Trust

By Louis R. Avallone

Being a leader is more than just following the rules. Rules tell us merely what we are prohibited from doing, and only the minimum of what we are required to do, instead. Or put another way, just because we can do it, doesn’t mean we should. Just because you can afford it, doesn’t mean you […]

Thank You, Candidates

By Louis R. Avallone

By the time you are reading this, the results from the November 6 election will be known, and those campaigns, whose candidates who are now in the run-off election on December 8, will have re-doubled their efforts and are back at work to earn your vote. So, for just a moment, let’s take this opportunity […]

Bright Shiny Objects

By Louis R. Avallone

There’s an assumption here, among many mayoral candidates, that the problems Shreveport is dealing with is a lack of new ideas. For example, Adrian Perkins says it’s time for Shreveport to become a “smart city” and set-aside around $400 million to construct a city-owned broadband network. Then, Steven Jackson wants to establish a “universal Pre-K” […]

Perkins First Vote Will Be for Himself

Maybe they don’t believe in the system. Or don’t think their vote will matter. Perhaps they don’t have the time, or don’t like the long lines (although it takes less than 14 minutes to vote). Or maybe they don’t know if they are registered to vote, or where to register (even though most anyone from […]

Sit and Think

By Louis R. Avallone

Would you rather sit and think, or give yourself a mild electric shock? As ridiculous of a question as that may seem, research from the University of Virginia suggests some people are so uncomfortable being alone with their thoughts that they would choose to give themselves mild electric shocks, rather than just sit and think. […]

Housewives Need Not Apply

By Louis R. Avallone

Women have been running for office in this country before they were allowed to vote. In fact, over 3,500 women campaigned for elected office before the 19th Amendment was even passed in 1920. And while the most likely path for these women to political office was through widowhood (at one point, 80 percent of women […]

Silencing the Inner Critic

By Louis R. Avallone

Earlier this month, a website (that most folks have not heard of, 24/7 Wall Street) ranked Shreveport as the 21st worst city in the U.S. to live in, just behind Compton, California and Little Rock, Arkansas. For too many Shreveporters, this seemed plausible, or at least it “sounded about right,” for a city with rampant […]

Party of Failure

By Louis R. Avallone

Common sense is not partisan, nor political. It’s not racial. It matters not to common sense how much money you have, nor your gender, creed, or family name. It pays no attention to how many diplomas are framed up on your wall, nor which side of the tracks you grew up on. Common sense knows […]

Get Back to Basics

By Louis R. Avallone

A 4-year-old is killed in a late night Shreveport shooting. A 15-year old is found murdered next to a bullet riddled SUV. Deadly shootings continue night after night at nondescript apartment complexes and along streets with names that most in Shreveport couldn’t locate on a map if their lives depended on it, and in neighborhoods […]

The Truth Shall Set You Free

By Louis R. Avallone

Watching a magic trick can make us feel like a kid again. It might be as simple as the disappearance of a coin from our hand, and having it appear again behind our ear, but it still delights us. It’s thrilling because we’re all attracted to things we cannot explain logically. How was it possible […]