October 23, 2015                         PRESS RELEASE                  For Immediate Release

Tea Party of Louisiana Endorses Matt Parker

for Louisiana Insurance Commissioner

TPoL cites Out of Control Situation at Dept of Insurance & Unreasonably High Insurance Rates

BATON ROUGE -We at the Tea Party of Louisiana believe that our Department of Insurance has failed to do its job. Consider the following:

• As a percentage of personal income, Louisiana has the highest insurance rates in the U.S.  We average spending over 18% of our income on insurance; the highest “pain index” in the U.S., 32% more than Texas, 22% more than Mississippi. (source: PropertyCasualty360.com)
• Our average automobile premiums is 3rd highest in the nation, and have been in the top 3 highest for the last 10 yrs. (Source: PropertyCasualty360.com)
• High auto insurance rates have been blamed on “uninsured drivers”, but Louisiana’s “Uninsured Motorist” rate is ~ 12%; the national rate is also ~ 12% (III.org – Insurance Information Institute , Insurance Research Council)
• Our average homeowner pays ~ $1,800/yr to insure his home, 2^nd highest in the country. Our homeowner’s premiums are ~ 68% more than the national average, 33% more than Mississippi, 40% more than Alabama’s, 79% more than Georgia. (Source: © 2015 National Association of Insurance Commissioners, NAIC).
• Insurance rates in Louisiana have risen twice as fast as the rest of the country. (source: The Advocate)
• The present Insurance Commissioner approves 96% of all rate increase requests. (Department of Insurance Annual Reports)
• Robert Hunter, retired Texas Insurance Commissioner and Insurance Director, Consumer Federation of America, has characterized Louisiana’s Department of Insurance as “the worst in the nation”, for regulating the insurance companies.
• Louisiana received a “D” grade from R Street's “Insurance Regulation Report Card”
• According to the Department of Insurance, 3600 complaints were received in 2014, but none of them resulted in actions against insurance companies. (NAIC Report on Insurance Department Resources)

When 3600 complaints result in NO actions against any insurance companies, we are forced to conclude that the Louisiana Department of Insurance has become dysfunctional; it’s virtually impossible all of these complaints could have been meritless. We understand that this situation is so bad that the Attorney General’s office has stepped in and is suing a major insurer for “unfair trade practices”, something that the Department of Insurance should have prevented, if it were doing its job.

Because this situation is out of control and because of the terrible financial burden unreasonably high insurance rates place on everyone in Louisiana, the Tea Party of Louisiana calls for a change in the office of Insurance Commissioner, and is proud to endorse Matt Parker for Louisiana Insurance Commissioner in this coming Saturday’s October 24, 2015 election.

Bob Reid, spokesman

Board of Directors Member

TEA Party of Louisiana, LLC

www.TEAPARTYOFLOUISIANA.NET

TEA PARTY OF LOUISIANA OPPOSES ALL TAX INCREASES IN 2015 TO BALANCE BUDGET SHORTFALL

La Republicans Set to Raise Taxes More than Democrats Ever Dreamed??? 

For Immediate Release                                                                                                             May 7, 2015

BATON ROUGE - The Tea Party of Louisiana (TPoL) on behalf of all hardworking, taxpaying citizens of Louisiana and our 13,733 activist members across Louisiana calls on all Representatives to vote “NO” on all tax increases.

Led by a new Republican majority, the Louisiana House of Representatives appears to be set to pass a series of massive tax increases on Louisiana businesses and families! The votes are scheduled for Thursday.

In addition, TPoL asks the following three Republican leaders, and ask each of you to ask each of them: Representative Chuck Kleckley, Speaker of the House; Representative Lance Harris, Republican Delegation Leader; and Representative Joel Robideaux, Ways and Means Chairman to stop all of these bills. These are the three GOP leaders in the House who can stop all of these bills from passing if they want. We gather that Chairman Robideaux, who is running for Mayor of Lafayette, has been the informal leader of this movement to raise taxes.

It is unbelievable that a Republican Speaker of the House would be working hard to increase taxes. TPoL and the people of Louisiana have worked very hard over the last few years to give republicans majorities. To think that they would use these majorities to raise taxes is just unthinkable. This is just what we do not need from any Republican let alone the leadership. Do we have the same type of Republican Leadership problem in Louisiana as we have in our US Congress right NOW?

It’s starting to appear that the entire Louisiana House of Representatives seems to be devoid of conservative leadership. We cannot wait for fall elections to find new Representatives in the House if you are going to support increasing ANY taxes.

The people of Louisiana want conservative leadership in the state legislature. We are tired of tax-and-spend liberals and progressive RINOs who don't understand the limited role of government!

Did this legislature already forget the 2013 session when some misguided Republicans and their leadership signed on to and pushed for a 500 Million Dollar Obama style tax increase compromise, and we had your constituents flood your phones and emails, and you heard their anger? Well rest assured they still feel the same way and perhaps even more strongly today.  TPoL will be prepared to expose every legislator who votes for increased taxes in this session instead of just cutting spending and reducing the size of government to balance the budget just like we have to in our household budgets.

The Tea Party of Louisiana feels it is important that each State Representative, and the Legislature as a whole, hear a firm message that we are TAXED ENOUGH ALREADY!!! And expect you to vote “NO” on any tax increases!

Bob Reid, spokesman

Board of Directors Member

TEA Party of Louisiana, LLC

www.TEAPARTYOFLOUISIANA.NET 

PRESS RELEASE – TEA PARTY OF LOUISIANA CALLS FOR the Immediate Approval of the Paycheck Protection Act HB 418 

May 12, 2015                                     For Immediate Release

BATON ROUGE - The Tea Party of Louisiana (TPoL) calls for the immediate approval of HB 418 – the Paycheck Protection Act.

TPoL's call for immediately approving the Paycheck Protection Act (HB 418) is based on three indisputable facts that every Legislator needs to come to terms with:

1) In Louisiana, taxpayers are forced to pay for the accounting of government labor unions. We bear the cost of deducting their union dues from state employee paychecks. 

2) Legislators have an obligation to the tax payers not to let unions force us to help pay for their political agenda!

3) Even worse, the union dues we pay to collect are used for political causes—causes you may not support and the vast majority of Louisiana tax payers do not support.

TPoL and its 13,733 activist members and the citizenry we represent expect our legislators not to let these pro-government union special interests take precedence over the taxpayer. TPoL feels that our tax dollars have no business subsidizing government union politics -- on causes we may or may not like! We want this legislation passed this session and urge you to VOTE for the Paycheck Protection Act (HB 418).

Bob Reid, spokesman

Board of Directors Member

TEA Party of Louisiana, LLC

www.TEAPARTYOFLOUISIANA.net

TEA PARTY OF LOUISIANA OUTS SO CALLED “CONSERVATIVE” “TEA PARTIER”  DEBBIE DOOLEY’S SUPPORT OF SOLAR TAX CREDITS & PRESS CONFERENCE EVENT

Calls On Louisiana Legislators Not To Drink the Left-coast Cool-aide or Accept the Payoff !!!

For Immediate Release                                                   May 6, 2015

BATON ROUGE - The Tea Party of Louisiana (TPoL) has learned that a lobbyist, making the dubious and questionable claim of being both a "Tea Partier" and a "conservative", named Debbie Dooley is planning to hold a "Conservatives Support Solar" - (Ha! Ha! What a Joke) - event and press conference that's nothing more than an excuse to connect "Big Money Solar Fat Cats" with Louisiana legislators, where they plan to offer "buckets of campaign cash" in an attempt to "buy" support for continuing Louisiana's Solar Tax Credit give away. A program that takes tax money from schools, hospitals, and roads, and gives it to "crony capitalists" in the form of "corporate welfare." Is Louisiana's budget now, miraculously, in such good shape that we can continue such irresponsible waste?

TPoL wants to take this opportunity to remind our elected representatives of two important facts: First, anyone can falsely claim to be something, but "conservative is as conservative does"; judge the actions, not the rhetoric; and two, no legitimate, viable business needs a government subsidy in order to exist.

TPoL reminds our legislators that an election is coming soon and the voters are watching.  TPoL urges our legislators to decline this corrupt invitation and send a message to both the "Fat Cats" and the ordinary citizens.  Tell everyone, by not attending this unseemly "auction", that in Louisiana, the "keys" to the public treasury are not for sale to the highest bidder.

TPoL urges our legislators to do the right thing, end the giveaways, end corporate welfare, and restore sanity to our state budget. Stop robbing average people and breaking the state budget so a few well connected fat cats can keep getting their unreasonable corporate give aways.

The Tea Party of Louisiana wants to make its position on ending refundable corporate tax credits including the solar energy tax credit otherwise known as Crony Capitalism "perfectly clear" – END THEM ALL NOW !!!

In light of Louisiana's current budget situation, let's end the insane give aways that are called "refundable tax credits" and let's start by killing the solar tax credit!

Bob Reid, spokesman

Board of Directors Member

TEA Party of Louisiana, LLC

www.TEAPARTYOFLOUISIANA.NET

Reference enclosure: Please refer to our April 13 Press Release opposing the Solar Tax Credits as well as a few facts we attached to that release about the solar tax credit complied by Dr Jim Richardson, a nationally recognized economist from LSU.

TEA PARTY OF LOUISIANA BLASTS SOLAR TAX CREDITS & OPPOSES CORPORATE REFUNDABLE TAX CREDITS!!!

Calls On Louisiana Legislature To End Refundable Corporate Tax Credits!!!

For Immediate Release                                                                                                                                     April 13, 2015

BATON ROUGE - The Tea Party of Louisiana wants to make its position on ending refundable corporate tax credits "perfectly clear" – END THEM ALL NOW!!!

TPoL is against all forms of corporate refundable tax credits. Period! Refundable tax credits, like Solar Tax Credits, are nothing more than a clever scheme to circumvent our state constitution and enable the payment of public funds to private entities.  This is "crony capitalism" at its absolute worst.  Even when used to address a legitimate problem, such as the uncompetitive nature of local inventory taxes, such credits are still improper, because the tax credits merely cover up the problem allowing it to continue, thus allowing the legislature to avoid the hard work of fixing the problem. TPoL therefore calls on the Louisiana legislature to do its job and protect the average tax payer by stopping the corporate crony give aways.

A particularly abusive corporate give away is the solar energy tax credit. This tax credit is based on "junk science" and the fantasy that a home owner can "live off the grid". Power must be generated at the time of consumption, and this power must be available 24/7. One day, hundreds of years from now, solar technology may solve many problems and be economically competitive with conventional power generation, and when that day comes no subsidies will be necessary because free market forces will be sufficient to support solar energy.  Until that day comes let's stop robbing average people and breaking the state budget so a few well connected fat cats can keep getting their unreasonable corporate give aways.

In light of Louisiana's current budget situation, let's end the insane give aways that are called "refundable tax credits" and let's start by killing the solar tax credit, the worst abuser of all. 

Bob Reid, spokesman

Board of Directors Member

TEA Party of Louisiana, LLC

www.TEAPARTYOFLOUISIANA.NET

Reference enclosure: Please refer to a few facts we have attached to this release about the solar tax credit complied by Dr Jim Richardson, a nationally recognized economist from LSU.