Your Mail 10-26-2014: Presidential responses, Amendment 8


Presidential responses

Once upon a time, there was a President named Thomas Jefferson. Islamic thugs from North Africa were attacking American ships, stealing cargos and ransoming crews. Jefferson sent in the navy and the Marines went all the way to the shores of Tripoli.

Once upon a time, there was a President named Theodore Roosevelt. An Islamic thug kidnapped an American woman. Roosevelt sent in the Marines.

Once upon a time, there was a President named Barack Obama. With a genocidal Islamic army on the march, one of their thugs brutally butchered two America journalists. Obama interrupted his golf game to give a perfunctory condemnation before heading to the back nine.

Instead of sending in the B-52's to pulverize the Islamic State, or at least release the Kraken, he does just enough to claim he is doing something.

In 1939, Europe had the stizkrieg, the sit down war.

While German panzers were overrunning Poland, allied soldiers on the German border sat on their hands while their political leaders dithered.

If the allies had attacked, World War II would have ended then and there.

Instead, they waited as Hitler moved his armies west, attacked and overran France. Maybe there is a moral to this story.

Joseph Kutch


Amendment 8

If you love saltwater fishing in Louisiana, you probably have fished an artificial reef. Whether you enjoy fishing or just care about fish habitat in Louisiana, the Rigs-to-Reefs program is an important part of Louisiana's fisheries enhancement.

The money that runs the program and pays for projects is NOT tax-payer money from the general fund. It is money that oil companies have donated in support of the Artificial Reef Program.

When a rig is decommissioned, the oil company has the option to transform it into a reef. This costs less than deconstructing it on land. Half of their savings are donated to the Artificial Reef Development Fund.

In recent years nearly $46 million has been "swept" from the Fund to cover state budget shortfalls. Money donated to the Fund should be used for its mandate to provide maintenance, monitoring, research and education.

Constitutional Amendment 8 strengthens protection of this existing fund that was created to support a successful and nationally-recognized program for fisheries enhancement. Without stronger protection of the donated funds, participation in the program could suffer and money dedicated to fisheries enhancement will continue to be diverted for unrelated uses.

I encourage you to vote for Constitutional Amendment #8.

Marty Floyd

Secretary, La. Wildlife Federation