Congratulations to Walter Isaacson on a wonderful opinion piece. I hope people will listen to it.
With respect to the April 8 letter, "To pay down debt, make corporations pay something more than nothing," it is important to remind everyone businesses do not pay taxes — not a penny. Businesses have no money of their own. All their revenues come…
The eviction moratorium established by the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and extended until the end of June, is designed to help renters who cannot afford to pay rent during the ongoing pandemic. However, an unintended consequenc…
Lawmakers convene this week to begin writing the story of post-pandemic Louisiana. Will they embrace status-quo policies that led to a stagnant economy with people and jobs leaving the state? Or will they champion bold reforms to bring jobs and op…
Talk of “tax reform” has returned to the State Capitol, with the House and Senate’s Republican leaders making it their central push for the two-month legislative session. But reform means different things to different people, and reaching a deal i…
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Sometimes there’s an important 2-1 ruling, and one wonders what the one-third minority was thinking.
Louisiana’s need to reform the “good ol' boy” system came to light again in news reports over political appointments between members of two politically connected families vying for a position on a powerful yet little-known board. The infighting ar…
Columnist Eugene Robinson on March 31 lamented U.S. gun violence: “Over 43,000 dead from guns means act now.”
Shocker. The state paid $405 million in unemployment benefits to ineligible people.
No question about it, when you go to vote in Louisiana your ballot is going to look a lot different from those in most other states.
As a graduate of Notre Dame University and the Georgetown Law School, Mandie Landry might seem heaven-sent to represent the district that includes the Catholic seminary and the archdiocesan headquarters in New Orleans.
With two federal probes, lawsuits being filed, legislators looking for heads, the state auditor being asked to poke around, and more sexual conduct allegations going public, it’s clear that LSU is approaching meltdown.
OK, play along here.
In his April 7 commentary, Walter Isaacson is right to acknowledge that Benjamin Franklin was a complex figure capable of self-assessment and growth. However, I was dismayed to see Isaacson perpetuate the myth of the benevolent slaveholder in givi…
Just over 30 years ago, two new nonprofits sprang to life in south Louisiana, one to improve the health of Lake Pontchartrain and its basin, at a time when that body of water was closed to recreation because of pollution; the other to rally action…
On March 22, The Advocate urged readers “to pity poor St. James Parish in the crosshairs of a powerful member of Congress,” referring to U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources Chair Rep. Raul Grijalva.
Thanks to this newspaper for the decision to provide us with the Mallard Fillmore cartoon, as it has been canceled by many newspapers across the country. I'm sure many letters were sent to the newspaper in this regard.
It’s a good thing that the Legislature's Senate Select Committee on Women and Children has kept its focus on the scandal involving LSU’s handling of domestic assault and sexual harassment complaints against star athletes, because nobody else seems…
Extraordinary times call for bold and timely action. We understand the urgency of returning students and educators to safe and productive learning spaces focused on bridging the gaps created by these extraordinary times. East Baton Rouge Parish Sc…
When the unqualified Dr. Sito Narcisse was hired as superintendent by the School Board, I decided to reserve my judgment until he had been given a chance to prove himself. With his recent press conference, I’ve decided: He, and by extension the Sc…
The progressive left cannot occupy both sides of a debate although they certainly try often enough.
Removing the name of Benjamin Franklin from our high school is very personal to me. Admission to Ben Franklin was my first major achievement, as it was to so many who later excelled in a broad range of spectacular endeavors. No matter what your so…
I am saddened that Louisiana legislators are drafting laws to restrict competition by transgender athletes. This is one more attempt to discriminate against others.
One of my most interesting tasks each semester is to introduce my media-ethics students at LSU’s Manship School of Mass Communication to a slightly different field, the ethics of public relations. In some ways, public-relations ethics differ from …
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Marketing has been a part of the game since political parties have been around. Parties tout their accomplishments and push their visions. They poke holes in arguments, point to differences as a way to garner support; they use newspaper ads, radio…
COVID-19 is disproportionately affecting the Latino community in the U.S., where major cities report Latinos as the group with most cases. Chances of being hospitalized are thrice that of a White person, while dying can be twice more likely. It is…
Have you ever believed strongly enough about an issue to pick up the phone, write a letter or email, attend a meeting, and do something about it?
We need taxes to pay for improvements to infrastructure and to pay down the national debt.
The eye-popping number of more than $400 million in unemployment checks sent to people not eligible for them is going to set off a political firestorm.
In 1787, Benjamin Franklin became the president of Pennsylvania’s Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery. He threw himself into the task, drawing up plans for providing employment for freed slaves, presenting a pro-abolition petition to th…
The Mallard Fillmore comic strip is crudely partisan and often offensive. But to portray its recent jab at China's President Xi Jinping as promoting racism against Asian people, as one reader recently did, is the same sloppy thinking that shows up…
I found it comical that Janice Hendrick in her letter accuses the Mallard Fillmore editorial cartoon showing China's leader making demeaning remarks about the United States as anti-Asian racism.
I reply to the retired teacher who was disgusted by the Mallard Fillmore cartoon, which she claims is racist.
Crushing is how I describe the words that the Vatican used to describe same-sex marriage. God, the Vatican said, "does not and cannot bless sin."
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I reply to the retired teacher who was disgusted by the Mallard Fillmore cartoon, which she claims is racist.
Crushing is how I describe the words that the Vatican used to describe same-sex marriage. God, the Vatican said, "does not and cannot bless sin."
For more Walt cartoons click here.
Name calling is so commonplace in American political campaigns that it’s sometimes hard for candidates to come up with new, fresh material. But Eddie Connick, a candidate for a vacant legislative seat in Metairie, managed.
Some key numbers don’t look good for Louisiana as we work to ramp up vaccinations while staving off more contagious and dangerous coronavirus variants that continue to put us at risk.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Americans had to innovate and rely on technology more than in any period in recent history. But just because the pandemic is mercifully coming to an end doesn’t mean we should stop innovating, especially when it comes…
A March 27 article in The Advocate’s Business section referenced a new wellness center. Unfortunately, this article was more of an "advertorial" that included unfounded claims about the purported benefits of services that can “go up to $499” per month.
Russell Desmond, the bookstore owner is correct with his words: “Our modern reformer seems unaware that statues are put up for people because of what they did right, and not for their mistakes.”
Can we all agree the United States drills for, pumps out of the ground and transports oil more efficiently and cleanly than any country on Earth?
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“Innocent until proven guilty” is a foundational principle of the American legal system, and a refrain even a casual watcher of courtroom dramas will recognize. But across the country and especially here in Louisiana, this promise has been eroded …
F. King Alexander is out as president of Oregon State University, and he is free to dish about his time running the show at LSU in Baton Rouge.