Politique Deux Centimes
Putting in "two cents" worth of opinions on politics after 30 plus years working media and campaigns.
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If it's broke.......
As if there aren’t enough alleged conflicts between northern and southern sections within the City of Lafayette, now parish consolidation....and it’s potential undoing.....are stirring up real conflicts between east, west, north and south Lafayette Parish. It’s not pretty. It rarely is when it’s about money and land. And it’s the land issues which must be resolved before we get to the even more complicated issues of undoing the pretend consolidation currently in existence.
David has apparently been kicking Goliath’s butt in annexing land right and left all around the Lafayette city limits. In some circles it’s being called a “land grab”; in others, “taking care of business”.
But now, with new census numbers to be released in 2011, the sleeping giant city awakens and sends out emergency meeting notices on a Sunday morning for the parish council to vote on annexing 270 acres in the next 24 hours. Most of that acreage is a golf course but why a “city-owned golf course” in an unincorporated area of the parish was not already annexed into the City of Lafayette is not clear. The neighboring municipality of Broussard annexed a road leading to the golf course. But this is just one contentious land issue.
The 270 acres is a mere pittance to the pot of gold which is the new six mile, 60 million dollar stretch of Ambassador Caffery Parkway which just opened. Imagine the business development possibilities along a raw stretch of prime property! Understandably, every nearby municipality wants some of those future sales taxes.
Parish President Durel has been holding meetings in the area to explain the pros and cons of “de-consolidation” but it’s the controversial land issue making the most noise. The City of Lafayette makes up 56% of the parish; the smaller municipaliaties 16%; and the so far unincorporated areas of the parish, 28%.
Now there will be a nine member charter commission providing a layer of decision delaying before Lafayette Parish voters have their say. The fun never stops in Lafalot.
Weak Tea
The “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore” Party had their “grassroots” convention at one of the most expensive venues in Nashville recently. In media interviews the naivete of some of the Tea Party attendees in their almost Stepford-like repetition of the same slogans made them seem ripe for exploiting. And indeed they were by the convention ticket prices and travel expenses and Palin’s speaking fee and now the push to have them contribute to the new Tea Party PAC. Zut Alors! They’re already beginning to look like the Republicans and Democrats they decry.On the same day Palin said she would contribute her $100,000 speaking fee “to the cause” she also said she now might run for President in 2012 if it was good for the Palin Family. Ohhhhhh, THAT “cause”. By the way, Sarah, looks like that talk-to-the-hand speechy stuff is workin’ out for ya’ in Big Bad Hollywood. Gonna call your new reality show The Wasillbillies?Former Colorado Republican Representative Tom Tancredo’s xenophobic rants notwithstanding, even Le Figaro covered the event. But then we know how those French love protests since they go on strike at the mere drop of a beret. Le Figaro likens this movement to a strikingly similar one in France 55 years ago. University of Houston Honors College Professor of French History, Robert Zaretsky, writes about the “mass demonstration in Paris of the Poujadist movement”. It was born of a populist anger at both the traditional right and left in French politics. Their issues then were the same as today’s Tea Party: taxes, bureaucrats, inflation, and as always for the French, greater individual liberties. Pierre Poujade’s Party did win some elections but then hit the reality of governing with, as Zaretsky put it, “the common tendency to grasp for simple solutions to complex problems”.There are no simple solutions. But there certainly are people willing to take your money to convince you otherwise. Sounds like Republicans now have their own.....gasp!..... “community organizers”.
