LABI Newsroom.

• Thank You, Mr. Steimel

  April 11, 2016

  By: Stephen Waguespack “Louisiana Legends” host Gus Weill interviews Ed Steimel July 25, 1997. This week, Edward J. “Ed” Steimel passed away at the age of 94. While his name may seem unfamiliar to some; he was well known to many… (Continue)

• Questions and Answers

  April 6, 2016

  By: Stephen Waguespack The myriad of political and policy changes afoot in the State Capitol have dominated many a headline over the last year or so. We have a Louisiana economy in recession, a state budget seemingly in constant deficit,… (Continue)

• Providing Choice is the Best Choice

  March 28, 2016

  By: Stephen Waguespack Life is about the choices we make. Whether big or small, made in the blink of an eye, or after much consideration; the choices we make throughout our lives tell the story of our very existence. Some of these… (Continue)

• The Eye of the Tiger

  March 21, 2016

  By: Stephen Waguespack This weekend started off as a rainy one.  The gloomy weather, along with my need for some down time to recover from an illness, left our family largely homebound for a few days. I came across “Rocky IV”… (Continue)

• The Burgeoning Bureaucratic Business of Blaming Business

  March 14, 2016

  By: Stephen Waguespack The fiscal special session to raise revenues mercifully ended last week. Many individual and business taxpayers were left dangling in the wind as their financial futures were debated ad nauseam. It was chaotic and controversial, filled with… (Continue)

• The Details Matter

  February 22, 2016

  By: Stephen Waguespack The devil is always in the details. The state government deficit is big and the Legislature is in a special session called by the governor to review his plan for solving the problem. His plan is largely dependent… (Continue)

• The Speech Not Given

  February 15, 2016

  By: Stephen Waguespack Last week was a noteworthy week. For likely the first time in our state’s history, the Governor delivered a state of the state address to the people of Louisiana to discuss the government’s budget shortfall.  Immediately thereafter, the… (Continue)

• The Mardi Gras Lesson

  February 9, 2016

  By: Stephen Waguespack In Louisiana, we sure do know how to stretch out a good time. While the rest of the country typically gets back to work shortly after the New Year, we Louisianans have a knack for drawing that holiday… (Continue)

• The Eyes of the Entrepreneur

  February 2, 2016

  By: Stephen Waguespack The Public Affairs Research Council (PAR), a well-respected good government group, declared in a 1988 report that, “Louisiana’s pattern of increased spending in boom times has resulted in an overall level of operating expenditures the state cannot… (Continue)

• There is No Silver Bullet

  January 25, 2016

  By: Stephen Waguespack Throughout life, we often find ourselves on a quest for that one silver bullet to solve our problems.  The problem with that simple approach is that most of life’s challenges are complex and multi-faceted, demanding a similarly complex… (Continue)

• The Table

  January 18, 2016

  By: Stephen Waguespack There is a subtle, yet significant, distinction between being “at” the table or being “on” it. If you don’t believe it, ask the Thanksgiving turkey how much he enjoys his seat at the table every year. Last week,… (Continue)

• Guest Column: Five Principles for Tax Reform

  January 11, 2016

  By: Jim Patterson With the inauguration of Gov. John Bel Edwards concluded and the Legislature sworn in, the work of addressing the challenges that lay ahead for Louisiana begins in earnest. The greatest of these challenges is the state budget…. (Continue)

• Guest Column: New Year… New Plan

  January 5, 2016

  By: Courtney Baker The New Year’s holiday is not only marked by fireworks and parades, but it is also a time to reflect upon the last year while looking ahead to the future’s possibilities. As a state, we must also… (Continue)

• When Should Really Means Shall

  December 14, 2015

  By: Stephen Waguespack Lawyers love to fight about the nuances and subtle distinctions in the English language in order to achieve a specific result. Politicians do as well.  In the last legislative session and throughout this fall’s gubernatorial campaign, politicians have… (Continue)

• The “Other” Budget Challenge

  December 7, 2015

  By: Stephen Waguespack Much has been written about Louisiana’s chronic state budget deficit. It seems the $25 billion state governmental budget is short once again; and the upcoming special legislative session is being hyped as the solution we have long… (Continue)

• A New Game Plan

  November 30, 2015

  By: Stephen Waguespack The decision is made. We selected our leader, and now it is time to focus on solving our problems. No, I’m not talking about Coach Miles and the work ahead for the Tigers’ top dog and his team… (Continue)

• Reflection Before Action

  November 23, 2015

  By: Stephen Waguespack Thankfully, the 2015 election season is finally over. After six months of attack ads and sound bites filled with personal accusations and character assassinations, we can move on as a state and get to work on the… (Continue)

• Guest Column: A Guide for This Weekend’s Election

  November 17, 2015

  By: Brian Landry One election cannot change an entire way of life for our state, but it can set us back to a time when free enterprise was just a dream. Louisiana residents will head to the polls… (Continue)

• The Pied Piper

  November 9, 2015

  By: Stephen Waguespack The Louisiana people are rightly frustrated and they are looking for hope. They want a new approach to old problems, inspiring leadership to rally around, honesty to admire and integrity to emulate. On November 21, voters head to… (Continue)

• Big Election for The Big Easy

  November 2, 2015

  By: Stephen Waguespack There is potentially no more important issue in Louisiana than improving our educational system, yet this is not getting the attention it deserves in the governor’s race. Decades of poor educational outcomes have contributed to our chronic challenges… (Continue)