations are open one hour before the first float of the first parade and until crowds disperse.

• St. Charles Ave. & Napoleon Ave.
• St. Charles Ave. & Washington Ave.
• St. Charles Ave. & Felicity St.
• St. Charles Ave. in the circle
• St. Charles Ave. & Canal St.
• Orleans Ave. & N. Hennessey St. (on Mar. 2 for Endymion only)
• N. Carrollton Ave. & Bienville St. (on Mar. 2 for Endymion only)

Lost children stations are staffed by the New Orleans Police Department. Because most families are quickly reunited near the area they were separated, residents are encouraged to tell the nearest public safety official if a child is lost. On parade days, stations are open one hour before the first float of the first parade and until crowds disperse.

• St. Charles Ave. & Napoleon Ave.
• St. Charles Ave. & Jackson Ave.
• Canal St. & Carondelet St.
• Canal St. & N. Carrollton Ave. (on Mar. 2 for Endymion only)
• Canal St. & N. Broad St. (on Mar. 2 for Endymion only)

Public Restrooms

The Department of Property Management provides nearly 650 portable restrooms for public use along the parade route. View a map of restroom locations at routewise.nola.gov. Portable restrooms are allowed on private property. However, residents are reminded that if you plan to charge a use fee, you need a permit. Do not place private portable restrooms on neutral grounds, public sidewalks, or other public property. Portable restrooms on flatbeds in parking spots are considered abandoned property that can pose a security risk and will be towed at the owners’ expense.

PLANNING FOR TRANSPORTATION IMPACTS

Alternatives to Driving

Parades and festivities draw many revelers and heavy traffic. Residents are encouraged to consider alternative transportation options to get there, including bus, streetcar, bike, or for-hire rides. Plan ahead with RTA's Mardi Gras Guide. Download the GoMobile app to plan your trip, check service alerts, purchase fares, and track your bus or streetcar in real time. Streetcar service will be provided along the entire St. Charles Ave. route. However, buses will replace the streetcar from Canal St. to Valence St. about two hours before the first parade begins each day to allow parade goers access to the neutral ground.

Street Closures

Before parades begin or when crowd size warrants, the New Orleans Police Department will close the route to vehicles. See parade routes at routewise.nola.gov.

Portions of Bourbon Street are under construction. The contractor will completely demobilize all labor and materials, including fencing, from the site and temporarily backfill any trenches by close of business on February 18, two weeks in advance of Mardi Gras, to minimize pedestrian and vehicular traffic disruption. The contractor will resume operations on March 7, 2019.

In anticipation of large crowds, the New Orleans Police Department will limit vehicles allowed to enter the French Quarter and will close some streets to vehicles completely. Additional intermittent street closures might be required as crowd size warrants.

VEHICLES LIMITED

Only residents, employees, hotel guests, and taxis/TNCs will be allowed to drive vehicles into the French Quarter beginning at 6 a.m. Friday, Mar. 1 through 5 a.m. Wednesday, Mar. 6:

• Entering the French Quarter within the perimeter of Canal St., Decatur St., Dumaine St., and Rampart St.

NO VEHICLES ALLOWED

No vehicles will be allowed on the following streets from 5 p.m. to 5 a.m. overnight Friday, Feb. 22 through Sunday, Feb. 24 and Wednesday, Feb. 27 through Tuesday, Mar. 5:

• Bourbon St. from Canal St. to Dumaine St.
• 700-800 blocks of St. Ann St., Orleans Ave., St. Peter St., Toulouse St., St. Louis St., Conti St., Bienville St., and Iberville St.

Parking Enforcement and Restrictions

The Department of Public Works will be enforcing parking regulations throughout the Mardi Gras season. Residents are reminded to pay close attention to posted signs. More parking tips and information are available at http://ready.nola.gov/mardi-gras/transportation/#parking.

Parking is restricted along all parade routes two hours before and after parades to ensure parade elements and sanitation crews can access the street. Additional restricted areas include:

UPTOWN

Depending on the specific parade route, parking may be prohibited on either side of the following streets two hours before and after parades. Follow all posted signs.

• Tchoupitoulas St. from Jackson Ave. to Nashville Ave.
• Napoleon Ave. from Tchoupitoulas St. to S. Claiborne Ave.
• St. Charles Ave. from Napoleon Ave. to Canal St.
• Tchoupitoulas St. from Poydras St. to Calliope St.

ENDYMION

On Saturday, Mar. 2, parking is prohibited on either side of the following streets from 6 a.m. until two hours after the parade ends:

• Canal St. from S. Carrollton Ave. to St. Charles Ave.
• N. Carrollton Ave. from Canal St. to Orleans Ave.
• Orleans Ave. from City Park Ave. to N. Carrollton Ave.

FRENCH QUARTER & CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT

Parking restrictions in the French Quarter and Central Business District will be in place overnight from 12 p.m. to 6 a.m. Friday, Feb. 22 through Sunday, Feb. 24 and Wednesday, Feb. 27 through Tuesday, Mar. 5:

• 700-800 blocks of St. Ann St., Orleans Ave., St. Peter St., Toulouse St., St. Louis St., Conti St., Bienville St., and Iberville St.
• Bourbon St. from St. Ann to Dumaine St.

Rock n' Roll Marathon 2019 Information and Traffic Issues

By: Leonard Lenny Vasbinder

February 6, 2019

NEW ORLEANS — The City of New Orleans has issued parking instructions and reminders in advance of the 2019 Rock ‘N’ Roll Marathon and Half Marathon slated for Saturday, Feb. 9 and Sunday, Feb. 10. A detailed description and map of the race’s route are included above.

When

SATURDAY, FEB. 9, 2019

• 5K, 8 a.m. — 9 a.m. | Details

SUNDAY, FEB. 10, 2019

• Marathon, 7:30 a.m. — 3 p.m. | Details
• Half Marathon, 7:30 a.m. — 11:30 a.m. | Details
• 10K, 7 a.m. — 9 a.m. | Details

Route

Runners will begin at Lafayette Square, proceed through the Central Business District (CBD), follow St. Charles Ave. to the university area, where they will double-back along St. Charles to the CBD. They will then will pass through the French Quarter and up Esplanade Ave. to the Lakeshore area, traveling through Lake Terrace & Oaks and Lakeshore — Lake Vista. Runners will proceed back down Wisner Blvd. and will end in City Park.

Neighborhoods Impacted

Central Business District, Lower Garden District, Central City, Garden District, Touro, Milan, Uptown, Audubon, French Quarter, Marigny, Treme-Lafitte, Seventh Ward, Bayou St. John, Fairgrounds, St. Bernard, Filmore, Lake Terrace & Oaks areas, and Lakeshore — Lake Vista. Informational door hangers will be mailed to residents, businesses, and organizations along the route.

Public Safety Tips

As always, take care in large crowds and report suspicious activity to public safety officials.

Traffic Impacts

Traffic will be restricted along the route depicted above until the last participant passes and course materials are removed. View full closure schedule and alternate route information provided by Rock 'N' Roll community relations. Roads along the route are expected to be closed within the following time frames:

• Lafayette Square area: closed 3 a.m. to 9 a.m.
• St. Charles Ave. area: closed 6 a.m. to 10:45 a.m.
• Convention Center / Cruise Terminal area: closed 6 a.m. to 11:15 a.m.
• French Quarter area: closed 6 a.m. to 11:15 a.m.
• Lakeview area: closed 7:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.
• Lakeshore Drive area: closed 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Transportation Impacts

St. Charles Streetcar service will not operate until all runners have cleared St. Charles Ave. Additional routes will experience delays or detours during the event, including but not limited to: 47 & 48 — Canal Streetcars, 11 — Magazine, 55 — Elysian Fields, 88 — St. Claude, 91 — Jackson-Esplanade, and 94 — Broad. All RTA service alerts, updates, and detours can also be accessed by downloading the RTA’s GoMobile app. To learn more, visit www.norta.com or call Ride Line at 504-248-3900.

No Parking

Streets along the racecourse will be marked with No Parking signs and parking enforcement personnel will be monitoring for illegal parking. 

• Pay attention to posted signs.
• Don't block hydrants, driveways, and sidewalks.
• Don't park within 20 feet of a crosswalk, intersection, or stop sign.
• Park in the direction of travel on one-way streets and with the right wheel to the curb on two-way streets.
• Call 504-658-8100 for parking enforcement.

Making Abortion More Fair For All Parties Involved

Editorial By: Leonard Lenny Vasbinder

January 18, 2019

In 1993, on the 20^th anniversary of that fateful decision by the Supreme Court of the United States, also known as SCOTUS, the decision in Roe v. Wade (1973), I first wrote my four-point plan to bring more fairness, equity, and equality under the law, to the abortion policy and laws of America. This plan predated common use of personal computers and I eventually lost my typed papers in the May 1995 flood in Jefferson Parish. Then, in 2010, as a blogger, I started recomposing my four-point plan, adding, even more, information since I had another 17 years of information and beliefs to write about. While I was proud of my efforts, I realize that my writing skills were still quite rudimentary so I’m hoping that with some of my new found and recently improved writing skills, I will be even better able to articulate and argue the main four points that I proposed on this issue. Making the American abortion policy and law more fair is necessary because it would begin to create a future generation of people who are more responsible for their sexual behavior, create equality and fairness between the mother and the father when it comes to whether abortion is the only option, hopefully, foster better relationships between unmarried men and women who find themselves in this difficult situation, and ultimately, save millions of unborn babies from a heinous death before being given the chance to take their first breath.

While abortion is currently legal and the Law-of-the-Land based on the SCOTUS decision in Roe v. Wade, creating a more fair and equitable abortion policy would go a long way in reducing the numbers of unborn babies killed each year. Many abortions seem to be necessary mostly because of the irresponsibility of so many teens, young adults, and even older adults but the issue of as many as 1.5 million babies killed each year has driven a deep divide between the American people and the political parties. Abortion has even driven a wedge between hundreds of millions of people around the world. Revealing the prevalence of unsafe sex, the Guttmacher Institute’s peer-reviewed study for 2000-2001, showed that, “Forty-six percent of women had not used a contraceptive method in the month they conceived … [yet] As many as 51,000 abortions were averted by use of emergency contraceptive pills in 2000.” (Jones). These prevention numbers illuminate the problem of irresponsibility when it comes to sexual activity. With the ease of accessibility to condoms, at every corner drugstore, and birth control pills costing under $10.00 a month for most prescriptions, it’s a societal shame that so many unborn babies are killed by abortion, instead of being raised by loving parents or given up for adoption.

According to LifeNews.com, there are as many as “36 couples waiting to adopt for every baby that is actually put up for adoption” (Riler). In a 2000 study, by the Ohio Right To Life organization, the number of 1.3 million abortions is used, but unfortunately, that number has grown. According to them, in 2000, “Every year there are about 1.3 million abortions. Only 4% of women with unwanted pregnancies give their children up for adoption.” If people would choose to put their unwanted child up for adoption and we could increase that rate to 50% tomorrow, “it would still take two to four years just to satisfy the present waiting lists.” (Ohio Right To Life). So many couples would not have to look to other countries to adopt the thousands of foreign children that are adopted each year and brought to America. So many unwanted and aborted American babies could be given the chance to live a happy, healthy life, instead of being killed before taking its first breath. I am not valuing one life over another with these statements. I am simply illustrating that things could be much better for the adopting parents and the unborn baby, whether American-born or foreign-born.

            Following, are some of the societal problems related to Roe v. Wade and the unfettered, on-demand abortion rights granted by Roe v. Wade and my four-part plan, to make abortion more “fair” for both parents, and hopefully the unborn baby:

Besides the 1960’s sexual revolution, the Roe v. Wade decision further helped to increase promiscuity because, prior to Roe v. Wade, the chance of getting pregnant and having to have a baby kept many teen girls and boys and young adults from being promiscuous or having unprotected or unmarried sex without the worry of getting pregnant. Nowadays, a girl can have sex with every Tom, Dick (pardon the pun), and Harry, and if any birth control was even used and failed, she can just get an abortion as a means of birth control. Relying on abortion as a means of birth control seems to be one of the most heinous decisions that can be made.

Also, the ruling gave and still gives people the ability to walk away from the responsibility of people from eventually parenting the unborn baby, once born. Prior to Roe v. Wade, if a young unmarried couple found themselves pregnant, there was a high likelihood of a "shotgun wedding," where the young man and woman were forced to get married by their parents, so their child would not be an illegitimate “bastard” child. Nowadays, either parent can use abortion as an excuse and walk away from their responsibility. Alternatively, liberal societal standards also make it "OK" to have an illegitimate child or even many illegitimate children. This precedent creates a slippery slope for society and leads to yet another societal problem. According to National Review, the illegitimate birthrate has climbed dramatically since Roe v. Wade, and other societal changes. This increase also led to a dramatic increase in poverty, education, and crime issues from the children of single-parent homes. In the NationalReview.com article, Roger Clegg states, “Here’s the bad news: Preliminary data indicate that 40.7 percent of all 2012 births were out-of-wedlock, which is appalling, and there are vast differences among racial and ethnic groups [with minority groups being as high as 72 percent] … As I noted last year, it is, of course, no surprise that the groups with the highest illegitimacy rates are the groups that are struggling economically, educationally, with crime, and so forth” (Clegg). Yes, the 60’s movement, with “free-love,” sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll, and the rise in liberalism also contributed to the climbing illegitimate birthrates and the subsequent societal problems. The obvious negative effects of the illegitimate birthrate are most obvious in the inner-cities of America, unfortunately, most of which are concentrated areas of minorities. The subsequent high poverty rates, poorer education, and higher crime rates severely affect many children today.

Moreover, the lessening of the "Value Of Life," that is, the seemingly devaluing of human life since Roe v. Wade, society, and the law have allowed the following generations of young people and adults to kill an unborn baby at will. This “right” further desensitized these following generations to the value of life, since over one million unborn babies have been legally killed each and every year since Roe v. Wade, just in America. There are other things that have also desensitized these following generations — things like movies, music, and video games — but these were all about “fake” deaths, whereas Roe v. Wade was about being able to legally kill a “real” life — or over 60 million to date, without the fear of punishment. It could be argued this lessening of the “Value Of Life” also leads to higher rates of violent crime.

Now, my four-part plan to help curb the numbers of abortions-on-demand while keeping it legal, since SCOTUS says it is. My four-part plan, consisting of prevention, protection, patriarchal premium, and matriarchal monopoly, will also try and make things fairer for all parties:

Prevention: While using one of the many forms of birth control to prevent an unwanted pregnancy and resultant abortion, if both the mother and the father are unmarried and want to have an abortion, then both would have to sign legal documents and then they can get their abortion. The same rules would apply to married couples. Some thoughts are that the people facing this situation should have to attend a counseling session and/or safe-sex class to try and dissuade them from having an unwanted pregnancy again. If both the mother and father are minors, then the parents or legal guardians of the minor children would have to sign the legal documents on behalf of the minor children and both the children and their parents/guardians would have to attend the counseling session and/or safe-sex class.

Protection: For the legal protection of all parties and the baby, if both the unmarried mother and the father want to keep the child, then both would have to sign legal documents whereas they both agree to jointly pay the costs of having and raising the baby. This is pretty much already handled by law and case-law for married couples. Unmarried couples would have to attend counseling and/or safe-sex and or parenting classes. If both the unmarried mother and father are minors, then the parents or legal guardians of the minor children would have to sign the legal documents on behalf of their children and attend all the classes with their minor children, or they can strongly suggest that their minor children get emancipated and married without the need for a shotgun, hopefully!

Now, things get a little sticky and more controversial but these next two aspects would make things fairer for the mother and father and most importantly, the unborn child who has the highest risk of death, in comparison to the mother, in the abortion debate.

Paternal Premium: If the mother wants to have an abortion and the father wants to keep the child, the mother and father would have to sign legal documents stating their wishes and the mother would have the baby and sign it over to the father. This would relieve the mother from any right to visitation or support of her unwanted baby and the father would be accepting full responsibility for the baby and the cost of supporting the baby. If the mother and father are minors, then the parents/guardians would sign all legal documents on their behalf and agree to the visitation and support restrictions. Counseling and safe-sex classes would be required for all parties involved. Parenting classes would be required for the new parent and his parents/guardians.

Maternal Monopoly: If the father wants to have an abortion and the mother wants to keep the child, the mother and father would have to sign legal documents stating their wishes and the father would sign over all his parental rights to the baby, would have to pay a proportionate amount of the cost of the pregnancy and delivery of the baby and then would no longer be financially responsible for the baby and lose all his rights to the child. The mother would agree to pay her proportionate cost of the pregnancy and delivery of the baby, then would accept full parental rights and financial responsibility for the baby. If the mother and father are minors, then the parents/guardians would sign all legal documents on their behalf and agree to the visitation and support restrictions. Counseling and safe-sex classes would be required for all parties involved. Parenting classes would be required for the new parent and her parents/guardians.

If neither parent wanted to voluntarily sign the legal documents, family or juvenile court remedies would be available and then a judge would order things to be done or just issue a judgment.

I think the main reason that so many fathers have chosen to walk away from their pregnant wives/girlfriends is that many of them "told her to get an abortion" and when she chose to not get the abortion, they felt that she then took full responsibility for the child and they could now walk away. In talking to young men about this, I've had many tell me this excuse, in so many words. Many men, both young and older, also feel that the current laws are unfair to the father since it gives all the rights and choices to the mother and then the father should just accept her decision. If she chooses to abort, the father has no say-so. If she chooses to give the baby up for adoption, he has no say-so. If she chooses to have the baby and keep it, he has no say-so, yet he is legally responsible for supporting the child for the next 18+ years and can be ordered to pay child support, have his wages garnished, and even go to jail if he doesn't pay. This is what I was talking about when I said, "either parent can ... walk away.” While the mother can walk away by having an abortion, many young men simply walk away since they have no say-so in the matter anyhow!

While some feel, “a fetus is just a clump of cells, not viable until nearly nine months,” the National Pro-Life Alliance (NPLA) proclaims, “an unborn baby has its own, separate, and unique DNA at the moment it is conceived.” (National Pro-Life Alliance). This is proven, scientific fact about the DNA of the fetus, even at the earliest stage.

My four-part plan is a basis for sound legislation that will go a long way toward making people be more responsible with their own sex lives so that an unborn baby doesn’t have to make the ultimate sacrifice for their irresponsible actions. My plan gives all concerned parties some rights and choices instead of it just being a choice made by a girl/woman without regard for how her choice might affect everyone else concerned, including the potential grandparents. I think, now is the time we protected each and every life from the moment that life is conceived.

Works Cited

Clegg, Roger. NationalReview.com. The Corner — The One and Only. Latest Statistics on Out-of-Wedlock Births. October 11, 2013

Jones, Rachel K., et al. Guttmacher Institute, Guttmacher.com. Contraceptive Use Among U.S.                     Women Having Abortions in 2000-2001, Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive      Health, A journal of peer-reviewed research, Volume 34, Issue 6, November/December 2002, Pages 294 — 303.

National Pro-Life Alliance. Petition for Life At Conception Act. Facebook.com/ProLifeAlliance/.                   Sep. 15, 2016

Ohio Right To Life. PregnantPause.org. Every Child A Wanted Child. Sep. 9, 2000.

Riler, Keith. LifeNews.com. Thirty-Six Couples Wait for Every One Baby Who is Adopted.           July 9, 2012

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.