All your favorites are back!

Lost in the excitement of a new football season, we neglected to note some of the more exciting candidates who qualified to run last week. Most notably, John Labruzzo, once famous for proposing that the state sterilize poor people, has decided he should go back to Baton Rouge and.. at least see about getting them drug tested.

"People kept asking me, 'Can you repeal Common core on the council? Can you do drug testing of welfare recipients on the council?'" LaBruzzo said. "They kept (telling) me, 'You need to go back to Baton Rouge.'"

Other legislative priorities, he said, would be to impose a two-child cap for welfare recipients, increase penalties for violent criminal offenders and convey state landmark status on all New Orleans monuments.

Glad to see, also, that the Jefferson Parish resident cares so much about New Orleans Confederate history.  (Labruzzo once represented roughly the same legislative district that elected David Duke.)

Meanwhile, our friend Derrick Shepherd, is rested and ready, although not technically eligible to run after having spent time in jail for money laundering. 

Derrick Shepherd, who resigned his state senate seat in 2008 before pleading guilty to money laundering charges, is attempting a comeback with a run for his former state House seat.

Shepherd’s run for the House District 87 seat is barred by a state law that prevents convicted felons from running state office. But the former lawmaker, who served two years in federal prison, said in a press release he plans to challenge that prohibition as unconstitutional.

“My campaign will offer hope to many citizens who have made a mistake that they too can receive a second chance in life,” Shepherd said.

EWE: "Dammit, why didn't I think of that!"  

I hope they pass it

Just because it will be fun if they can make Jindal veto this.

BATON ROUGE -- Louisiana's billion-dollar-plus revenue shortfall notwithstanding, some lawmakers in both chambers suddenly have a fever for repealing the state's personal and corporate income taxes.

Don't get me wrong. It's probably not the world's greatest idea. Although the below-mentioned Foster Campbell ran for Governor in 2007 proposing to drop the income tax and replace it with new severance taxes on oil and gas companies which actually would be pretty nice, one gets the impression that this Legislature is a little too industry friendly to let something like that happen.

More likely the budget gap would be made up through a combination of horrifying cuts to education and health services as well as hikes in various "fees" here and there. Especially now that the silver bullet scheme of selling aborted stem cells on eBay is safely out of bounds.

Quote of the century

John Labruzzo: “I have no objection in principle to what she is trying to do except she’s picking on one segment of the community.”

Click here for context.

Punishing the poor

See this sort of thing is actually the opposite of fiscally disciplined. You're just spending extra money to shame and punish poor people. Somehow there's always money in the budget for that, though. Even in Louisiana.

High comedy

John Labruzzo is a guest this morning on WBOK.

WDSU attempts to make a subtle funny

Apparently the news director thought it might be cute to get some public reaction to John LaBruzzo's continuing push to forcibly sterilize people by interviewing people at the dog park.

"Do you think that LaBruzzo might be an Italian satirist, Joe?"

James Gill chats up the help

Birth Control Policy in State House District 81

NY Times 1991:

Some state legislators have seen Norplant as a tool for reducing the number of children born into poverty, and by extension, curbing welfare costs. A Kansas legislator proposed that welfare recipients who accepted Norplant be paid an extra $500, plus $50 a year. The bill was quickly voted down.

In Louisiana, State Representative David Duke, the unsuccessful candidate for governor, proposed legislation offering $100 a year to welfare recipients who used Norplant. That, too, was defeated.

Duke's district, State House District 81, is currently represented by John Labruzzo.

Update: In the comments here, Clay points out that the Hatin' 81st was also represented by Vitty Cent back in his "serious sin" filled "past" Quite the fertile ground for solid family values legislators, that Hatin' 81st is.

Upperdate: Labruzzo has said he plans to "research" this issue. The T-P's Mark Waller and Jan Moller give him a head start here.

State Rep. John LaBruzzo says the government should consider cash incentives for poor people to undergo reproductive sterilization, because society is careening toward a day when persons on public assistance outnumber taxpayers and the economy collapses. A look at Louisiana welfare numbers suggests his fear is unfounded.

Figures from the state Department of Social Services show recipients of the main form of welfare, the Family Independence Temporary Assistance Program, have plunged from a monthly average of 280,177 people in fiscal 1990-91 to 13,504 people in 2006-07. The monthly grant to a qualifying mother with two children is now $240.

Total annual spending over the 16-year period dropped from $187.2 million to $16.5 million, less than legislators earmarked for pet projects.

The main reason for the decline, said Social Services spokeswoman Cheryl Michelet, is the 1996 federal welfare reform legislation signed by President Clinton. It put a five-year lifetime cap on benefits.

Labruzzo's Evacuation Final Solution

Metairie lawmaker considers bill to fund sterilizations
by Richard A. Webster Staff Writer

NEW ORLEANS - State Rep. John LaBruzzo, R-Metairie, fears Louisiana may be headed toward an economic crisis if the percentage of people dependent on the government is not decreased.

His solution: pay impoverished women $1,000 to have their tubes tied so they will stop having babies they can’t afford.

The idea came to LaBruzzo after hurricanes Katrina and Gustav when the state was forced to evacuate, shelter and care for tens of thousands of people.

"I realized that all these people were in Louisiana's care and what a massive financial responsibility that is to the state," LaBruzzo said. "I said, 'I wonder if it might be a good idea to pay some of these people to get sterilized.'

At a recent Ringside Politics With a Punch event, Rep Labruzzo loudly and repeatedly stated that Louisianians need to DRILL and DRILL NOW. Wonder what caused him to alter his position on this.

Note just for kicks: Labruzzo's State House District 81 seat is the same one once held by David Duke.

Update: In the above-linked article, Rep. Labruzzo states that he is "researching the issue" in order to decide what kind of a bill he may introduce in order to get this program rolling.

Here, Varg emails Rep. Labruzzo with a list of possible research questions.

Upperdate: And now the Modest Proposals come rolling in.