La. Sen. Sixty Rayburn Leaves a Mark.

Thursday, March 13^th, 2008

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

YOU BETTER CHECK WITH SIXTY

As in most states, political figures come and go. Some are talked about for a few years, and others are even memorialized with plaques and statues surrounding some public building. Few leave any lasting impression. But there are exceptions. One such is former Louisiana State Senator BB “Sixty” Rayburn.

They buried Sixty this past weekend. He was memorialized at a small Baptist church in Rio, a token community outside of Bogalusa. And for almost 3 hours, a litany of political heavyweights, past and present, eulogized one of a very few "transitional politicians” during the 20th century of Louisiana's political history.

Sixty was a product of the Long era, tutored by former Governor Earl Long, but nurtured in the populist philosophy that came from the Kingfish, Huey Long himself. Sixty Rayburn did not have much formal education, and started off as a pipe fitter by trade. But by the toil of long service in the Louisiana Legislature, he build up the institutional knowledge that allowed him to emerge as a power to be dealt with, no matter who the governor might be.

For almost 50 years, if you wanted to pass major legislation at the state Capitol in Baton Rouge, it was a given that you had to check with Sixty. Governors, other legislators, lobbyists, and a cross-section of interest groups regularly stood outside the office of the Chairman of the Senates Finance Committee to pay homage, seek advice and make a request. Nobody went around Sixty.

I personally received an early baptism in the Rayburn ways, and quickly learned to seek his advice as I wove my way through the complications any new legislator faces. I was elected to the Louisiana State Senate in 1971, and was one of the youngest legislators making my way to Baton Rouge. On my first trip to the state capital following the election, I stopped off at Mike and Tony’s for lunch, which at the time was one of the capital's local political hangouts.

An aide to former Governor John McKeithen recognized me, and waived me over to his table for a visit. "Why on earth would you want to get elected and come down here to get involved in politics?" he asked. I jokingly replied: "I'm going to make an effort to clean up all this mess down here." Another fellow who was sitting at the table stood up, looked me straight in the eye, and said: "Well son, I'm Senator Sixty Rayburn, and I'm the fella that created all this mess you say you're going to clean up."

A rocky start for a new kid on the block like me. For months thereafter, whenever I walked into the Senate chambers, Sixty would holler out for everyone to stand aside; for here comes the new guy who's going to clean up all the mess. I thought he would never get off my back.

He finally took me under wing, and served as a mentor while I was trying to make my mark as a new senator. However, it was not long after before I made another faux pas.

Sixty was appointed to head up a joint House -- Senate Transportation Committee, to review and set highway construction priorities throughout the state. He put together a “road show" the traveled from city to city receiving input from local officials about their transportation needs. On one particular tour, we held a hearing in Monroe, and then traveled down to Central Louisiana for a similar gathering in Alexandria the following day.

I had made arrangements to stay at the Ramada Inn, and knew the hotel manager who was originally from my hometown of Ferriday. He wanted to throw me a few accolades, and took the liberty, without asking me, of putting my name up on the sign on the highway outside the motel. In big letters it read: Welcome Senator Jim Brown." I was flattered when I saw the side, but didn't give it much of a thought. Boy, what a mistake.

Shortly after I checked in, the distinguished Chairman himself drove up to the Ramada Inn. He saw the sign, and you can imagine his grumbles. Then he came into the front desk, asked for a large convention in town, and he was probably going to have to drive a good ways to find any room at all. Whatever good graces I build up since my first encounter with the Senator quickly washed away. I heard about the sign on the Ramada Inn for years thereafter.

Sixty Rayburn was so often the "go to guy" for those of us who were trying to both make our mark as well as contribute towards any significant difference in Louisiana's future. Whatever the issue, if you wanted to get results, you better had checked with Sixty. I can recall on so many occasions when Louisiana's "best and brightest" around the Legislature would gather to try to solve a problem or reach a consensus. Lawyers, accountants, researchers and lobbyists; no matter what their backgrounds, would at some point realize that if they were going to get their legislation passed, the better call on the Senator from Bogalusa. The guy with the least education often ended up being the most successful problem solver.

wish there had been a recording of the ceremony last weekend. Former governors, a US senator, former and present legislators and other public officials galore were in attendance at the Palestine Baptist Church. We were all there to pay our respects to a former public official who crammed a lot a living into his 92 years. And everyone there had a story that was unique and colorful about this larger-than-life character, who always talked about the little man. For almost 50 years, he served as the catalyst who build coalitions to keep the ship of state moving forward.

I don't know whether they will build in the memorials to remember Sixty Rayburn. I'm sure there will be some highway named after him. But in the state capital, when the debate gets bogged down on important legislation and stumbling blocks cannot be overcome, there will be both participants and observers who will wish there was someone they could turn to. Someone who knew how to simmer and mix the stew of legislation. Someone to get the debate off center.

You can just see and hear one of the old heads, thinking back and wishing they could say: “Hey, if we want to get this worked out, we better check with Sixty.”

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Oh Lord, when I die, please let me be buried in Louisiana,

so that I can stay active in politics.”

Former Governor Earl Long

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Peace and Justice.

Jim Brown

Jim Brown’s column appears weekly, and is published on a number of newspapers and websites throughout Louisiana. You can read past columns by going to Jim’s website at www.jimbrownla.com. Jim’s regular radio show on 995fm is on a break and should resume in the near future.

RESOURCES NOT BEING USED IN THE CLASSROOM.

Thursday, March 6^{th, 2008}

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

CANDY STRIPER, MY ASS!

RESOURCES NOT BEING USED IN THE CLASSROOM.

We read almost daily in Louisiana about the difficulties of attracting new teachers in to the public school system. More and more young people are shying away from the teaching profession. And many who take the initial plunge leave after only a year or two in the classroom. It's a major problem that needs to be addressed by the legislature and the new governor.

But maybe we are trying to attract new teachers from the wrong end of the spectrum. What is so special about recruiting 21-year-old teacher kids who have little life experience, and nothing more than degree and a teaching certificate? Where are the programs that focus on luring retired professionals with years of hands-on business experience into the teaching profession? Are these retirees too old?

“Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I’m 64? Beatle Paul McCartney wrote that song back in the late 1950s when 64 must have seemed ancient. But it's a whole different world out there in this day and age. Today, 64-year-olds are far from elderly and frail, but instead are viral and vigorous, with many seniors who still want to change the world. (Hey, I’m one of them.)

Unlike any previous generation, today’s 64-year-olds have life expectancies into their 80s, have much better health, are better educated, have more disposable income, are interested in public service, and, though retired, often want to continue to work. No knitting sweaters by the fireside, and more interest than just spending a few hours a week as a Candy striper a local hospital. (Fortune magazine characterized this changing attitude a couple of years ago in an article -- pungently titled "Candy Striper, My Ass!") Simply put, there are thousands of Louisianans who are not, as the Beatles song goes, "wasting away."

A number of states are actively recruiting older retirees to go into high schools and include their life experiences as they teach a variety of courses. A national think tank, Civic Ventures, just released a study on states leading the call to attract older citizens in the teaching profession. A number of states were recognized including Alabama Arkansas and Florida in the South. Louisiana was not mentioned in the report.

A major effort has been undertaken in more progressive states to attract military men and women who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. There is a federal program called Troops to Teachers that contract with those servicemen and women who have at least 10 years of military service to transition to careers in public school teaching and administration. Bonuses of up to $15, 000 are given to former military personal that contract to go into the classroom. (As a side note, the member of Congress who conceived and implemented this program legislatively was Senator John McCain.) We have thousands of potential teachers retiring from the military at a young age who could well bring a dynamic approach into our public schools. So far, there have been no inquiries by Louisiana officials.

In Louisiana, the teacher shortage continues unabated and high - need schools waste time and money training teachers who won't last the year. Why isn't the state turning towards retired military and senior citizens to fill this need?

One reason is the archaic requirement that every teacher in the classroom has to have a teaching certificate that takes over a year to obtain. There is little give on this rule, which forces military personnel and retirees to go back to school just to be taught the "rules of the road” in the classroom that are often burdensome and unnecessary. Let me give you a personal example.

I have always had a special interest in Louisiana history. As Secretary of State, I spent a great deal of time in the design of the State Archives building that is the depository for the documentation of much of Louisiana's history. I have taught courses in Louisiana history at both Tulane University and LSU. Yet I am not qualified to teach a basic Louisiana history course to an eighth-grade class in any Louisiana public school.

Simply put, there are unwieldy and burdensome requirements that keep thousands of potentially outstanding older teachers out of the Louisiana classroom. So we see the contradiction. There is a major teacher shortage in schools throughout Louisiana. Yet there is a cadre of older retirees and retired military personal who have both the skills and the time to invest in part-time or even full time teaching. But so far, there is no catalyst involving state educators and progressive legislators to strike the spark and merge the problem with a viable solution.

McCartney wrote “When I’m Sixty Four” in his teenage years. Today, he is 66, and still playing to sold-out stadiums. There is a wealth of older talent available to teach and nurture our young minds. It’s time for those who are elected to lead to embrace those who are willing to serve, and develop a plan in our state to tap this willing resource. It’s time to retire the concept of retirement.

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Retirement at sixty-five is ridiculous. When I was sixty-five, I still had pimples.

— George Burns

I'm retired — I'm not dead!
— Unknown wise person

Peace and Justice.

Jim Brown

Jim Brown’s weekly column appears in a number of newspapers throughout the State of Louisiana. You can read Jim’s Blog, and take his weekly poll, plus read his columns going back to the fall of 2002 by going to his own website at http://www.jimbrownla.com.

Jim’s radio show on 995 fm continues with a break during the month of February. Look for him to be back on the air in March.

La. Governor Jindal, Ethics and India

Thursday, February 28^th, 2008

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

PERCEPTION AND SUBSTANCE

ETHICS AND INDIA

The Louisiana legislature just completed its first special session under newly elect Governor Bobby Jindal. “We batted a thousand and set the gold standard when it comes to ethics,” ballyhooed Bobby Jindal. It was more like a double rather a home run, but there is little doubt that the Jindal team got off to a good start.

Despite all the good government group claims that the public was up in arms and deeply enmeshed in the minutiae of the various ethical reforms proposed, what took place was a more general effort to deal with perception. The average voter was not so agitated about amounts of disclosure or spending, but was more concerned with moving from self interest to public interest.

The new Governor can justifiably declare victory. But he needs to remember that any new rules of ethics involving public officials are only a part of the “procedure” of running government. The.rules of how you play the game. New ethics laws give the Jindal gang a foundation on which to build their legislative agenda. But in the final analysis, results will be measured by success in national rankings on job growth, educational reform, affordable health care, and a host of other “substantive” issues that need to be the focus of the coming months in the state capitol.

That’s not to undercut the new governor’s efforts of emphasizing ethics reform in his first time at bat. It’s a motherhood issue. Who among us is in favor of lobbyists showering fancy meals and footballs tickets on those who govern us? It was a smart way for the new the Governor to get off to a good start. Most of the new legislation passed with little or no opposition. So now it is time to get into the meat of governmental change that can produce substantial results.

Here’s the problem. Any major reforms take time to bear significant results. Education, health care, job development all need years once major restructuring is put into place. Any new governor has to be careful of surrounding himself with people who believe change occurs in a moment of magic instead of a slow process of improvement. So what can Jindal do in the short term that can benefit Louisiana?

Let me suggest he start with his unique strength…his Indian heritage. Anyone taking the time to monitor the world’s newspapers in recent months will have seen news articles galore discussing and analyzing how a deep southern state could elected a young Indian American as its new governor. Jindal’s victory has been the front-page story week after week in newspapers throughout India.

So, you ask, what’s so important about India? Simply put, it has become the fastest growing economy in the world. The investment firm of Goldman Sachs recently released a study indicating that the Indian economy could well surpass that of the United States by the year 2043.

Did you know that 28% of the population in India with the highest IQs it is greater than the total population of North America? Translation…… they have more honors kids than we have kids. India is now rivaling China as the number one English speaking country in the world. If you took every single job in the US today and shipped it to India…India would still have a labor surplus. And how about this? In the next 8 minutes, 60 babies will be born in the U.S. 351 babies will be born in India.

The bottom line is that Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal has become an overnight rock star with overwhelming recognition and respect throughout the fastest growing economy in the world. It shouldn’t take rocket science to figure out that Louisiana, under Jindal’s leadership, could grab a golden, once in a lifetime opportunity, to develop a strong business relationship that could prove to be bountifully beneficial to Louisiana’s future economic growth.

So Governor, bask in the glow of good press over your victory in bringing about the valid perception of significant ethics reform. But then begin a master plan to develop a special state relationship that only you can uniquely undertake. With an economic giant that could really be your homerun to point to when re election time rolls around.

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“Most successful politicians have not achieved their distinction by having some new talent or opportunity presented to them. They have developed the opportunity that was at hand.”

Bruce Marton quotes

Peace and Justice.

Jim Brown

Jim Brown’s weekly column appears in a number of newspapers throughout the State of Louisiana. You can read Jim’s Blog, and take his weekly poll, plus read his columns going back to the fall of 2002 by going to his own website at http://www.jimbrownla.com.

Jim’s radio show on 995 fm from New Orleans continues with a break during the month of February. Look for him to be back on the air in March.