Hot Button Editorial Blog

Thanks Dan

I first met Dan Lee shortly after he took the helm of Pinnacle Entertainment.  He reminded me of Donald Trump, brusque and outspoken.  But we immediately hit it off, because I like visionaries and it was apparent that Dan was the kind of visionary places like Lake Charles seldom see.

Where other casino operators looked at Louisiana's 15 gaming licenses and saw riverboats, Mr. Lee saw something completely different.  He envisioned a destination resort which would stand among the finest of its kind in the nation, a non-polluting business hiring thousands of people, complete with name entertainment and first-class meeting facilities.

L'Auberge du Lac was the creation of many talented people, but make no mistake, it was born of a dream in the head of Dan Lee.  Southwest Louisiana would never be the same, nor would Lee's dream end there.  With the rise of Sugarcane Bay, Pinnacle's investment in our community is approaching a billion dollars including the infrastructure and spinoff investments necessary to develop a non-gaming convention industry that is the envy of other cities.

Dan Lee is not the kind of guy who backs down from a fight, and in truth we're sorry he got crosswise with an elected official in St. Louis.  But in the wake of his sudden resignation, let's not lose sight of the incredible contribution this one visionary and his company have made down here.

We are pleased that Pinnacle was quick to assure that Sugarcane Bay will remain on the fast-track in the vision of its creator.  It will solidify Southwest Louisiana's position as one of America's primary gaming destinations, estimated at 2-billion dollars annually according to one analyst.

We also say thanks to Dan Lee for his amazing vision, his tenacity, and his commitment to Lake Charles.

Do you have a comment or reply to this Hot Button Editorial?  Please send it to hotbutton@kplctv.com.

Hot Button Feedback: Toward Civility

The following Hot Button Feedback is part of an ongoing series of commentaries from KPLC viewers.  It does not necessarily represent the views of the staff or management of KPLC and is presented as a public service.
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Hello, I'm Lisa Verette, President and CEO of the Community Foundation of Southwest Louisiana.

Not long ago, KPLC presented a Hot Button Editorial entitled "Civil Service."  In it, the TV station discussed a Congressman, a tennis star, and a rap artist.  What these three people had in common at the time was that they each spoke or behaved in a manner unbecoming of the basic standards of civility.  The editorial recalled a time when people could disagree and do it civilly, increasingly a lost art in our society.

Well, it's time that we started talking about civility.  More importantly, it's time we start doing something about it.

So, the Community Foundation is pleased to present an open community meeting which will feature America's top civility researcher.  Dr. P.M. Forni teaches the Civility Initiative at Johns Hopkins University.  For more than a quarter-century he has taught and written books on the subject of civility in our daily lives, and in our nation.

Please mark your calendar and join us, Wednesday November 11th, 6:00 p.m. at the Juliet Hardtner Community Lecture series.  It will take place at the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd located at 715 Kirkman Street in Lake Charles.

Also please send an e-mail to dvaughan@foundationswla.org or call 491-6688 to RSVP so we can reserve you a space at this important event.  For more information on the Community Foundation of Southwest Louisiana, click here.

Civil service begins in our homes, our schools, and in the workplace.  Now's the time to make it a priority in the lives of our families, our communities, and ourselves.

Thank you.

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Dear KPLC viewers,

Do you have a reply to this Hot Button Feedback or a new Hot Button topic you'd like KPLC to consider?  Please @mail it to hotbutton@kplctv.com.  We may post it here, use it in a future Hot Button, or ask you to record your own "Hot Button Feedback" to be seen on KPLC and kplctv.com.

Thanks,

Jim Serra, chairman, KPLC Editorial Board

The Right Thing To Do

The best reward for doing the right thing is the satisfaction that comes from knowing you've done the right thing.  Doing it for external affirmation diminishes the intention somewhat.

So when another Hurricane Season passes and another President makes his way down to New Orleans and not here, well, most of us have gotten to the point where we take it in stride, knowing this community handled our big storm and its aftermath in exemplary fashion.

Still, let's admit it.  It's kind of nice when others notice.

So we were pleased and honored when the Alexandria Town Talk newspaper published an editorial this month speaking directly to President Obama.  The paper took the President to task for going to New Orleans, suggesting that he should have visited Southwest Louisiana instead.

"The fourth-most intense hurricane ever to form in the Atlantic Basin, Rita is frighteningly familiar to everyone in Louisiana, but little-known elsewhere and virtually unheard of in Washington," wrote the Town Talk.

'The post-hurricane difference is simple and striking: After Katrina, New Orleans held out its hands, looking for others to do the work. After Rita, Lake Charles and other hard-hit communities did not wait for the government to show up with a check. Instead, they picked up their chain saws and mosquito repellent and got busy.  The recovery there and most everywhere outside of New Orleans is stunning by comparison. That is due to the nature of the people and their expectations, as individuals and as members of a community."

The paper suggested that President Obama pull material from one of his campaign speeches. Perhaps this one from early 2008:

"The government cannot rebuild the Gulf Coast for the people of the Gulf Coast," Barack Obama the candidate said then.  "The government can only rebuild the Gulf Coast with the people of this region."

"For guidance and a sip of can-do spirits, they need to go to the Lake Charles area," concluded the Town Talk.  "People there will show the president what the rest of Louisiana -- the real Louisiana -- is all about."

Our thanks to the Town Talk for the external affirmation, and for reminding our President of his own words.  It's best to do the right thing for the sake of doing the right thing.  But it really is nice when other people notice.

Fight Club

We've been watching the tug of war between the Port of Lake Charles and the Port of West Cameron over land housing the new Sempra LNG terminal.  The matter has been sent to the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals after being decided in Cameron's favor by a lower court in Cameron.  Big surprise there.

We think there are good people on both sides, and they've each explained their version of the smackdown to us.  Others have asked us who we think should win the big fight.

Well, our answer is the same as it was in a Hot Button we did two years ago.

At that time, we said we just don't understand why a place as small as Calcasieu and Cameron, two parishes joined at the hip, needs four port authorities.  We also said we don't understand why there are multiple boards and staffs overseeing the four airports in Calcasieu Parish.  And we said we just scratch our heads to think that there are over 20 service districts dealing with water, sewers, fires and the laws of gravity in Calcasieu alone.

These are just some of the duplicative levels of government in our region that we don't really understand, yet that you and I are paying through our noses to maintain.  These expensive and inefficient fiefdoms would never be tolerated by private businesses in a competitive arena, and are not the kinds of job creation programs we need around here.

One development authority coordinating all the area's ports and airports.  That makes sense.  A couple of engineers with computers and maps to manage drainage and water throughout the parish. That makes sense.

Want to know what the big Sempra squabble looks like to us?  It looks like these classic scenes from "Fight Club," where one guy turns out to just be fighting himself.

But unlike the movie, this battle won't end with the credits, even after the 3rd Circuit declares a winner.  The only sure losers will be the taxpayers who continue to pay the high cost of political turf wars on land, water, and in the air over Southwest Louisiana.

Fast Track, No Track

A couple of snapshots on each side of the Sabine offer a glimpse into the future of Louisiana and Texas.  Located where the two states meet means we have a stake in decisions made in Baton Rouge and in Austin.

The headlines could not be more different, and say a lot about the quality of leadership to be found in each capital city.

Lawmakers in Austin are investing a breathtaking 3-billion dollars over the next decade to advance an already impressive cancer research and treatment industry.  Their big hairy audacious goal?  Nothing less than to cure cancer in all its forms.  The evidence is clear.  Texas is the nation's new economic and innovation powerhouse, global roles once claimed by Chicago and California.

To create the necessary infrastructure for its energy and knowledge-based future, Texas is full-speed ahead on creating new transportation networks, including high-speed rail connecting all its major urban areas.

A spur from Houston to New Orleans has long been envisioned as part of that network, solidifying South Louisiana's role in Texas' uniquely bright future.  But those dreams have been given a virtual death sentence by Governor Bobby Jindal's rejection of 300-million dollars in federal stimulus funds which would have built the first section of high speed rail.

Governor Jindal contends the state could not afford the 18-million dollars in annual state funding the grant would entail.  We don't buy that, and neither do most seasoned observers. 

Leaders lead with vision, declare priorities and allocate resources.  This was strictly a political decision, penny wise and pound foolish, intended to pander to supporters of an eventual Presidential bid.

Sooner than we think high-speed rail will be the transportation lifeblood of the nation's most important economic corridors, linking destinations of vision and purpose. 

Not so on our side of the Sabine, where a constant eye on Washington in the governor's mansion has once again derailed a fast track to future opportunities back here in Louisiana.

No Tolerance to Violence

It's hard not to be disgusted by a couple of local headlines from the past week.

A dog hacked to death by a man with a samurai sword.

And then a child beaten to within an inch of his life by bullies while walking home from his new school.

I wish I could say these are isolated incidents, but they are not.  Acts of violence are all too common in Southwest Louisiana, and any of us who looks the other way is complicit to the problem.

Violence by men against women is so rampant that one radio announcer called Southwest Louisiana a place of one-story homes where women routinely fall down stairs.  Of course he was referring to a common cover story by beaten women who show up with their boyfriends or spouses at local emergency rooms.  Louisiana ranks number-one in the nation in the number of women murdered by men.

All this is simply unconscionable.  At the very least there is a rising awareness to the problem, and a real commitment by groups and individuals to stop the epidemic in its tracks.  "A Call to Men" is an upcoming conference which will shed light on the dynamics of domestic violence and discuss how our region can come together to take a no-tolerance response to it.  Scroll down for more information.  I've also posted links to help you identify the signs of domestic violence, of the physical and emotional abuse of childhood and adolescent bullying, and of abuse to animals as well.

Violence in all its forms is a never-ending cycle that destroys lives and communities.  As with any epidemic, the first steps toward stopping the cycle are to acknowledge it and then learn more about how to identify and stop it.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION ON "A CALL TO MEN" CONFERENCE CLICK HERE: http://docs.google.com/gview?a=v&pid=gmail&attid=0.1&thid=1243581afa6f52e4&mt=application%2Fpdf&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmail.google.com%2Fmail%2F%3Fui%3D2%26ik%3D0476182d36%26view%3Datt%26th%3D1243581afa6f52e4%26attid%3D0.1%26disp%3Dattd%26zw&sig=AHBy-hZO_IWByHI_BJ2ytyovoFMXfHE1SQ&pli=1  

FOR LINKS TO WOMEN'S SHELTERS IN OUR REGION, CLICK HERE: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=women%27s+shelter+southwest+louisiana&aq=f&oq=&aqi=  

FOR LINKS TO INFORMATION ON DOMESTIC AND SPOUSAL VIOLENCE, CLICK HERE:  http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=domestic+violence&aq=f&oq=&aqi=g10

FOR LINKS TO INFORMATION ON CHILDHOOD AND ADOLESCENT BULLYING, CLICK HERE: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=bullying+in+schools&aq=0&oq=bullying&aqi=g10 

FOR LINKS TO INFORMATION ON ANIMAL ABUSE, CLICK HERE: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=animal+abuse&btnG=Search&aq=f&oq=&aqi=g10

FOR LINKS TO THE "PORTRAIT OF LOUISIANA" REPORT, CLICK HERE:  http://www.measureofamerica.org/louisiana/

The Sights AND Sounds of McNeese Football

ANCHOR LEAD-IN:  "Another big win for the McNeese Cowboys Saturday night.  But did you notice anything missing?  We did, and decided to put it back in tonight's/today's Hot Button Editorial."

(FIELD VIDEO)

SERRA VOICE-OVER:  "8 touchdowns.  The sights and sounds of McNeese football.  Congratulations on another win, Cowboys!"

(NOTE: Airs Monday Sept. 21 @ conclusion of 10pm news, and Tuesday Sept. 22 at 625am, 1220pm, and 525pm.  Streaming video will be posted on kplctv.com.)

Ozone Warning

Get used to the word "ozone."  You're going to hear a lot more about it in Calcasieu and Cameron parishes.  Now this is the ground-level ozone I'm talking about.  It's unhealthy stuff, and the EPA is rightfully raising standards on how much of it communities may have in their air before punitive actions are imposed.

So what's happening here is that as the standards get tougher, the Lake Charles region teeters closer to not being in compliance.  If that should happen, private and public leaders warn we could be in for new rules and restrictions which would negatively impact our communities, our businesses, and each of us individually where it really hurts...in our pocketbooks.

A campaign called "Action on Ozone" reminds us that while local heavy industries do contribute to ground-level ozone, their emissions are strictly regulated and monitored.  The rest of the ozone comes from other sources, including some which might surprise you.  Not only cars and trucks, but even boats and lawnmowers.

We each must do our part as individuals.  Click here for more information on what you and your family can do to help.  Also stay tuned to KPLC for ozone warning information. 

We also suggest that governments and businesses further lead by example.  They can do this by preemptively seeking new ways to lower their own emissions.  Since so much of the ozone problem comes from gasoline spills and fumes, we urge retailers to begin converting pumps in Calcasieu and Cameron to the recapturable gas fume variety now before the EPA slaps even stricter standards on them later.

Cleaning up the air in Southwest Louisiana is a good idea.  It shouldn't take the EPA to force us to do what's in our own best interest, but sometimes a little prod from the outside is what it takes to remind each of us what we can do to create a healthier Southwest Louisiana.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON OZONE AND YOUR HEALTH: 

http://airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=airnow.main

Civil Service

If I had asked you a week ago what rapper Kanye West, South Carolina Congressman Joe Wilson, and tennis star Serena Williams had in common, your answer probably would have been "not much."

Well, what a difference a week makes.  Joe disrespected the office of the U.S. President with his outburst during Obama's address to Congress and the nation.  Kanye acted like a complete jackass on live TV, stealing a special moment from a young singer, and Serena cussed like Scarface at a judge during a televised tennis match.  What a bunch of class acts.

Maybe you're enough of a fossil like me to remember when people acted civilly when they disagreed with one another.  Let's review, for benefit of some of you age or wisdom-challenged viewers.  The dictionary defines civility as "politeness; an individual act or manner of behaving which conforms to social conventions of propriety."  So civility involves self-control or moderation and is the opposite of pride, insolence and arrogance.

The irony here is that whatever contributions these three have made have been forever compromised by snapshots which instead showcased their big mouths and small brains.  In an age of instant communication, little escapes public scrutiny, but let's hope this last week serves as a call for a return to civic virtue.  If public figures can't conduct themselves with politeness, respect and tolerance, and if their defenders make excuses for them, how can society apply basic standards of civility to all the rest of us?

That's our opinion.  Add yours to the comments thread below and let me know yours.  Civilly, of course.

Picture Perfect

We're coming up on three months after the shutoff of TV stations' old analog signals.  It took years to talk about the "Big Switch" and only a few seconds to actually flip it.

We've got one Nielsen rating period under our belt since KPLC went all-digital and I'm pleased to say we now have quantitative evidence to back up what we already knew.  Just about all of you made the switch and are getting crystal-clear digital video and sound.

But, a few remaining viewers, mostly in outlying areas, continue to have a hard time picking us up.  For them, there is some good news.

First, we immediately asked the Federal Communications Commission to allow us to double our transmitted power, and we've now received permission to do just that.  It will take a few weeks to get all the technical ducks in a row, and then we'll crank up our radiated power to 62-thousand watts.  That's a lot of 60-watt light bulbs.  It should help those of you further away from our Fenton tower get an even better signal.

And, remember all the excuses from the satellite companies who told their subscribers that they just couldn't deliver the local stations?  Well guess what?  The excuses went away.  DISH Network is making plans to uplink all the Lake Charles stations.  So if you are a DISH subscriber, you should have KPLC and the other local stations as part of your satellite lineup as early as the end of this year.  Thanks DISH.  And DirecTV, I hope you're paying attention because your Southwest Louisiana customers deserve the same local service.

Now don't forget, you can get KPLC right now from your cable company.  Whether you watch us by antenna or cable or online at kplctv.com, I want to thank you for your loyalty.  We look forward to being At Your Service for many years to come.

Do you have a comment or reply to this Hot Button Editorial?  Please send it to hotbutton@kplctv.com.