Columns & Opinions

The American Jobs Plan and the Covid Relief Bill of 2021 promises to bring truckloads of federal money into Shreveport’s economy. It is going to be an opportunity for us to spend money borrowed from our future to get through some tough times here and now.

We are told that energy matters; the latest science tells us that, fundamentally, “we’re energy.” If that is true, we would then be wise to focus much of our attention and resources upon energy. When we begin that focus, we observe that our world is submerged in an enormous energy crisis.

People in Bossier Parish are hungry for change. You could even make the argument that folks are craving change in the status quo. Because we are living right in the middle of the “Information Age,” there is no better time in history for the changes to take place. Many of the changes are fueled by citizen journalism.

Everybody wants to get paid, and that is understandable. The doctor, the lawyer, the Indian chief, and now the city council and the mayor. Usually, the people who are asking for or getting the raise are not the people who vote to give the raise. In other words, the city council should not have the ability to raise their own salaries. And although the council has said that the raises won’t be given to the current councilmen, the fact is that the current councilmen and women are all likely to be re-elected. So, in essence they will have voted to raise their salaries -- not 10%, not 30%, not 40 or 50%, but 70%. That is a heck of a raise to vote yourself, without any real input from the employers (citizens) whom you are supposed to be working for -- the taxpayers.

It’s time to ignore the social media whining, mistatements of fact and political spearthrowing at Shreveport elected officials.

If you occasionally say stupid things, then today’s essay is for you. Move on if your every utterance has been brilliant.

Listening is a skill that we can all improve upon these days; maybe it’s becoming a “lost art.” Who of us can’t benefit from enriched communication? Communication is not just about sharing our thoughts, but also hearing what the speaker is saying and having real dialogue.

One of my mentors in life once told me, “In most things in life, there is no black or white nor right or wrong, only infinite shades of gray.” I doubt he was the original author of that quote, but there is a lot of truth to that statement. In the world of politics, especially in the Bossier area, there are definitely some shades of gray.