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Railways pitch plan to run New Orleans Public Belt Railroad

As presented, the railway company would set service rates, though that raised eyebrows with some commissioners, who called it an inherent conflict of interest.

Also under the arrangement, employees of the Class I railroads would assume responsibility for all traffic across Public Belt lines, a task that for decades has been handled by Public Belt conductors and engineers.

While the firms would offer the Public Belt's 200 employees preference for open jobs, buyouts or layoffs consistent with existing labor agreements could be in the cards, Santamaria said.

Railroad companies on board with the plan include the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway, CSX Transportation, the Illinois Central Railroad, the Norfolk Southern Railway and the Union Pacific Railroad.

Railroad operators get to set their own rates. A whole bunch of people get laid off. Who could possibly have a problem there?

Tenet Health Care settles out of court in the Memorial case. This just on the heels of reports yesterday that the settlement talks had broken down where we read,

"I think it is going to be very embarrassing to Tenet the corporation. I see a number of embarrassing emails and communications that are going to be released," Legal Analyst Tim Meche told WWL First News.

He says the case will come down to a pair of key claims against the former owners of the hospital.

"One, they were warned that something like this could have occurred and they failed to take adequate steps to ensure the safety of their people," Meche said. "Two, once the event happened they were derelict in failing to act to get their people our of there."

Looks like Tenet has managed to save themselves some embarrassment.

Louisiana to opt out of health-insurance exchanges in federal law

(Louisiana Health Secretary Bruce) Greenstein's decision marks the second time that Louisiana has outsourced an aspect of the new law to federal officials. Last April, the state decided against participating in high-risk pools for people with pre-existing medical conditions that leave them unable to buy insurance in the private marketplace.

On the anniversary of the enactment of the health reform law, The Rude Pundit writes about one of its successes while also acknowledging its failures.

Now, you can say what you want about the Affordable Care Act on its one-year anniversary, which happens to be today, and virtually all of your criticism from the left would be correct. It is a massive giveaway to private insurance companies. It doesn't do enough to rein in costs. It doesn't guarantee 100% of Americans will be covered. And on and on, in so very many ways a massive disappointment (and not, as the nutzoid conservatives would have you believe, a government takeover of anything or a violation of the Constitution).

But here's the deal: Dallas Wiens got a face transplant because of it, not because good, conservative, church-going folk stepped up and had cookie sales, not because the myriad organizations that have "family" in their name gave a goddamn. No, Wiens received the first full face transplant in U.S. history because of the government. The operation itself was paid for by a grant from the Defense Department, which is looking for ways to help soldiers who get horrible scars from combat. And the $1300-$2000 a month in drugs that he will need to take for the rest of his life to prevent his body from rejecting the transplant will be paid for by his father's insurance. That's because Wiens is 25. And that inhuman law mockingly called "Obamacare" raised the age that a child can stay on a parent's insurance to 26. Wiens will turn 26 in May. In June, again, because of changes in the law, he will qualify for Medicare as a disabled person.

The redistricting session of the Louisiana Legislature is every bit as horrifying as one would have expected.

Chairman Kostelka, R-Monroe, several times snapping at his colleagues, many of them African-American Democrats, who are pushing an east-west oriented north Louisiana district that would be more racially balanced than what Kostelka proposes.

At one point, he sought to quiet Sen. Karen Carter Peterson, D-New Orleans, addressing her only as "little lady."

Finally, at today's City Council meeting, Jackie Clarkson told Chief Serpas to "keep up the good work"