tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-312526932011-12-30T15:11:16.579-06:00This is a group blog supporting Mike Stagg's campaign for Louisiana's 7th district House seat. We're "friends of Mike" (But, hey: Our opinions are our own!)Mike Stagghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11487046644375429855noreply@blogger.comBlogger211100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31252693.post-1162006250266207162006-10-29T17:30:00.000-06:002006-10-29T21:35:27.040-06:00

Folks in the 7th district are faced with another example of Rita Abuse--this one goes way beyond Rita Amnesia. The IRS nonchalantly decided earlier this month that it is not going to try to collect taxes or otherwise disturb voters in Katrina-hit areas. Conspicuously absent was any similar consideration for Rita's victims. As reported in the New York Times:The commissioner of internal revenue

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05891053538358440640noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31252693.post-1159316932705586232006-09-26T19:21:00.000-05:002006-09-26T19:28:53.090-05:00

I've been working trying to come up with a post about the current debate on torture, the pro and anti side, and the emerging compromises on our honoring the Geneva accords.Then I did a double take.The United States Senate is debating whether or not the President ought to be able to authorize torture.The American President.My President.A debate in the Senate.With a compromise being worked out in

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05891053538358440640noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31252693.post-1159158751272276202006-09-24T23:45:00.000-05:002006-09-24T23:48:41.963-05:00

The New York Times reports on what it calls "a stark assessment of terrorism trends by American intelligence agencies."The assessment concludes "the American invasion and occupation of Iraq has helped spawn a new generation of Islamic radicalism and that the overall terrorist threat has grown since the Sept. 11 attacks."It appears that this report was vigorously massaged by intelligence officials

Mike Stagghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11487046644375429855noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31252693.post-1158977560830643412006-09-24T12:30:00.000-05:002006-09-24T00:57:43.616-05:00

The war in Iraq has strained the U.S. Army to its limit according to an internal Army document that was given to the New York Times.Read it and weep. The Bush administration's adventure in Iraq (a war of choice over deliberately skewed intelligence) is wrecking the U.S. military. Trapped in a quagmire of its own making, the Bush administration either needs a bigger army, must call up more

Mike Stagghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11487046644375429855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31252693.post-1159076176815806772006-09-24T00:35:00.000-05:002006-09-24T00:36:16.830-05:00

This column appears in Sunday's Washington Post. It is so powerful and moving that I'm posting it in its entirety here.Mike StaggDemocratic Candidate for CongressLouisiana's Seventh District• • • • •Are We Really So Fearful?By Ariel DorfmanSunday, September 24, 2006; B01DURHAM, N.C.It still haunts me, the first time -- it was in Chile, in October of 1973 -- that I met someone who had been

Mike Stagghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11487046644375429855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31252693.post-1158693039856297622006-09-19T14:00:00.000-05:002006-09-19T14:10:39.906-05:00

I've been thinking about the Republican business model as it applies to governing at the federal level. There are some prime examples where the emergence of that model becomes clear: Iraq, Medicare prescription drug program, FEMA/disaster recovery, energy policy and other areas of focus of this administration. Corruption is definitely a core piece of the business model. However, the model itself

Mike Stagghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11487046644375429855noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31252693.post-1158679474298245972006-09-19T10:24:00.000-05:002006-09-21T10:48:10.653-05:00

FEMA has decided to stiff Erath on its new middle and high schools according to a story in today's Advertiser. They want the public to believe it's because they are being careful with money--but believing that involves ignoring the enormous waste FEMA has enabled when the beneificiaries are well-connected corporations instead of struggling small towns.The community has already had to fight

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05891053538358440640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31252693.post-1157838166014248612006-09-09T16:42:00.000-05:002006-09-18T13:23:03.673-05:00

Republicans have always based their claim to superiority in national security on the amount that they are willing appropriate for defense in our national budget. But it this a good measure? There are several other dimensions of security that we should be looking at.1. Fighting the Right Wars. Iraq – need I say more? $300 billion and counting, over 2,600 of our soldiers dead, tens of thousands

Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08599285385176337713noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31252693.post-1157692076931826352006-09-08T00:03:00.000-05:002006-09-08T00:13:40.990-05:00

National Public Radio had the best coverage of the day on the House Armed Services Committee testimony by the Judge Advocate Generals of the four branches of the U.S. armed forces today.Hearing it on All Things Considered as I drove across the Atchafalaya Basin bridge on I-10 this afternoon was an amazing experience. I believe something fundamentally changed today with this testimony.The press

Mike Stagghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11487046644375429855noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31252693.post-1157582756330709602006-09-06T16:46:00.000-05:002006-09-06T20:52:42.000-05:00

Snake Oil really skewers Boustany in this week's Independent. Greg Peters, the 'toon's creator takes aim at Boustany's jaunt to Lebanon.Satire can be revealing--and this sort of satirical imagery packs a punch that mere words lack.Maybe you are irritated that Boustany has taken off for Lebanon before even getting that "explanation" for FEMA's deciding that Cameron isn't as worthy of clean-up

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05891053538358440640noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31252693.post-1157508834745292882006-09-05T21:07:00.000-05:002006-09-05T21:13:54.746-05:00

District 7 needs a full-time Congressional representative, one who is looking out for the interests of the people who live here. Our state leads the nation in poverty indicators and incarceration rates. With a stagnating minimum wage and soaring energy and health costs, many people are far worse off than they were five years ago. We need a concerted effort that will improve the educational

Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08599285385176337713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31252693.post-1156141398662735642006-08-21T01:00:00.000-05:002006-08-21T01:23:18.673-05:00

The United States should begin withdrawing troops from Iraq now.The Bush administration led this country into this war based on a series of lies and slanted intelligence. It has violated treaties, American law and the international law in approving torture, kidnapping and other tactics that have cost this nation its moral standing in the world and, in so doing, diminished our capacity to lead. It

Mike Stagghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11487046644375429855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31252693.post-1155447510063593562006-08-13T00:38:00.000-05:002006-08-13T07:25:53.346-05:00

Today's Advertiser editorial portrays Boustany as outraged at FEMA's refusal to answer his questions about why Cameron didn't get the cleanup support that was accorded to parishes in other districts.The sense is that he's doing his best.It's not good enough.Cameron parish doesn't need him to ask the question: "Why, why, oh why?" to an unresponsive FEMA.Cameron parish needs the same support

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05891053538358440640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31252693.post-1155439522439677322006-08-12T22:25:00.000-05:002006-08-12T23:46:16.783-05:00

Whether it's $3 a gallon gasoline, spiraling violence and political instability in the oil-producing regions, or evidence of global warming and climate change, there are signs around us that the petroleum-based economy upon which the world has operated for more than a century has entered a transition period.This Chicago Tribune story (the linked is to a version in the Austin American Statesman)

Mike Stagghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11487046644375429855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31252693.post-1155181489682337762006-08-09T22:24:00.000-05:002006-08-09T22:47:46.130-05:00

It was only two years ago that then-candidate Charles Boustany was telling the people of the Seventh District that one of the chief reasons they should elect him was his close ties to the Bush Administration. There was the now mysteriously absent picture of Boustany with the President in the White House in what amounted to a drive-by photo-op.As the saying goes, the proof is in the pudding. And,

Mike Stagghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11487046644375429855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31252693.post-1154935773061404612006-08-07T00:51:00.000-05:002006-08-07T02:29:33.130-05:00

Much like a decade ago, telecommunications reform legislation will await the new Congress that will be elected in the fall elections.I've been involved in telecommunications issues for just about the entire decade since the passage of the Telecommunications Act of 1996. That act is a near-classic example of the law of unintended consequences, as well, as the ability of powerful corporations to

Mike Stagghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11487046644375429855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31252693.post-1154671608725130132006-08-04T00:10:00.000-05:002006-08-04T01:26:29.730-05:00

Last Saturday, I attended a rally at the Lake Charles Civic Center for members of International Machinists Union Local 470 who had been on strike against PPG for 64 days and made a small personal contribution to their strike fund. The rally represented an opportunity for me to tell those workers how their fight is bigger than they are.Workers across the country in all sectors of the economy are

Mike Stagghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11487046644375429855noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31252693.post-1154494483453237492006-08-03T20:12:00.000-05:002006-08-03T12:38:53.563-05:00

If you've been following Allstate's threats to leave Louisiana if they're not allowed to drop hurricane coverage for most of south Louisiana you're probably puzzled. You might have thought, since the entire purpose of insurance companies is to, well, insure risk, that the spectacle of an insurance company that refuses to insure risks means that something is seriously wrong with the industry.If

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05891053538358440640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31252693.post-1154027682507341862006-07-28T14:14:00.000-05:002006-07-29T01:14:05.193-05:00

National Public Radio has run a very interesting poll which focuses only on competitive congressional districts. It finds (story, report, questions) that the Republicans are in trouble not just nationally, but in the competitive local races that are the heart of the current fight.Recent polls based on national samples show about a 10% percent advantage for the Democrats. That's been enough to

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05891053538358440640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31252693.post-1153845485449312302006-07-25T12:10:00.000-05:002006-07-25T20:29:43.750-05:00

After a more than a week of articles in the Advocate our federal representatives have gotten together and decided to be outraged. But their outrage is misdirected.At issue is the indeed outrageous FEMA rules that prohibit a resident of a FEMA village from talking to the press without FEMA "keeper" trailing along to make sure that the residents don't say anything that cause bad PR. This comes up

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05891053538358440640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31252693.post-1153498512437854062006-07-21T11:10:00.000-05:002006-07-21T11:15:12.450-05:00

Why volunteer for Mike Stagg's campaign?Well, I’m working for Mike Stagg's campaign to win back the 7th district for the people of Southwest Louisiana.It's that simple for me.I think Mike's the man for the job. I worked with him during the Lafayette Fiber To The Home referendum and came away impressed. Mike helped run that successful grassroots campaign. When we got started the "smart money" said

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05891053538358440640noreply@blogger.com0