This is what I think is a sad story, Jessica

Jessica told me that she had caught up with stories on my blog and was unhappy that my stories appear to end happily at first but then turn sad..  She gave an example of the mule we sold who found its way back home giving a child joy, only to be saddened when the mule had to be returned to the buyer. 

I said that I decided long ago that if I ever wrote my biography I would ignore the really unhappy times. For example, I explained, I could relate things that happened in the second half of the first grade when I had a teacher that hated me.  Once we had a childish assignment, drawing lines connecting words with pictures.  (At the time I had read books like "The Last of the Mohicans" and "Don Quixote.)  When we were done she told us to erase all lines and do it again.  My pencil eraser was no good and it tore the paper.  I gave up and drew lines all across the paper.  She ridiculed and  punished me.  She got in the final blow when we turned in our readers; I had to pay the cost to buy a new book when the one I had been issued didn't have a back, was torn, and was written in. My parents learned that teachers did this to supplement their salary.

Yes, we can supply all our energy needs

It is foolish now for anyone to argue that the United States does not have enough energy to meet all its needs. In addition to enormous amounts of natural gas, oil exists in shale and other formations and already the percent of our petroleum being imported has declined. 

Until oil production is sufficiently  increased in the coming decade, we will continue to import oil.  However, we can pay for that oil by exporting liquified petroleum gas.  A facility in South Louisiana once used for importing liquified gas can be converted for exporting.  At present much natural gas is being wasted.

While  national unemployment remains above nine per cent Louisiana has a much lower rate of 6.9.  Much of our success is owed to the oil and gas industry.

Homer Municiapal Improvements 1968

As promised I will try to remember some of the municipal improvements that led to being named Mayor of the Year.  Obviously, some projects that culminated in 1968 were begun months and sometimes years earlier and required much effort and determination to complete. Here goes, relying on my memory:

Improvements to water system including miles of 12-inch water line; 500,000 gallons of elevated storage; 500,000 gallons of ground level storage; automation of entire system, resulting in lowering of fire insurance rates.

Added generating capacity to  light plant and modernized  the  distribution system.

Airport built to FAA standards.  First to be built in Louisiana with matching FAA and state funds.

Adoption of new hospital plan that included town paying for all employees with  workers given opportunity to cover their families.

Located new industry employing 100 workers.

Saved an industry that employed more than 200.  This was done by extending large water line to plant and providing fire protection.

Researched all ordinances adopted since 1850; eliminated conflicts and duplications; printed ordinances and   included in a loose leaf book where any new ordinances would be added.

Obama gets taxpayers to influence votes for him

Obama has campaigned and  fund raised across the country at the expense of taxpayers so it is no surprise that he is committing tax payer money in an attempt to buy votes.  First,  he  announced a financial benefit for those who borrowed more money than they could afford and are now stuck with a home that is worth less than they paid for it. How many millions will that cost tax payers?

Next, in an effort to woo the youth vote, he proposes extra benefits in the student loan program.  Already liberalized, the program now would reduce to l0 per cent of earnings that would be required  for the student to pay annually, and after 20 years the loan would be forgiven.  It is possible under this plan for a student to borrow $200,000 and pay back only l0 per cent of that with taxpayers being stuck with the remainder.

Many students borrow only the minimum they need and make every effort to repay the  loan after graduation. Many people are familiar with so-called students borrowing an excessive amount, living it up in college, and never graduating and never intending to re-pay the loan.  This program is ripe for changes, but not like Obama is planning.

More about my political service in Homer

I had friends who worked for the Town of Homer and I knew the previous officials instituted a pay policy that was a financial hardship.  Employees who were paid once a month were not paid until the fifth day of the next month.  This meant they worked a month and  five days before getting paid for the previous month. 


I moved to pay them on the last day of  the month. I wanted to change pay periods to twice a month but the clerk said that could not be done because the town's revenue came from the light and water department, and those bills went out once a month.  I don't remember if we ever converted to twice a month pay periods.

On seeing my plaque for mayor of year

A few days ago I ran across a plaque that commemorated me being named Mayor of the Year for 1968.  I don't know where the plaque had been nor why it surfaced but it caused me to remember some of the many accomplishments for Homer that year.  In the future I will list those I remember.

There's another question I should answer first. Why the heck was I mayor in the first place?  After all, I was editor of the local newspaper, thus a member of the "Fourth Estate" and responsible to represent the people and keep government honest.  Six years before some Jaycees who had become interested in politics wanted to run for town council, but they would run only if I would.  I finally acceded and was the leading vote getter. One of the Jaycees was one of the five elected.  I served as finance chairman and deputy mayor. Two years later I had determined not to run for re-election but was pressured by businessmen and town leaders to run for mayor.  I won and two years later was unopposed for mayor for a four-year term.  I had attended council meetings for years as editor and had seen how inefficient two-year terms were so we left it to the voters and they approved a change to four years.  I'll have more to say later.

Yes, Donald, our leaders are stupid

I have to agree with Donald Trump -- how could this country's so-called leaders knuckle in to Iraq and bring all our troops home, leaving the second largest oil reserve in the world to the probable control of Iran and off limits to us?

Not only our economy but our national security is threatened.  Of course, if Obama and the Democrats would allow development of our domestic energy resources we could be self-sufficient in energy and create perhaps a million or more jobs.  I have been calling for this for longer than 18 months.  Now, more and more politicians are joining energy companies and businesses in pointing our that we have enormous reserves of energy, especially natural gas.  Obama would rather spend billions on alternate energy projects which create few if any permanent jobs.