Voting rights case inches closer to election
August 15, 2018A win for Joan Q. Public
August 15, 2018
Business officials gathered to hear one of their U.S. Senators and had questions about topics that included tax cuts and flood insurance.
Members of the Thibodaux, Terrebonne, St. Mary, and Lafourche chambers of commerce gathered at The Columns restaurant in Gray to hear a briefing by Sen. John Neely Kennedy – R- LA about the current activities in Washington DC, Thursday, August 9.
“It is great to be out of Washington and back in America,” said Kennedy to a response of lighthearted laughter. “I feel like I’m home.”
After likening his childhood to The Andy Griffith Show, Kennedy launched into his speech.
“I can tell you, the reason we’re having deficits in Baton Rouge is the same reason we’re having deficits in Washington DC,” Kennedy said with force. “It is not because we tax too little. It is because we spend too much.”
Overspending, and overtaxing had bogged down the economy, said Kennedy. The taxing under the last administration, he argued, limited business investment. And investing creates jobs, he said.
Kennedy shifted his emphasis to Louisiana and said one of its problems is a low labor force participation rate.
According to Kennedy Louisiana suffered from this trend, Gross Domestic Product growth was about .7 percent while the average among states was 1.6 percent, “We deserve better than that,” he said.
Kennedy emphasized that one of the problems of Louisiana is the labor force participation rate. He said that while most people look to the unemployment numbers as economic indicators, they don’t get don’t get a complete picture.
The labor force participation rate measures the number of able-bodied individuals employed. The GDP rises as more people work, Kennedy explained, and Louisiana is currently ranked 6th from the bottom in labor force participation.
“We’ve just got too many folks who could work, but who aren’t,” he said.
While Kennedy’s close to 30-minute speech covered a multitude of topics, he said the “tax cuts and job acts bill,” was an accomplishment he was proud of.
A member of the audience questioned if there was a possibility of the tax cuts becoming permanent -currently they only last for 10 years. Kennedy said he didn’t think this was possible as congress is currently occupied with judicial nominees.
Another question to arise was concerning flood insurance.
Kennedy stressed the importance of this issue because Louisiana’s commerce would shut down without flood insurance. He said, he and Sen. Bill Cassidy R. got the current program extended for 4 months and said that he didn’t know if they could muster the votes to pass it again.
“The whole purpose is to provide flood insurance, and it doesn’t do any good to give somebody flood insurance if they can’t afford it,” said Kennedy. “My bill tries to do that… I’m willing to consider other ideas, but I’m not going to vote for something my people can’t afford because that defeats the whole purpose.”
Lafourche Parish Councilman Aaron Melvin said flood insurance has a direct impact on the people of his parish.
“If you’re on the wrong side of the street your rates are going to go through to the moon,” he said. When asked if he was optimistic that this change would be implemented he responded, “I’m optimistic that (Kennedy’s) heart is in the right place… and that’s important.”
Prior to the speech many attendees expressed interest in business regulations.
Kennedy said he doesn’t believe in a lack of regulations, but the cost has to be worth the benefit. He went on to say that a tool called the “Congressional Review Act,” was triggered 14 times to save about $40million. These instances were from January of 2017 through to present day.
The Congressional Review act of 1996 is a streamlined procedure which allows congress to disapprove of a broad range of regulatory rules issued by federal agencies by enacting a joint resolution of disapproval
He also cited his support of legislation that retained bank regulations but rolled back others that affect community banks.
“All banks will still be regulated,” said Kennedy. “But the community banks which didn’t do a dad ‘gum thing wrong in 2008 to contribute to the meltdown are not going to be punished for the sins of the others.”
Kennedy said he helped get an extra $323 million for the Army Corps of Engineers.
“Now I’m gonna chase them all over hell and half of Georgia to make sure they spend that money here,” he said, drawing applause.
He said he got $9 million for the Houma Navigation Canal, and $750 thousand for Bayou Lafourche and the Lafourche Jump Waterway.
As for the current climate in Washington, Kennedy spent some time explaining life in the senate.
He explained that the size of the Senate creates an intimate setting where personalities, for better or worse, become well known. The varying world views, Kennedy said, can become frustrating because it forces a slow work pace.
“It’s frustrating sometimes because I want to gallop, and the way the system is set up you just kind of have to inch along,” he said. “…and despite all the noise and the clatter that you see on television, and that you read and hear, I’m very proud of what we’ve accomplished.”
