For years, Louisiana was a state known as much for its political corruption as it was for gumbo and Mardi Gras.
The life and times of the state’s politicians have been the kind of stuff that would make a Hollywood producer drool. From Huey Long’s totalitarian-like grip on the state before his assassination to the historically comical gubernatorial race between Edwin Edwards and David Duke, Louisiana politics has been as entertaining as Bourbon Street on a Saturday night.
Then Hurricane Katrina ravaged the New Orleans area, and we all found out that our political reputation is not as funny as we originally thought. Some of our state and local politicians proved to be incompetent, and the federal government was reluctant to release funds to people from a state where politicians have been known to make public money disappear.
So we find it interesting that U.S. Rep. William Jefferson, D-New Orleans, finds himself in the middle of an intense race for his Congressional seat and maybe the current odds-on favorite to win.
Remember, this is the same Jefferson who is the subject of a federal corruption investigation stemming from his business dealings with a Kentucky firm who was seeking lucrative technology contracts in Africa. This is also the same Jefferson who was found to have in excess of $90,000 cash in his freezer. This is someone who should be spending his time and money trying to figure out how to stay out of jail, not someone running for re-election.
Astonishingly, Jefferson has received high-profile endorsements from labor groups, influential African-American ministers and New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin. Explaining himself, Nagin told TIME Magazine that he was simply returning the favor to Jefferson, who supported him during his mayoral campaign. We think Nagin should care more about the people and less about returning favors.
If you live in this district, we urge you to vote for anyone but Jefferson. If you don’t, use this case as an example and put some time into researching who will gain your vote.
If Louisiana is ever to be rid of the reputation and reality of political corruption, our generation must step up and have our voices heard.
—–Send letters to the editor to [email protected]