Columns & Opinions

The Northwest Technical College in Shreveport is a key asset for the city and is vital to the creation of a diversified and well-trained workforce. Technical schools like this one are increasingly providing workers who provide a high level of skill and expertise.

Shreveport City Council Races Should Not Be Overlooked

Working on a video explaining the need for voters to pass the Shreveport water/sewage consent decreebond issue was one dirty job. We climbed down into the old sewage lift station near Querbes Golf-Course. You could see where all the toys, rings, cash and other items flushed down toilets are collected. We also toured one of two sewage treatment plants in Shreveport. We had to build a second treatment plant in southeast Shreveport when we sprawled too far to the south for the existing plant to be efficient. One fact I couldn’t believe is that Shreveport’s oldest neighborhoods had sewage pipes underground, made of cypress and still in use. No wonder EPA was getting involved in our water and sewage.

All three of the local sales taxes continue very strong. The city of Shreveport's $12,732,613 in September is 6.2% above '21. Its $118,046,329 is 8.2% more than last year for nine months. This sum is 93.7% of its $126,000,000 general fund appropriation. The October collections will surely push above budget with two months remaining. The monthly average is $13,116,259. Projecting this average for all 2022 yields $157,395,249, or $31,395,249 over budget. The sales and use tax rate in Shreveport is 2.75%.

No more acceptances of decisions not made in the best interest of those who are disadvantaged, no matter how or why. The children of Israel, God’s people both young and old, wandered in the wilderness for 40 years because of bad decisions being made by their leaders. God’s children were kept in bondage and away from the Promised Land because of bad decisions. Our children remain in bondage because leaders in the school system are misleading them in directions other than what is in the best interest of the boys and girls of Caddo Parish public schools. How is it that in the 21st century many boys and girls still remain disadvantaged? The answer is that politics takes precedence over what is best for our children.

I often sit by a garden fountain, enjoying the happy sound of playing water. It reduces all the other sounds, and helps me think. That fountain reduces my distraction. What are the distractions you need to address today?

One time the front doorbell at my house stopped working. The repairman came. Turns out spiderwebs were discovered inside of it and were the cause of the problem. What cobwebs do you need to clean out of your life? Your life will never ring true until you clean out what needs cleaning out.

For those who choose to vote by mail using an “absentee” ballot, there are a few new rules to be aware of. My Senate Bill 144 of the 2022 Legislative Session was signed into law by Governor Edwards and is now Act Number 539 and in effect for this upcoming election and subsequent elections. My bill is intended to protect your vote and insure your vote is properly and accurately counted. The easiest and best way to vote by mail is to properly and fully complete the ballot and return it in the provided envelope by adding the correct amount of postage and mailing it in.