Gambling Bills in the 2009 Louisiana Legislature

Monroe, LA: There were 13 gambling bills submitted to the 2009 Louisiana Legislative Session: SB 192, SCSR1, HB123, HB124, HB361, HB844, SB192, HB596, HB635, HB714, HB844, HB886, and SB188 excluding HB1, HB2 and HB881 that referenced gambling. The greatest number submitted involved riverboats (6), next was video poker (4), and last was video bingo (3).

SB188 by Alario expands the use of revenues produced from the gaming fee collected by Jefferson Parish from riverboat gaming (gov.sig) and included a special one-time expenditure not to exceed one million dollars to provide for construction, repairs, or rehabilitation of storm-damaged properties for the towns for Grand Isle and Lafitte was signed by the governor. HB361 by Templet amends provisions of the law regarding designated representatives (requires a video poker licensee to obtain conviction records of a job applicant to determine if the applicant meets the suitability requirements provided for in Subsection A, whatever) was signed by the governor. HB124 by Wooten for truck stop video poker was sent to the governor.

HB714 by Norton, HB596 by Williams, HB635 by Kleckley, HB886 by Williams, SB192 by Long and HB 844 by G. Smith failed to get out of committee or were voted down in the House. SCSR1 by Long is interesting because it authorizes a study of the impact of video bingo in Louisiana and the effect on the charitable organizations that receive a portion of the proceeds. Apparently this was a dump of SB192 which would have prohibited video bingo in parishes that outlawed video poker.

Cofer On Clausen's Hit List

Monroe-The rumor mill is repeatedly reporting that James Cofer's ($252,886/yr on-the-table President of the Local University) employment contract will not be renewed. This time they are coming from Dr. Sally Clausen's Regents Headquarters in Baton Rouge. Well placed sources say Cofer will be replaced on an interim basis by Clausen's long-time friend and the Vice President of Student Affairs, Wayne Brumfeld. Perhaps that explains why Cofer was nowhere near Piyushi Jindal's press conference on the V-Vehicle last Wednesday, June 17, 2009.

The Gamblers Never Sleep

Monroe-The Monroe Downtown Development group currently run by city employee Myra Gatling held a triple-secret meeting yesterday, June 18, 2009 at Wayne Williamson's Office, WilStaff. Revealed at the meeting was a revised plan by Wayne Williamson, devoted member of First Baptist Church of West Monroe, to bring a gambling boat to Monroe. This time it's the Isle of Capris from Shreveport. During the meeting Mr. Williamson, who is reportedly mending fences with his current wife, stated flatly that every elected official was in favor of his idea except State Senator Bob Kostelka. Williamson said also that he planned to have the legislation that exempted the Ouachita River from the list of navigable waterways in Louisiana and written by former Speaker of the House Jim Dimos declared unconstitutional. That would lower the flood gates so to speak for high stakes gambling in Monroe.

V-Vehicle: Smoke and Mirrors So Far

East Ouachita Parish-Piyush Jindal showed up at the old Guide Plant today around 11:30 am to announce that the taxpayers of Louisiana and these United States would be paying $82, 000,000 real dollars to GNF Architechs and Gray Construction to remodel the plant and to build a new one beside it to manufacture an as of yet undiscribed concept car called the v-vehicle, in three years!

Friends this is the new economic investment model. The State of Louisiana and these United States of America builds a turnkey-ready company and hands it over to a private investment group for about 10 cents on the dollar.

Does this remind you at all of the Alaskan bridge to nowhere? The Louisiana bridge to nowhere? A pig in the poke is what we used to call it. Betting on the come is another phrase for it. Most recently build it and they will come covers it.

Shades of there’s a sucker born every minute. What is it granddad used to say, “If it sounds too good to be true; it is” The last person to offer turnkey businesses was EWE: the gambling boats and the nursing homes. He’s still in jail. So who is going to jail on this deal? It won’t be the concept peddlers from San Diego, that’s in California you all.

Walter Abbott Announces A New Lincoln Parish Political Blog

Long-time anti-gambling force in Louisiana, Walter Abbott, has announced the formation of a new political blog in Lincoln Parish Louisiana. He says he will cover city council meetings, police jury meetings, Sparta aquifer meetings, Louisiana Tech public relations bashes, and the like. He will be a healthy competitor for John Hays, Publisher of the Morning Paper. Good luck Walter!

Cofer Secretly Applies For Another Job Away From North Monroe

BREAKING NEWS-COFER SECRETLY APPLIES TO BE COMMISIONER OF EDUCATION IN MISSISSIPPI

Cofer has done it again, applied for yet another job in higher education, commissioner of education in Mississippi. He probably only told one person in north Monroe that he had applied, the chairman of the University Foundation whose step-son he has given a $100,000 plus salary while he is dismissing tenured faculty left and right. And guess what, he didn’t get the job. Cofer is now 0-3 in getting jobs away from north Monroe.

One little fact has leaked out about his application. Seems a retired Mississippi State University business professor showed up to talk with decision makers about Cofer getting the job and told them how Cofer had tried to use political influence to get his doctorate in business from Mississippi State. He didn’t get it though. He’s got and EdD from University of Arkansas Little Rock.

Oh, why did he tell the Chairmn of the University Foundation what he was up to, why so that chairman could go out and get him some more money from the Foundation account. And for what? Cofer promised when he got his current job he would increase enrollment to 10,000; it’s 8754 and ever falling; and he promised a 60% graduation rate. The American Enterprise Institute reports that his school has a graduation rate of 32%.