Jason Alderman

The winter holidays are upon us and with them the added stress of tight financial times. This year, enjoy the season without letting holiday spending get the better of you. We've put together expert advice and practical tools to help you minimize spending concerns and make this holiday season a joyous time.
1. Make a budget and stick to it:
Start your holiday budgeting by looking at what you spent last year. Were you on target, or did last year's spending land you in debt? Make a list of what you plan to spend money on this year. Knowing your spending goals beforehand will keep you on track. Some financial planners recommend spending no more than 1.5% of your annual income ($750 per $50,000 of annual income). Look at your major spending categories - gifts, entertaining, meals, and travel- and estimate how much you can afford in each category.
Use this easy Holiday Budget Calculator to help determine your holiday budget.
2. Get Creative
Save money this year by getting creative. Store-bought gifts are great, but when you make a gift for someone they truly appreciate your time and effort. Ideas for creative gift projects are plentiful online. A fun place to start is Instructables.com, a do-it-yourself web site full of step-by-step tutorials for everyone.
Perhaps you don't have time to make something yourself but still like the affordability and personal touch of giving homemade gifts. At Craftzine.com you'll not only find ideas that you can make yourself, but budget gifts available from other crafters. The ultimate marketplace for homemade gifts however is Etsy, where you can find crafty items from over 200,000 sellers.
3. Join Together
Instead of excessively spending on each other this year, join together with family members to help those who may be less fortunate. Online opportunities are easy to find, and there are several in this article, "Helping others when money is tight." Other opportunities for online giving can be found at the websites for Oxfam International and ACCION.
4. Travel Wisely
If you plan on traveling, take some time to determine how much it will cost you with our Holiday Travel Planner and don't forget these holiday travel planning tips.
5. Avoid the Holiday Hangover
Holidays are a wonderful time to entertain. And a little planning and budgeting will help you avoid financial headaches. Give our Holiday Entertainment Planner a try and let it help you plan your entertainment so that you don't have to pay for it the rest of the year. And Check out these holiday entertainment tips to help you keep your holiday budget in shape.
 

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"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me." My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:
Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old
1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4.  Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.


5.  Pay off your credit cards every month.


6.  You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.


7.   Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.


8.   It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9.   Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.


10.  When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.


11.  Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.


12.  It's OK to let your children see you cry.


13.  Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.


14.  If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.


15.  Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.


16.  Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.


17.  Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.


18.  Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.


19.  It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.


20.  When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.


21.  Burn the candles, use the nice sheets. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.


22.  Over prepare, then go with the flow.


23.  Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.


24.  The most important organ is the brain.


25.  No one is in charge of your happiness but you.


26.  Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'


27.  Always choose life.


28.  Forgive everyone everything.


29.  What other people think of you is none of your business.


30.  Time heals almost everything. Give time time.


31.  However good or bad a situation is, it will change.


32.  Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.


33.  Believe in miracles.


34.  God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.


35.  Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.


36.  Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

37.  Your children get only one childhood.


38.  All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.


39.  Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.


40.  If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.


41.  Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.


42.  The best is yet to come.

43.  No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.


44.  Yield!


45.  Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."
 

It’s time for the American people to wake up and realize that their government is heading down a slippery slope and into a culture that endangers all that makes this a great nation.
It’s clear that the government plays favorites as it has certain companies it cheers on and infuses with money.
General Motors, the century-old automobile company that once employed some half a million workers, has bumbled its way into bankruptcy.
Never fear, the government is here.
Apparently we need to prop up this dead horse and reward their incompetence.
President Barack Obama claims he has no interest in running General Motors. Yet he has taken an interest in the the company’s success.
Like anyone, I have a nostalgic love for General Motors and the classic cars the company has produced over the decades. I also enjoy the classic songs of rock band Led Zeppelin, but they haven’t produced anything interesting or marketable since the late 1970s.
Should we wire cash to Robert Plant and Jimmy Page to get them back in the studio? Maybe they’re fresh out of ideas. Give the guys a break, they wrote “Stairway to Heaven,” for crying out loud.
Maybe General Motors is fresh out of ideas, too. Maybe they don’t have another ‘57 Chevy in them. And that’s OK.
Let some other company invest their own capital into building a better vehicle. Then let the people decide which automobile they want – by buying them.
If the members of the free market vote with its wallet to buy from another company, then so be it.
Nobody bailed out the horse and buggy industry. Should we have given taxpayer dollars to the buggy manufacturers to keep them in business simply because it would save jobs? That would be foolish.
There’s a host of businesses that have vanished because there was no market left for it. Only the fittest businesses survive, especially during an economic recession. Sometimes whole industries go extinct. That’s why the horse and buggy has been reduced to a novelty tourist attraction in cities like New Orleans and a cheap method of production on small farms. It’s no longer an efficient means of transportation.
Throwing taxpayer money at General Motors won’t solve its problems.
“Can you imagine what it’s going to be like when the government runs General Motors?” U.S. Rep. Ron Paul asked on this week’s “Freedom Watch” with Judge Andrew Napolitano. “You think they’re going to make a profit? There’s not a chance in the world for that. They’re going to run it like they run the Post Office. They’re always going to need additional funds.”
General Motors should venture into bankruptcy just as any other company would.
Now that the government has cracked open the door, other companies undoubtedly will be next.
This sort of thing will seem normal. And the economy will only suffer more, and prolong an already bleak economic situation.
Have we thrown the Constitution out of the window? The government seems to be making up new rules as it goes along, and by doing so has further wrecked the economy.
People who see what’s happening to this country are fed up.
Our country was founded on the freedom for all of us to guide our lives as we see fit. Government shouldn’t tell us how to spend the money we work hard to earn.
Liberty is what makes this country great.
Stay free.
 

One of the frequent topics of discussion regarding how to handle the state's current budget crisis centers on the "Rainy Day" Trust Fund. State officials seeking the least painful way forward are haunted by the fact that they can't easily tap into a significant amount of the $780 million in the fund due to constitutional restraints. The first restraint is that no more than one-third of the fund can be accessed during a two-year period. The second—and far more complicated—restriction has to do with the requirement that any oil and gas revenues in excess of $850 million must first be used to replenish any withdrawal from the trust fund before any can be used for appropriations.
Let's put the conundrum facing the Legislature in focus. The House and the Senate can pass a resolution that takes up to $260 million out of the trust fund and use those revenues to help balance the budget they are now struggling to confect. But if they do, they would have to replenish the fund with oil and gas revenues during the course of the next budget year when the total amount of collections reaches the $850 million level. That greatly diminishes the value of tapping the Rainy Day Fund as a solution for the budget crisis. Many legislators are grumbling about this "flaw" in the Rainy Day Fund and one—Rep. Franklin Foil (R-Baton Rouge)—has filed a constitutional amendment that would remove the requirement that excess oil and gas revenues replenish the fund in the year the revenues are removed from it.
Sometimes legislators forget that history tends to repeat itself, so what follows is a friendly reminder about the "flaw" in Rep. Foil's "solution."
The correct name of the so-called Rainy Day Trust Fund is actually the Budget Stabilization Fund. It wasn't actually designed primarily to put money away for a "rainy day." It was enacted to restrict the use of windfall revenues—especially volatile oil and gas revenues—in budgeting. Originally, the constitutional amendment that created it mandated that any oil and gas revenues in excess of $750 million had to go into the fund until the cap (a percentage of general fund revenues) was reached. Perhaps the only reason the constitutional amendment made it through the Legislature back then was because most legislators never thought those revenues would hit the $750 million mark again. But they did, and as soon as that happened, the Legislature bumped the threshold up to $850 million where it is today.
The primary source of the current budget crisis comes from the fact that exploding oil and gas revenues in the past few years filled up the trust fund and then flowed over by hundreds of millions into the state general fund. Those volatile revenues were quickly spent by a Legislature eager to spend every dime available. Today, oil and gas revenues are about $800 million less than in the last budget—volatility personified.  The "flaw" that some in the Legislature find with the stabilization fund has to do with the intent of that amendment to the constitution: to place restraints on legislators from funding recurring expenditures with revenues that are anything but stable.
Rep. Foil's proposed constitutional amendment (which couldn't take effect for several years even if enacted by the Legislature and approved by the voters next year) is a classic example of ignoring what history has taught us. The Legislature overspent significantly in the last two budgets. Diverting more volatile revenues to keep that spending train going will quickly lead to an even larger crisis.
 

People often say mothers have the hardest job in the world – and I wouldn't dispute that. But being a father might be the second hardest job in the world. And becoming a dad for the first time is a challenge for all men.
Putting aside the physical and emotional rigors of fatherhood, the financial implications of having a child are staggering.
According to the USDA, the average cost for a middle-income family to raise a child until age 18 is over $200,000 – and that doesn't even include college. Small wonder, then, that nearly 40 percent of Americans surveyed by Visa Inc. said they weren't prepared financially for the birth of their first child.
As one dad to another, let me share a few financial planning strategies that can help map out a strong financial future for your family:
Get insured. Although young, single adults often go underinsured, if your family depends on your income, you shouldn't be unprepared for life's unexpected events. Buy adequate coverage for:
* Health insurance. If you don't think kids are expensive, start adding up the costs for prenatal exams, delivery, immunizations, check-ups, broken arms, medications, dentist appointments, and braces – the list goes on. When comparing medical plans, focus on issues like monthly premium, copayment, deductible and prescription amounts, in- and out-of-network charges, and coverage limits and exclusions.
* Homeowner/renter's insurance. Don't allow theft, fire, faulty plumbing or other catastrophes to leave your family without possessions or a place to live. Consider choosing a higher deductible to lower your premium, and opt for "replacement cost" coverage, which will replace items in today's dollars.
* Life insurance. Depending on your family's size and ages, you'll probably want coverage worth at least five to 10 times your annual pay; more, if you want to cover college costs. And don't forget to insure your spouse so you'll be protected as well.
* Disability insurance. Nearly a third of us will suffer serious disabilities between ages 35 and 65. Yet many folks forego long-term disability insurance, potentially leaving them without an income after a serious accident or illness. To learn more about the financial implications of disability and other unexpected life events, visit Practical Money Skills for Life, Visa's free personal financial management site (www.practicalmoneyskills.com/unexpected).
Start saving now. It's ironic: When you're young and can least afford it, that's when you can make the most lasting impact on your financial future. The earlier you start saving and "compounding" or reinvesting the interest earned, the faster your savings will grow. That's true whether you're saving to buy a house, pay for retirement or send your kids to college.
One tip: If your employer offers 401(k) matching contributions, contribute at least enough to take full advantage of the match: A 50 percent match is the same as earning 50 percent interest on savings.
And finally, spend responsibly. If you buy things you don't really need or can't afford, you'll just end up having to work longer hours to pay for them. That's unrecoverable time you could have spent watching your kids grow.

 

On behalf of the City of Donaldsonville, the Donaldsonville Downtown Development District would like to thank everyone who participated and attended the Donaldsonville Christmas Parade.  This event could not have been held without the combined efforts of the Christmas Parade Committee (Danielle Doyle, Toni Chachatti, Jamie Delatte, Tonja Aubert, Liz Eure), the Donaldsonville City Council, Mayor Leroy Sullivan, Ascension Parish Sheriff's office, Donaldsonville Fire Department, and the DDD Board of Directors.  And special thank you to KKAY's Kirk Landry and Harry Hoyler for covering the parade live on the radio, and to committee chairman Danielle Doyle for overseeing the month-long planning of the event.
The purpose of the Donaldsonville Christmas Parade, as well as Come 4th on the 3rd of July and other similar events, is to foster a sense of pride in our community--to bring everyone together for a few hours of enjoyment as we celebrate the holidays.  If you were unable to attend this year's event, the largest in recent years, we encourage you to attend next year.  Thank you again to everyone who took part in making this year's event a success.
 
John Rodgers
Executive Director, Donaldsonville Downtown Development District
Manager, Main Street Donaldsonville program
 

Families can keep holiday traditions without tipping the scale by following a few tips from Vicky Chesser, LSU AgCenter registered dietitian.
Although the average American gains 3 to 5 pounds during the holidays, Chesser says you do not necessarily have to cut fat and calories out of favorite holiday recipes as long as you are physically active.
The LSU AgCenter dietitian said the pounds don't necessarily come off because of a New Year's resolution. Shortly after New Year's come Valentine's Day candy, Mardi Gras parties and Easter chocolates, and before you know it, it's football tailgating season again.
"Radical changes will not work. We didn't get habits overnight," Chesser said. "We're not going to change them overnight."
She recommends the following:
Get plenty of sleep. Studies show lack of sleep is associated with being overweight.
Drink water. The better hydrated you are, the better your metabolism is.
Dress for success. Don't go to a holiday meal wearing roomy clothes. Get rid of your comfortable clothes. "At least don't eat in them," Chesser said.
Eat slowly. Put your fork down after every bite.
Have a plan. You don't always know what you are going to eat. Eating breakfast makes you less tempted to eat if you are not hungry. Don't arrive starving.
Carry comfortable shoes with you so you can take an extra lap around the block or around the mall after shopping.
When you are the guest, volunteer to be the photographer. "Busy hands can't be eating hands," Chesser said.
Other suggestions for the guests are:
Talk more and eat less. Spend time with your family. "It's not really about the food," Chesser said.
Don't let the different foods on your plate touch; that keeps portions smaller.
Put your napkin over your plate when you are finished. "If that doesn't work, sprinkle salt over the food."
Instead of bringing a hostess gift, bring something that can be donated to the local food bank.
Go for a walk before you leave.
Be a healthy hostess by not putting food all over the house.
"Use nuts that have to be cracked." They take longer to eat and cost less, Chesser said. Also, find out ahead of time if your guests have nut allergies.
Use smaller plates that are blue. People not only will make smaller portions, they tend to eat less from blue serving pieces, Chesser said.
Have guests take what is left over home with them in inexpensive plastic containers you provide. This reduces cleanup and the amount of leftovers in your refrigerator.
Fix a plate for a neighbor.
Don't encourage overeating. Pressure to try everything can be overwhelming for guests trying to watch calories.
Workplace tips include letting coworkers know you are trying to watch what you eat, taking your candy dish off your desk, not lingering in break rooms, donating a dollar to a candy sale rather than taking the chocolate and holding monthly birthday celebrations rather than celebrating each person individually.
 
 

By Jason Alderman

One of the fastest growing segments of America's workforce is the self-employed. Being your own boss can be liberating, but it's also hard work: Many bothersome details your employer used to handle become your responsibility - things like finding health insurance, deducting taxes, and setting up retirement savings.
Here are a few considerations before hanging out your own shingle:
Health insurance. Sure, it's expensive, but going without health insurance is extremely risky. More than half of all personal bankruptcies stem from overwhelming medical bills. (The silver lining: Health insurance premiums are fully deductible for the self-employed, considerably lowering taxable income.) Options include:
 * Coverage through your spouse's plan or a trade or professional organization to which you belong.
    * COBRA continuation coverage through your former employer's plan. (Double-check eligibility requirements and enrollment deadlines.) Typically COBRA provides benefits for 18 months (sometimes longer) and costs 102 percent of the full premium.
    * Private insurance. An insurance broker can help you find appropriate coverage - try the National Association of Health Underwriters if you don't know one (www.nahu.org). Be aware that even minor preexisting conditions may render you ineligible.
    * High-deductible plans provide comprehensive coverage for catastrophic illnesses that could otherwise deplete your savings, but their monthly premiums are considerably cheaper than comparable low-deductible plans.
    * Combining a high-deductible plan with a Health Savings Account (HAS) can yield additional savings. These accounts let you save pretax dollars in an interest-earning account and later withdraw the money, tax-free, to pay for medical expenses. HSA contributions are tax-deductible, even if you don't itemize deductions. To learn more, visit www.treas.gov/offices/public-affairs/hsa, or www.hsafinder.com.
    * Many states provide high-risk insurance for people who don't qualify for private insurance. It's costly, but no one can be turned away. Visit www.naschip.org for information.
    * Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) insurance may provide coverage if your COBRA has expired and you don't qualify for private insurance. Eligibility rules are very complicated so consult a knowledgeable insurance broker.
Tax implications. The good news is: Self-employed people can deduct many business-related expenses from their taxes. The bad news is: You must pay the full 15.3 percent tax for Social Security and Medicare. Although you can deduct a portion of this so-called self-employment tax, depending on your net earnings, you still effectively pay more than someone whose employer pays half the amount (called "FICA" on a W-2 form).
Also, because you don't have an employer withholding taxes from each paycheck, you are responsible for making quarterly estimated tax payments; otherwise, you'll face underpayment penalties. Search "Self-employed" at the IRS website (www.irs.gov) for more information on your tax responsibilities.
Saving for retirement. Because you won't be earning employer-provided pension or 401(k) benefits, you must manage your own retirement savings strategy. Fortunately, there are many options available, including regular and Roth IRAs (to which you may contribute up to $5,000 a year, or $6,000 if over 50), and Simplified Employee Pension (SEP) IRAs, which let you save even more - up to 25 percent of pay in many cases.
Consider hiring a tax professional or financial planner specializing in self-employment issues - they'll probably more than pay for their fees through sound advice. A good place to start your search for a financial planner is www.plannersearch.org.
Many self-employed people would never go back to the old 9 to 5; just be sure you understand the financial responsibilities involved before taking the plunge.
 

Dear Editor:

Wow! What a wonderful event the Avenue Evening Stroll was on Saturday, Nov. 15. It was a pleasure to meet William Donaldson, the founder of La Ville de Donaldson and the Honorable Pierre Landry, Donaldsonville's first African-American Mayor. The men portraying both were gracious and welcoming to your historic city as were the ladies dressed in costumes of the 1800s.
The street lighting was a great accent and put a smile on the face of downtown Donaldsonville. Perhaps these lights could remain after the holiday season-they added such a welcoming atmosphere to the evening.
Although I missed taking a ride on the beautiful horse and buggy, I did enjoy strolling from establishment to establishment for shopping and wine tasting. I also enjoyed the jazz band playing in the Jazz Pavilion as well as the narrative on the origin of Jazz.
The Louisiana Main Street project-Avenue Evening Stroll-was a great success and provides evidence that Donaldsonville's future lies in its past. There is no greater draw for tourism than an opportunity to step into the past when times were most representative of the trade, culture and hospitality found in your history.
Congratulations to your Main Street manager and all those who helped with the organization of this event.

Sincerely,

Yvonne Bahry Caballero
Baton Rouge
 

The recent meeting of the East Ascension Drainage Board has proven once again that most on the Board, minus Commissioners Kent Schexnaydre, George Valentine, and Todd Lambert, are poised to place administration of drainage back in the hands of the parish president. It was president Martinez in his first term as parish president who terminated the engineer, Prescott Follett. Follett was working on projects funded by the one half cent sales tax passed in 1984. Once under the parish president, projects were reprioritized, dedicated dollars were spent on non-drainage activities, and employees no longer worked 100 percent on drainage related projects. The parish has collected $120 -130 million dollars from this tax for projects which were to cost forty million and be finished in ten to twelve years. Twenty-four years later the projects originally voted on are not completed. What a mess! This is government at its worst.
Two years ago the Drainage Board separated its administration from the parish president and hired their own manager, Mr. Bill Roux. Under Roux's supervision, projects are back on track, funds are not being transferred to other departments, and employees are working 100 percent on drainage related activities. Why try to fix what is not broken! There is no good reason or excuse.
Why does president Martinez want to be boss over drainage? Doesn't he have enough on his plate solving problems with roads, wastewater, fire protection, recreation etc.? As administrator he will control how funds are used, which projects receive priority, and who is hired; more political appointments.
In the past all parish presidents including Martinez have siphoned off money from drainage to use for other needs. Can we expect it will be any different, if given back to the parish president who first started mismanagement of these dedicated tax dollars?
We the people voted for the tax to go strictly on drainage. Any commissioners who support handing the reins back to president Martinez demonstrate by their vote that they wish to return to the past and continue misusing funds and labor. We the people voted to close the white elephant (Lamar-Dixon) down and we can vote to remove those from office who refuse to be responsible with our drainage tax dollars.

Gerald Laiche
St. Amant
 

It's often easier to think of all the bad things in the world- murders, illness, and other misfortunes than the good things. We all must realize that there are good things in this world as well as good people. Even in difficult times, we can still give thanks for all the things we have.
We might not have all the material things we wish for in this world, but we have our families and friends to lean on when we need them most.  Throughout all of the turmoil and pain that surrounds us in this world, we can still find many things to be thankful for, especially this holiday season. We often take many things in life for granted, but by analyzing the word differently might make you realize how much we have to be thankful for.
Many of us suffered damages as a result of Hurricane Gustav, but we are all still here to tell the story how we made it through weeks without power. The financial crisis that our world is suffering from seems waist deep, but we still have clothes on are back, and are still able to enjoy what the new day brings.
Many of us complain about making sacrifices, but making sacrifices to help a friend in need will go further than fulfilling your own selfish ways.
Now think back to the first Thanksgiving. The Pilgrims endured death, disease and numerous hardships in their quest for freedom. The Pilgrims, being unfamiliar with the New World, knew little of how to grow the crops for food that they so desperately needed. The Native Americans showed them how to grow and harvest the necessary crops. The Pilgrims, given what they had been through, could have taken that knowledge and run with it, without giving a second thought to the graciousness of the Native Americans. Instead, the Pilgrims invited them to share in their bounty as a way of expressing their thanks.
So as we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving, let us reflect on our reasons to be thankful and resolve ourselves to give thanks, and we can do this by word of mouth and in action, not only for Thanksgiving but also throughout the year. Greeting someone with a smile can go a long way, or just saying a nice word daily will help you become a better individual.

Allison B. Hudson
 

The Donaldsonville Downtown Development District would like to thank everyone who attended our inaugural Avenue Evening Stroll, held this past Saturday November 15th on Railroad Avenue.  Those of you in attendance that night witnessed the potential this wonderful city has as a viable tourism destination-period clothing, historic reenactments, horse-drawn carriages, live outdoor music, evening shopping.  Rest assured that this event will continue to be held every November, and will continue to grow annually as we have done with the 3rd of July Fireworks on the River, as well as the Christmas Parade.
This event would not have been possible without the hard work and determination of several people, whom we would like to personally thank at this time.  Mayor Leroy Sullivan, District 5 City Councilman Emile Spano, and Dave Dubreuil worked tirelessly through the past weeks getting the Christmas lights across Railroad Avenue strung, as well as hanging banners and cleaning Railroad Avenue.  Kirk Landry and Richard Zeringue, in addition to volunteering throughout the evening, coordinated our living history actors and recruited local citizens to dress in period clothing.  Kathe Hambrick and the River Road African American Museum, as well as Daryl Hambrick of Hambonz Piano Room, coordinated the brass band and tribute to Joe King Oliver at the Heritage Jazz Plaza.  Lastly, Steve and Cynthia Schneider of the Grapevine Café and Gallery donated numerous bottles of wine for the wine tasting, as well as coordinating the musical acts and lighting along Railroad Avenue.
Last but not least, the biggest thank you goes out to the citizens of Donaldsonville who came out to support and enjoy the event, and to the business owners who remained open late into the evening for the event.  Without your continued support for this and our other projects, we could not continue to work towards the future goals of the City of Donaldsonville.  If you have any requests or suggestions on how to make this event even better next year, please do not hesitate to contact me.  Thank you all again!


John Rodgers
Executive Director, Donaldsonville Downtown Development District
Manager, Main Street Donaldsonville program
 

Drinking tea to lose weight may not be a farfetched idea if a group of Louisiana researchers can pinpoint and quantify the functional components of Chinese sweet tea and blackberry leaves.
The compounds of interest are gallic acid and ellagic acid - two polyphenols or antioxidants - in those plants, said Dr. Zhijun Liu with the LSU AgCenter's School of Renewable Natural Resources. In the body, they apparently function to inhibit angiogenesis - the process by which new blood vessels are formed.
"All adult angiogenic processes are a cause of disease with the exception of a few physiological processes like wound healing, menses and placental-fetal formation," Liu said. "Tumors cannot grow beyond the size of a pin head without first inducing new blood vessel formation.
"Inhibiting angiogenesis can prevent cancer - and perhaps even fat tissue - from developing beyond the simple limits of existing blood vessels," he said.
Researchers have been looking at these types of compounds as cancer treatments because tumors can't grow if they can't produce blood vessels to feed them. Now, researchers believe the same process for restricting cancers can be exploited to prevent fat cells from growing.
"We're looking at foods that can influence weight loss," Liu said.
Liu has been working with a number of plants that produce functional foods - foods with benefits beyond mere nutrition. The latest, Chinese sweet tea and blackberry leaves, appear to contain properties that can help people control their weight.
The researchers have been looking at how these components behave in rats.
Liu has extracted and powdered the compounds from the plant leaves and reformulated them for consistency in dosage. Dr. Roy Martin in the LSU AgCenter's School of Human Ecology then fed the compounds to laboratory rats.
"So far, we've found absorption from oral administration both in the urine and blood serum," Liu said. "And the test rats showed less weight gain than control rats, even though food intake was about the same."
Liu has been working with Dr. Eugene Woltering in the Stanley S. Scott Cancer Center in the LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans and Dr. Frank Greenway, medical director at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge.
"We hope to compare human response with rats' response to get an absorption profile," Liu said. "If we do, we can propose a pilot human study."
Liu said a major challenge in identifying specific benefits from functional foods is the ability to determine accurately how much of a particular food or food component is necessary to get the desired result.
"Could you ask someone to drink a liter of sweet leaf tea every day?" he asked.  "Perhaps. But how much is too much? And how do you know how much of a compound is in each liter?"
To answer that type of question, Liu has been developing a method of "fingerprinting" botanical foods to assess batch-to-batch variations so he can provide consistent samples for research or product development.
The fingerprints are in fact liquid chromatographic measurements of the various compounds in a particular sample of plant tissue.
"We develop protocols for reproducing quality botanical products," Liu said of the work in his laboratory. "If each batch is not the same chemical composition, we can't complete research.
"We need consistency to be sure investigators are testing the same thing over and over again," he said. "We need to eliminate doubt due to test sample variations."
Liu said he and his laboratory personnel exert great effort to develop standardization protocols and produce enough products for clinical trials.
"If you can't demonstrate consistency, how can you claim a benefit?" he asked.
 

Richard Bogren
LSU AgCenter
 

The following observations related to the Ascension Parish amended 2008 and 2009 proposed budget should wake up every taxpaying citizen.
The 2008 Ascension Parish budget was $107 million. In the first year of their four year term the current administration and Council increased expenditures by $12 million.  The 2008 budget will be amended for a grand total of $119 M.  The proposed 2009 budget is $92.4 million.  Lest you think that the 2009 budget is slimmer, consider that capital Projects in 2009 decreased $18 M over ‘08. If this decrease is subtracted from $107 million budget adopted in 2008 it would put the 2009 budget at $89 million.  The proposed 2009 budget is $3 million more.  Revenues in ‘09 are projected to be up almost $8 M over ‘08.  I question the claim that this is a slimmer budget.  What do you think?   Outstanding parish debt is now almost $88 million. 
In 2007 Actual Salaries & Benefits were almost $15 M, in 2008 $17.8 M, in 2009 $21 M is budgeted.
There are 30 additional personnel listings for 2009.  This means they are budgeted, but not necessarily filled. Why budget them and not fill them?  It’s not too hard see this is one place the budget can be trimmed.
With the defeat of the Lamar tax proposition most of the $422.5 K budgeted for seven months of operating Lamar could be channeled to current needs in recreation by terminating the lease immediately with a 90 day prior written notice.  Watch to see if the parish president and Council continue putting money into a facility 59% of the people said they don’t want.  Remember and say no to future taxes.
$750,000 for upgrading existing parks has been budgeted.  This is being transferred out of the Ascension Parish Insurance Fund.  Will this money be returned? Should we presume upon the future?  Insurance costs were down last year. Is the 15% increase in insurance premiums for ’09 really padding the budget?
If those in the Pelican Point area and industry were told the truth that the parish will be sitting on a million dollar nest egg at the end of 2009 in Lighting District #6 after paying utilities, that there is no plan to use this money and no movement to roll back this tax, would they support future taxes? 
$218.5 K is budgeted with “no listing submitted” in Capital Projects.  After reviewing the budget I asked about the $100,000 listed under general administration. I was told this was intended to enclose the Sorrento Civic Center for storage space if the tax for Lamar failed.  The jail has $91,500 earmarked the same.  Departments that do not give an itemized list prior to Nov. 20th should not be given taxpayers dollars to play with.  If the specific item is known, it should be listed.  Doing otherwise is dishonest.
Next year President Martinez and some on the Council are planning to come to the voting public asking for more money; $100,000 is in the budget for a tax proposition.  They might want to reconsider in light of the current economic climate and the recent defeat of the Lamar tax proposition.   The more we are taxed the tighter we hold our wallets.
A public hearing is scheduled prior to a vote on the budget at 7 p.m. at the Nov. 20th Council meeting in Gonzales.
It’s time for elected officials to realize they cannot tax us into prosperity.  It’s time for taxpaying citizens to wake up, be informed, get involved and say NO to more taxes. 

Kathryn Goppelt
Gonzales
 

For too long, Louisiana has taken a back seat to other southern states when it comes to attracting new, high-paying jobs.  In fact, I have often said that our greatest export isn't our agriculture products, petrochemicals, wood products, or even our oil and gas; our greatest export far too often has been our people - the sons and daughters of Louisiana who have felt like they had to leave our state to find greater economic opportunities in places like Houston, Dallas, or Atlanta.
Now is the time for that to change. The time has come for Louisiana to take its rightful place as a leader in business investment and economic opportunity.
 Since taking office in January, we have taken aggressive steps to improve Louisiana's economic competitiveness and to attract new jobs with good salaries and benefits.
We adopted some of the strongest ethics laws in the country, an effort targeted at eliminating one of the top two obstacles to new business investment in Louisiana identified by business executives nationwide.  Next, we eliminated burdensome business taxes that hurt both businesses and families across the state.  We also reformed our state's workforce development system to improve the effectiveness of our community and technical colleges, provide turnkey workforce solutions to expanding and relocating businesses, and ensuring that our workforce programs are driven by real business needs.
These efforts are already starting to pay off.
First, we have seen terrific results from our new focus on business retention and expansion as we continue to make our existing employers our top priority. With a state grant for infrastructure, Coca-Cola committed to relocate its existing operations from another state, increasing the size of its new plant in Baton Rouge by $93 million and creating nearly 115 new jobs. Cameron Valve, a leading manufacturer of high-end valves for the oil-and-gas industry with facilities around the world, committed to expanding its Ville Platte facility by 110 jobs and $49 million in capital investment.
At Chennault International Airport in Lake Charles, state infrastructure grants are helping two companies to expand - Aeroframe is retaining 300 jobs and adding 50 new jobs, while Northrop Grumman will retain over 200 jobs and add 80 new jobs. The Shaw Group (Shaw), a Baton Rouge-based Fortune 500 firm, committed to keep its headquarters in Louisiana for at least 15 years and to create 1,500 new, professional / non-craft jobs.
While our top priority is supporting our existing businesses, we also are aggressively attracting new companies and new industries to our state, so that we can continue to grow and diversify our economy.
Louisiana is now among the top three states in the country for film productions.  We are seeking to match that success in the digital media sector, starting with Electronic Arts (EA) - the world's leading interactive entertainment software company - which recently announced it will launch its global quality assurance center in partnership with Louisiana State University.
EA is committed to becoming an active advisor to our statewide workforce development and industry cultivation efforts for the digital media sector.  This partnership will benefit not only Baton Rouge but also Shreveport / Bossier, Lafayette, New Orleans, and other Louisiana communities that are pursuing this exciting growth industry.
We are also becoming a national leader in the coming global nuclear energy resurgence.  Westinghouse and the Shaw Group announced the Port of Lake Charles will be the site for the first manufacturing facility in the U.S. focused on building modular components for new and modified nuclear reactors.  This $100-million facility will create over 1,400 jobs averaging $50,000 per year plus benefits.
Zagis USA announced that it will invest $75 million to construct two cotton spinning facilities in Louisiana that together will create 160 new jobs.  This is just one more example of a new value-added manufacturer choosing to locate in Louisiana.
 As communities all across Louisiana continue to work to recover and build back from Hurricanes Gustav and Ike, we cannot stop here. We are working to ensure that Louisiana becomes one of the best places in the world in which to pursue a rewarding career and raise a family. In the not-too-distant future the day will come when states like Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Texas, and others will complain about losing their sons and daughters to the vibrant, rapidly growing economy in the great state of Louisiana.