The Riverboat Pilots...You know the ones who set their own pay raises, only allow family members and friends in, and get paid over 350,000+ per year to navigate the Miss. River... The ones who have protected their industry and won't let ANYONE regulate it. The ones who were paid so much they literally had the payrate commissions (which were made up of 4 reps per piece from the shipping industry reps and 4 riverboat pilot reps) abdicate (The 4 from the shipping industry of course) their responsibility. That was the ONLY way they could keep the Riverboats from raising their salaries faster than a State Legislator... Now, we see Blank-O reviving the commissions and forcing them to do "their job" (IE-Give the Riverboat captains som Mo Money!) Notice the quote in the article from one of the Riverboat Captain proponents...He's happy with Blanco's decision because "It is the law". Yet another fat lazy oaf sucking on Blanco's sugartit that is the state of Louisiana... Are you watching people! http://www.houmatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040408/APF/404080691
I had a distant cousin who was a riverboat pilot. I would have loved to have been a pilot but unfortunately I wasn't a close enough relative to qualify.
The defense rests, your honor... Oh, wait...Someone nudge Judge Polozoloa...He popped another Cajun Crack...Err...Oxycontin...
This riverboat pilot issue has chapped my ass for years. They have been responsible for much river business moving to Texas ports. The only liners you see at the Port of Baton Rouge anymore are tankers going to Exxon. Only occasional freighters show up here at the grain or bulk docks because nobody wants to pay each of the three riverboat pilots groups between here and the sea. Ten years ago Baton Rouge was the 4th largest port in the nation, now it is number 11. Put a spotlight on it, TE.
one time i was on a year-long federal grand jury, and judge polozola was the dude we were under or whatever. we didnt talk to him much, but when we did he was super cool. possibly he was on cajun crack or whatever you guys call it. all this cajun crack talk is making me want to get messed up on something.
Not to get personal or anything Martin, but didn't you say you live in NY,NY? Did you go to LSU and moved up there for business or something?
pretty much, yep. i am from baton rouge and went to lsu, but now i live in new jersey. in fact lets have some fun and take a look at my building, pre-terrorism. make sure to notice the glory of the twin towers there on the left :
That's a nice looking building, Martin, but, to me, it's like living in an ant pile. Give me rural living any day. I had a meeting in NYC on Thursday and had the TV on before going to the airport yesterday morning. The forecast for Easter Sunday was "damp and chilly". No thank you very much. I'll think of you while I'm at the crawfish boil on Sunday.
I go both ways. New York city is my favorite city in the United States and second in the world only to London. On one end, give me a nice relaxing house to have a fire and what not in....but on the other end, give me some excitement with a giant city like NY. What made you move there exactly Martin? Do you work in Manhattan? My uncle basically lives up there so I think I fell in love with it through him. Last time I went(two summers ago) I caught a Yankees game, which was unbelievably. The time before that was November of '01. I went to ground zero and it was the single most humbling and gut wrenching thing I had ever seen....
we hijacked this thread, but thats ok, its free speech alley. i moved here purely because i thought it would be fun, and i was right. i used to work in downtown manhattan, but now i am very happy to say i am unemployed.
