Every red-blooded American knows that Capitalism is the
only economic system that works, yet there are posters
appearing in downtown Covington promoting Socialism. The
poster in question appeared over the weekend, at the corner
of Columbia and Kirkland streets, near the Junior League of
Covington building. Are you angry? Don’t be.
Why would anyone reject a free market capitalist system in
favor of socialism? In the academic world, the United
States is referred to as a Mixed Economy, meaning that it
exhibits traits of both Capitalism and Socialism. As
difficult as it may be to grasp for some, the United States
already exhibits socialist tendencies. This is seen in
social programs as well as the so-called corporate welfare,
both ends of the economic spectrum. Some would argue that
the situation actually perpetuates the issues of poverty
and economic disparity.
David Gordon explains in The American Economy is Not a
Free-Market Economy (mises.org):
“Those of us who favor the free market must confront a
problem. The virtues of the market, and the vices of
socialism and interventionism, have been made incontestably
clear by Mises, Rothbard, Hazlitt, and others… What we
have today is not the free market but ‘crony capitalism’,
an altogether different matter. Government and businesses
are in a predatory partnership that extracts wealth to its
own benefit.”
As many readers are aware, Covington Weekly closely
followed the tale of the Parish’s Economic Development
Foundation, which was recently dissolved.
The St. Tammany Parish Development District, a subdivision
of the state, recently posted a notice to fill the position
of Executive Director/CEO. The link on their website then
takes the applicant to GNO, INC:
“St. Tammany Parish Development District CEO
The St. Tammany Parish Development District, an independent
public entity, seeks an Executive Director/Chief Executive
Officer to lead its efforts to grow business, industry and
jobs in St. Tammany Parish.
To Apply: Email a letter of interest and your resume to:
[email protected] Please be aware that the St. Tammany
Parish Development District is a public entity subject to
the Louisiana Public Records Law. Courts have held that
“applicants” for positions such as this are subject, upon
request, to disclosure. To obtain additional information
regarding the position (without becoming an ‘applicant’),
please email [email protected] with a request to speak
with someone regarding the position.”
What is the relationship between GNO, Inc. and the STPDD
such that applications for STPDD Executive Director are
being mailed to E. Poitevent at GNO, Inc.? Bill Davis,
President of the STPDD Board of Commissioners, responded to
the question:
“Dear Mr. Gates, Thank you for your inquiry. The St.
Tammany Parish Development District is a political
subdivision of the State of Louisiana and is not part of
St. Tammany Parish Government.
GNO, Inc. is collecting applications and responding to
inquiries on behalf of STPDD, but it is not conducting the
interview process.
The interview process will be conducted by the STPDD Board
of Commissioners. Sincerely, Bill Davis”
While this response appears to give the STPDD an “out,” it
does not address the actual question. When a larger
regional economic development agency influences a smaller
regional economic development agency by means of vetting
candidates for a particular position, then the
representation claimed for the public is irrelevant to the
plutocrats making decisions behind closed doors.
Timothy Achan Gates, CW Correspondent
Questions? Comments? Email: [email protected]
